Reflection on "Hotel Rwanda"

Q: Post a reflection on "Hotel Rwanda," talk about the movie's intention to impact you and its actual effects.

It was my first time watching the movie Hotel Rwanda and this movie definitely informed me about a historical genocide happenend in 1994 in Rwanda. I never knew that there was a severe genocide at the time I was young and that it was only 14 years ago. It was a strange new feeling to me that this historical mass casualty and many people’s death was caused by political conflict between people had happenened when I was already known; it just seemed that it was an big event that could have happened in era that I was not even born yet. I think it was strange because I have never gone through or thought about going through an atmosphere that when everyone I knew are in danger by the threatening powerful group of people. It was just amazing that the children who were featured in the movie are about the same age as I am right now and they were actually in that event. I wonder that if I could have gone through the time like that when no one is sure when and how they are going to live or die.
I think this is what this movie affected me after I watched it, and I think it was the movie producers’ intention in creating this movie. They informed people about the Rwandan Genocide that happened few years ago: what happenend and other unknown events were in that period of time. It impacts people to recognize the casualties and social crisis that happened in a small country in Africa. However, even more than that, I think that this movie was a big influence to me and hopefully to other people about the concerns and interest the other countries give to Rwanda. IN the movie, even though the UN was there in Rwanda to stop the fight, many of the UN’s action disappointed me. I didn’t know that one of the most influencial organization created for every country’s peace would have made some mistakes, and this movie showed me how the reality was at that time. I think it was one of the producers’ intentions to create this movie and inform the people how Rwandan citizens had to stand against the enemy, without much help of other countries’ help, to survive this cruel mass murdering. This movie was an effective influence to the viewers on telling them how the situation of the Rwandans were like; it surely worked on me.

Rwnada Genocide

The happening of the genocide in Rwanda was between two ethnic groups and it was begun as the Hutu president of Rwanda was killed. It was hard to understand that there still remains the hatefulness among different ethnic groups in 2oth century, but this whole “genocide” should be remembered because it reminds us that there should be no more violence or control over or by between two or more “ethnic groups” by nowadays or in the future. The happening of the genocide is started with the death of a Hutu president of Rwanda and the Hutu extremists taking over the government. The tension between these two groups turned severer. The Hutus, as the government was ruled by them, tried to get rid of the Tutsis as well as the “moderate Hutu politicians.” Here, I think these Hutu politicians wanted to track down their own ethnic people at first time because they thought the moderate Hutu politicians were no help to them in taking over the Tutsi “cockroaches.” After the 100 days of genocide, 8000 people per day were killed or victimized. It is unimaginable that these Hutus can ever kill those many lives every day for 100 days. Even more what makes me sad is that the UN and the other countries tried to help these Rwandan people from danger but many of them retrieved because of their country’s safety. Belgium troops withdrew their UN soldiers from Rwanda, the UN only evacuated the foreigners, not even helping enforcing the Rwandans to save their life. I would recognize that it was the Rwandan Tutsis who were mostly targeted in this genocide but not many help from foreign country was there to help them consistently. Also it was the developing countries that stayed to help the genocide to end, not the wealthy countries with higher quality of equipments and number of soldiers. Even though President Clinton apologized with his speech ‘Clinton Apology” that the US and the world community did not do much as they could and should have done to help stop the genocide, I still think there still should be more caring of other countries to another country that is in a very dangerous situation. I think that way because these different countries are life one neighbor especially when they are in a big group like UN to participate in world problems. If there could have been more help of other countries in this event, there could have not been as much as one out of 6 children who are orphans in Rwanda today.
In the movie “Hotel Rwanda,” there is a source of media that was used to tell the watchers how the situation was at that time: radio. Out side this movie, there are televisions, video, internet, and newspaper and more. In this assignment I used internet and articles as well as a video. It was a good way to know the information with these media I used today, but I like the interesting way of using the media in class, watching a movie and paying attention to the radio comments in it because I haven’t known anything about the Rwandan Genocide and it also gave deeper information on what exactly happened at that time by the radio in the movie.

The Lamb

The Lamb
by William Blake
LIttle Lamb, who made thee?
Dost thou know who made thee?
Gave thee life, and bid thee feed
By the stream and o'er tahe mead;
Gave the clothing of delight,
Softest clothing, wolly, bright;
Gave thee such a tender voice
Making all the vales rejoice?
Little Lamb, who made thee?
Dost thou know who made thee?

Little Lamb, I'll tell thee,
Little Lamb, I'll tell thee:
He is called by thy name,
For he calls himself a Lamb.
He is meek, and he is mild;
He became a little child.
I a child, and thou a lamb.
We are called by his name.
Little Lamb, God bless thee!
Little Lamb, God bless thee!


This poem made me think about God and Jesus. It seems that there is a relationship that teh poem tries to tell the readers between God or Jesus and poeple.
Another fact that made me wonder is that I noticed that poeple use the nickname for Jesus for lamb. But why? This poem made me figure out the answer. Lambs gives us their coat and fill us with warmth every day. They make the shepherds feel responsible about something important and teach us how responsibilities are important in our lives. Sometimes they give joy and lessen the loneliness of the shepherds.They gives us milk and themselves as a meat for us; and when it comes to giving away meat and their fur coats for us, their sacrifices are a huge matter. However, they do not complain, like Jesus did. Jesus, like the lambs, sacrificed for us and never complained. Rather, he was willing to save us, and this has a lot of common with the lambs. I think that is why Jesus is mentioned as a lamb.

The old speaking way that is used in this poem makes the image of the lamb and god more clear and effective. The old style of speaking seems to havc more speciality in it by showing God created Lamb in the older days, which pushes us to think more deeply and gravely about the intention of God's creating of us and sending his one and only son for us.

The Last Word of a Bluebird

The Last Word of a Bluebird
As told to a child

by Robert Frost

As I went out a Crow
In a low voice said, "Oh,
I was looking for you
To Tell Lesley (will you?)
That her litlle Bluebird
Wanted me to bring word
That the north wind last night
That made the stars bright
And made ice on the trough
Almost made him cough
His tail feathers off.
He just had to fly!
But he sent her Good-By,
And said to be good,
And wear her red hood,
And look for skunk tracks
In the snow with and ax--
And do everything!
And perhaps in the spring
He would come back and sing."




I think this is a very cute poem.
The words are not too fancy or hard and complicated like most of the poems are, and I think that these word choices determines the whole atmosphere of the poem, which I believe is not common. Although there might be some poems that the words inside it support the poem, I have never seen a poem that the words DETERMINE the atmosphere SO SPECIFICALLY like this.
The reason I believe that the poem's atmosphere and mood is well described in it is that the short words that the children might usually use shows that this poem is speaking to a child and trying to match the child's visions and word skills. what if most of the words are deliberately designed and constructed in that space to tell people how high and noble that poem sounds like? I dont think poems are better when they are delicately considered through to created it. Poems are natural and easy so that any people of any age and ability can deeply understand it; and this is what this poem is like. It is obvious that Robert Frosting did not excessively considered through for a huge amount of time to make it artificially, excessively beautiful. That is why I love this poem. It is just simple, yet come to mind easily. There was no need for deliberate attempt to make the poem big. With just plain words, this poem remains in one's mind.