ren. Fortunately, my grandfather and great-grandmother were able to escape by running away. They were aided in their escape by a Russian family who took them in and helped them survive the genocide.
The Armenian genocide demonstrates that long before the horrors of the Holocaust the Turks were determined to homogenize culture, language and religion or exterminate all who did not convert. By educating ourselves about the Armenian genocide, we gain a greater understanding into how diversity is often a cause of conflict, especially diversity of culture and religion. It also provides us with a lesson we can never forget, that atrocious and barbarian acts by humans against humans occur regularly and must be prevented at all costs. Adolf Hitler used our tendency to forget such atrocities to enact one of even greater proportion. ESSAY TWO: The Arts
The contemplation of life without the arts is a life I cannot fathom. I find the discovery, enrichment and joy of engaging in or partaking of othersÆ art is something that makes life meaningful in ways that are seldom appreciated or enjoyed on a daily basis. Whenever I see a great movie, attend a wonderful play or listen to music that inspires and moves me, I feel like Jacques DÆAmboise (210) when he did his first ballet jumps, ôI felt like I was flying.ö
As an Armenian, I was not overly exposed to the kind of arts we typically enjoy in the United States. My own family was not overly encouraging of engaging in artistic pursuits, feeling as though they offered little financial security or material reward. However, my Armenian friends came from families who liked to enjoy music, dance or reading poetry as hobbies or part of their life outside of their profession. These experiences showed me that there were tangible and intangible benefits from enjoying the arts that must be experienced to be seen. All too often, we undervalue the arts in my opinion for their value pertaining to...