Here is Elora in January 2015, revisiting her "Berlin Wall" History Day Board that she created in 2002. This project was special to her because she learned about an event that happened in 1989, the year she was born. This was the Fall of the Wall that marked the end of the Cold War, ushering in a new era for her and other millennials.
A couple years ago, I received a book from my grandmother and I saw a picture of the graffiti on the Berlin Wall. After I read the caption, I became interested in why the Berlin Wall was built and the history behind it.
"The Century" by Peter Jennings and Todd Brewster - Doubleday, First Edition November 1998 - 605 pages
Photo caption, page 521: Members of West Germany's environmentally conscious and leftist Green Party recommended "the breaking off of the work of breaking [the Wall's] stone" until "orderly waste management" could be administered. But their appeals were pointless. No one wanted to wait for the "system," of all things, to tear down this wall.
When History Day 2003 came around, I found a great opportunity to research the wall and after I read about it, I knew it was a great topic that went perfectly with this year's theme.
The first step in starting my project was gathering the research. I started out at the library and immediately began taking notes on all the books I collected. Then I went online searching for primary sources, such as documents and pictures. I even emailed someone in Germany asking them for their Berlin Wall memories.
After taking notes and organizing my research, I began to think of what kind of project I would do. I decided that I would display my findings on a board, since there were creative ideas forming in my brain. It was easy for me to figure out the layout of the presentation because, after all, my topic was the Berlin Wall. I could easily turn my board into a wall also. When all my ideas were set straight and I had put together a mini-board, I visited my father's workplace to begin the actual graphics. After I was finished with the main part of the board, I printed out the flags and attached them to chopsticks and stuck them to the back of the presentation.
The Berlin Wall is an ideal topic for this year's theme because it has everything to do with rights and responsibilities in history. The people of Berlin clearly have the right to want freedom, as well as the responsibility to prevent communism from controlling their lives.
The Soviets, too, had rights and responsibilities, such as the right to keep their good workers in the East, so their economy wouldn't suffer more than it already was. They also had a responsibility to keep the people from crossing over, even if it meant shooting them in the process.
After all my research, I learned that there was a much deeper meaning to the Berlin Wall than I had initially thought. It was the most visible symbol of the Cold War and it was extremely hard to get over. No matter how much the people wanted to escape, it was very tough, and more than 100 people died from it. I have come to realize that no matter what the Soviets were thinking, the Berlin Wall was never a good idea. The people in the East had the right to move to the West as they pleased, since they would have a better life there. The wall prevented that from happening, and separated families in the process. There is no excuse for keeping people from their rights, or killing people just because they want a better life.
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| First Draft |
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| Reconstructing the Wall -- Grafitti development, phase 1 |
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| Grafitti development, final version |
A unique aspect of Elora's exhibit was actually recreating the Berlin Wall at the bottom, with the flat board above serving as an educational backdrop. Here you can see that the top of the Wall extends forward 1/2-inch from the board, giving a solid 3D feel to this structure.
