Writing Prompts - Mark Blank

Prompt 1

Please watch the film of Mark Blank as he discusses several central ideas. Determine one central idea from the video and write an essay that both summarizes and analyzes how that central idea is developed over the course of the video, including how it emerges and is shaped and refined by specific details. Cite strong and thorough evidence from the video to support your analysis.

Prompt 2

Mark Blank was eleven years old when the Germans occupied his city. He was very puzzled as to why the troops were welcomed. Blank states, “When the Germans were occupying the city, the Russian population came out with (this is a Russian tradition) with bread and salt…welcoming the Germans. They were even bringing some shoe polish for the German soldiers as a welcome.” Write a short essay that explains why the citizens might welcome an invading army. Cite specific examples from Mark Blank’s transcript.  Use the links below for additional historical context.

Links:

“The Holocaust in Ukraine.”  USHMM
https://www.ushmm.org/m/pdfs/20130500-holocaust-in-ukraine.pdf

(n.d.). Retrieved April 29, 2017, from https://www.ushmm.org/m/pdfs/20130500-holocaust-in-ukraine.pdf

“ A Warm Welcome Turns Cold…” History Net
http://www.historynet.com/a-warm-welcome-turns-cold-in-nazi-occupied-ukraine.htm

(n.d.). Retrieved April 29, 2017, from https://www.historynet.com/a-warm-welcome-turns-cold-in-nazi-occupied-ukraine.htm