The report is about my visit to the Museum of Tolerance in LA. I visited the museum as a part of my class project and was enthralled by the totalitarian atrocities that the history of humanity has in store. The museum is a storehouse of the relics of racism to the xenophobia that has led man to commit heinous crimes in the name of faith and belief. This essay will describe what I have seen in the museum and what I have felt and learned from my visit.
The museum’s exhibits are divided into four sections – the Holocaust section, the tolerance center, a section dedicated to Anne Frank, and the fourth that helps us trace back our familial roots (“Museum of Tolerance” par. 1 ). The section dedicated to the Holocaust especially moved me. The recreation of the cafĂ© in Berlin where mannequins are shown in the cafĂ©, discussing their concerns regarding the impending Nazi regime.
As we move forward in the section, we come across the fate of these people once the Nazis took over Germany. The Hall of Testimony is a burning example of the atrocities that these people faced during the Nazi regime and how they stood up against such a totalitarian regime. I was awestruck when I saw the four-page letter written by Adolf Hitler dated September 16, 1919. The letter showed how hatred had engulfed all of Hitler’s senses and he was driven by sheer abhorrence. The office of Wiesenthal shows the artifacts and original documents of Wiesenthal.
The section on Anne transported me to a different age, a different life, a different time. It seemed as if I was peeping into the life of another girl, young and innocent, yet trapped by circumstances. The dramatized recreation of Anne’s room transported me to a different space where I was Anne. I felt as if I was the girl, hiding from the Nazis, in the secret Annex. This was an exhilarating experience to be a part of Anne’s life, and in my case, be Anne.
The touchscreen gallery that provided an interactive experience for the visitors was interesting and the replica of Anne’s life provided an exhilarating experience. The infinity wall and the reproduction of the famous bookcase and the diary provided a clear window to the life of Anne Frank.
The section dedicated to Tolerance was informative and exciting. The replica of the 1950s restaurant with the kind of atmosphere and ambiance prevalent during the time enriched my knowledge and perception of the intolerance that America suffered from during the time. The issues that are highlighted in this section are drunken driving, racism, bullying, hate speeches, etc. The intolerance that Americans have shown towards their people is documented pictorially in this section. Further, the Millennium Machine provides insightful information about the abuses the children and women face even today.
The threats of terrorism that we face from religious and non-religious fundamentalist groups have been described perfectly well in the exhibits. The wall dedicated to the Civil Rights movement helped me understand many aspects of the movement that remained so far a black and white tutorial. With the aid of the pictorial exhibits, I formed a clear picture of the movement that remained entrenched in my mind. The film about Bosnia, Rwanda, and other contemporary fundamentalist countries and groups helped me gain comprehensive knowledge about the prevalent and rising intolerance.
The visit to the museum helped me understand the meaning and degree of intolerance. I realized why it is important to be tolerant of other people and why we should try to avoid a totalitarian regime and armed fundamentalism.
Work Cited
Museum of Tolerance. 2014. Web.