Student Submissions
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Volunteer Marion Merriman by Student Anisa Najar
Anisa Najar HONS 2011J Final Essay Professor Hernández-Ojeda Volunteer Marion Merriman by Student Anisa Najar Marion (née Stone) Merriman was born on August 18, 1909 in Reno, Nevada. She graduated high school at 16 and took up a secretarial job in order to save money for college. Marion’s mom, who had passed a few months ago, emphasized the importance of education to her 5 children. She hadn’t been highly educated herself, so she very much wanted her children to be. When Marion was 18, she met her future husband, Robert Merriman, at a dance. Both were planning to enroll in the University of Nevada the next year, and…
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Children and Young Adults in the Spanish Civil War
Ana Lomidze HONS 2011J Hunter College-CUNY Professor María Hernández-Ojeda Children and Young Adults in the Spanish Civil War Personal Statement In the first week of classes, we were assigned to read Sam Levinger’s last letter to his parents. It was a short letter, but the words he used had a huge impact. The part that stuck to me, as well as to the rest of my class was when he said, “Certainly I am not enthusiastic about dying. I’ve gotten a good bit of fun out of my first twenty years despite the fact that except for the last six months they were pretty useless. I suppose I would have…
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Hyman Wallach: The Strongest Man in San Pedro by Vincent Londoño
Vincent Londoño HONS 2011J Final Essay Professor Hernández-Ojeda Hyman Wallach: The Strongest Man in San Pedro by Vincent Londoño Personal Statement I first found out about Hyman Wallace by chance while looking through the documents in the Abraham Lincoln Brigade’s digital archives. Looking through the letters he had written about his experiences I was amazed when I read about his experiences after his capture by the fascists, and how while imprisoned at the Concentration camp San Pedro de Cardenas, he kept spirits high by taking bets on which nationality of prisoners would be released next, offering to push a coin across the filthy floor of their quarters if he…
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Better Red Than Dead: The Political Activism of William James Bailey
Colin Casey HONS 2011J – The Spanish Civil War in Literature and Film Final Essay Professor Hernandez-Ojeda Better Red Than Dead: The Political Activism of William James Bailey Personal Statement I had no idea quite how impactful this class would be when I had first signed up for it. I knew about the Spanish Civil War only in passing, through works of art such as Pablo Picasso’s Guernica and films such as Guillermo del Toro’s Pan’s Labyrinth. Therefore, I knew about it primarily as a precursor to WWII, and the rise of Francoism in the country. However, I had not known a thing about the Abraham Lincoln Brigade before joining…
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Volunteer Milton Morris White by Rose Molina Gonzalez
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Volunteer Milton Morris White by Rose Molina Gonzalez
Rose Molina Gonzalez HONS 2011J- Spanish Civil War in Literature and Film Final Essay Professor Hernandez-Ojeda Milton Morris White Personal Statement Coming into my Spanish Civil War course at Hunter College, I did not have any expectations for the class or prior knowledge of this historical event. In fact, my grandmother was the one who pushed me to enroll in the class as she believed I would benefit from it. My initial impression was that it was going to be another history course with facts and dates. I was never a fan of history and so, I thought I would make the most out of this course…
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The International Ideal Unites the Human Race
Ayisha Siddiqa HONS 2011J Final Essay Professor Hernández-Ojeda Volunteer Bill Susman The international ideal unites the human race: essay on Bill Susman Personal Statement I expected this class to be a series of facts about war, and for us to discuss the events that unfolded prior to WWII in a statistical manner that eliminated the human experience and turned people into numbers. However, I was pleasantly surprised to learn about such a pivotal event through literature, fiction, poetry and art and for that reason I don’t think I will ever forget the emotions, losses and victories of the people who dedicated their lives to fighting fascism. Their…
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Volunteer Milton Morris White by Rose Molina Gonzalez
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Volunteer Raphaele “Ralph” Fasanella by Luisais Taveras
Luisais Taveras HONS 2011J – Spanish Civil War in Literature and Film Final Essay Professor Hernández-Ojeda Raphaele “Ralph” Fasanella Personal Statement (250) My knowledge or awareness of the Spanish Civil War was significantly limited to non-existent prior to taking this course. Overall, war and its historical figures are often displayed in a one-dimensional manner for the learner, taking away the human essence of lived experiences and the acknowledgment of the larger loss over its proclaimed victory. Consequently, when presented with the task to write a piece on a volunteer from the Abraham Lincoln Brigade for their participation in the Spanish Civil War, I envisioned conveying the life of a woman…
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Volunteer Milton Morris White by Rose Molina Gonzalez
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The Life and Legacy of Mosess “Moe” Fishman – by Ariana Ahmed
Ariana Ahmed Final Essay Professor Hernández-Ojeda HONS 2011J – Spanish Civil War in Literature and Film Personal Statement In step with a majority of the class, before enrolling in HONS 2011J – Spanish Civil War in Literature and Film, I had no understanding of what the Spanish Civil War was, why it was fought, and what it symbolized in a global context. As we dived into the material, I soon understood that the common cause of the Spanish Civil War was fascism; the Nationalists wanted to bring glory to the Spanish Empire and nationalism through fascist means, while the Republicans laid their lives out on the line to protect the…
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Volunteer Milton Morris White by Rose Molina Gonzalez
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Volunteer Leo Eloesser by Laura Alvim
Laura Alvim HONS 2011J Final Essay Professor Hernández-Ojeda Leo Eloesser, MD Personal Statement As an aspiring doctor and surgeon, I was very interested in the experience of doctors who volunteered in the Spanish Civil War and their practice of war medicine. While doing some research on the American Medical Bureau (AMB) – the medical corps associated with the Abraham Lincoln Brigade-, I came across Dr. Leo Eloesser, a thoracic surgeon from the San Francisco General Hospital. Dr. Eloesser’s commitment to global medicine captivated me. He was devoted to helping the people who needed him the most, independently of their geographic location, attending and teaching underserved communities all over the…
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The Story of Fredericka “Freddie” Imogene Martin
Eleni Mattas Professor Hernandez-Ojeda HONS 2011J 18 December 2020 The Story of Fredericka “Freddie” Imogene Martin Personal Statement: When I first began this semester I assumed this course would be just another history class. I did not expect to gain such a wide perspective of the various events that led up to World War 2. I especially was unaware of the events that transpired in Spain. When I heard about the American volunteers that willingly sacrificed their comfortable lives here in the States to fight overseas, I was inspired. Today, political involvement has been minimized to social media postings and small, diplomatic debates amongst friends and family. In the 1930s,…
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Volunteer Milton Morris White by Rose Molina Gonzalez
