Name: ______________________________ Date: _______________
8th Grade US History
Swing Kids Debrief – Please complete the following…
Metaphors
1. Describe how swing music was used as a metaphor throughout the film Swing Kids. What did it represent? Why might many young Germans of the era have embraced such music?
2. Dominance was a consistent and compelling theme throughout the story. What examples of dominance can you recall from the film? Who seeks dominance and why? Who is dominated?
3. The theme of "the messenger" also resonates throughout the film. Provide specific examples of characters that were messengers, as well as the significance of the messages they were carrying.
Character Progression
4. Which characters exhibited the greatest internal conflict in the course of this movie? What role did propaganda play in the progression of these internal conflicts?
Character Progression (continued)
5. Which character represented the most consistent pure evil throughout the film? Do you think this character truly was evil? Explain.
Historical Significance
6. Hitler utilized a "divide and conquer" mentality to transform German society. Explain how – and why – the Nazis attempted to divide and conquer the minds of the German people.
7. What groups were marginalized (or worse) in Hitler’s Germany? What reasons were given – in the film or otherwise – for doing so? Why did people go along with this process?
8. Many historians describe Hitler as a totalitarian ruler. In a totalitarian society, individuals must submit completely to a government that strictly controls all aspects of life. What evidence of Hitler’s totalitarianism is presented in the film? What made these methods so effective?