Ralph Waldo Emerson said, “We acquire the strength we have overcome”. And I think that this applies for all three Persepolis, Swing Kids, and Hotel Rwanda. It applies to Persepolis by the fact that she has overcome so many things. Like the divorce, and moving to a different country leaving her parents behind. I mean she had to deal with making a whole new life, and then she was in a country that was in war when she was younger. She lived a very learn full life because she had to do a lot of independence starting at a young age. She had to learn a lot of social skills all on her own.

It ties into Swing Kids by the fact that four friends get split up because two go into Hitler youth and swing then the other two continue to just swing. And the two who join Hitler youth don’t stay as good of friends because one strongly believes everything that the Nazis tell them and the other disagrees with what the Nazis teach them. In the end one of the swing kids commits suicide. He learned right from wrong and he was not going to support wrong even if it meant death. The two in Hitler youth fought but realized that friendship is stronger than what was currently happening with the Hitler youth and the Nazis wanted from them. The two eventually split up one goes to a work camp, and the other goes and stays in the Hitler youth.

It ties into Hotel Rwanda by the fact that the hotel manager has to worry about hundreds of people. When the president died then the Hutu starting killing off the Tutsi. The managers’ whole family was Tutsi same with a lot of his neighbors. Then the hotel becomes a safe spot for them. In the end thousands of people died and over a thousand survived thanks to one man with some help of the rebels, and the U.N. The hotel manager learned that life is important to everyone. He also learned that in any situation good or bad he can always help out others.

James