Night by Elie Wiesel

Cattle cars. Burning bodies. Auschwitz. These words are engraved in the mind of every Jewish person on Earth. After decades, Holocaust survivors still have nightmares about these thoughts. One word, one indescribable word, will forever stay with these people. Holocaust. Many people of the Jewish faith realize the power of that word, but many others still need to learn. A man is sitting peacefully in his home; he has no worries, even when Nazi soldiers dragged him into the horrendous ghettos. He also willfully went into cattle cars, and then finally into Auschwitz. This is where that man realized that his life became horrible.Throughout the months in the work camp, throughout all of the suffering, his will to survive surpassed the will to kill of Nazi soldiers. Years later, people know that events like the Holocaust will, and are happening right now, such as the Bosnian Genocide 1992. Education also will get rid of the desire for power in human beings. Educating students about the Hol ocaust, and other genocides, will help prevent genocides in future generations. Man has the will to survive and surpass evil like the Holocaust survivors, genocides like this will happen again, and education will help prevent genocides in the future.In the face of evil man can surpass the death that evil brings upon it. In the book Night by Elie Wiesel, he describes the event of selection which occurs every two weeks. Never shall I forget that night, the first night in camp, which has turned my life into one long night, seven times cursed and seven times sealed. Never shall I forget that smoke. Never shall I forget the little faces of the children, whose bodies I saw turned into wreaths of smoke beneath a silent blue sky. (Elie Wiesel) This quote symbolizes Elie’s first selection in Auschwitz.As he and his father follow the lines to the selection process, they walk by flames consuming live babies. This part in the book made me wince because just the thought of babies being bu rned can make even the toughest person get to the brink of tears. Once at the entrance to Auschwitz he faces a guard who asks questions about him. He passes the first selection and so does his father, but sadly this is the place where he leaves his mother and little sister, Tzipora, forever. After many years, Elie realizes that they were probably taken to the crematoriums right away. fter living in the concentration camps for a while they go through their next selection process. Every time the selection process comes around Elie and his father escape with their lives, while others aren’t as lucky and get sent to the crematoriums. Every time they were capable of working and they were healthy so he and his father were let off. Every time they passed the selection, they surpassed evil because of the Nazi soldiers. These Nazi soldiers wanted reason to kill people, and sometimes they did it without reason.They surpassed the death evil brought upon them by having the will to get th rough the selection process, and they knew that as long as they had each other each would have the will to survive and live another day. People believe the lie that events like the Holocaust will not happen again. This is a lie because genocides have occurred in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Rwanda, Cambodia, and others. In all of these genocides one race had the intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnic, racial or religious group.In the genocide in Bosnia and Herzegovina the Serbs led a genocide against the Muslims in Bosnia. 200,000 Muslims were systematically murdered in this genocide. Beginning on April 6, 1994 the Hutu militia led a genocide against the Tutsis and the means of killing were clubs and machetes. As many as 10,000 civilians were murdered a day. In the one hundred day genocide 800,000 people were murdered. In Cambodia the leader of Pol Pot, Khmer Rouge attempted to make a communist peasant farming society, and in the process killed 25% of the population o f Cambodia by means of overworking, starvation, and executions.As you can see there have been many genocides over the years after the Holocaust, but these were the most devastating and brutal. Education will help our students learn the horrors of the Holocaust, and will hopefully prevent genocides like it from future generations. By showing our students the atrocities of the Holocaust all of them will say that something like this could never happen again, and if it did how would the world let it happen. There are many things taught in schools, colleges, and even classes for older people out of school to help them learn about the Holocaust and how to prevent genocides like it in the future.These efforts assume that learning about genocides will prevent its recurrence. However there are still genocides happening, like the ones I described in the paragraph above, so something about genocide education is wrong. There is a disjuncture about what people are teaching, and what is actually happening. In my opinion we need to do a better job teaching about the prevention of genocides. Doing this will hopefully make a big impact on the future, so nothing like the genocides in Rwanda and Bosnia ever happen again.As you can see if man can survive the evil wrath, and surpass death with their will to survive, and even after educated people on the Holocaust, genocides like it have happened again and again. The holocaust has taught me a lot about the world around me, and from it I also learned that I should appreciate everything that I have because it can all be taken away in a second like the Jewish race. It also helped me learn about other holocausts and what we need to do to prevent it. We need to ask ourselves this question, if genocides are happening after the Holocaust, what are we supposed to do to prevent them? Night by Elie Wiesel Elie Wiesel’s famous book, Night, was written as a memoir from his experience as a Jewish victim of the holocaust.   Written in the 1950’s, it serves as one of the best and most accurate resources on the holocaust, as well as being one of the few literary memoirs ever written on the subject.   As a young teenager, Wiesel struggles with his devout religious nature and the godless and destitute place he has just left and somehow survived.   On top of his own personal struggles, he is forced into a concentration camp, along with his father.   His struggle is recounted, and his life within Auschwitz and beyond is documented.The main character, Eliezer, is much more than just a character-he is also the narrative, telling his story and his direct experiences in the Nazi concentration camps.   (The main character, Eliezer, is not to be confused with the author, Elie.   Eliezer was an alter-ego made up by Elie in order to disassociate slightly with the tremendous ha rdships his character faces.)   I have only read a handful of book on the Holocaust, but this book proved to be particularly chilling, as the main character describes his experience incredibly intimately.You literally experience it alongside of him.   However, it is interesting that he not only described the physical events that he went through, but also the emotional and spiritual journeys he embarked upon.   His fundamental beliefs are suddenly called into question, bringing a much needed side of humanity to historical depictions of the Holocaust.One of the strongest themes throughout the novel is that of seeking and making peace with God.   Wiesel begins the story by speaking about his Jewish studies and his lengthy prayer rituals.   He describes how the Nazis have obliterated and destroyed the synagogue which he attends.   Towards the end of the book, any mention of Jewish observance has disappeared.   When his father passes, Wiesel states, â€Å"â€Å"[t]here we re no prayers at his grave. No candles were lit in his memory.†Ã‚   This gives implication to the fact that throughout Wiesel’s ordeal within the concentration camps, he has left his faith in God, or at the very least has lost the need for spiritual renewal through prayer and ritual.Wiesel struggles throughout the entire book with his faith in God.   Towards the beginning of the book, the author states, â€Å"â€Å"Why did I pray? . . . Why did I live? Why did I breathe?† when asked why he prays to his God.   This shows that his faith in God is much like God’s love for him-unconditional.   In addition, Wiesel struggles with the main teachings of Jewish mysticism.   For example, his faith is based around the basic belief that God is everywhere, God is a good and divine being, and since God is everywhere in the world, the world must therefore also be good.   His experiences tell him otherwise.As stated above, his faith changes and shifts significa ntly throughout his experience within the concentration camps.   However, throughout the middle of the book, Wiesel maintains that he is struggling with his faith, a significant and important distinction rather than abandoning his faith.   Almost all Christian faiths teach that not only is questioning one’s faith acceptable, it is encouraged.   After all, how can one have faith without doubting first?   At one point, Moshe the Beadle is quizzed on his reasoning behind prayer.He answers, â€Å"â€Å"I pray to the God within me that He will give me the strength to ask Him the right questions.†Ã‚   This is a perfect example of questioning faith in God.   However, throughout Wiesel’s experience during the Holocaust, he does much more than simply questioning his faith.   He must confront basic ideas of good and evil, and ultimately whether there is a God that exists that would allow such atrocities to be committed by humans to other humans.Ironically, at the end of the book, Wiesel states that his faith has been completely dissolved and destroyed.   However, he also states at the same time that he will never forget the things that he has experienced even if he â€Å"live[s] as long as God Himself.†Ã‚   He has just before completely denied any existence or presence of God, yet he is still only struggling with his faith in God-a major, recurring theme throughout the book.   However, Wiesel’s situation is also quite complex.   His heritage IS his religion.He is both Jewish in ancestry, as well as Jewish in religion.   How can your religion and mind escape your body?   It would be hard enough to abandon a religion you have grown up with, but this religion in particular is literally all-consuming.   It would be near-impossible for him to deny any existence of God because of this.Throughout the Holocaust museum, signs are posted with slogans such as â€Å"Never forget†-an anthem that was often used (and i s still used today) after September 11th, 2001.   However, Wiesel actually personalizes this â€Å"never forget† slogan when he eloquently states, â€Å"Never shall I forget that night, the first night in camp, which has turned my life into one long night, seven times cursed and seven times sealed†¦Never shall I forget those moments which murdered my God and my soul and turned my dreams to dust.Never shall I forget these things, even if I am condemned to live as long as God Himself. Never.†Ã‚   This is one of the first times that the author is able to reflect upon and to take in what is happening around him.   This is also an ironic allusion to Psalm 150, where each line starts with, â€Å"Hallelujah† or â€Å"Praise God.† The author inverts these phrases, beginning each line with â€Å"never.†Ã‚   Psalm 150 is obviously a Psalm of praise.   The passage in Night calls into question the very existence of God, or at the least Wieselâ€℠¢s basis of faith in a God.One of the most obvious symbols, yet also the most complex symbol appearing throughout the book is the night itself.   Night and darkness is a symbol for the absolute worst in humanity, as well as an allusion to the creation of the earth.   God’s first act was to create light; therefore, this was God’s first actual presence on earth.   God’s seeming abandonment of His people is metaphorical within the idea of night.   In other words, Eliezer believe that he is living in a world without God.Most critics agree that Wiesel’s Night is one of the few pieces of literature that absolutely must be read by every person in the world.   Included in this is Thane Rosenbaum, law professor and reviewer for the New York Times.   She states, â€Å"This collection is a noble literary achievement.†Ã‚   She goes on later to say, â€Å"And on top of all of these mysteries and contradictions is the greatest of them all,† re ferring to the excellent style in which the author both engages the reader in an intimate conversation while still allowing the reader to imagine the painful experiences Wiesel must have experienced.Critic Itzhak Ivry had the same positive opinion of the book.   Ivry indirectly says that of course the subject Wiesel wrote on would be interesting, thought provoking, and emotional.   However, Wisel’s style of writing is praised, as Ivry states, â€Å"Mr. Wiesel writes in short, staccato sentences, in the simplest words, and in a relentless, self-denying effort to tell the whole truth as he saw and felt it, moment by moment, day by day.†Ã‚   Ivry discusses in detail Wiesel’s gradual disillusionment with God.Ivry also discusses and alludes to the Hall of Shoes lining the Holocaust Museum in Washington, D.C.   There is a room filled with hundred and hundreds of shoes in every imaginable shape and size.   Many are still covered in dust, dirt, and ash.   Ivry alludes to this when saying, â€Å"Children’s shoes are a touching sight when piled up in a concentration camp storehouse, and a child’s reaction to the twentieth century’s greatest calamity is especially poignant.†One of the most difficult parts of reading this book is its intense resemblance of the current crisis in Darfur.   It is almost as if the book itself were echoing and simultaneously foreshadowing the voices of the lost children in the Darfur region of the Sudan.   One of the main points of the book is that all citizens of humanity are able to commit atrocities just like these, and the rest of humanity must keep one another in check, lest something happens just like the holocaust.   Unfortunately, genocide is taking place just a continent away.   It seems as though Wiesel wrote Night specifically for the purpose of encouraging us to â€Å"step up to the plate,† to make up for our lack of response during the Holocaust.Night proved to be an extremely difficult book to read.   Elie Wiesel is a fantastic author, and he truly captures the reader’s attention by not only telling his story, but also by showing how easily this happened, and how easy it would be for it to happen all over again.   Wiesel manages to bring about an aspect of humanity not apparent in other historical memoirs-and the critics obviously agree.   However, it is a book that I truly believe should be read by everyone, as it has incredibly valuable lessons to teach about faith and humanity.ReferencesIvry, Itzhak. â€Å"Memory of Torment.† Rev. of Night, by Elie Wiesel. Saturday Review 17 Dec. 1960.Rosenbaum, Thane. â€Å"Revealing, Concealing.† Rev. of Night, by Elie Wiesel. Los Angeles Times 22 Apr. 2007.Wiesel, Elie. Night. 3rd ed. New York: Bantam, 1982. Night by Elie Wiesel NIGHT ESSAY In the beginning of Night, written by Nobel Peace Prize winner Elie Wiesel, Wiesel has been in the concentration camps suffering changes in his life, physically, mentally, and spiritually. In the beginning of Night, Wiesel’s identity is an innocent child and a devouted Jew. He was a happy child with a desire to study the Talmud, until his experience in Auschwitz, in which he changed his mental ways. First of all, he used to believe that all people were nice and that human were not capable of hurting another human being.He later changed his mind after the way he saw the Hungarian police destroyed there own kind, human beings, and he no longer thought that way, â€Å"†Faster! Faster! Move, you lazy good-for-nothings! † the Hungarian police were screaming. That was when I began to hate them, and my hatred remains our only link today. They were our first oppressors. They were the first faces of hell and death (page 19). † The Hungarian police see the Jews as animals, a little insignificant animal they can devour.Another belief he used to have was that God should always be prayed and respected. He later told himself, â€Å"For the first time, I felt revolt rise up in me. Why should I bless His name? The Eternal, Lord of the Universe, the All-Powerful and Terrible, was silent. What had I to thank Him for† (Page 31)? † He felt like if God wasn’t doing anything to help these innocent human beings that practically praise him to save them all, when in reality, everyone is getting burned, abused, and getting shot.One of the thing the thought to have existed was the his opinion of the Hungarian police. In the beginning when the SS came to siget, the Jewish didn’t worry they welcomed them and they kept their space from them, he and the Jewish thought that they were not going to send them to those concentration camps Moishe the Beadle had told them about. all of the sudden everything changed, â€Å"From that m oment on, everything happened very quickly. The race toward death had begun. First edict: Jews were prohibited from leaving their residences for three days, under penalty of death.The same day, the Hungarian police burst into every Jewish home in town: a Jew was henceforth forbidden to own gold, jewelry, or any valuables. Everything had to be handed over to the authorities, under penalty of death. Three days later, a new decree: every Jew had to wear the yellow star (Page 72). † He had many changes in his life, physically, mentally, and spiritually. although, what changed him the most was how he had changed mentally because thats the way life is reflecting his attutude towards other people, things, and thoughts Night by Elie Wiesel Elie Wiesel’s famous book, Night, was written as a memoir from his experience as a Jewish victim of the holocaust.   Written in the 1950’s, it serves as one of the best and most accurate resources on the holocaust, as well as being one of the few literary memoirs ever written on the subject.   As a young teenager, Wiesel struggles with his devout religious nature and the godless and destitute place he has just left and somehow survived.   On top of his own personal struggles, he is forced into a concentration camp, along with his father.   His struggle is recounted, and his life within Auschwitz and beyond is documented.The main character, Eliezer, is much more than just a character-he is also the narrative, telling his story and his direct experiences in the Nazi concentration camps.   (The main character, Eliezer, is not to be confused with the author, Elie.   Eliezer was an alter-ego made up by Elie in order to disassociate slightly with the tremendous ha rdships his character faces.)   I have only read a handful of book on the Holocaust, but this book proved to be particularly chilling, as the main character describes his experience incredibly intimately.   You literally experience it alongside of him.   However, it is interesting that he not only described the physical events that he went through, but also the emotional and spiritual journeys he embarked upon.   His fundamental beliefs are suddenly called into question, bringing a much needed side of humanity to historical depictions of the Holocaust.One of the strongest themes throughout the novel is that of seeking and making peace with God.   Wiesel begins the story by speaking about his Jewish studies and his lengthy prayer rituals.   He describes how the Nazis have obliterated and destroyed the synagogue which he attends.   Towards the end of the book, any mention of Jewish observance has disappeared.   When his father passes, Wiesel states, â€Å"â€Å"[t]he re were no prayers at his grave. No candles were lit in his memory.†Ã‚   This gives implication to the fact that throughout Wiesel’s ordeal within the concentration camps, he has left his faith in God, or at the very least has lost the need for spiritual renewal through prayer and ritual.Wiesel struggles throughout the entire book with his faith in God.   Towards the beginning of the book, the author states, â€Å"â€Å"Why did I pray? . . . Why did I live? Why did I breathe?† when asked why he prays to his God.   This shows that his faith in God is much like God’s love for him-unconditional.   In addition, Wiesel struggles with the main teachings of Jewish mysticism.   For example, his faith is based around the basic belief that God is everywhere, God is a good and divine being, and since God is everywhere in the world, the world must therefore also be good.   His experiences tell him otherwise.As stated above, his faith changes and shifts sign ificantly throughout his experience within the concentration camps.   However, throughout the middle of the book, Wiesel maintains that he is struggling with his faith, a significant and important distinction rather than abandoning his faith.   Almost all Christian faiths teach that not only is questioning one’s faith acceptable, it is encouraged.   After all, how can one have faith without doubting first?   At one point, Moshe the Beadle is quizzed on his reasoning behind prayer.He answers, â€Å"â€Å"I pray to the God within me that He will give me the strength to ask Him the right questions.†Ã‚   This is a perfect example of questioning faith in God.   However, throughout Wiesel’s experience during the Holocaust, he does much more than simply questioning his faith.   He must confront basic ideas of good and evil, and ultimately whether there is a God that exists that would allow such atrocities to be committed by humans to other humans.Ironicall y, at the end of the book, Wiesel states that his faith has been completely dissolved and destroyed.   However, he also states at the same time that he will never forget the things that he has experienced even if he â€Å"live[s] as long as God Himself.†Ã‚   He has just before completely denied any existence or presence of God, yet he is still only struggling with his faith in God-a major, recurring theme throughout the book.   However, Wiesel’s situation is also quite complex.   His heritage IS his religion.   He is both Jewish in ancestry, as well as Jewish in religion.   How can your religion and mind escape your body?   It would be hard enough to abandon a religion you have grown up with, but this religion in particular is literally all-consuming.   It would be near-impossible for him to deny any existence of God because of this.Throughout the Holocaust museum, signs are posted with slogans such as â€Å"Never forget†-an anthem that was often u sed (and is still used today) after September 11th, 2001.   However, Wiesel actually personalizes this â€Å"never forget† slogan when he eloquently states, â€Å"Never shall I forget that night, the first night in camp, which has turned my life into one long night, seven times cursed and seven times sealed†¦Never shall I forget those moments which murdered my God and my soul and turned my dreams to dust. Never shall I forget these things, even if I am condemned to live as long as God Himself. Never.†This is one of the first times that the author is able to reflect upon and to take in what is happening around him.   This is also an ironic allusion to Psalm 150, where each line starts with, â€Å"Hallelujah† or â€Å"Praise God.† The author inverts these phrases, beginning each line with â€Å"never.†Ã‚   Psalm 150 is obviously a Psalm of praise.   The passage in Night calls into question the very existence of God, or at the least Wieselà ¢â‚¬â„¢s basis of faith in a God.One of the most obvious symbols, yet also the most complex symbol appearing throughout the book is the night itself.   Night and darkness is a symbol for the absolute worst in humanity, as well as an allusion to the creation of the earth.   God’s first act was to create light; therefore, this was God’s first actual presence on earth.   God’s seeming abandonment of His people is metaphorical within the idea of night.   In other words, Eliezer believe that he is living in a world without God.Most critics agree that Wiesel’s Night is one of the few pieces of literature that absolutely must be read by every person in the world.   Included in this is Thane Rosenbaum, law professor and reviewer for the New York Times.   She states, â€Å"This collection is a noble literary achievement.†Ã‚   She goes on later to say, â€Å"And on top of all of these mysteries and contradictions is the greatest of them all,â₠¬  referring to the excellent style in which the author both engages the reader in an intimate conversation while still allowing the reader to imagine the painful experiences Wiesel must have experienced.Critic Itzhak Ivry had the same positive opinion of the book.   Ivry indirectly says that of course the subject Wiesel wrote on would be interesting, thought provoking, and emotional.   However, Wisel’s style of writing is praised, as Ivry states, â€Å"Mr. Wiesel writes in short, staccato sentences, in the simplest words, and in a relentless, self-denying effort to tell the whole truth as he saw and felt it, moment by moment, day by day.†Ã‚   Ivry discusses in detail Wiesel’s gradual disillusionment with God.Ivry also discusses and alludes to the Hall of Shoes lining the Holocaust Museum in Washington, D.C.   There is a room filled with hundred and hundreds of shoes in every imaginable shape and size.   Many are still covered in dust, dirt, and ash.   Ivry alludes to this when saying, â€Å"Children’s shoes are a touching sight when piled up in a concentration camp storehouse, and a child’s reaction to the twentieth century’s greatest calamity is especially poignant.†One of the most difficult parts of reading this book is its intense resemblance of the current crisis in Darfur.   It is almost as if the book itself were echoing and simultaneously foreshadowing the voices of the lost children in the Darfur region of the Sudan.   One of the main points of the book is that all citizens of humanity are able to commit atrocities just like these, and the rest of humanity must keep one another in check, lest something happens just like the holocaust.   Unfortunately, genocide is taking place just a continent away.   It seems as though Wiesel wrote Night specifically for the purpose of encouraging us to â€Å"step up to the plate,† to make up for our lack of response during the Holocaust.Night proved to be an extremely difficult book to read.   Elie Wiesel is a fantastic author, and he truly captures the reader’s attention by not only telling his story, but also by showing how easily this happened, and how easy it would be for it to happen all over again.   Wiesel manages to bring about an aspect of humanity not apparent in other historical memoirs-and the critics obviously agree.   However, it is a book that I truly believe should be read by everyone, as it has incredibly valuable lessons to teach about faith and humanity.ReferencesIvry, Itzhak. â€Å"Memory of Torment.† Rev. of Night, by Elie Wiesel. Saturday Review 17 Dec. 1960.Rosenbaum, Thane. â€Å"Revealing, Concealing.† Rev. of Night, by Elie Wiesel. Los Angeles Times 22 Apr. 2007.Wiesel, Elie. Night. 3rd ed. New York: Bantam, 1982.