Response to Wiesel

I believe that Elie Wiesel's memoir Night has more relevance to the readers than if it were to be told as solely a historical account. I believe this because many people have read, or been taught about the Holocaust. People find out about it and feel whole-heartedly that it was an abhorrent time in history that marred the existence of humanity forever. They genuinely feel that way, and yet, they are able to distance themselves from what had happened. They all feel that they know how they would act in such situations, how they would respond. It is very easy to judge from an outsiders, very distanced point of view. It is easy to say thing in retrospect when you are looking at things solely with a historical eye. When you are looking through the lense of a human being who has lived through the concentration camps, and he is demystifying all of your pretences surrounding the Holocaust, and making it real for all of his readers, it becomes more relevant for the reader than any text book written on the subject. This is a live account. This could have been your family, your mother and sister taken away from you and burned alive. It could have been your father who you clung to for so long, and in the end felt that you had failed him and could not forgive yourself. It is a story of humanity and it's faults and weaknesses, along with all of it's triumphs and love.

I have written briefly about violence against me and my sisters. I feel that it is a very hard thing to write about. I feel that it can be therapeutic if you let it, but you have to be willing to feel all of the emotions that you are writing about and the ones that are in between the lines. I feel that when I am writing about such hard things that at first I am trying to keep myself distanced from the person (even if it is me) by characterizing them. But then I start to remember more and more things and I get into a depressed state. I have to remind myself that it is a reflective piece and that I have survived whatever it is that I am writing about as well as I am a better person now. I also have found writing about such events makes it easier to deal with the past, but again, one has to be willing to let it help, by being ok with whatever feelings one is feeling. I feel that writing about such things sometimes brings about new epiphanies that have always been welcomed, even if that welcome mat wasn't laid out until much later.

Over the course of this semester we have read several books, all relating difficult and/or disturbing events in their lives. Not once have I thought that the author's story or they way in which they have written it was maudlin. I have always thought that it was relevant, and I believe that I feel this way because every author has had the larger truth that they are writing about. If there wasn't a larger truth than it would be a different story. I feel that each book that we have read has built upon the ideas discussed in class which makes Elie Wiesel's memoir my favorite. I also feel that Weisel's book is my favorite because of it's vast scope and world wide involvement in the larger truth--humanity. It is very relevant today, as we need constant
reminders us where to never go again, as well as a possible beacon on how to help with Darfur and other countries that are dealing with genocide. This historical/personal memoir is a very tough, but very necessary read for everyone.