The Darkness Of Night
Night by Elie Wiesel
The Darkness of Night
I am a witness to one of the most inhumane genocides in history. Night, a memoir written by Elie Wiesel, a Holocaust survivor, is a primary source of this event. Primary sources are powerful tools, which explain specific facts about what occurred in the past. By reading Night, I became a bearing witness of the Holocaust and have the right to express my feelings about it and recount facts that occurred during that time. Secondary witnesses are just as important as primary witnesses because both will tell the truth of what occurred.
Reading this memoir, caused me more and more pain. Each page weighed heavier than the previous one. My own emotions echoed what Wiesel felt; it was difficult imagining that this kind of inhuman behavior existed in such a modern time. It was hard for me to grasp the number of deaths that occurred, since almost every page had a new set of victims. Gruesome and unpredictable deaths occurred constantly. When I finished the memoir, I felt stunned and devastated.
Those who were victims of a genocide were innocent people like us. They had families and professions and each one was unique in their own special way. Some of them were old, others were young and they wanted to live as we all do. Before these people were killed they were abused, tortured and humiliated. The tears being shed by those who cared about them are everlasting. Those who survived a genocide should be praised and those who died should be honored.
As a witness I am responsible to tell the truth about the holocaust. If I encounter people who do not believe that the Holocaust occurred, I should try to prove to them that it did. It would be the same as if I witnessed a person being robbed on the streets. I am responsible to report the criminal, just as I am responsible to inform the acts of the Nazis to anyone...
Please login to view the full essay...