Final answer:
Both 'Things Fall Apart' and 'Night' depict the impact of historical events on individuals and cultures, highlighting the resonance and common human experiences that transcend cultural and geographic boundaries. They demonstrate the shaping of lives and world views by colonialism and oppression.
Step-by-step explanation:
To examine the question through the APES (Assertion, Proof, Explanation, Significance) format, we analyze how history and its people are depicted in two literary excerpts from 'Things Fall Apart' by Chinua Achebe and 'Night' by Elie Wiesel. Both works reveal the profound impact that historical events have on individuals and cultures. In Achebe's excerpt, the resonance of 'Things Fall Apart' is highlighted by how the story of colonialism in Africa found echoes in the experiences of people in South Korea under Japanese rule. Achebe learned that his story on the Igbo people and the colonial experience could resonate deeply with others who had their own parallel histories of dispossession and colonialism.
In contrast, the excerpt from 'Night' shows the beginning of the Holocaust as experienced by the Jewish community, highlighting how oppressive measures and the arrival of the German Army disrupted everyday life and instilled a sense of looming disaster. The common thread between these stories is the portrayal of people grappling with large-scale historical forces beyond their control and the search for meaning in those moments.
The comparison of these excerpts suggests that history profoundly shapes people’s lives, cultural perspectives, and world views. It reveals how human experiences, regardless of cultural or geographic differences, can converge in their struggles and emotions, especially in facing oppression or colonization. These narratives add a personal dimension to our understanding of history, emphasizing that historical events are not just abstract occurrences but deeply affect individuals and communities.