Question

1. Read the below except from the Preface written by Elie Wiesel about his memoir Night and then

respond to the question that follows.
... The topic of Auschwitz has become part of mainstream culture. There are films, plays, novels,
international conferences, exhibitions, annual ceremonies with the participation of the nation's
officialdom. The most striking example is that of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in
Washington D.C.; it has received more than twenty-two million visitors since its inauguration in 1993.
This may be because the public knows that the number of survivors is shrinking daily and is
fascinated by the idea of sharing memories that will soon be lost. For in the end, it is all about
memory, its sources, and its magnitude, and, of course, its consequences.
For the survivor who chooses to testify, it is clear: his duty is to bear witness for the dead and
for the living. He has no right to deprive future generations of a past that belongs to our collective
memory. To forget would be not only dangerous by offensive; to forget the dead would be akin to
killing them a second time.
Sometimes I am asked if I know "the response to Auschwitz"; I answer that not only do I not
know it, but that I don't even know if a tragedy of this magnitude has a response. What I do know is
that there is "response" in responsibility. When we speak of this era of evil and darkness, so close and
yet so distant, "responsibility” is the key word.
The witness has forced himself to testify. For the youth of today, for the children who will be
born tomorrow. He does not want his past to become their future.
In these final thoughts from the preface precluding his memoir Night, Elie Wiesel talks about
memories and trying to understand Auschwitz. What are your thoughts about the above excerpt in
context with a theme you observed at work in the novel? Write a response of no less than three
paragraphs explaining how the above exce
'rpt introduces and supports a theme you identified in the novel. Make sure to use textual
evidence from the novel to support your answer. (25 points)

Answer 1

The above excerpt shows how important it is to remember and testify about all the atrocities that occurred in the holocaust. Wiesel says that although the reports about what happened during this period may be uncomfortable for some people, it is the responsibility of those who witnessed this moment to testify about everything that happened. This is a way of honoring your own history, honoring the dead in this tragedy and moreover, this is a responsibility to the next generations.

The book written by Wiesel highlights the theme that states that the history of the holocaust must not be forgotten. Although the number of survivors decreases more and more, it is important that the holocaust is always discussed, shown and debated; its horrors must be displayed, so that future generations will recognize how dangerous prejudice and intolerance is and how it has hurt the history of mankind.

This exposure is important so that the next generations are responsible and do not allow events like this to happen again. In this way, it is expected that the reports of the survivors of the holocaust will generate conscious generations, who choose their leaders well, who have respect for others and who do not promote messages of hatred and superiority among peoples.