Jeff's Second Post

Dear Reader,

            Before I started reading Night, I thought that I knew most of what there is to know about the Holocaust.  However, every page I read teaches me something new about the struggles of Jews during the Holocaust, as well as things about human beings I never knew, or simply was unable to comprehend.  As Elie Wiesel is incorporated into the work camps, he and his fellow prisoners are de-humanized by their oppressors.  They are all tattooed with numbers and from that point on they are only known by their number.  Wiesel describes the event saying, “I became A-7713. From then on, I had no other name” (Wiesel 42).   This reminds me of how ranchers used to brand their cattle with numbers so they knew who owned each cow.  How could anyone treat another human being like that, like cattle?  For as long as I can remember, I have been taught to treat others like I would like to be treated.  I understand that the S.S. officers had been exposed to Anti-Jew propaganda for years, but even today people are exposed to such propaganda.  For example, since the attacks on 9/11 Muslims have been looked down upon by large numbers of Americans.  Sure, bad things have happened as a result of the attacks, but America has not decided to exterminate the World’s Muslim population.  So what makes modern America different from Nazi Germany?   In my opinion the leaders of the country determine which course of action will be taken.  Tragically, I don’t believe many of the people who carried out atrocities against Jews wanted to do what they were doing, but a few of the maniacs that held positions of power ordered them to do these awful things.  In a way I consider these “forced followers” victims as well.  They had to live with what they did for the rest of their lives, and in my opinion that is the worst punishment anyone could endure. 

            I wish I was more like Elie in the sense that he has very little resentment towards the people that made his life Hell.  Looking back at myself, I get mad at people for doing seemingly insignificant things.  While I hold against my sister because she touches my stuff, Elie is able to forgive the people who enslaved him and murdered his family.  If there is one lesson we can all that from this book, it is that if Wiesel can forgive the Germans, we have no right to be angry about minor issues.  I hope you learn as much from this book as I already have.

Sincerely,

Jeff Scott