No matter how many times I read or watch something about it, I still can't help but not believe it. I know it's real; I believe it was a part of history. Good thing that there is proof that it really did happen, a memoir from one of the survivors of World War II.
Night by Elie Wiesel is a very, very good memoir of what happened during the years of the second world war and during the Holocaust. It's actually short, with 9 chapters, but packed with all the emotions and oppressions that you can't even imagine.
Here is a monologue in chapter 3 that I find really unforgettable, which I think is one of the main highlights of the book, although there are a lot of events that I want to elaborate, but I can't. So on this monologue are the feelings and the realizations he had the night that they arrived at Auschwitz.
Never shall I forget that night, the first night in camp, that turned my life into one long night seven times sealed.
Never shall I forget that smoke.
Never shall I forget the small faces of the children whose bodies I saw transformed into smoke under a silent sky.
Never shall I forget those flames that consumed my faith forever.
Never shall I forget the nocturnal silence that deprived me for all eternity of the desire to live.
Never shall I forget those moments that murdered my God and my soul and turned my dreams to ashes.
Never shall I forget those things, even were I condemned to live as long as God Himself.
Never.
Reading the book has made me change my perception on what really happened that time, for I only know the basic facts. But here, you can actually feel the emotions of what happened that time―the hunger, pain, guilt, hatred, vengeance, justice, fear, selfishness, and most especially, questioning your faith in God. And the author was able to address the issue very well; and I'm sure that those who are devout or from observant families would understand this.
Seeing this from the victim's point of view has made me think of this tragic event in history and understood a bit of what they had to go through during the war. My ancestors and fellowmen were also victims of the war for the Japanese conquered the Philippines as well despite of the Americans in the country. They too, experienced the horrors of the war, and I will not compare this to the Jews for this is not something to be proud of or make a competition out of. Everyone had suffered at one point or another; for this was a war that went on in the entire world, where some nations were still rebuilding due to the first but then started again with another one. And in respect to all the victims and survivors of the war, acknowledging and empathizing with them would be better for we certainly do not want to experience what they went through during those times. It was horrible, definitely, but like Wiesel said, ''there really is no other words to describe the horrors of those events.''. It's not worth remembering them, but at least through him and all the other survivors we are able to understand and know what truly happened that time. And through them, the world may be able to avoid this terrible ordeal again.
I would love to put in more quotes from the book, but I don't really want to spoil you if you haven't read it. If you have though, that's great, for this deserved the Nobel Prize and it is worth your time. I would also like to share this site that my teacher told me, and it's interesting to look at, especially if you are into The Holocaust and you want to look deeper and know more facts. This is the site, and I hope that you do explore it; so have a look around and it's best if you know more about the second world war in Europe (particularly The Holocaust) in order to fully understand it. And there is also an episode in Oprah where she and Elie went back to Auschwitz to relive everything, but you have to see it for a cost.
In the meantime, I hope you do get to read this wonderful memoir; or if you're not into reading, you can watch some videos of Elie Wiesel in some sites (there is one recent video where Wiesel made a speech at Buchenwald with President Obama on his side in memory of Elie's father) around the net.
No comments:
Post a Comment