Dehumanization is like a bloodsucking leech it can suck the moral life out of its victims and feed the ego of its perpetrators. But will the bloodsucker become too stuffed and its own demoralizing poison seep out on itself? Or will the helpless victims only suffer and the perpetrators prevail? During the Holocaust, Jews and other scapegoats suffered under the parasitic rule of the Nazis, where all their human rights were sucked up for the Nazi’s benefit. In their works of authentic genius Schindler’s List and Night, Steven Spielberg and Elie Wiesel demonstrate this tragedy in a clear and unadulterated way. Dehumanization is a deadly parasite: that eats away at its victim and internally poisons its perpetrators by taking away necessary human …show more content…
The observation of Jewish religion is a routinely act that is fixed into Jewish law. During countless events in the book, Night, Jews lost their religious faith. For example in Night, a devout man named Akiba Drumer truly believed in God. He thought God was testing the Jews however as time went on his faith deteriorated and it cost him his life. Throughout history the Jews have been persecuted, slaughtered, and tormented for their religious beliefs. From the Roman Army destroying Jerusalem to Hitler mass murdering almost 6 millions Jews, its a safe assumption that Judaism is an oppressed religion. Even in today’s society anti-semitism is still on a rise. Yet in spite of all this condemnation the Jews have preserved. But does a person’s faith have a cap on it? In the face of your own destruction the task of holding on to your belief in goodness is a constant struggle. Even though many Jews failed this task some manage to endure this brutal test of spiritual strength. Some Jews were able to hold onto their faith in spite of their tremendous struggles mentally and physically due to their persistent faith in God. This important connection between the Lord and themselves meant life and death for a lot of Jewish people because where there is faith there is hope and in hope we can all find salvation and
Strength overcomes weakness People have to have something to believe in during tough times otherwise they will not be able to survive. During the holocaust, many Jewish people were stripped of their clothes, identities, and basic human rights. Survivors of the Holocaust often talk about something they found to be able to keep them alive. They often talk about if they didn't have that source of strength or perseverance they would not be here today.
“What if your life was just taken away?” Well in the memoir “ Night” by Elie Wiesel published in 1956. This memoir is about a Jewish kid, Eliezer, who is taken by the Nazi with his family. He witnesses the death of his family and others. Now is taken to this journey to survival.
The author of Night, a novel documenting the horrible and inhumane events of the holocaust, Elie Wiesel expresses his experiences and observations in which he and his fellow Jews were dehumanized during Hitler's rule in the second world war. Wiesel's first experience of dehumanization, yet subtle to the community at the time was moving from their homes leaving belongings to a designated area called a ghetto, here they had to wait for their deportation, counted to make sure everyone was accounted for and separated from the rest of the world left in the dark to what was to come. The second was after being transferred to a concentration camp,where they were stripped of their human identity and reduced them to mere bodies that were forced to work
In Elie Wiesel’s Night, dehumanization is one of the key themes. Experiencing dehumanization is by far a horrible way to live. Being hit and treated like an animal is what Elie Wiesel, his father and the other Jews experienced. Even though this happened some time ago, it got me thinking how often does this happen today? Many people can still experience this, women especially.
But as soon as he felt the first chinks in his faith, he lost all incentive to fight and opened the door to death. When the selection came, he was doomed from the start, offering his neck to the executioner, as it were”(Wiesel 77). While it was important to keep faith during these devilish times, many lost it and and it never returned to them for the rest of their lives. From their perspective it is easy to understand. If my faith was targeted and I spent years in prison because of it, I would wonder why I even practiced; Why, if my god was so “good” my life was being torn apart.
Concentration camps and inhumane conditions made it difficult for the Jews to practice their faith, so many forgot it in order to survive. The theory of evolution caused Christian communities to shun men like Bertram Cates for believing the theory, making it nearly impossible to go to church. Secondly, the destruction of reputation, persecution of people, and validity of the sacred books also broke people’s faith. Loss of reputation could make it difficult to go to church, while persecuted people often lose their faith because they believe God had abandoned them. On the contrary, many people question the validity of sacred books and scriptures when they in a tough spot, causing most people to distrust the book from then on out.
Beryl Marquez Mrs. Hunter English 10F December 10, 2015 Losing the Faith There are 4, 200 different religions in the world. In the Holocaust at least 1.1 million of children were murdered and approximately one third of the Jewish population alive at that time was murdered. The cause of their assassination was influenced with their choice of religion. In Elie Wiesel’s book Night he speaks of his experience during the holocaust and what he lost involving faith, family and identity.
Dehumanization Causing Events in Night Over the course of Eliezer’s holocaust experience in the novel Night, the Jews are gradually reduced to little more that “things” which were a nuisance to Nazis. This process was called dehumanization. Three examples of events that occurred which contributed to the dehumanization of Eliezer, his father, and his fellow Jews are: people were divided both mentally and physically, those who could not work or who showed weakness were killed, and public executions were held.
The torturing and suffering caused is what widdles down the belief, and this present throughout the novel. Only the strong and the ones who have most faith would survive, yet at the same time, if they didn’t originally have faith, they could’ve avoided the concentration camps
Although the Jews were treated like nothing I think they still felt some sort of value to their life if they would risk their life to try to
Weimin Deng What was intent of writing Night The emotional intent of Night was to emphasized the dehumanizing impact Holocaust inflicted upon survivors through the lens of father and son relationship. Although the survivors are deemed as victims, Ellie suggested the survivors victimizes other by maintaining their life through the death of others.
The Holocaust affects Jews in a way that seems unimaginable, and most of these effects seem to have been universal experiences; however, in the matter of faith, Jews in the concentration camp described in Elie Wiesel’s Night are affected differently and at different rates. The main character, Elie, loses his faith quickly after the sights he witnesses (as well as many others); other Jews hold on much longer and still pray in the face of total destruction. In the beginning, all of the Jews are more or less equally faithful in their God and religion.
In which millions of Jews were innocently killed and persecuted because of their religion. As a student who is familiar with the years of the holocaust that will forever live in infamy, Wiesel’s memoir has undoubtedly changed my perspective. Throughout the text, I have been emotionally touched by the topics of dehumanization, the young life of Elie Wiesel, and gained a better understanding of the Holocaust. With how dehumanization was portrayed through words, pondering my mind the most.
Imagine knowing your fate ahead of time. That single moment would be stuck in your head, replayed every second to prevent it. This would obstruct your feeling of morals, making you only focus on your own survival. Nothing would get in your way of trying to survive. During the Holocaust, many people were faced with this moment when they stepped in a concentration camp.
“The Jews belief does not come or go, for it does not rely on circumstances or external factors. It is built-in.” (Cotlar 1). What this quote is describing is that the Jewish people, despite feeling endless pain and punishment, but at no time diminished in their belief in God. Of course not all Jews stayed strong, but the majority did not ever leave God even in the face of death.