Sunday, September 12, 2010
Elie Wiesel
Elie Wiesel's speech was very touching and eye opening. When he spoke of the victims saying "They were dead and did not know it" (Wiesel 216). That line was so depressing and eye opening. I cannot imagine having to live like that. It makes me sad and disappointed to know that we turned away a ship of refugees. We could have saved those peoples' lives and instead we sent them to their deaths. I have so much respect for Wiesel. If I were him I would be bitter and angry towards the United States, but he wasn't at all. Instead he seems hopeful and even thankful. He must be a very strong man. His speech was full of passion and understanding. He wasn't trying to blame us, but really trying to call people's attention to how dangerous indifference can be. It was a very powerful speech and it really made me think. I loved reading it and I have a great deal of respect and admiration for Wiesel.
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I too loved reading this speech, and i loved that you used passionate to describe who he felt, because i agree completely. I also like how he uses examples not only of the things most people already know about the Holocaust, but things people may not, like that the U.S. turned down that boat after Kristallnacht. He never says anything bad about the U.S. just shows the dangers of indifference.
ReplyDeleteI also liked his approach on how he described america's indifference tendencies. He is still grateful we rescued him, but he doesn't understand how a country that helped him so much could turn away people that made it on their own. The part where he described the bodies that didn't know they were dead was a very powerful line, because if you had no idea how bad the holocaust was, that line really opened your eyes.
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