Never Shall I forget

Never shall I forget.

¨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 my desire to live....¨  -Pg. 34, Night by Elie Wiesel.

Elie must feel so hopeless after watching such horrors. After watching such atrocities how could you remain hopeful? He says it had taken away his desire to live. Why would you want to live when you see such horrible death all around you? Children being burned right in front of him, and he could do nothing about it. It must have been scary, frustrating, and heartbreaking. It consumed his faith being that I think he asked himself how any God could let that happen. His faith must have been gone also since all of this awful experience was  basically because of his religion (and many other things). How could he continue to follow a religion that at the time was a target for such violence and murder? I don't blame him. I was surprised he was not thrown in as well. He must have been terrified.

This quote shows hopelessness because he no longer has interest in life and religion. Maybe he felt lost, going on aimlessly, awaiting death. I can relate it to other Holocaust victims’ experiences. During the Holocaust, people often lost hope When you lose hope you can´t go on. Many victims gave up their religion, and some held onto it until the very end which is like standing up for what you believe. I think it also shows an atmosphere of fear too because Ellie watched people, even children, die in front of him, and he knew that his father and himself were likely to be thrown into the pit as well. When I was at the Holocaust Museum, I saw pictures of starving, hopeless, people trying to survive. In the pictures you can see the expression of pain, exhaustion, and all in all suffering, and at their breaking point. Things that Ellie endured during the Holocaust are unforgettable.  

What was there to thank Him for?

¨Ḿay His name be celebrated and sanctified...´ whispered my father. For the first time I felt anger rising within me. Why should I sanctify His name? The Almighty, the eternal and terrible Master of the Universe, chose to be silent. What was there to thank Him for?¨ - Pg. 33, Night

I think that Ellie should not turn his back on his religion like that. I personally think that, we have different religions with many reasons, but I think we have our own religions and beliefs so we don't have to feel alone, and its something you can turn to and help you persevere (Although I understand what he's saying). This quote really stuck out to me because it shows him giving up, and giving away something he's spent so much time and dedication on. The book said that he was pretty religious before the Holocaust occurred.

I see hopelessness, and an atmosphere of fear in this quote. In Auschwitz I think that it was always a feeling of fear. And he was hopeless to do anything about their deaths.  I can relate this to the Holocaust because in Auswitch it was always scary, death was everywhere. He was staying in Auschwitz and almost died. Only about 190,000 people survived Auschwitz (according to the Director of the Auschwitz Museum) That may sound like many but compared to how many died there, it is a small number. I think that he shouldn't  be giving up on his religion. But at the same time, I can't blame him. After what he saw, how can he still hold faith?

I chose this picture because it sends the message of hope. It says no matter where you are you can have the life you want. It shows that you deserve the life you want, even if it seems impossible to have. The ideal life for Jews in the Holocaust was seemingly unreachable. I connected the Hopeless swamps of not-quite¨” to a camp or a ghetto.  

I think this can be connected to the Holocaust because no one was really able to predict the end of the Holocaust, and that no one really understood what the situation would become (like home to a ghetto, or ghetto to camp, or camp to liberation).


This is just like the Holocaust because those who survived aren't just survivors, they are fighters. They had to fight the entire time of the Holocaust. And they still continue to fight. The picture says life, but i think it’s like Hitler’s Nazi party. Scary, abusive, but if you are a fighter you can live.