Here's the thing Elie Wiesel wants you to understand both about the Holocaust and all the other genocides that have happened since: people are making them happen. Not mythical monsters or Disney villains, but flesh-and-blood people.
Which means that flesh-and-blood people can put a stop to these things by refusing to play a part—and that includes refusing to be indifferent.
Questions About Humanity
- Why does Wiesel begin and end his speech with mention of "a young Jewish boy"? Who is the boy? What do you think he's trying to accomplish?
- In line 7, Wiesel says, "Though he did not understand their language, their eyes told him what he needed to know—that they, too, would remember, and bear witness." Think of how Wiesel defines "humanity" throughout his speech. Why was he so grateful that the American liberators would remember and bear witness?
- "Gratitude is a word that I cherish. Gratitude is what defines the humanity of the human being" (9-10), he says. Do you agree? Why or why not?
- In line 68, Wiesel mentions that the world is in the Days of Remembrance, commemorating the Holocaust and that entire time period. Why is it so important to remember what happened to him, and so many millions of others?
Chew on This
On the surface, humans are complex creatures, and what defines humanity is also complex. But Elie Wiesel's experiences throughout the Holocaust, when the struggle to survive was his only focus, forced him to simplify what it means to be human.
In many cases throughout the Holocaust, as well as in other conflicts and genocides around the world, choosing to help the victimized populations made the helper a target, too. It's hard to blame indifference entirely on a lack of humanity when fear is also a likely motivation.