Elie Wiesel's Night

Words: 524
Pages: 3

Dear Congressman Sessions, “History repeats itself endlessly for those who are unwilling to learn from the past.” (Leon Brown) This quote exemplifies how crucial it is for us to study history, as ignorance of past mistakes can put us at risk of repeating them. After reading “I Remember Night” by Clemantine Wamariya, I realized how important books like “Night” by Elie Wiesel truly are. In her account, Clementine narrates how she grew up in the Rwandan genocide, and since that was all she ever knew, she didn’t understand the full gravity of what she experienced. She recounts how reading “Night” awakened her into finding her voice and advocating against the true horrors she endured. As a young student with many concerns about the hate that encompasses …show more content…
When reading about Clemantine Wamariya’s experiences going through “a genocide perpetrated on another continent almost 50 years after the Holocaust” (par. 1. I realized that the violence that took place in Germany in the 1940’s has been repeated all over the world. Clementine notes that after reading “Night” she wanted to research other genocides so she “could remember the victims and try to understand what makes people commit such crimes and how they might be prevented in the future.” (Note 2) After reading Elie’s influential accounts, Clementine was better able to grasp how hate and violence function in our world. Although some may argue that the horrors described in books like “Night” may be too hard to digest, when taught at the right, mature age, these books are pivotal in developing this same understanding. Not only can these books build understanding of hard topics, but they can also inspire readers to find their voice on such issues. In “I Remember Night” Clementine reveals that “Elie Wiesel and his book Night have changed my life, shifting the way I see and treat people and inspiring me to fight injustices any way I am able.”