Social Justice In Elie Wiesel's Night

Students at Wayne Hills actively serve as agents of social justice through clubs and extracurricular activities. For example, the National Honor Society volunteers at a local soup kitchen, while the Student Council holds a Thanksgiving food collection for a local food pantry and helps run a winter blood drive. Contrary to popular belief, the goal of education is not exclusively, to educate and prepare students for college and to enter the adult workplace as productive members of society. In addition to the academic education students receive, “it is the job of schools to educate students about various concerns related to social justice and diversity in the world surrounding them” (Kaplan). Wayne Hills High School prepares students to act as …show more content…
The novel chronicles the author’s experiences during his imprisonment in Auschwitz, and recounts the memories of his loss of faith as he is forced to face oppression and the inherent evil of mankind. Wiesel’s loss of faith is evident when he recounts that “[for] the first time, [he] felt anger rising within [him]” and questioned “[why] should [he] sanctify His name? The Almighty, the eternal and terrible Master of the Universe, chose to be silent. What was there to thank Him for?” (Wiesel 33). Understanding that Wiesel went through a period of time in which he questioned and doubted his faith allows for students who feel uncertain of their own faith to relate. Although Wiesel has lost his unconditional devotion to God “in spite of [himself], a prayer rose in [his] heart, to that God in whom [he] no longer believed” (91). This quotation depicts Wiesel as a relatable character because, like many people, he looks to God for consolation and protection in his time of need. A greater “understanding of alternative ideas promotes social justice by expanding readers’ minds and allowing them to understand future experiences in a more nuanced and compassionate manner” (Heinz). Agents of social justice can apply the knowledge and wisdom gained through literature to everyday life, encouraging them to show greater compassion to those in need. Wiesel …show more content…
The novel follows the Ganguli family “from their tradition-bound life in Calcutta through their fraught transformation into Americans” (Lahiri), simultaneously contrasting the Indian and American cultures. The main character, Gogol, must balance his traditional Indian home life, and his American social life. Differences between Indian and American culture are is demonstrated through Gogol’s awareness “that he himself will be burned, not buried, that his body will occupy no plot of earth, that no stone in this country will bear his name beyond life. In Calcutta...he has seen the dead bodies of strangers carried on people's shoulders through streets, decked with flowers, wrapped in sheets” (113). In the United States, it is common for the dead to be buried, where as it is Bengali tradition to cremate the dead. By exposing differences, for example, in cultures, literature promotes social justice and encourages the reader “to view the author as an “[individual] in all their complexity. Once we see someone as a person in all their humanity, then we’ve reached beyond the stereotype” (Glasgow). Not only does the novel motivate readers to learn about differentnew cultures, it teaches them to accept other people’s differences, thus facilitating the growth of students into agents of social

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