In the book Night by Elie Wiesel, you read about the experiences of a Holocaust survivor who tries to make sense out of the suffering both he and his people have experienced. In your blog post, reflect on Wiesel’s experiences and his attempts to make sense of them in light of religion.
In your reflection focus on the following questions:
· What do you think of the way that Elie Wiesel makes sense of the suffering of the Holocaust?
I read Night in high school and after rereading it again, I remember why it is one of my favorite books. Wiesel is really good at saving the picture and sharing what happened during the Holocaust. I was able to not read of the suffering but to be able to imagine what people went through. It was horrible, so I would think. Wiesel is able to explain what all happened and through it all he is strong enough to keep going to make it out, he was determined.
· How do you think you would respond if you experienced what is described in Wiesel’s book?
I don't have to think hard to know that I would not have responded like Wiesel did if I was in this experience. He is a strong man to be able to live out the way he did. I for the most part would have given up pretty early into the Holocaust, and if I had made it through the beginning I know I would have been to devastated to keep going if I watched my father die like Wiesel did. It also amazes me at the end of the book Wiesel states "No thought of revenge, or of parents. Only of bread." He goes on to say again there was no thought of revenge. It takes a lot not to want to get revenge after everything they went through. I honestly don't think I would have been able to do it, but I also will never know unless I would physically go through it myself.
· How might the various perspectives of wisdom literature documents discussed in this module help people cope with suffering?
I am not quite sure how it could help others, unless it helps them like it helped me. I am in the midst of suffering right now, but rereading this book it gives me hope. The suffering I am going through right will never be compared to Wiesel's adventure in the Holocaust, but to me it is similar to my own Holocaust. Being able to read and understand how Wiesel went through all the crap and all the struggling that he endured allows me hope, because he was able to share in this literature. I think what makes it so impacting is that it seems like a made up story but there is so much proof that it is not. This is life and this crap happens. This book is living breathing proof that crap happens but God provides.
· Describe an experience you have had that required you to make sense of some kind of suffering and reflect on how something in the wisdom literature might have helped you cope.
I'm tempted to just say see above to answer this question, because it is the same answer. I'm in my own Holocaust between myself right now. I have made myself a prisoner in my own life and I am the one turning myself into the corpse that Wiesel saw in the mirror at the hospital. I'm slowly killing myself because I don't have the hope to help me through. But God has been providing me with this hope, and one of those ways has been through literature, and not just this book. I have read a lot lately and it seems that every book I have read is God just speaking directly too me. I can honestly say too that because of that I am still alive and willing to fight today. I hope that God continues to give me hope and if it is through literature well then I'll keep reading.
