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Challenges and Dehumanization
Dehumanization in Night by Elie Wiesel
Dehumanization refers to the act of treating someone as less human and it often leads to hatred between the victim and the one who is doing the action. The book “Night” by Wiesel shows how the Jews were dehumanized in the concentration camps. The Jews are captured and treated like animals. They are transported in cars meant for transporting cattle. They were treated cruelly and they were even denied the basic rights.
They were often denied food to eat and some of them died of starvation. Adults were forced to scramble for food remains with children, as each of them fought to survive. It was a world where people saw death as a way of liberation. They preferred death since it would end their suffering and misery in the world. Everyone has a right to a name but the captured Jews are denied this right. Their names are taken away and they are instead given numbers for identification.
The Jews are tortured and killed and they face untold suffering. When they reach Birkenau, the weak Jews are isolated and killed by being thrown into the fire. They are treated the same way someone would treat something useless and worthless. In the book, roles reverse as the children who are fortunate enough to be with their parents are forced to take care of them. The people are left with no food and they have to fight for the few scrambles they get.
It is a world where father and son fight and kill each other for survival, something so inhuman that it should never happen.
Challenges in the Movie Defiance
The movie “Defiance”, tells the story of two Jewish brothers who are caught up in the Nazi invasion. The brothers come home only to find that their family has been killed by the Nazis. They vow to avenge their parents’ death, and they escape and hide in the forest. They bothers have to look for ways to survive. As they do so, other Jews who have escaped death join them in the forest. The brothers are faced with many challenges, especially as the group keeps on increasing in number. The people have to live together peacefully in the midst of the turmoil. They do not have enough food and water, and they are forced to steal from the nearby farms. They have to keep on running and hiding to avoid being captured by the Germans. The situation gets worse in winter. During this period, their challenges increase due to the harsh weather conditions. The hiding Jews have to look for any means they can to survive. In one occasion, they have to fight with and run away from the Germans. They do not have enough people to fight and they lack the necessary weapons. They are largely outnumbered by the Germans, and many of them die.
Facts on the book “Night” and the movie “Defiance”
The book “Night” and the movie “Defiance” are different, yet they both tell the story of the suffering and challenges faced by the Jews in 1940s. In the book, the Jews did not resist when the Germans came to capture them. They willingly obeyed what they were told and they only realized what was happening when it was too late for them to do anything. The movie on the other hand shows the resilience and courage of three young men, and the lengths they were willing to take to ensure the safety and survival of their fellow Jews. They encouraged the Jews to fight for their survival. They did not hesitate to avenge the deaths of their loved ones and their oppressors, and they killed those they considered as their enemies. The movie seems to be passing the message that had the Jews been stronger and willing to fight during the holocaust, many of them would have survived. The movie and the book are an illustration of how people have destroyed each other by their greed, lack of wisdom, and lack of courage.
Dehumanization In Night. (2019, Dec 05). Retrieved from https://paperap.com/paper-on-challenges-and-dehumanization-dehumanization-in-night-by-elie-wiesel/