Looking back to the expanding history of the world, phenomenons leaning towards discrimination, including genocides, have repeated themselves in history, shaping the present and future of humanity. One of the more well-known genocides is the Holocaust, which occurred during World War II under Adolf Hitler and claimed over six million lives, both Jewish and non-Jewish, from 1941 to 1945. The experience of the Holocaust is detailed in Elie Wiesel’s memoir Night, where he describes his life during the Holocaust and the troubles he had faced. A more recent yet similar event to the Holocaust was the Rwandan genocide in 1994, where one hundred days left thousands of Hutus slaughtered at the hands of the opposing Tutsis. Many sources, including an
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During the Holocaust, the Allied Powers such as the Americans and Russians attempted to prevent the Nazi crimes against Jews, while native Germans and other supporters merely stood by as bystanders and even motivated such crimes; while in a train bound for another concentration, Wiesel describes how German passerby dropped pieces of bread into the carriages, “[observing] these evacuated creatures ready to kill for a piece of bread” (Wiesel 101). At that point, Wiesel realizes that the Germans only view the murders of thousands of Jews as a spectacle, and that they will encourage these massacres solely for their entertainment and purposes. In Rwanda’s case, however, even with the late assistance of the United Nations, countries outside of the massacres had recognized the situation of the Hutus and Tutsis yet had refused to prevent it from escalating; for instance, President Bill Clinton of the U.S. “specifically avoided calling the massacre genocide to avoid U.S. involvement” (“The Rwandan Genocide”), since “there were no U.S. interests in Rwanda, so it was not their place to intervene” (“The Rwandan Genocide”). Due to the refusal of international countries such as the United States to recognize and act against the Rwandan genocide despite its recognition, these bystanders are instead …show more content…
Many Jews and other minorities victimized by the Holocaust may be emotionally traumatized by what they’ve witnessed and experienced; Wiesel shares his feelings towards the Holocaust when he gazes into a hospital mirror after being saved by the Americans: “From the depths of the mirror, a corpse was contemplating me. The look in his eyes as he gazed at me has never left me” (Wiesel 115). By witnessing the atrocities of the concentration camps as well as watching his friends and family disappear, Wiesel does not express gratitude for his survival like many other survivors but is determined to write about his experiences to prevent a repeat of the Holocaust. Related to the impact of the Holocaust on its victims, the Tutsis who had witnessed what atrocities arose during the Rwandan genocide were physically, emotionally, and psychologically affected by their experiences; it was measured that “nearly 100,000 children were orphaned, abducted or abandoned” (“The Rwandan Genocide”) and that “twenty-six percent of the Rwandan population still suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder” (“The Rwandan Genocide”) in the genocide’s aftermath. Though the United Nations does make an effort to bring perpetrators of the Rwandan genocide to justice, it is not enough to wipe away the murders of loved ones
During the Holocaust, the Allied Powers such as the Americans and Russians attempted to prevent the Nazi crimes against Jews, while native Germans and other supporters merely stood by as bystanders and even motivated such crimes; while in a train bound for another concentration, Wiesel describes how German passerby dropped pieces of bread into the carriages, “[observing] these evacuated creatures ready to kill for a piece of bread” (Wiesel 101). At that point, Wiesel realizes that the Germans only view the murders of thousands of Jews as a spectacle, and that they will encourage these massacres solely for their entertainment and purposes. In Rwanda’s case, however, even with the late assistance of the United Nations, countries outside of the massacres had recognized the situation of the Hutus and Tutsis yet had refused to prevent it from escalating; for instance, President Bill Clinton of the U.S. “specifically avoided calling the massacre genocide to avoid U.S. involvement” (“The Rwandan Genocide”), since “there were no U.S. interests in Rwanda, so it was not their place to intervene” (“The Rwandan Genocide”). Due to the refusal of international countries such as the United States to recognize and act against the Rwandan genocide despite its recognition, these bystanders are instead …show more content…
Many Jews and other minorities victimized by the Holocaust may be emotionally traumatized by what they’ve witnessed and experienced; Wiesel shares his feelings towards the Holocaust when he gazes into a hospital mirror after being saved by the Americans: “From the depths of the mirror, a corpse was contemplating me. The look in his eyes as he gazed at me has never left me” (Wiesel 115). By witnessing the atrocities of the concentration camps as well as watching his friends and family disappear, Wiesel does not express gratitude for his survival like many other survivors but is determined to write about his experiences to prevent a repeat of the Holocaust. Related to the impact of the Holocaust on its victims, the Tutsis who had witnessed what atrocities arose during the Rwandan genocide were physically, emotionally, and psychologically affected by their experiences; it was measured that “nearly 100,000 children were orphaned, abducted or abandoned” (“The Rwandan Genocide”) and that “twenty-six percent of the Rwandan population still suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder” (“The Rwandan Genocide”) in the genocide’s aftermath. Though the United Nations does make an effort to bring perpetrators of the Rwandan genocide to justice, it is not enough to wipe away the murders of loved ones