Hope Resor

Pre-AP English II
Jones 1st Hour
To Tell or Not To Tell
Nazi camp, concentration camp, labor camp, transit campextermination
camp. Which one would it be? With the death of over 6 million Jewish citizens, did it
matter? Only a few lived through those horrid times, and even less decided to tell the
world of their experiences. Elie Weisel was one of the few that believed telling the world
about what he went through, would guide society to behave differently now.
We must work to bring peace and understanding to a tormented world that is still
awaiting redemption (Weisel). He felt the people of the future needed to understand
exactly what they were trying to prevent. The more they learned about the abuses the
Jewish people faced every day the easier it would be to spot. If this type of atrocity could
happen then, what could stop it from happening now? Knowledgeknowledge is
power, and the key to knowledge is wisdom. Where can we gain more wisdom, than
from an actual survivor?
Weisel was not the only survivor who believed that telling their story would someday
stop violence. Anne Frank was considering telling her story long before many people
realized what was happening. As her journey through the Holocaust was coming to an
end, she writes, Who knows, it might even be our religion from which the world and all
people learn good, and for that reason and that reason only, do we have to suffer now.
(Frank) Perhaps this was Franks way of believing that everything happens for a reason,
and that good can come from evil.
Simon Wiensenthal decided to do everything in his power to make sure people made
the right decisions for mankind. His goal was to educate younger generations about the
Holocaust, and to warn the murderers of tomorrow-who may not even be born yet- will
have no peace. (Wiesenthal) Wiesenthal strongly believed that anyone involved with the
murders of the Jewish people deserved no mercy. By showing this courage to stand up
for what is right, he has chosen to educate future generations in order to keep something
like this from ever happening again.

Hope Resor
Pre-AP English II
Jones 1st Hour
Although different opinions from survivors have been expressed about the reason for
the Holocaust, all of them believed in one solution for the future. Education is the way
to stop another Holocaust from happening.(Corliss) By educating the world about the
events that took place during the Holocaust, it will prevent an event like it from
happening again, and if it should, give them the strength to survive and the belief that
well live to see the day were free. (Nor)