Night Essay
Elie Wiesel’s memoir Night informed me on specific and horrific details of the Holocaust I was
unaware of before which shocked and disgusted me. From killing babies in games, the torturing of
inmates, and the inhumane environments people were forced to live and work in, I was incapable of
comprehending and accepting that human beings could commit such heinous acts towards other
humans. The usage of live babies for target practice with guns is one of the most disgusting and
horrendous things I have ever learned of people doing and this especially left its mark on me. The
Germans killing defenseless innocent children by burning them alive and other horrid methods was
something I learned from reading Night which I wish I had not. The mistreatment and torture of inmates
at concentration that were depicted in Night was also something I was not very much educated on
before reading it. People in the concertation camps were stripped of their humanity and horrifically
abused. Night also informed me of the work camps that were in concentration camps, such as Buna. I
was unaware that there were separate camps and areas where prisoners were forced to work for the
Germans.
The quote “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.”
relates to the Holocaust because the people of Germany did nothing to help the people being taken,
killed, and tortured by the Germans during World War II. The quote says that if good people and people
who are not in the wrong stand by while something bad is happening and they do not do anything about
it, then that thing will not be stopped. Many Germans stood by and watched as people were taken from
their homes and sent to camps. They watched as their country tortured innocent people, killed children,
and committed horrible crimes. These bystanders did nothing and stood by allowing Germany to get
away with these acts and crimes. The evil of Nazi Germany was able to triumph because the good
innocent people of Germany stood by and did nothing to stop them. In the future people need to stand
up against things they believe are wrong and they need to retaliate against the evils of the world. If
people become educated and stand up to these evils of the world, we can prevent having horrible
events like the Holocaust occur in the future.