Neutrality Helps the Oppressor, Never the Victim
The acceptance speech of Elie Wiesel was a description of his personality as human being who went through the pain and still remembering the tormented past of his own and his people. The people that killed without justice suffer without sin and burning their bodies and their future.
The speech made Elie speak the truth of what is happening in the past and that is also happening now in different countries. He is speaking in behalf of the victims who died without words received the suffering without asking why. Experience torment from the tormentor who gains more power in killings the innocent.
This research aims to explore Elie Wiesel being an activism that speak for the victims and spread words of the past memory to awaken the Jewish who are the first victims of the oppressor. The writers to continue being a spoke person of the tormented who remain in silence that call help for justice. The leaders who were continuously use their power at the expense of torturing other people just to gain more power. To the ordinary people who remain silent even in their injustice moment to be vigilant and speak the truth that contribute your future.
According to Encarta English Dictionary [North American Edition] (2006), “Activism is a vigorous and sometimes aggressive action in pursuing a political or social end.” However, Elie Wiesel defines it in many ways in not doing harsh action but done it in a soft spoken and written way that succeeded him in delivering to the people. Elie has reason in doing this type of activism which is express in the next paragraph.
Human Rights Activist
As journalist Elie believed that activism can play more by spreading the words of the victims. His experienced being a victim and a witness to terror done by the Nazi to his people made him a journalist activist that writes the words that the buried victims want justice for killing them.
He is a human rights activist that hears and writes the wounded emotion of the victims of the past that shape his future now as a journalist. He make himself a “messenger” of the dead to speak justice for them so that their tortured moment will no be forgotten by the people and the country who done tormented acts to innocent people.
In his Novel Acceptance Speech delivered in Oslo (December 1986), indicated that “Human rights are being violated on every continent. More people are oppressed than free. How can one not be sensitive to their plight? Human suffering anywhere concerns men and women everywhere.” This words of Elie show that he is an activist of human rights that helps the armless victims to have justice and stop continues terrorizing human being across the country that right now suffering pain from terror leaders.
As a journalist there so many things to be done Elie added on his speech that refugees’ misery and children’s fear must be stop with the millions of lives of Jewish and Palestinian people that have shed too much blood. I need your support and cooperate and remove hatred and danger to gain peace in the holy land. Elie agree that Violence is not the answer. Terrorism is the most dangerous of answers. (Wiesel, Elie 1986)
Peace Activist
Instead of using guns and fight for the rights of the injustice he created foundation for humanity that supported various humanitarian projects. He also organized International conferences on the theme Anatomy of Hate that intend to light up this human weakness of supremacy. (Temple Education Website)
Elie being a peace advocator he addressed true men rights issues to others countries who also experiencing injustices like South Africa, Bosnia, Burma, Tibet to Central America, Cambodia and Vietnam. Listening to the cry of the oppressed and counseling the emotion of the victims to move on and speak for the truth.
His experienced being a witness to the history of bloodshed that he saw directly from his eyes the innocent Jewish children burning alive without any words of asking why. Those made him a strong witness that will spread the pain of the past through writing calling the awareness of the people and not through the act of violence. Believing that hope and peace will come if there would be awareness and cooperation to stop this terrorizing act.
Political Activist
Elie is a political Activist by using his influence to speak with the leaders and challenge Reagan when this leader wanted to go to Germany and honor the NAZI SS officers who are buried in the Bitburge. He challenges Reagan not to go to Bitburge for it will mean siding to the oppressor who tormented Jewish. (Temple Education Website)
It was learned that Nazi kills the large Jewish population of Hungry. Where Jewish were undressed of all their rights force into a Ghetto, and then deported to Poland. Where the father of Elie and other Jewish people have died in starvation and tortured. Bankier, David 2005). All those moment of suffering was witness by Elie Wiesel it hurt him so much that asked why those incidents happened.
It was supported by Isador Stone author of New York Star and Daily Compass (1944), that “the essence of tragedy is not the doing of evil by evil men but the doing of evil by good men, out of limitation, hesitancy, laziness, inability to act in accordance with what they know to be right. The terrible element in the fate of the Jews of Europe lies in the failure of their friends in the West to shake loose from expected war and bureaucratic habit, to risk inexactly and confront prejudice, to be whole-hearted, to care as deeply and fight as hard for the big words we use, for justice and for humanity, as the revolutionary Nazi does for his master race or the militant Jap for his Emperor.”
For the bad experienced of Elie Wiesel he calls Reagan to be sympathetic with the survivor victims of NAZI who does not deserve to be honored in response to the millions of live kills without justice. The horrible experiences of the victims done by Nazi give an incomparable trauma to the survivor that needs more attention now to help them face the future without hatred.
Elie believed being an Activist is calling for the Jewish, the writer and the universe to.
Continue listening and writing for the betterment of the future that is full of hope.
Jewish
Elie asking cooperation from speech (1986) to the Jewish people to continue speak up and cooperate by removing the hatred and violence to see the hope in the future. By removing the burdens in their hearts they can easily move and see the bright future which lies ahead. Make the past as the tool to be more mature and responsible citizens.
Writers
Isador Stone (1944) assert that “Anything newspapermen can write about this in their own papers will help. It will help to save lives, the lives of people like ourselves.” This are the words that Elie Wiesel wanted to hear from the people especially in the media people to be vigilant of the issues that suppress the rights of people.
While it is true that media play great responsibility to spread and highlights the issues on the awareness of the injustice victims that cry in the dark without due process of law. The writers as what Elie done to be a messenger that brought their voice to the people and authority that injustices happened anywhere and it can happen to anyone if we allow this.
Leaders
Stop ignoring to the cry of the unjust and use abusive power in oppressing the poor just to gain more power and give benefits to minority while majority are suffering and starving socially, politically and economically. It was emphasize by Elie Wiesel in his speech that “There is so much injustice and suffering crying out for our attention: victims of hunger, of racism and political persecution – in Chile, for instance, or in Ethiopia – writers and poets, prisoners in so many lands governed by the Left and by the Right.” This suffering must end by continue speaking out for the truth and eliminate fear for the right justice to be prevail.
Ordinary People
To ordinary people who are still in their comfort zone don’t wait for the injustice come into your life but instead start to help and speak for others who can not speak. For according to Elie Wiesel during the Hiroshima Conference (1995) that in spite of the despair, hope must exist. In spite of suffering, humanity must prevail. And in spite of all the differences in the world, the worst enemy, the worst peril, is indifference.” As an ordinary people we must not lost hope and continue to struggle for our future generation. Our voice contributes so much in shaping the lives of our children.
Conclusion
The sad experiences of Elie Wiesel contribute of what he is now. Being an activist that does not act violently made him well-known by prominent leaders and president. For he believed that an activist can succeed without using guns instead use writing as a tool in expressing the rights of the victims. Hearing the cry of the oppressed and encouraging them to speak is more effective than being violence.
Elie speak for his tormented past to all the people asking sympathy to diminish terror that happening in different countries. He added, in calling the attention of different people to be aware of their rights not to be a victim again by the tyrant who take advantage of their ignorance. Finally, he asserts that activism can done peacefully through communication by words or written to the concern authority to have a better place for our future generations.
References
- “A Political Reading”. Elie Wiesel History. Access 5 February 2007, from <http://www.temple.edu/tempress/chapters_1400/1525_ch1.pdf>.
- “Activism”. Encarta English Dictionary [North American Edition] (2006). 5 February 2007, from <http://encarta.msn.com/dictionary_1861583522/activism.html>.
- Bankier, David. “Holocaust.” Microsoft Encarta 2006 [CD]. Redmond, WA: Microsoft Corporation, 2005.
- Stone, Isador F. “For the Jews—Life or Death?” The Nation, June 10, 1944. Retrieved 5, February 2007, from Microsoft Encarta 2006.
- Wiesel, Elie. Novel Acceptance Speech delivered in Oslo (December 1986). 5 February 2007, from <http://www.eliewieselfoundation.org/ElieWiesel/speech.html>.
- Wiesel, Elie. Hiroshima Conference. Retrieved 5 February 2007, from <http://www.eliewieselfoundation.org/Conferences/futureofhope.html>.
