Directions: Read the excerpt below and answer the questions in 3-5 complete sentences. Source: Excerpt from the introduction of Night by Elie Wiesel, 2006. The most striking example [of public fascination with the Holocaust] is that of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington DC; it has received more than twenty-two million visitors since its inauguration in 1993. This may be because the public knows that the number of survivors is shrinking daily, and is fascinated by the idea of sharing memories that will soon be lost. For in the end, it is all about memory, its sources and its magnitude, and, of course, its consequences. For the survivor who chooses to testify, it is clear: his duty is to bear witness for the dead and for the living. He has no right to deprive future generations of a past that belongs to our collective memory. To forget would be not only dangerous but offensive; to forget the dead would be akin to killing them a second time. Sometimes I am asked if I know “the response to Auschwitz”; I answer that not only do I not know it, but that I don’t even know if a tragedy of this magnitude has a response. What I do know is that there is “response” in responsibility. When we speak of this era of evil and darkness, so close and yet so distant, “responsibility” is the key word. The witness has forced himself to testify. For the youth of today, for the children who will be born tomorrow. He does not want his past to become their future. 1. What is Wiesel’s message in this excerpt? 2. What does Wiesel argue is the danger of forgetting? 3. What does he view as his “responsibility”? 4. What responsibility does the rest of the world have in the legacy of the Holocaust?
1. Wiesel's message in this excerpt is the importance of remembering and bearing witness to the Holocaust. He believes that it is the duty of survivors to share their stories and ensure that future generations do not forget.
2. Wiesel argues that forgetting the Holocaust is not only dangerous, but offensive. He believes that forgetting would be akin to killing the victims a second time, and that it would deprive future generations of the opportunity to learn from the past.
3. Wiesel views his responsibility as a survivor and witness to be sharing his experiences and making sure that future generations do not repeat the horrors of the Holocaust. He does not want his past to become the future of the children to come.
4. Wiesel suggests that the rest of the world also has a responsibility in the legacy of the Holocaust. He implies that it is important for the public to engage with institutions like the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, and for individuals to remember and learn from the past. By doing so, future generations can avoid repeating the atrocities committed during the Holocaust.