Two Holocaust Diaries

Paper Summary:

This essay compares and contrasts two works of literature written during the Holocaust. Two diaries, one written by Elie Wiesel and the other by Chaim A. Kaplan, are examined from their differing approaches to a shared horrific experience. The paper further explains that the authors both needed the diaries to survive the war to act as testimonies of their trials. The paper describes the two authors' backgrounds as contributing to their different approaches to the tragedy of the Holocaust. Finally, the author views these two works as being of tremendous historical value.

From the Paper:

"Kaplan seems ready to place blame upon virtually every group within and without Europe, for the historical and political forces he deemed responsible for his experiences. At times he condemns the ancient prophets for bringing down the wrath of heaven; he also expresses anger towards the Jewish police in the Ghettos; he also identifies what he calls the "conspiracy of silence" among Western leaders who allow Jewish persecution to continue. Similarly, Wiesel is not content to merely blame the Germans for what he was forced to endure. Wiesel takes great care, within the pages of Night, to illustrate the notion that the evil he felt and witness was not merely limited to the soldiers who inflicted the various forms of torture and death upon those in the Holocaust; instead, he sees the historical circumstances as having brought out the evil in everyone. He documents the terrible selfishness that conditions within Auschwitz awakened within the prisoners: "Here, every man has to fight for himself and not think of anyone else. . . . Here, there are no fathers, no brothers, no friends. Everyone lives and dies for himself alone." (Wiesel, 70-1). "

More papers on Two Holocaust Diaries:

• Essay # 67124 : "Diary of Solomon Borenstieein"
• Comparison Essay # 105527 : "The Diary Of A Young Girl" and "Night"
• Book Review # 112401 : "The Diary of a Young Girl" by Anne Frank and its Historical Relevance"

APA Citation:

MLA Citation: