Keep Memory Alive Analysis

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Elie Wiesel, a Holocaust survivor, once stated, “We must take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented.” In Keep Memory Alive and The Uprooting of a Japanese-American Family, two unjust historical events are recounted by two different individuals. However, two common themes reappear in both of the selections. Non-neutrality and oppression are common themes in the literary works of Keep Memory Alive and The Uprooting of a Japanese-American Family, and these themes can be applied to everyday life. With attention to the facts of the story, the theme is not given. Rather it is interpreted. In Keep Memory Alive, the major themes are quite easy to interpret. Elie Wiesel gives obvious hints towards the idea of oppressed people and the importance of standing…show more content…
The theme of oppression fits in with school. Hundreds of children being housed for one third of the day, and forced to learn. More seriously, oppression is visible in school hallways. Bullies taking the rights and happiness of other children. The kids getting bullied, the oppressed, are sometimes stripped of dignity and self acceptance. Let alone the fact that they can not act like themselves for fear of being oppressed and tormented. However, non-neutrality is also visible. Kids speaking out against bullying, and friends standing up to the oppressors. Reflecting on these themes present in school, provokes much thought. For example, is the oppression present at school similar to the oppression in the internment camps? Do the oppressed children at school feel innocent and sorrowful comparable to the child in Keep Memory Alive? These readings could cause more careful consideration of situations at school. Is it simply harmless teasing or unjust oppression? The readings deliver an impact to choose a side, to choose the side against any form of

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