1Waterworth

JordanWaterworth
Mrs.Housepian/Mr.Conner
English2HPeriod5
8April2016
TheEffectsofWar
Losingfaithinyourownsingularityisthestartofwisdom,Isupposealsothefirst
announcementofdeath(PeterConrad).Peopleinwar,oftenlosetheirfaithwhichleadsthem
closertodeath.Faithisalsoassociatedwithhumanityandwhenpeopledisregardittheytendto
destroythemselves.
Peopleaffectedbywararedeprivedoftheirhumanity,whichdestroystheir
relationships,theirmoralsandultimatelythemselves.
Intimesofwaronessurvivaloverpowersonesrelationshipstofamilyandfriends.

In
Night
afathercriestohisson

Dontyourecognizeme?Imyourfather...yourehurting
me...yourekillingyourfather!Ihavesomebread...foryoutoo(Wiesel106)
.
Theboywasso
determinedtostayalivethathewaswillingtosacrificehisonlyfather.Thefatherrelalisesthe
warhadconsumedupaninnocentboyandturnedhimintoaselfishkillingsoldierdeterminedto
stayalive.

Inwar,peopleareconstantlymakingdecisionsthataffecttheonesthelovewithout
thinkingoftheconsequences.

AdditionallyinSpringmorning

Gostraighttothechurch,he
whisperedandputthechilddownontheground...Attheedgeofthesidewalklayasmall,
bloodyrag...Hewalkedoverslowly...Hebentdownandpickedupthechild(Wiesel133).

A
fathersendshischildtoherdeathtoeasethepainoflosingherlateratthecamps.Heis
thinkingaboutthepainhewillhavetogothroughifhisdaughterlivessohedecidesitwouldbe
easierifshediesnow.
Peoplefeelpainbecauseoftheirfamilies,sotheydecideitsbesttobe
alone.

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Warmakespeoplechoosebetweentheirmoralsandtheirliveswhichresultsinmajor
consequences.

TheauthorElistates

Hewentoncallingme.Theofficerdealthimaviolent
blowontheheadwithhistruncheon.Ididnotmove...Mybodywasafraidofalsoreceivinga
blow(Wiesel116).

Elisfatherneededhim,butElididnthelphimbecausehewasafraidof
riskinghislifefortheonlyfamilyhehadleft.Duringwaritshardtonavigaterightforwrong
whichmakesitdifficultforpeopletosustaintheirmorals.

Ifpeoplearecapableofcommitting
suchselfishactstowardsfamilymembersthenwhatmercydotheypossesforstrangers?

For
instanceintheconnectionstextTheBerlinBucharestExpressThetheNaziofficerrevealsto
Bronia,

InZhitomiritwasespeciallyhorrible.Hewasresponsibleforit,toohewasincommand
andhegaveorderstoshoot(Eliach36).

TheNaziofficerdecidedtoshootinnocentpeopleto
savehimselfandwiththatcompromisedhismorals.Eventhoughtheofficerwasupsetwithhis
barbaricactions,hestilldecidedtosavehimself.Thusrevealingpeopleonlymakeethical
choiceswhenitbenefitsthemselves.
Whenpeopleaffectedbywardiscardtheirmoralsthey
begintodriftawayfromtheirhumanityandalongwithitlosethemselves.
Peopleinvolvedinwar,experienceappallingconditionsthatforcesthemtoabandon
themselves
.

Elidescribedafamishedmanpeeroverthepotofsoupandstates

Foramoment,
heseemedtobelookingathimself,seekinghisghostlikereflectioninthesoup(Wiesel67).
Soupmancouldn'tidentifyhimself,allhesawwasananimalisticcreature.Hedoesntrecognize
himselfbecausethewarhasimpactedhimsodeeplyithascausedhimtoforgetwhohewas.
Whenpeoplelosethemselvesit'sverydifficulttofindtheirwayback.

WhenElifinallysees
himselfaftertheHolocaustheproclaims,

depthsofthemirror,acorpsegazedbackatme
(Wiesel119).

Eliisdoesn'trememberwhohewas,allheseesinfrontofhimisastranger.
Whenhelooksinthemirrorherealizeswhateffectstheholocausthadonhimandhowmuch

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hesbeenthrough.
Inwarpeopleexperiencesomuchthatitchangesthemselvesandmakes
themfeellikenothing.
Inwarpeoplewholosetheirhumanityaredisconnectedfromtheirrelationships,
theirmoralsandbasicallythemselves.Peoplecutofftheirrelationshipsbecausetheircarefor
theirfamilyandfriendscausestomuchpain.Inaddition,onesmoralsarequestionedwhen
theyareforcedtodecidebetweentheirsurvivalorsomeoneelse's.Lastly,theeffectsofwar
makepeopleforgetthemselvesandfeellikestrangerintheirownskin.

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WorksCited
Fink,Ida.SpringMorning.
Night
.NewYork,NY:HillandWang,aDivisionofFarrar,Straus
andGiroux,2006.126133.Print.
Wiesel,Elie,andMarionWiesel.
Night
.NewYork,NY:HillandWang,aDivisionofFarrar,
StrausandGiroux,2006.Print.
Eliach,Yaffa.TheBerlinBucharestExpress.Connections.Night.NewYork,NY:Hilland
Wang,aDivisionofFarrar,StrausandGiroux,2006.134137.Print.