Elie Wiesel and Holocaust literature

Elie Weisel

Elie Wiesel is a renowned American-Jewish novelist and political activist. He is best known for being a Holocaust survivor, the subject of the majority of his over forty books. His best known work, Night, is a memoir of his experiences while imprisoned in Nazi operated concentration camps. In 1986 he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, being cited as a "messenger to mankind."

Clearly Elie Wiesel has established himself as a significant author and historian. However, somewhat surprisingly, he is a controversial author. His writings are often graphic and some criticize him as being pro-Israeli and actually favoring the human rights violations of the Arabic world. Then there are the critics who claim that the Holocaust never happened and thus Wiesel is writing pure fiction. It is a combination of all of these factors that lead to the question of whether the writings of Elie Wiesel should be taught in high school classrooms.

Whether or not a particular author is or is not taught in a high school classroom is dependent on numerous factors, some educational based and others societal based. However, the fundamental controlling factor is whether or not that author and his or her works fit into the school or district's established curriculum. If the book works to advance the standards and benchmarks of the school's curriculum, than the book is likely to be taught in school.

In the educational setting, the curriculum is the set of courses and their content that is offered to its students. Typically, at least at the primary and secondary levels, the curriculum is set by an external body or, more often, bodies. These include the local school board, the State and federal governments, and the various professional organizations for a particular field of study. For example, in the United States, a curriculum is predominantly set by the state and individual school districts are given the leeway to adjust it as needed to fit unique local needs. However, the State will base the curriculum by relying heavily on input from such national organizations as the National Council of Teachers, appointed by the United States Department of Education in order to provide curriculum development consultation and guidance.

At the center of any curriculum is the course objectives, or the outcome goal of one's education. Often times this outcome goal is expressed as being a learning outcome. Curriculums are essentially road maps for how to reach the learning outcome. Therefore, curriculums often include not only the goal, but what material and strategies must be used in reaching this goal and what form of assessments will be utilized to determine whether or not the goal was obtained. The typical curriculum is broken down into units, with the curriculum being the sum whole of the individual units. Each unit in turn has a specialized role in moving the curriculum, and thus the students, towards the learning outcome.

The issue of whether the works of Elie Wiesel should or should not be taught in school presents an interesting curriculum question because it involves both the English and Social Studies curriculums.

On the English side of the curriculum, the reading of Elie Wiesel would be a question of whether it fits into the established literature curriculum. The purpose of teaching literature is not only to teach students to read but, more importantly, to expose them to a diverse array of variety in literature. Thus, most literature curriculums include a course on British literature, world literature American literature, and modern literature. Because Elie Wiesel is Romanian born and Jewish, reading his books in class could fit into the curriculum on the basis of exposing students to a particular ethnic and religious form of literature.

On the Social Studies side of the curriculum is the history curriculum. The purpose of teaching history is to give students a fundamental understanding of who they are and what their role in history is. Thus, the history curriculum is not ethnocentric but instead provides courses on both United States and world history. Because the Holocaust and World War II, along with the Jewish story in general, are all significant historical events, the works of Elie Wiesel could be implemented as part of a world history curriculum.

Since it is evident that both the basic secondary education English and Social studies curriculum has room for the works of Elie Wiesel, the next question is whether or not he should be part of the curriculum. Essentially, because Mr. Wiesel's most widely read book is Night and because this book is about the Holocaust, the question essentially comes down to whether or not the Holocaust should be a part of the high school curriculum. Because the Holocaust is a significant historical event with numerous connections that can be drawn to the genocides of today, it is essential that the Holocaust be part of the high school curriculum.

The Holocaust is one of history's most disturbing and extensively documented subjects on moral issues. Therefore a structured inquiry into the history of and reasons for the Holocaust create a critical lesson on the study of human behavior. Further, the study of the Holocaust will address one of the central functions of the educational curriculum: how to be a responsible citizen. In other words, the Holocaust must be studied in high school because it will teach students such things as an understanding that democratic institutions and democratic values are not automatic and thus need to be appreciated, nurtured and protected. Studying the Holocaust will also serve as a lesson that silence and indifference to human suffering and the general infringement of civil rights will always perpetuate the problems. Finally, because the Holocaust was not a historical accident in that it occurred as a result of individuals, organizations and governments making choices that not only created legalized discrimination, but also allowed the systematic prejudice, hatred and mass murder of an entire people to occur.

More so, there are numerous rationales for why the Holocaust should be taught as part of the secondary curriculum. For example, the Holocaust was a watershed even in the entire history of humankind. The study of its events help students develop an understanding of the effect that prejudice, racism and stereotyping can have and thus encourages a more tolerant society. It creates an opportunity to explore the dangers of staying silent, looking the other way, and not being an active participant in one's democratic society. The event also serves as a study of how a developed nation can utilize technological advancements and governmental infrastructure to instigate a destructive policy of social engineering and genocide. Finally, studying the Holocaust creates a historical comparison for such modern day atrocities as Rwanda and Dafur.