Fallen Stars: The Power of Memories
Hate Flows in Our Veins
The abusive use of power and hate towards others is a factor which has plagued humans since the beginning of time. The Holocaust in Germany and the Rwanda genocide are well-known events still discussed today. They were both comprised of inhumane beliefs which caused the lives of thousands to be lost. In order to have the original and far more superior Aryan race dominate Germany, Hitler had to first get rid of the minority: the Jewish people. The genocide in Rwanda had long been a struggle of classes, but the growing discontentment initiated with the assassination of the Hutu president. From Jennifer Rosenberg’s article and Elie Wiesel's memoir Night, similarities that occurred during a dark period in history will be showcased. The addition of abstract
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This is evident in Night when the SS officers yelled at the Jews, saying, “Faster, you tramps, you flea-ridden dogs!” (Wiesel 85). Although the SS officers could have ordered the Jews directly, calling them animals allowed the Nazis to justify their treatment. The Hutu called the Tutsi “inyenzi[, or] cockroach[es]” (Rosenberg) and like the Nazis, the Hutu “would not allow the Tutsi dead to be buried. Their bodies were left where they were slaughtered, exposed to the elements, eaten by rats and dogs…. [or] thrown into rivers, lakes, and streams” (Rosenberg). Both the Tutsi and Jews were seen as unworthy to be called by their own names. With the image above, the squares represent the Tutsi and the Jews’ new identity and how the tiny, barely-showing circles are the people they used to be. As more time passes and the terror continues, they start to lose their individuality, which is demonstrated by the darkness that envelops them. With nothing else to spare, the victims must be obedient and obey their so-called