Never Shall I Forget By Elie Wiesel Compare And Contrast

Compare and Contrast Essay

With more than 10 million people dead and 30 million people physically or mentally injured, the Holocaust was truly a horrific event. This is why it should never be forgotten. The Holocaust should be remembered for eternity, reflecting upon the worst times of human monstrosity. In the two poems “Never shall I forget” by Elie Wiesel and “We remember them” by Sylvan Kamens and Jack Riemer both have themes relating to remembrance. More specifically, these poem both relate to the Holocaust, and remembering the horrors within. The two poems are similar and different. The theme in “Never Shall I Forget” is about the hardship and dark ordeal Wiesel had to face in the concentration camps, and We Remember Them has a theme based on remembering and honoring the countless casualties gone into the full horror of the Holocaust.

The theme of “Never shall I forget” is dark and gloomy, reflecting upon Elie Wiesel’s horrific experience.

The theme here lies in the fact that Elie Wiesel’s terrible ordeal had led him to never forget the children brutally murdered during the holocaust. The poem “Never shall I forget” specifically states “Never shall I forget the small faces of the children whose bodies I saw transformed into smoke under a silent sky. (line 4) ” This, along with the phrase “Never shall I forget the nocturnal silence the deprived me for all eternity the desire to live(line 7)” implies that Wiesel is saying that he himself will never forget his horrific ordeal. The theme here is that some events are too horrible to forget, and we should learn from and prevent future horrible

happenings.
“We remember them” has a more climactic theme, referring to the more hopeful theme of remembrance and hope for the future. Here, the authors based their poem on the events of the Holocaust, but it really is applicable to all events in general. The authors are hopeful, and honor the dead, teaching us a lesson about keeping the deceased close. The authors are saying that in whatever part of life one finds himself in, one should always remember and learn from the dead. The poem states “When we are weary and in need of strength We remember them. When we are lost and sick at heart We remember them… When we have decisions difficult to make, we remember them (lines 15-22)”, lines that imply that we should remember the dead in all stages of our life, and especially when we need help. The poem also states “At the beginning of the year and when it ends We remember them.(lines 11-12)”, which implies that we should always keep the dead close.” The theme of “We remember them” is that we should always honor and keep the dead close, and let that memory influence our current decisions.
The two poems’ themes are similar and different. Both poems have reoccuring themes of remembrance, but “Never Shall I forget” is told in more of a personal experience form, while “We Remember Them” looks to the future. The poem “Never Shall I forget” states “Never shall I forget those things, even were I condemned to live as long as God Himself. Never.”, and the poem “We Remember Them” states “As long as we live, they too will live, for they are now a part of us as We remember them.” These poems, both with the key word “Remember”, both point to a theme relating to remembrance, as both poems also relate to remembering the dead. The poem Never shall I Forget also states “Never shall I forget the small faces of the children whose bodies I saw transformed into smoke under a silent sky.”, clearly referencing the poet’s own personal experience. However, “We Remember Them” states “At the beginning of the year and when it ends We remember them.” This is referencing an ideal, a moral for life, not a single experience. The poems are similar, but not quite the same.
“Never Shall I forget” and “We Remember Them” are two different poems centered with one general theme. However, the two poems have different moods, point of view, and feel. These two poets conveyed their themes of remembrance in different ways, but ultimately lead to the same goal. The theme in “Never Shall I Forget” projects Wiesel's hardships, and the theme in “We Remember Them” expresses a theme of honoring the dead, but both ultimately lead to the remembrance, and tribute to the victims of the Holocaust.