Writing talks..

Words that speak to me

My words are “What would I have done?” from the book Night by Elie Wiesel.  In this piece of writing the words are more than just text because it’s kind of like a rhetorical question.  This quote has a lot of different meanings behind it because depending on the reader it can have many different meanings.  For example: The way I see the quote is that from reading the book you can relate to the narrator as if you are actually there in his shoes.  The character in this novel takes on many different tasks in his life. The quote “What would I have done?” makes the reader question himself about how they would have handled the situations the narrator went through themselves.

This quote can become so imprinted in your head that it makes you think about the things you would have done differently than the narrator over and over.  I think the words in this quote represents a simile because the quote is basically making the reader think about things they would do in the narrators shoes therefore the reader is kind of comparing his thoughts with the narrators thoughts.

The words in this quote are powerful, yet vulnerable. To me they have a strong meaning behind them that any person can create their own point of view off of.  “What would I have done?” allows the reader to take in everything that they have comprehended reading this novel and turn it into their own thoughts of what if that was them in that time era, what would they have done to protect themselves, protect their family and loved ones. 

The power that comes from this quote is outstanding because the thought of having to think about putting yourself in someone else’s shoes, and having to go through the pain and suffering that they did, and thinking about not only what you would have done whether it be the same or if it would have been done differently.  Sometimes when people read a quote like this and they start thinking of the situation it could be a never ending process.

“What would I have done?” in reference to the book Night, is a crucial question to ask yourself.  The quote is simply asking you to mentally change places with your narrator and allow yourself to walk in their shoes, but the way I see it its tricky. You can ask yourself this question many of times over and over, but in all honesty can you really mentally place yourself in the shoes of a suffering young boy who day by day doesn’t know if he is going to live to see the next day? With that being said, I feel that this quote can change people’s lives if they truly understand what it is simply asking.  The way I feel about this quote is that I am one of many lucky people in this world that should appreciate and be thankful for what I have and where I come from.  In all emotion I feel sorry for the people who were lost in this horrific tragedy.  I don’t think I could ever possibly imagine what I would do if I was to be in their shoes.