Hope Despair and Memory by Elie Wiesel Analysis Essay Sample

“Hope, Despair, and Memory” is a lecture written by Ellie Wiesel. In “Hope, Despair, and Memory”, Elie Wiesel focuses on the central idea that memory is necessary for us to progress as humans through the use of his emotional and logical appeal, by connecting it to the quote: “Mankind must remember that peace is not God’s gift to his creatures; it is our gift to each other”, so that future generations can learn from past mistakes and not repeat it. Two claims made in the text are that “...it is memory that will save humanity.”, and that Forgetting is necessary for all humans.

One claim made in the text is that “...it is memory that will save humanity.” Ellie Wiesel says this because without remembering what was done in the past they can never learn. Us as people will never learn and if we don’t learn we won’t progress and grow. It says in the text talking about the story of Besht regaining his memory, “...it emphasizes the mystical power of memory. Without memory, our existence would be barren and opaque, like a prison cell into which no light penetrates; like a tomb which rejects the living. Memory saved the Besht…” He uses logical appeal, talking about a story that shows that memory saved him and without it he would be basically nothing. He also compares what it would be like without memory. He compares it to a prison cell and a tomb. This shows that he believes that living without memory would be terrible and that you can’t grow. Memory is very important. In the text it states, “...the memory of evil will serve as a shield against evil; that the memory of death will serve as a shield against death.” This shows why memory is important. It helps you learn from things done in the past and you need to remember to learn. The quote says that the memory of something will serve as a shield against it. This means that once it happens we can learn from it. Not only is remembering important but forgetting is also essential.

Another claim made in the text is that forgetting is necessary for all humans. This is because you have to let go of things that cause too much pain and stress on you. This allows you to remember the important things. The text says, ““The Talmud tells us that without the ability to forget man would cease to learn...” This is saying that you can’t think about too many things from the past, then you can learn the things that you really need to learn. This way you can grow and get smarter. The text says, “Is it not natural for a human being to repress what causes him pain…” You shouldn’t think about too many things that cause you too much pain. Then that is all you will think about. But you need to learn. Remembering and Forgetting are both just as important. 

In “Hope, Despair, and Memory” Wiesel claims that memory is very important for us to progress as humans. She makes claims about how memory can save humanity and that forgetting is also necessary. In conclusion, Wiesal just wants a peaceful world and these concepts about memory are how he thinks peace can be achieved.