Justice and Civic Life Exam

PART I: In The Perils of Indifference, Elie Wiesel describes the world's indifference to human suffering as "inhuman," and he continues by stating that, "Indifference is always the friend of the enemy, for it benefits the aggressor-never his victim, whose pain is magnified when he or she feels forgotten.  The political prisoner in his cell, the hungry children, the homeless refugees-not to respond to their plight, not to relieve their solitude by offering them a spark of hope is to exile them from human memory.  And in denying their humanity, we betray our own."

In the film, Beyond the Gates, we witness several institutions, such as the media, the military, the United Nations, etc. and the consequences of their inaction.  Select an individual that represents one of these institutions, explain how he or she reacts to the genocide, and then illustrate how their behavior would parallel with Wiesel's belief that it is the responsibility of all of humanity to participate in a democratic society.

PART II: I would like you to select examples from the film, Beyond the Gates, and explain how one of the readings, that we have examined this semester, compare with the events within the film.  Be very specific here.  Describe particular scenes and how they correspond with one of the texts.

Readings examined during the semester:

Sojourner Truth - Ain't i a woman

Abraham Lincoln- Gettysburg Address

Malcolm X- Ballot or the Bullet

Elie Wiesel- Perils of Indifference

WEB Du Bois- Souls of black folk

Martin Lurther King Jr. - Letter from a birmingham jail

Martin Lurther King Jr. - I have a dream