The Dangers of Unresponsiveness.

“The Lottery”, by Shirley Jackson, contains an appalling end. In this concluding scene a young girl is violently stoned by people that appeared so ordinary and normal. Similar occurrences have happened throughout history. The Holocaust, Rwanda and the Civil Rights Movement took place in a civilized world. Millions of lives were persecuted by educated and cultured individuals. Those lives should have been saved from enraged and traumatized people. But they were not. The outside world was not even angered or shaken. They stood immobilized to the fact that horrifying acts were taking place. This was the case demonstrated in “The Lottery”.

Elie Wiesel’s speech, “The Perils of Indifference”, also conveys circumstances were normal people were insensitive and did not react to the horrific plight of others. Elie warns of the dangers of apathy. There are countless times in history where cases of cruel and extreme hatred to innocent people have caused sadistic suffering to them. All of these cases should have been prevented by the intervention of shaken and infuriated humans. But like the townspeople in “The Lottery” man has been insensitive to these events. Elie continues his warning that because of the world’s lack of concern, thousands of people have suffered. We must learn from the lessons of yesterdays and reach out to anguished and afflicted people.