Elie Wiesel, a holocaust survivor, once said “Let us not forget, after all, that there is always a moment when the moral choice is made. Often because of one story or one book or one person, we are able to make a different choice, a choice for humanity, for life.”
One story that influenced my ideas was the book Wonder, I really thought about how words and judging people by how they look can really affect them. The story is about a boy whose face has a deformity. Once he went to school, he was prejudged by all of the other children because of his deformity. The book made me think about how I prejudge other people just the way they look. Just by seeing what others wear or do, I think whether they are rich or not, or by hearing what they see, thinking whether they are rude or not. After reflecting on the quote with what the book has taught me, I can see how to be more of a caring person in society. Not looking at who someone is on the outside can be really beneficial. For example, you could make a new connection with someone whereas you wouldn’t have if you judged them just by how they looked or spoke.
Another story that influenced my thoughts was, learning about what happened during the holocaust to Anne Frank. After seeing how and why she was persecuted, my thoughts were influenced to feel for people that are being judged just by believing something harmless. She had to hide away from her neighbors and the Nazis because they would be judged by how they looked and what they believed in. The story of Anne Frank has helped me reflect on how to be a better person in society by not judging beliefs. In today’s current society, this is happening more and more with Islamic refugees and immigrants being denied entry to the United States just based on what they believe in.
Overall after reading Wonder and learning about Anne Frank, I see the importance and effects of judging people just by they way they are on the outside, without consideration of who they could be on the inside.
