DEVEN

//NIGHT// PREREADING ACTIVITY

Imagine yourself in the following situation: You and your family have been driven from your home. Now separated from them, you are suddenly alone. Shoved into a train like cattle, you are surrounded by screaming women, weeping children, silent old men, and ruthless soldiers. There is no food, no water, horror, and madness everywhere. Having arrived at your destination, you smell the stench of burning flesh: babies, children like yourself. Men and boys are hanged daily. There is only soup and perhaps a few morsels of stale bread to eat. You work until exhausted and are beaten for not marching in step. The gold in your teeth is extracted without anesthesia. Frozen and broken bodies surround you. Weekly you must run like a madman to escape being selected to die in the gas chambers or to burn in the crematory. You can’t even wonder if it will end, and you know that God has deserted you. You try to survive each day and lie through each night!

1. Do you believe something like this could ever happen to you? Why or why not?  I think that this could happen today. The jewish people never expected it so if it happend today then we would probilly never expect it. I think that we could prevent it.

2. What would be your first reaction to this horrifying experience?  My first reaction to this would be surprised and then I would be very scared. I would be frightend for every one else and for my family.

3. What means might you use to deal with what is happening (example: would you lie, cheat, steal)?

4. Do you think it would be better to give up and die or try to survive?  It would be better to try than just give up and let them kill you. You should try and maybe youl survive.

5. Inhumanity means being inhumanly cruel and brutal. Do you think the world could ever allow this kind of inhumanity to happen again?  I think it could happen but we now no how to stop it and prevent it.

6. What kind of punishment do you feel would be suitable for this kind of inhumanity?  For doing all these things to these people they should be sent to jail or even sentenced to death.

7. Do you think this kind of inhumanity could exist in our day and age?  I think it could but we could stop it today then back then.

Reading Guide

The following questions are thought questions that relate to various themes and ideas in the reading. Use these questions to guide your reading and better understanding of the novel. Be prepared to share your responses in class discussion or in a writing assignment. Please answer all questions in COMPLETE SENTENCES.

__Chapter 1, pages 1-22__ 1. Why does Eliezer pray and why does he cry when he prays?

He prays so he can be closer with god. He cry's becouse he feels he should.

2. Why don’t people believe Moche’s stores?

They do not believe Moche's stories becouse he is a vagrant.

3. Site examples of how the Jews gradually lose their freedom.  They lost there jobs, Homes, rites, and sometimes there family. .

__Chapter 2, pages 23-28__ 4. What does Madam Shachter’s nightmares about a fire foreshadow?  She saw a fire with people dying and she got everyone scared.

5. Where does the train finally stop?  THe train finally stops in Auschwits.

__Chapter 3, pages 29-46__ 6. When questioned by the SS officer, why does Elie lie about his occupation and age?  He says that he is 18 and is a farmer so they would think he is useful.

7. Why does Elie disbelieve what his own eyes show him?  He has seen many horable stuff and he cant believe it.

8. Why is Elie now reluctant to pray?  He thinks that he would not this happen to people die like this.

__Chapter 4, pages 47-65__ 9. Why is Elie summoned to the dentist?  He is summond to the dentist becouse he has really bad teeth.

10. How does Elie react to his father’s beating?  He wants to help but if he does he will get beat.

11. Why is the hanging of the “sad eyed angel” said to be one of the most profoundly moving events in the novel?

__Chapter 5, pages 66-84__ 12. What is selection? Is when they check everyone and deside who is the most best to survive. The ones that dont seem like they will survive go to the cremitoroms and die. A doctor checks your wieght, looks, and age.

__Chapter 6, pages 85-97__ 13. Why couldn’t Elie allow himself to die? Elle could not allow himself to die becouse if he died then his father would surley die to. He felt to help his father he must be alive.

14. Why does Juliek play the violin? He plays the violin becouse he loves it and wants to keep it.

15. Compare how the other boys treat their fathers with Eliezer’s treatment of his own father. The other boys dident care they did not help thier fathers and thought they were slowing them down. Elle stayed with his father untill the end.

__Chapter 7-9 pages 98-115__ 16. Why can’t Elizer weep at his father’s death? Elizer dident cry becouse he is all out of tears. He has cryed so much there is no more to cry.

17. When he is finally free, Elie wishes to see himself in the mirror. Why can’t he ever forget the look in the eyes of the corpse that gazes back at him? He looked like he was dead. He looked like he was the walking dead. He will never forget that look.

Literary Analysis Characterization/Author’s Purpose After page: 34

Elie is a Jewish child who is extremely strong in his faith. He often spent nights in the synagogue weeping and praying. He was preparing himself to be initiating into “eternity.” Then came night.

Never shall I forget that night, the first night in camp, which has turned my life into one long night, seven times cursed and seven times sealed. Never shall I forget that smoke. Never shall I forget the little faces of the children, whose bodies I saw turned into wreaths of smoke beneath a silent blue sky. Never shall I forget those flames, which consumed my faith forever. Never shall I forget that nocturnal silence which deprived me, for all eternity, of the desire to live. Never shall I forget those moments, which murdered my God and my soul and turned my dreams to dust. Never shall I forget these things, even if I am condemned to live as long as God Himself. Never.

Answer the following questions in complete sentences.

1. What does “night’ symbolize to Elie? Why do you think he selected it as the title of his memoir?  I think the name of the book night means moire than just darkness. I think it means sorrow, sadness, frightend, and scared. I think it sybolizes the fear of everything.

2. What fires does he speak of that consumed his faith forever? Why do these fires consume his faith?  His faith is comsumed becouse he no longer has faith. He is scared and does not know whats next.

3. Do you find it difficult to believe that a boy so devout in his faith could lose his faith? Why?  I think that if you went through somthing like this you would loose your faith too. I think that somthing like this make s yopu loose your faith.

4. Why does he lose his desire to live?  He looses his deigher to live becouse he is scared and thought that he was going to die so he was going to jump into a barb wire fence.

5. Elie Elle spoke these words as an adolescent. Do you think that as an adult his feelings have changed? Why?  I think it does not madder who you are you would feel the same sorreo and pain.

6. Why do you suppose Elie wrote this novel?  Elle wrote this book to show us what happend and what people went through.

Literary Analysis: Characterization Elie explicitly recounts events that describe his relationship with his father during imprisonment in the camps. He also describes events in the relationships of other fathers and sons in the camps.

In your book there are many examples of father-son relationships. Give examples, including the page number of a father son relationship and tell what you think about that relationship, tell why you might or might not have acted in a similar way. This does not have to be done on Elie and his father. There are many other examples of father-son relationships as well. An example has been done for you.

Example: Page 39:

Relationship shown: Elie’s father is struck, but Elie does not move to help him. His father whispers that the blow does not hurt. Although Elie does not move, he feels remorse and hatred toward the gypsy. He is angry and unforgiving.

What I think: Elie is a child and probably fears that if he helps his father, he too will be beaten. His father does not blame him and does not want to see him beaten or do something he might regret; thus, he tells Elie that the blow des not hurt.

I would’ve done: This seems to be a relationship where the father is protective of the son who is young and frightened. I would have acted in the same way if I were the father, thinking that I need to protect my child.

1. Page 43-44

Relationship shown: The father cant remenber his own cousin that he's met only once. The cousin try's to make him remeber him but he cant.

What I think: That the father is so tired and is forgetting things. I also think he has so much on his mind he cant think. He only met him once so maybe that he just does not remember.

I would’ve done: If I was the cousin I would have tryed reminding him of the time we met and maybe that would work.

2. Page 49-50

Relationship shown: Elle wanted to work by his dad and the ss solder let him work by him.

What I think: Is that Elle does not want his father to be alone and himself. They want to stick together. Elle is also scared and wants someone to be with him.

I would’ve done: If I was Elle I would have done the same axact thing that he did. I would be scared too and I would want to be together.

3. Page 55-56

Relationship shown: Is that Elles father is about to give up when they are marching but Elle wont let him.

What I think: That Elle is not going to give up for his father no madder what he is being very loyal.

I would’ve done: If I was Elle I would have done the same thing becouse I would not want my father to go so I would not give up on him.

4. Page 90-91

Relationship shown:( switch this one with the one below) It is between raibi and his son. The son has killed the father over a piece of bread. The father begs him to stop but the kid does not.

What I think: Is the son was being very selfish and wanted all for himself. He did not want to share with his father.

I would’ve done: If I was the son I would have never killed my father over anything. I would have rather died before killing my own father.

5. Page 101

Relationship shown: ( switch this one with the one above) The son tried to run away from his father beose he was slowing him down the kid was so selfish.

What I think: This is horiable what the child has done to leave your father is the worst.

I would’ve done: I would have never done this in a million years.

6. Page 112

Relationship shown: Elle woke up and his father was not in the bed. He has died.

What I think: Is Elle is crying so hard inside but cant becouse he's all out of tears.

I would’ve done: If I was him I would feel the same and be so sad.

__Night__ Irony

Read each passage below. Explain what is //ironic// about the meaning of the passage.

1. “but we had been marching for only a few moments when we saw the barbed wire of another camp. An iron door with this inscription on it: ‘Work is liberty!’ “ (page 40) If you work you dont get liberty. You get no more respect then you already have.

2. “Some of the prominent members of the community came…to ask him what he thought of the situation. My father did not consider it so grim…’The yellow star? Oh well, what of it? You don’t die of it…’ ” (page 11) That is irony becouse you do die becouse of the star does kill you. It means that your jewish. The jews got killed.

3. “On we went between the electric wires. At each step, a white placard with a death’s head on it stared us in the face. A caption: ‘Warning, Danger of Death.’ ” It's irony becouse people died in there. Why would they tell you that. (page 40)

4. I’ve got more faith in Hitler than anyone else. He’s the only one who’s kept his promises, all his promises, to the Jewish people.” (page 51) It's irony becouse Hilter is not helping the jews and is not keeping his promise.

Inhumanity

//Night// is filled with thoughts and comments that reflect inhumanity of World War II. Explain what each of the following excerpts from the novel mean.

1. “The world? The world is not concerned with us. Today anything is allowed. Anything is possible, even these crematories.” (page 33) It means that everyone is against the jews today even through there is nothing wrong. He said that anything could happen today becouyse nobnody is helping.

2. “Work makes you free.” (page 40) In the book he says work makes you free but it doesent. It probiley doesent even let you have anymore rights then you already have.

3. “we were not afraid. And yet, if a bomb had fallen on the blocks, it alone would have claimed hundreds of victims on the spot. But we were not longer afraid of death; at any rate, not of that death. Every bomb that exploded filled us with joy and gave us new confidence in life.” (page 60)They were so tired and hurt in the heart. They have seen stuff and have gone through stuff that people should never go through. They dident care to live no more.

4. “I witnessed other hangings. I never saw a single one of the victims weep. For a long time those dried up bodies had forgotten the bitter taste of tears.” (page 63) They no longer wanted to live and go through this stuff. They have cry so much they cant anymore.