JESSICA

//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?

2. What would be your first reaction to this horrifying experience?

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?

5. Inhumanity means being inhumanly cruel and brutal. Do you think the world could ever allow this kind of inhumanity to happen again?

6. What kind of punishment do you feel would be suitable for this kind of inhumanity?

7. Do you think this kind of inhumanity could exist in our day and age?

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? Eliezer prays because it is for his religion. He does not know why. He crys because there is a need inside of him that is making him cry. 2. Why don’t people believe Moche’s stores? People do not believe Moche's stories because they all thought he was crazy. They did not want to believe the things that he said. 3. Site examples of how the Jews gradually lose their freedom. Some examples are the following. The Jews are taken away from their homes. They get put on cattle cars. They do not get a lot of food and water. They get taken to the camps. The synagogues were no longer open. Hungarian police burst into every Jewish home. Jews could no longer own gold, jewelry, or any valuables. Everything had to be handed over to the authorities, under penalty of death. __Chapter 2, pages 23-28__ 4. What does Madam Shachter’s nightmares about a fire foreshadow? It foreshadows the flesh of the burning bodies. The flames of the burning bodies. All of the crematoriums. All of the innocent Jews who were forced to do certain things. The Jews were tortured for reasons no body knows. 5. Where does the train finally stop? The train finally stopped in the camp of Birkenau. __Chapter 3, pages 29-46__ 6. When questioned by the SS officer, why does Elie lie about his occupation and age? Elie lies about his occupation and age because the age he was was too young. He had to be a little older. He lied about his occupation because he wanted to show people that he had a good job. He wanted to show that he was a good worker. 7. Why does Elie disbelieve what his own eyes show him? Elie disbelieves what his own eyes show him because he does not want to picture himself in the situation he is in. He is very scared. He does not want anything bad to happen. 8. Why is Elie now reluctant to pray? Elie is reluctant to pray because he is facing death. He feels that he is face to face with the angel of death. He does not want to face death. __Chapter 4, pages 47-65__ 9. Why is Elie summoned to the dentist? Elie is summoned to the dentist because he does not want to get his crown to be removed. He did not think that he should be forced to take out one of his teeth for more food. He did not want to give his crown away. Elie said that he could not eat without his gold crown. 10. How does Elie react to his father’s beating? Eli reacted to his father's beating by keeping very quiet and still. Durning Elie's father's beating, Elie kept very quiet. He was very upset. He did not want to watch what was happening to his father. Elie thought of stealing away in order not to suffer the blows. If felt angry it would be directed at his father. Elie did not know why his father could have avoided Idek's wrath. 11. Why is the hanging of the “sad eyed angel” said to be one of the most profoundly moving events in the novel? The hanging of the "sad eyed angel" is said to be one of the most profoundly moving events in the novel because it was very hard to hang a child in front of thousands of onlookers. This was not a small matter. Hanging a child was a big deal. The SS was more worried than usual to hang a child. They seemed more preoccupied. __Chapter 5, pages 66-84__ 12. What is selection? Selection is when doctors inspect a group of people. The doctors take their inspection results for each individual, and they decide whether or not they need to be killed. Things like health problems and physical problems cause a person to be killed. For example, in chapter 5 a group of prisoners were killed. Dr. Mengele came to each and every block to inspect each individual. This is something that makes people very nervous. Elie and his father passed the inspection. All of the sudden, Elie's father gets called for another inspection. He passes safely. This is what selection is.

__Chapter 6, pages 85-97__ 13. Why couldn’t Elie allow himself to die? Elie could not allow himself to die because of his father's presence. That was the only thing that could stop him. He did not want his father to live alone in an environment like this. His father needed all of his loving support. His father needed Elie right by his side. They were inseperable. 14. Why does Juliek play the violin? Juliek plays the violin because playing the violin was his whole life. He knew that he was about to die. He wanted to achieve and play everything in the years before and the years to come. Playing the violin represented all of his dreams for the future. His unfulfilled hopes. His charred past. He played as if he would never ever play again. 15. Compare how the other boys treat their fathers with Eliezer’s treatment of his own father. The other boys treat their fathers equally. Eliezer treats his father with the biggest respect. He loves his father very much, and he never wants to leave him. He always gives his father extra food. The other boys eat the food for themselves. They want as much as they can get. Eliezer always leaves extra for his father's health. He wants his father to be healthy. When Eliezer and his father were seperated, Eliezer went chasing after his father right away. The other boys would have just went along with what was happening. Eliezer is very good to his father. __Chapter 7-9 pages 98-115__ 16. Why can’t Elizer weep at his father’s death? Eliezer can't weep at his father's death because it is as if Eliezer has no more tears. He can't cry anymore. He was out of tears. The fact that Eliezer could not cry was painful. 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 can never forget the look in the eyes of the corpse that gazed back at him because the look was not a good one. Elie looked very bad. He had never looked this bad. He wanted to see himself as a good looking person and healthy, but it turned out that he looked very bad. He was very ill. The recovery was only one of the reasons why Elie did not look good and healthy.

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? Night symbolizes the nights Elie suffered. It shows how important one word could cover the main idea of the whole book. I think he selected this title because it represents a lot. It means a lot. I think he also selected it because it was very meaningful to him. 2. What fires does he speak of that consumed his faith forever? Why do these fires consume his faith? The fires he spoke of that consumed his faith forever was the crematoriums. The flames of dead bodies. The pit. The fires consume his faith because he did not think this would ever happen. He did not believe this could happen. It scared him very much. 3. Do you find it difficult to believe that a boy so devout in his faith could lose his faith? Why? I do find it difficult to believe that a boy so devout in his faith could lose his faith because he has very strong believes in certain things. I do not find it difficult if the case is this severe. The things that happened at this time were very severe. It affected many people. I think if a boy is very strong about his believes, then he would never let them go. 4. Why does he lose his desire to live? Elie loses his desire to live because he knows what is going to happen. He does not want to do slowly and painfully. He does not want to go through that. He knows what he is in for, and he does not want to experience it. 5. Elie spoke these words as an adolescent. Do you think that as an adult his feelings have changed? Why? I do not think his feelings would of changed because this affects everybody about the same. Everyone finds this very scary. All of the Jews feel the same about this. They all hope for the best, and they all pray for the same thing. They pray to be safe. 6. Why do you suppose Elie wrote this novel? I suppose Elie wrote this novel because he wanted to share his story with the world. He wanted to tell his story. He also wanted people to learn from what went on. Maybe his hope was for people to learn big lessons. He does not want history to repeat itself.

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: Elie is very disturbed that is father is not eating. His father tells him not to eat so fast because more will come tommarow. Elie takes his father's advice, but tries to get his father to eat. His father says that he is not hungry.

What I think: I think that Elie wants good health for his father and for himself. He wants to make sure his father is eating properly, so that he will not get ill. Elie is a very loving child, and he will do whatever he can for his father.

I would’ve done: I would've done what Elie did for many reasons. One reason is because I would want my father to be healthy in any situation. I would make sure that my father and myself are eating properly. I would make sure we are eating the right amount of food to stay alive.

2. Page 49-50

Relationship shown: Elie and his father are about to get seperated, when Elie tells Franek that he wants to be near his father. When this is said Franek tells Elie that his father will work right next to him. Elie and his father will not be seperated. This makes Elie and his father very happy.

What I think: I think that Elie is a child who gets very nervous and scared without his father. He does not want to be alone. This in many ways explains everything that Elie does for his father. They again are inseperable. Elie wants to always be watching his father, and he always wants to stay close.

I would’ve done: I would've done the same thing Elie did because I would not want to be alone. Being alone would make me very scared. I would always wonder what is happening to my father. I would be very thankful to be with my father all of the time in this situation. This is exactly how Elie felt about his father.

3. Page 55-56

Relationship shown: Elie took his father's advice and gave him lessons. These lessons were to help Elie's father march in step. Also in keeping time. When Elie needed his father's advice, he would do anything he could to get it. This shows a very big relationship between Elie and his father.

What I think: I think that Elie did the right thing. He would always explain reasons he needed to help his father and get his advice. I think Elie deserved everything he wanted for many reasons. One reason is because Elie was such a good kid. He was very caring and loving. He did anything he could to keep his father safe and alive.

I would’ve done: I would've done the same thing as Elie because the best advice is always given by a relative. All of the relationships shown between Elie and his father showed why Elie wanted advice from him. Elie trusted his father very much, and Elie's father trusted Elie very much. They would help each other and give advice when necessary.

4. Page 90-91

Relationship shown: Elie was watching his father come to a end. He was not happy that he was seeing this, but he again wanted to be there whenever he could. Elie wanted to do whatever he could to keep his father alive. Another relationship shown is that Rabbi Eliahu kept on searching for his son. He never gave up.

What I think: I think that Rabbi Eliahu was doing the right thing. He was following his dreams. He was never giving up. I think that if he keeps more and more effort, he could possibly find his son.

I would’ve done: I would've of kept trying just like Rabbi Eliahu did. Rabbi Eliahu is a very good role model for this situation. He is a very good role model for many reasons. One reason is because it shows how you never give up. If you keep on trying and believing in yourself, then you can get what you are looking for.

5. Page 101

Relationship shown: Meir killed his father for a small crust of bread. He began to jump on his father and scratch to get the bread. Meir did not notice that it was his father he was killing for food. If Meir waited patiently for food, then he wouldn't of killed his own father.

What I think: I think Meir did the wrong thing. He chose to get the bread no matter who was holding it. He decided to kill someone. Meir should of looked at who the person was. Even if the person was not his father, I think Meir shouldn't of took the bread.

I would’ve done: I would of not bothered to take the bread. Even thought the bread would help me live, I would of waited until the next day where I got more food. I would certainly not kill someone. This makes me very upset because people should never kill one another for food even in the worst situation.

6. Page 112

Relationship shown: Elie was with his father until the end of his father's life. Elie went to sleep in his bunk. He slept above his father. His father was still alive. When Elie woke up his father was not there. There was another sick person in his place. His father died. Elie was very devastated, but he did not cry. He had no more tears left. He was out of tears.

What I think: I think that Elie tried most of his life to keep his father alive. Elie did everything he could. Sometimes there is point in life where you just can't help anymore. I think Elie would of continued to keep his father alive if he had not died. I think Elie did all he could.

I would’ve done: I would've felt the same way Elie felt. I would be very devastated, but I would no longer be able to help. There was nothing that Elie could do. I would have the same problem. I know that both Elie and I would've shared many of the same feelings. I would do exactly what Elie did in this situation.

__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) This is ironic because work does not give you liberty. Liberty means being free from something. In the Holocaust, you are never free. 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) This is ironic because you do die of the yellow star. It shows religion. If you were a Jew during the Holocaust, you had a possibility of getting 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.’ ” (page 40) This is ironic because the Jews were already in danger. The sign did not symbolize danger. The Jews were always in danger during the Holocaust. 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) This is ironic because Hitler did not make any promises to the Jews. He was doing terrible things to the Jews. He was very harsh to the Jews. 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) This is inhuman because Nazis are doing bad things to the Jews. No one is saying anything. It is sad because stepping up is possible. This is possible to fix, but no one out there is brave enough to step up. 2. “Work makes you free.” (page 40) This is inhuman because people are making you work for freedom. People who are making other people work know that they are not going to give freedom, so it is giving the people being forced to work a false hope. They are tricking them in a way. They are saying things that they know are not going to happen. 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) This is inhuman because bombs are being thrown on innocent people. This can be stopped, but nobody is stopping it. These people are having bombs thrown on them everyday, and they have to always keep safe. Nobody should throw bombs just because they have hate in other people or a group of people. 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) This is inhuman because people were forced not to cry. They did not remember what the feeling was. Someone should of stepped up. This could of been changed.