KATIE+H.

//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 do not believe anything like this could happen to me right now. The world has already experienced this one harsh time and has learned from it. I do not think history will reapeat itself. 2. What would be your first reaction to this horrifying experience? My reaction to this absolutely horrifying experience would be just stunned. After I got over that brief period of disbelief, I would try my best to keep a positive attitiude by thinking about the people I love and the happy moments I've had. If my time came to die, I would not go down without a fight. 3. What means might you use to deal with what is happening (example: would you lie, cheat, steal)? I honestly don't know if I could deal with what was happening. But if I were to try, I might tell a few lies to buy myself some time to think everything over. I would lie about things like my age, so I may be kept around a little longer. 4. Do you think it would be better to give up and die or try to survive? I think it would be better to fight because, even though I have obviously never been in this kind of situation, I have always felt that you can't just give up, no matter the circumstances. I believe it is a better idea to try your very hardest to survive, because even though you still may very well be killed, you have a greater chance of happiness later in life if you have a will to live. 5. Inhumanity means being inhumanly cruel and brutal. Do you think the world could ever allow this kind of inhumanity to happen again? I do not think the world would let inhumanity get to this level again, although, it is still unfortunately all around us. We have all learned from the hideous events that made up the Holocaust, and most likely let something so dastardly get past us again. 6. What kind of punishment do you feel would be suitable for this kind of inhumanity? I think the best punishment for this kind of inhumanity is a lifetime or more in prison. I do not believe the death penalty is the best option because then we would be little better than those murderers. Also, if we killed the inhumane people, they would not learn their lesson because, well, they would just be gone and probably free of any guilt or regret. (That I can't really prove because as far as I am aware, I have never died). 7. Do you think this kind of inhumanity could exist in our day and age? As I stated in questions one and five, I do not think this inhumanity could exsist today because we have all learned. All the clues would be far more apparent this time around, after the world has already experienced it once. We could catch the forming genocide before any real damage is done, because we now know what to expect.

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? Elie prays because he is very religious and just always has, although he is not exactly sure why. Also, Elie doesn't know why he cries, except that he just feels he has to. 2. Why don’t people believe Moche’s stories? People do not believe Moche's stories because they are all in denial, and also find him rather crazy. Everyone thinks the war is ending even though Hitler is still trying his hardest, and are in literal disbelief at Moche's stories of the murder camps. 3. Site examples of how the Jews gradually lose their freedom. The Jews are gradually losing their freedom by being forced into ghettos, robbed of their valuables and rights, taken inhumanely to concentration camps, beaten or killed when they do something "wrong", and eventually savagely killed. __Chapter 2, pages 23-28__ 4. What does Madam Shachter’s nightmares about a fire foreshadow? Mrs. Shachter's nightmares foreshadow the crematorium and the fire burning the Jewish flesh. 5. Where does the train finally stop? The train finally stops in Birkenau. __Chapter 3, pages 29-46__ 6. When questioned by the SS officer, why does Elie lie about his occupation and age? When the SS officers talks to him, Elie lies about his age and job because he doesn't want to become separated from his father, like he would be if he said he was younger. Also, he wanted to be kept around longer, so he wanted to seem like someone useful so he could survive. 7. Why does Elie disbelieve what his own eyes show him? Elie doesn't believe what his eyes show him because everything going on around him is like one enormous nightmare. It is so horrible to see these happenings, but especially for someone just beginning to come out of denial. 8. Why is Elie now reluctant to pray? Elie is reluctant to pray because he has lost most of his faith in God since God is letting all this horrer and murder go on in Elie's eyes. Elie doesn't think it is fair to pray to someone who is letting all this bad live on. __Chapter 4, pages 47-65__ 9. Why is Elie summoned to the dentist? Elie is summoned to the dentist because his gold crown is wanted for the dentist's personal gain. 10. How does Elie react to his father’s beating? Elie reacts to his father's beating by trying to teach him to march in step. However, that fails, so Elie is just forced to be an onlooker whiler his father is beaten. 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" because he was only a child after all. Also, I believe that particular hanging really made the Jews question their faith and their God, because, could he really be allowing all this bad to continue? __Chapter 5, pages 66-84__ 12. What is selection? Selection is when the camp's doctors choose the weakest of the prisoners to be cremated. They decide this by watching how the prisoners move; run or walk, and deciding which of them are the strongest and which are too skinny and sickly. The weak are murdered.

__Chapter 6, pages 85-97__ 13. Why couldn’t Elie allow himself to die? Elie couldn't allow himself to die because, according to himself, he had to be there to motivate his father to keep on going. Without Eliezer there to motivate his dad, he thought his dad would surely die. 14. Why does Juliek play the violin? Juliek plays his violin because really just saying good bye through his music. He also probably wants another chance to do something he loves soon, because he knew he was going to die. 15. Compare how the other boys treat their fathers with Eliezer’s treatment of his own father. Many of the other boys treat their fathers different than Eliezer treats his. Elie treats his father with respect and tries to motivate him to just keep on going. Some of the other boys are just fighting for their own surival, and abandoning their fathers in the hopes they will survive. __Chapter 7-9 pages 98-115__ 16. Why can’t Elizer weep at his father’s death? Eliezer cannot weep at his father's death because he has been through so much tragety and horror that he has run out of tears. 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? Elie cannot ever forget the look in the eyes of the corpse that were his because they looked like more like those of a dead man, not those of Elie Wiesel.

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 "night" symbolizes the one insanely long nightmare that was living during in the conditions he did during the Holocaust. 2. What fires does he speak of that consumed his faith forever? Why do these fires consume his faith? The fires that Elie was talking about were the fires they used to burn the babies and children in a pit. They consumed his faith because he doesn't want to believe in and pray to a God who is letting this happen to innocent people that cannot help what religion or background they are. 3. Do you find it difficult to believe that a boy so devout in his faith could lose his faith? Why? I believe, in Elie's situation, that it is fairly easy to lose faith. He is seeing all this inhumanity first hand, and is stricken with grief. What amazes and outrages him the most is that the God he has always prayed to and learned to trust, is letting this all happen. 4. Why does he lose his desire to live? Elie loses his desire to live because of how excrutiating it is to live through what he did. He was thinking that it might just be better and easier for him if he were dead. 5. Elie spoke these words as an adolescent. Do you think that as an adult his feelings have changed? Why? I do think Elie's feelings have changed because, first of all, he did obviously, live through his near-death experience. Also, I think Elie realized that if he could just hold out a little longer, he may get to see some happiness in his life before his death. 6. Why do you suppose Elie wrote this novel? I suppose Elie wrote the novel "Night" becuase he wanted everyone to see learn what it was like living during the Holocaust, and not just knowing the facts. I think he believed that everyone should know how hard it was for Jews to live back then and know why it is so important that we don't let tis happen again.

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: Stein, the relative of the Wiesels, wants to know if his kids are okay wherever they are. That shows that he cares about his children. What I think: Stein has been separated from his wife and kids, who are people he loves, and wants to make sure they are doing okay. ’ve done: If I had been separated from the people I love in conditions like these, I'd want to know how my loved ones were doing. I would have done the same thing. 2. Page 49-50

Relationship shown: When they are taken to work in the factory, Eliezer wants to work near his father. What I think: I think this entire ordeal has made Elie want to hold onto the one person he really knows. He feels a sense of comfort that comes with being with his father, as do many others with their parents. I would’ve done: I would have done the same thing as Elie because when everything is this scary and abrupt, I would want to keep track of at least oen person I care about. 3. Page 55-56

Relationship shown: Elie tries to teach his father how to march in step so he doesn't get beaten every time they are supposed to march in step. t I think: Eliezer wants to protect his father and try to keep him well. I would’ve done: I would have done the same thing as Elie because I couldn't stand watching my father get inumanely beaten every time we all marched in step! 4. Page 90-91

Relationship shown: When the group is running, Rabbi Eliahu's son abandons him when he begins to fall behind. What I think: I do no think this is the right thing to do. If someone you care about, or anyone for that matter, is having trouble, you dont just leave them; you encourage them! I would’ve done: I would have stayed with my dad and tried to motivate him to keep on going. 5. Page 101

Relationship shown: A son killed his father for a tiny crust of bread. What I think: I understand how valuable food was during the Holocaust, but one the other hand, a tiny crust of bread cannot save you. It's a little harsh to be killing someone close to you just for that amount of food. I would’ve done: I would't have fought with my father for the bread, I would have let him have it, no matter my hunger. He'd probably be in worse shape than me. And I'd rather be dying from hunger with someone I care about then be temporarily satisfied and all alone. 6. Page 112Relationship shown: Elie's dad dies, and Elie thinks, very deep down, that it is a good thing for Elie. What I think: Even though this is incredibly sad, I think it makes sense. Life is extremely hard, even just worrying about yourself. But now Elie only has to worry about himself, which should make life a tid-bit easier to live.

I would’ve done: If I were in this situation, I guess I would have done the same thing as Elie. Living this harshly can make people think and do things they normally wouldn't.

__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 statement is ironic because the sign is implying that the work you do will set you free. It will set you free... free from your life! Those who run the camp work the unfortunate prisoners to death. 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 statement about the yellow star just so happens to be very ironic. The yellow Star of David signifies that you are a Jew, and during this time period, believing in the Jewinsh faith does kill you. 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 passage is ironic because there should really be placards, like the ones one the elcetric fence, all over the camp. "Warning, Danger of Death." That message says what the entire camp is. 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, of all people, Hitler truly was the only honest one to the Jews. Only, his promises were not pleasent ones, yet he kept each and every one.

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 inhumane excerpt means that the whole world has an idea of what is going on in these camps, and no one is doing anything to try to stop the horror. It is basically saying that the world doesn't really care that millions of innocent people are being inhumanly murdered, beaten, and treated like malnourished, abused, dogs. 2. “Work makes you free.” (page 40) These four words, "Work makes you free" are some pretty cruel ones. These words are giving those held in these camps a flase sense of hope so they will continue to try their hardest for people who couldn't care less about them. 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 excerpt means that the Jews held captive were glad that such a violent event was happening because it gave them hope for freedom. It meant the Allies were nearing. The people running the camps must have done so much wrong to make people feel that this bombing was good for them. 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 statemant is extremely inhumane because it is saying that the victims weren't all that upset to be leaving this cruel world behind them. If they don't mind dying, then just imagine what they were going through at the concentration camps.