FRANCES

//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?

1. No, I do not think that this could happen to me. One reason is that I live in America, the land of the free. Also, this takes place in the Halocaust. I am a young, catholic girl who is half German.

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

2. If i was in this experience, I would want to consider the options. If i was doing to die, I would have just taken my life. There wouldn't be a point in living life in suffering, watching people around me die right before my eyes.

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

3. To deal with what was happening I would do many different things. If I needed to survive, I'd do whatever it takes. I would plot against the Nazis. I would lie about my age, where I came from, etc. I'd cheat, and I'd steal; whatever it takes.

4. Do you think it would be better to give up and die or try to survive?

4. I think it would be better to die. There would be so much suffering involved. Even if you were to survive, you'd be scarred for life. You went through so much, you wouldn't ever be the same.

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

5. I do think another action of inhuman ways could happen again. Possibly not to this extent, but with actions and everything that is going on with the war right now, its possible. Anythings possible.

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

6. I think a long time in jail would be a good punishment. I think this because they would have a time to think about their actions, and possibly have a second chance.

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

7. I do think that this kind of inhumanity could exist. Maybe not in the number, or in this same way, but I know that in some places people are killed because of who they are and what they believe in.

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?

1. Eliezer doesn't know why he prays. He cries when he prays because he feels the need to cry.

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

2. People don't believe Moche's stories because they think that the war is ending. They think that he has gone mad.

3. Site examples of how the Jews gradually lose their freedom.

3. Some examples of how the Jew's lose their freedom are: -Pg. 6: Jew's expelled from Sighet -Pg. 10: Germans movied in Kahn's house. -Pg. 10-11: Hungarian police bursted into Jewish homes and collected all gold and valuable items as such. -Pg. 11: Jews had to wear a yellow star.

__Chapter 2, pages 23-28__ 4. What does Madam Shachter’s nightmares about a fire foreshadow?

4. Madam Shacter's nightmares foreshadows a fire that burns dead bodies. They speak of the smell of burning flesh.

5. Where does the train finally stop?

5. The train finally stops in Birkenaw, a consentration camp.

__Chapter 3, pages 29-46__ 6. When questioned by the SS officer, why does Elie lie about his occupation and age?

6. Elie lied about his occupation and age because he wanted to seem stronger and better then he actually is.

7. Why does Elie disbelieve what his own eyes show him?

7. Elie disbelieves what his own eyes show him because what is going on around him is so cruel and inhumane. It's hard to believe what is going around him could possibly be true.

8. Why is Elie now reluctant to pray?

8. Elie is now reluctant to pray because he doesn't believe that God is with him anymore.

__Chapter 4, pages 47-65__ 9. Why is Elie summoned to the dentist?

9. Elie is summoned to the dentist because he has a gold crown which they want to remove.

10. How does Elie react to his father’s beating?

10. Elie reacts to his father's beating by being upset with his father. He wondered why his father couldn't avoid 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?

11. The hanging of the “sad eyed angel” is said to be one of the most profoundly moving events in the novel because is symbolizes so much to the Jews.

__Chapter 5, pages 66-84__ 12. What is selection?

12. The selection is when they look at the people at the camps and chose which live and which die. They also chose who works at the crematorium.

__Chapter 6, pages 85-97__ 13. Why couldn’t Elie allow himself to die?

Eli couldn't allow himself to die because he needed to take care of his father.

14. Why does Juliek play the violin?

Juliek plays the violin because it is his life. Its his story, his way to the world.

15. Compare how the other boys treat their fathers with Eliezer’s treatment of his own father.

The other boys don't treat their fathers like they are related. In the camps, everything changes; every man for himself.

__Chapter 7-9 pages 98-115__ 16. Why can’t Elizer weep at his father’s death?

Elizer doesn't cry at his father's death because he has no more tears left in him.

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?

When Elie is finally free, he can't forget the eyes of the corpse that gazes back at him because that was him after all the pain and suffering he went through; he was basically a new person.

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 mystery to Elie. It one of those things that you don't know what is to come next. Night is the title because night hold many mysteries like life.

2. What fires does he speak of that consumed his faith forever? Why do these fires consume his faith?

Elie speaks of fire consuming his faith for a few reasons. He watched people being burned alive by these fires. He watched people as they burried their own graves, and wasn't able to do anything about it. He says that everything he thought was God's land, God's will, God's reasons, had been changed within one night. Within 12 hours.

3. Do you find it difficult to believe that a boy so devout in his faith could lose his faith? Why?

I find it very difficult to believe that this boy was so close to his faith, so close to God, and studied everything about religion only to realize everything he thought was wrong. All that he thought was good and true, had been turned around and changed in every which way.

4. Why does he lose his desire to live?

He loses his desire to live for a few reasons. He has been seperated from his mother and younger sister and doesn't know if they are alive or dead. He watched people dig their own graves, and saw people being burned alive. He has been stripped of all his rights and doesn't know if he'll live to see day.

5. Elie spoke these words as an adolescent. Do you think that as an adult his feelings have changed? Why?

I do think that Elie has changed. The way that the current life around his has effected him, has helped him grow mentally. With age comes knowlage.

6. Why do you suppose Elie wrote this novel?

I think Elie wrote this Novel so people don't only learn about this time, but they can read about it through his eyes. So they can try to understand the way he felt. Know the things that happened. To inform people that life out there is tough.

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:

In this part of the story, Stein is looking for his sons and wife. Elie lies to Stein because he doesn't want him to give up hope. Even after all this time, Stein still believes he will be re-united with his family.

What I think:

I think that Stein is very brave to still believe that his family with once be whole again.

I would’ve done:

If I were in this position I would have already given up hope. I would have seen everything that has happened and realized that this is the life ahead of me.

2. Page 49-50

Relationship shown:

In this part in the book, Elie asks to sit next to his father. While the Kommando agrees, Elie risks a lot just by asking.

What I think:

I think that Elie must really love his father to even dare ask. Elie has gone through so much with his father, and doesn't want to lose him.

I would’ve done:

I would have been WAY too scared to ask to sit next to my mother/father. Elie lucked out that he had a nice Kommando.

3. Page 55-56

Relationship shown:

In this part of the book, Elie's father couldn't march correctly so Elie tried to teach him how. Also, some of the inmates mock them.

What I think:

I think that Elie has pure devotion to his father, he will do anything just to keep him well and alive.

I would’ve done:

I would have done the same thing, even though its every man for themselves we all come from the same place.

4. Page 90-91

Relationship shown:

Here, Rabbi Elianu can find his son. He is searching and asking people if they have seen them. The truth is that the Rabbi's son tried to ditch him while they were running

What I think:

I think it's amazing that Rabbi Elianu is still searching for his son, even if the son was attempting to lose him.

I would’ve done:

If I were Rabbi Elianu, I wouldn't have gone through all this. Many didn't survive the journey, and the chances of seeing his son again wouldn't be great.

5. Page 101

Relationship shown:

Here, a father went through a mob to try to get bread for him and his son. After the father comes out, the son pounces on him and starts to attack him for the bread. Even when the father explains that he has bread for the both of them, the son continues to attack him and eventually kills him.

What I think:

I think that this is one of the most horrible things I have ever had to think about. The idea of people killing each other, especially a father and son, over a piece of bread is horrible.

I would’ve done:

I'm not sure what I would have done, I wouldn't have tried to kill my own father, but when you havn't eaten for days and have practically lost your mind you can't be too sure what is happening.

6. Page 112

Relationship shown:

Here, the father dies after being sick for several days. The father was taken to the crematorium and was replaced. The night previous, the father had called out his name, asked for his help and Elie refused to listen.

What I think:

I think that it is very upsetting to watch your own father die like this, in conditions like this. Especially after all they went through together, for everything to just come to an end; Elie's father meant everything to him.

I would’ve done:

I would have cried. This would have been very emotional especially considering what has happened over the last year.

__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)

1. This phrase is ironic. This is because the work they do is inhuman; it nearly kills them. This is the opposite of liberty.

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)

2. This phrase is ironic because the fact that they were jewish did end up killing them.

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)

3. This phrase is ironic because they are already in a place of death and suffering. They couldn't possibly be any closer to death.

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)

4. This phrase is ironic because the promises he made to the Jewish people have all been bad promises. Promises that include harming the people. The fact that people have more faith in one who does bad is ironic.

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)

1. This excerpt from the text means the world has come to the point where anything is possible.

2. “Work makes you free.” (page 40)

2.This excerpt from the text means thats the work that they do will bring them closer and closer to death. Death brings freedom from the cruelty that they experience on earth.

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)

3. This excerpt from the text means that even bombs do not scare them. They have seen so much, been through many things and has gone through the worst of the worst. They no longer fear death.

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)

4. This excerpt from the text means that they no longer become as sad when one is killed or beaten. They have become so used to the idea of death that they now are accepting their fate.