BRODY

//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 he wants to practice his religion. He cries because he feels something inside him that needs to cry. 2. Why don’t people believe Moche’s stores? People don't believe Moche's stories because that think he has just gone crazy and they don't believe anything like that could actually happen. 3. Site examples of how the Jews gradually lose their freedom. Some examples of how the Jews gradually lose their freedom is first they are just put into ghettos. Then things get more harsh in the ghettos. Then they are shipped to different camps and then hey lose more and more freedom each day/ __Chapter 2, pages 23-28__ 4. What does Madam Shachter’s nightmares about a fire foreshadow? Madam Shachter’s nightmares about fire foreshadow how the Jews will soon be treated and the crematorium. 5. Where does the train finally stop? The train finally stops at their first camp. __Chapter 3, pages 29-46__ 6. When questioned by the SS officer, why does Elie lie about his occupation and age? When questioned by the SS officer, Elie lies about his occupation and age because the inmate tells him to. Because he listens, him and his father are put into the same group. 7. Why does Elie disbelieve what his own eyes show him? Elie disbelieves what his eye show him because he sees the crematorium and the innocent dying Jews and can't believe people could do that. 8. Why is Elie now reluctant to pray? Elie is now reluctant to pray because he has lost faith and doesn't feel there is any reason to pray. __Chapter 4, pages 47-65__ 9. Why is Elie summoned to the dentist? Elie is summoned to the dentist because he has a golden cap on one of his teeth and he is forced to have it removed. 10. How does Elie react to his father’s beating? Elie reacts to his fathers beating by watching and pretending it didn't bother him. 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 that was when the Jews realized what was really happening. They all had to see the very sad kid who was hanged and didn't die, just hanging there form his neck and this was very terrible and moving. __Chapter 5, pages 66-84__ 12. What is selection? Selection is where they have the Jews run and look at them to see if they are healthy or in shape or not. Whoever is selected was killed.

__Chapter 6, pages 85-97__ 13. Why couldn’t Elie allow himself to die? Elie couldn't allow himself to die because he didn't want his father to see his only son die. 14. Why does Juliek play the violin? Juliek plays the violin because that is what he likes to do and he is dying. 15. Compare how the other boys treat their fathers with Eliezer’s treatment of his own father.

__Chapter 7-9 pages 98-115__ 16. Why can’t Elizer weep at his father’s death? Elizer can't weep at his fathers death because if he does he would be killed. 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 can't forget the look in his eyes because what looked back at him he had not seen in almost 2 years and he looked terrible like he was dead.

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? To Ellie, "night" symbolizes the first time he ever witnessed the camps and the terrible things the Nazis were doing to the Jews. I think he selected this as the title of his memoir because that is the first part of the holocaust he saw and it stuck in his memory. 2. What fires does he speak of that consumed his faith forever? Why do these fires consume his faith? The fires he speaks of that consumed his faith forever are the flames in the crematorium that killed babies and helpless people. These fires consume his faith because as far as he and I know it is both his and his fathers grave. 3. Do you find it difficult to believe that a boy so devout in his faith could lose his faith? Why? I don't find it difficult do believe a boy so devout in his faith could lose faith because this is a very serious matter. When you're dealing with life and death of you and people you love it would be very hard to think positively and faithfully. 4. Why does he lose his desire to live? He loses his desire to live because all his dreams for life have been crushed and he doesn't want to go through any of this. 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 as an adult would change because this is a huge event an it said he was very religious so if he was hopeless enough then, he still would be now. 6. Why do you suppose Elie wrote this novel? I think Ellie wrote this novel because he wanted to inform younger people of the terrible things that happened and to tell that this was very real and scary.

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 is concerned about his children and family. Elie tells him that they are fine even though they're really not and Stein leaps with joy

What I think: It is good that Stein is happy but it will make him ten times worse when he finds out they are actually dead.

I would’ve done: I would have not told Stein anything so he could still keep his hopes up without thinking he knows they are okay.

2. Page 49-50

Relationship shown: Elie asks the Kapo if he could work with his father and he got to.

What I think: It was great they did this so now they could always be with each other and work together.

I would’ve done: I would've done the same thing because I would not want to be alone through this and I wouldn't want my dad to be alone or to leave him.

3. Page 55-56

Relationship shown: Elie gave up a ration of his bread and his golden tooth to stop the beating on his dad.

What I think: It was very thoughtful, nice, and giving to give up things of his own to help his dad.

I would’ve done: I would have done the same. I definitely would not want to see my dad getting beat and I would almost do anything in Elies position to stop it.

4. Page 90-91

Relationship shown: The Rabbi is searching for his son all throughout the camp.

What I think: This was very brave and caring to go through all of that trouble.

I would’ve done: I would have searched for my son for as long as I could until I either found him or I died.

5. Page 101

Relationship shown: A son was trying to take bread from his father and ended up killing him.

What I think: I think this was very selfish especially to his own father.

I would’ve done: I would let my father eat it or let someone else have it but i would definitely not kill my own dad.

6. Page 112

Relationship shown: Elie's father died and Elie was forced not to weep.

What I think: Very brave and very sad.

I would’ve done: I don't know if i could hold myself from crying but I would try.

__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 is not liberty, freedom is liberty and that is something these people did not 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) This is ironic because that is what you die of and the reason they are all killed is because they are Jewish. If they were to take off this yellow patch no one would know they were Jewish. 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 there was death all around. Why would the Nazis warn the Jews about that but not the terrible death camps. 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)t This is ironic because Hitler is the reason for the Holocaust and killing of all 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 excerpt means that the rest of the world does not know what is going on in the camps and isn't doing anything to stop it. It also says anything is allowed, even these crematories. This means the SS could literally do anything they want to the Jews and get away with it. 2. “Work makes you free.” (page 40) This is inhumanity because not only is it a lie, but it is giving people hope to make them work harder and it is not true. Those people already should have be free and they should not be forced to work for it for no reason. 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 inhumanity because the people were not afraid of death and the got joy when bombs dropped. This is not right because people should be afraid of death and it is terrible when bombs drop but the people liked it. 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 inhumanity because the very sad people were forced to not cry, no matter how sad they were. It is human to have emotions, feelings, and the need to cry and some of the saddest people on earth couldn't do that.