RINA

//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? Elie tells Moche that he does not know why he cries when he prays and he prays to show his faith for G-D.

2. Why don’t people believe Moche’s stores? The jews do not believe Moche’s stories because they do not think such a thing could happen.

3. Site examples of how the Jews gradually lose their freedom. The Jews lost there freedom when The Germans came, When the Germans transported foreign and when they where moved to the gettos. __Chapter 2, pages 23-28__ 4. What does Madam Shachter’s nightmares about a fire foreshadow? Mrs. Shacter’s nightmare foreshadows the crematorium and burning of the bodies.

5. Where does the train finally stop? The train stops at Berkenou.

__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 to the SS officer because he was told to by an inmate which ended up saving his life. 7. Why does Elie disbelieve what his own eyes show him? I think Elie disbelieves what his eyes see because it is to horrifying to believe. 8. Why is Elie now reluctant to pray? Elie is reluctant to pray because he has lost his belief in G-D. __Chapter 4, pages 47-65__ 9. Why is Elie summoned to the dentist? Elie is summoned to the dentist to get his gold crown extracted. 10. How does Elie react to his father’s beating? Elie's reaction to his fathers beating is that he is mad at his father for not being able to avoid the beating. 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 pipel was so profound because he was so young __Chapter 5, pages 66-84__ 12. What is selection? Selection is a time where SS doctors and Dr. Mengel inspect the inmates to see which are worthy of living and which die.

__Chapter 6, pages 85-97__ 13. Why couldn’t Elie allow himself to die? Elie could not allow himself to die because he was his father's "Sole Support" 14. Why does Juliek play the violin? Juliek plays his violin as he dies because he was not allowed to play Beethoven because he was a jew, so he was going to die so he played Beethoven. 15. Compare how the other boys treat their fathers with Eliezer’s treatment of his own father. Elie treats his father like his father unlike most sons who treat their fathers like any other person. __Chapter 7-9 pages 98-115__ 16. Why can’t Elizer weep at his father’s death? Elie couldn't weep at the death of his father because he "was 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 can never forget that look because it was hunting to see how dead he looked.

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 Elie called his book night because it sybolizes darkness and this time in his life was very dark and sad. 2. What fires does he speak of that consumed his faith forever? Why do these fires consume his faith? The fires of the crematoriums killed many people and his faith in G-D. 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 hard to beleve because he saw terrafying things. 4. Why does he lose his desire to live? I think he lost his desire to live because he saw so many others put to death. 5. Elie spoke these words as an adolescent. Do you think that as an adult his feelings have changed? Why? I don't think so because What Elie saw was just as shocking to every one else 6. Why do you suppose Elie wrote this novel? I think Elie wrote this because he believes that people need to know about the experience of someone in the camps.

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: A friend Stien, cares only for his family once in the camp and asks about them as soon as he sees Elie and his father.

What I think: I think it is really kind that as a father, all he cares about is his family when in the camp.

2. Page 49-50

Relationship shown: Elie asked if he could be by his father while he worked.

What I think: I think is was important that he kept close to his father then because his father died before they left.

I would’ve done: I would have done the same thing because it is important to risk everything for family.

3. Page 55-56

Relationship shown: Eli was teaching his father to march

What I think:

I would’ve done:

4. Page 90-91

Relationship shown: Rabbi Eliahu's son ran away from him while he was faltering.

What I think: I think it was wrong to leave your own father even under these circumstances.

I would’ve done: I would have stuck with my father all the way through.

5. Page 101 Relationship shown: On the train, the son of a man beat up his father for food.

What I think: I think it was cruel to kill your own father simply for breed no matter how starving you are.

I would’ve done: In todays world, I would have listened to my father because he was saying to wait and that he had some for his son, but they had no food and some where willing to kill even there own father.

6. Page 112

Relationship shown: Elie's father died and Elie could not cry

What I think: I think it is sad that Elie could not cry and that her some how felt free.

I would’ve done: I wish I could say I would have done different but back then I don't think I would.

__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) I think this is ironic because work really killed you, the work in the camps were harsh and killed many. 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 the yellow star showed they were jewish which ended 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) This is ironic because any thing you did in the camps could end up killing you. 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 the promises Hitler had made were to kill every jew.

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 was inhuman because it shows how the world just let these things happen. 2. “Work makes you free.” (page 40) This is inhumanity because the Germans made this promise to the people in the camps but the work the did ended up killing 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 was inhumanity because this statement shows how fear of dieing hardend their hearts. 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 was inhumanity because he had witnessed so many other hangings.