KENDALL

//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 believe that something like thins could happen to me because i am Jewish. So if i lived back when Hitler had power i would have been take to the camps with the others.

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

My reaction to this would be mostly to cry and to pray. For my family, friends, and my self.

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

I would deal with what was happening to the Jews by lying about being Jewish and not wearing my star.

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

If i had to choose between dieing or surviving during the holocaust.... i think it would all depend on the situation that i was in. If i was hiding i would rather keep hope and try to survive, but if i was at a camp i think i would have rather died than work to kill others.

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

I don't think our world could allow something the Holocaust to happen again because we have learned from our past and we have a better and stronger Army

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

I think that the punishment for this type of inhumanity should be the death penalty because i believe that if you kill a person then you should get killed back.

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

i think that this kind of inhumanity could exist today if we are not careful and when people say that they are going to attack our country we should keep an eye on that person.

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 that life will get better soon. He doesn't know why he cry the tears just pour down his face.

2. Why don’t people believe Moche’s stores? People don't believe Moche's stores because they don't think that it is humanly possible for one man to wipe out an entire race.

3. Site examples of how the Jews gradually lose their freedom. The Jew gradually lose their freedom because of the law stating that they children can NOT attend school, the men and women can not go to work, and that they all have to move into a Ghetto.

__Chapter 2, pages 23-28__ 4. What does Madam Shachter’s nightmares about a fire foreshadow? Madam Scachter's nightmares about the fire foreshadow the burning flesh of the Jews in the crematories.

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? Elie lies to an SS officer about his occupation and age because if he had said that he was younger than 18 and just a "student" he would have been sent to the crematory and seperated from his father. He also said that he was only 18 because the man who was there before told him to say that he was 18.

7. Why does Elie disbelieve what his own eyes show him? Elie is disbelieving what his own eyes show him because it is just so awful and so horrible to even imagine, but to have to see it...

8. Why is Elie now reluctant to pray? Elie is reluctant to pray because he knows that there is nothing that he or god could do to even TRY to stop what Hitler has begun. Elie also is now reluctant to pray because he is loosing his faith in God...

__Chapter 4, pages 47-65__ 9. Why is Elie summoned to the dentist? Elie is summoned to the dentist because he had a gold tooth. Anyone that had a gold tooth had to get it pulled out and the gold would be sold.

10. How does Elie react to his father’s beating? Elie reacts to his father's beatings by being really mad but he keeps to himself, and talks to his father about it after the SS is gone.

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 he "sad eyed angel" was said to be the most profoundly moving events in the novel because the two other boys dies once the chair were removed. But the "sad eyed angel" was still alive and he stayed alive for half an hour wiggling up in the tree before he was dead.

__Chapter 5, pages 66-84__ 12. What is selection? Selection is when they had the Jewish men and boys go through inspection to see if they were to weak to keep around. If they were they would have given one more chance to pass and if they didn't they would have been taking to the crematories and killed.

__Chapter 6, pages 85-97__ 13. Why couldn’t Elie allow himself to die? Elie couldn't allow himself to die because he needed to die because he needed to look after his father. 14. Why does Juliek play the violin? Juliek plays the violin because he wanted to play it one last time before he dies or before the SS take it away form him. 15. Compare how the other boys treat their fathers with Eliezer’s treatment of his own father. The other boys treat their fathers like he is a stranger to them, like it ever man for themselves, while Elie looks after his father with love and wont put up with any harm that come their way. __Chapter 7-9 pages 98-115__ 16. Why can’t Elizer weep at his father’s death? Elie can't weep at his father death because even though he was sad, he was also happy because now he would only have to look after himself and not an extra person holding him back. 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 won't ever forget the look in the eyes of the corpse the gazed back at him because seeing him self for the first time in 2 years really opened his eye of what they had done to him body and now that he was free he would be able to try to fix the damage in what they had done to his appearance, but he would never be able to fix what they had done to him mentally. :-(

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 symbolize pain/sorrow/and bad memories to Elie.I think he selected "Night" as his title because night is dark and so were the days that people died.

2. What fires does he speak of that consumed his faith forever? Why do these fires consume his faith? The fires that he speaks of that consume his faith forever were the ones of the crematoriums. The fires consumed his faith because at any moment an SS solider could have shot him and tossed him into the fires.

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 to believe that a boy so devout in his faith could lose faith because watching all of the dead and burning was so horrible i think that i would have lost faith too.

4. Why does he lose his desire to live? Elie lost his desire to live because he doesn't want to see his father, himself and others go through the toucher.

5. Elie spoke these words as an adolescent. Do you think that as an adult his feelings have changed? Why? I think that Elie feeling have changed from him being and adolescent because he can look back at everything now and think to his-self "Wow i lived during all of that and survived." i think he could be more "proud" of himself.

6. Why do you suppose Elie wrote this novel? I think that Elie wrote this novel wrote this novel so history doesn't repeat its self and for all of the people out there that don't think that the Holocaust even exists.

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 was looking for his wife and his two small boys. Elie told him that they were fine, even though they wern't.

What I think: I think that Elie shouldn't have lied even though it was nice and made Stein happy.

I would’ve done: I would have lied two because i would have felt so bad for him not knowing what had happened to his wife and sons.

2. Page 49-50

Relationship shown: Elie asked Franek if he could sit near his father as they worked.

What I think: I think that it wasn't the smartest thing to do because Franek could have thought Elie was being greedy and gave him a smack to the head.

I would’ve done: I don't think i would have asked to sit near my father because i would have been to afraid of being killed or beaten by being selfish.

3. Page 55-56

Relationship shown: Elie had to help his father learn how to march instep because Franek found the gold cap in Elie's mouth and wanted to take it our but Elie didn't want to give it to him so Franek decided to toucher his father till he gave him the gold cap.

What I think: I think that this is horribly and sickly that this man would want to do get that cap so badly to beat on an old man just because he couldn't march in place.

I would’ve done: I would have just let him take that cap in-spite of my pain and to save my father some strength that he had left in him.

4. Page 90-91

Relationship shown: Elie was trying to encourage his father to not lay down in the snow because all of the others that lied down most likely died form exhaustion of starvation, and he didn't want that happening to his father.

What I think: I think that he was being a good son because one of the other kids left his father and the boy was the one who died and had his father looking all over for him.

I would’ve done: I would have tired to drag my father to warmth with all of my strength, until I knew he was going to be ok.

5. Page 101

Relationship shown: Meir was being greedy because he didn't even care if his father died or not he just wanted the bread, and nothing else.

What I think: When i think about this it makes me want to cry just to think that someone could care that little about their father and to want a piece of bread more than to know that there will always be someone their form them. :'-(

I would've done: I would have given the bread and told my father to eat it because even though i fight with my dad sometimes i would't want him to die just because of a small piece of bread.

6. Page 112

Relationship shown: Elie's dad had died in the night and he was taken away. Elie didn't have much to say and he didn't say a prayer over his tomb and that he thought was.... "I am Free..."

What I think: I think that this is the saddest thing in the world (right now as I'm wrighting this I am crying) just to think that his dad was holding him back all that time and now that his is DEAD he believes that he is "free" make me want to cry... I would’ve done: I would have said prayers, i would have cried, but I also think that i would have thought that i was "free" two because i would have had that extra soup and bread and i would't have to see my father get beaten everyday and not of been able to do anything about it..... :-'(

__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) The irony about this passage is that is says "work is liberty" I would be telling people that if they work hard they would be free. Even though most of them would be worked 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) The irony of this passage is that the Jews thought they were going to be helped when really they were the ones "helping" kill other Jews.

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) The irony of this passage it that even though there were warnings of death the Jews couldn't show fear from it.

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) The irony in this passage is that he gave all of these promises to the Jew and Atheist thought that it was actually happening when it really wasn't going the way he told them it was.

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) I believe that this was written by a Jew saying that the world has gone...well.... CRAZY. People are killing other people just because they believe a little bit differently.

2. “Work makes you free.” (page 40) I think that this make Jewish men think that they would be able to go home but really it would just make them want to work harder and give them selfs a better chance of dieing faster,

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) I think this means that they would rather have been killed by a bomb dropped by people trying to save them. Rather than being killed by SS/Germans with guns then places in a crematory, and know that its just going to get worse.

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) I think that this means that they don't even care if they died anymore because that would mean that they didn't have to work in the camps and have the fear of being killed every day.