LINDSEY

//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 think that something like this could happen to me because the Halocaust was something that the world learned from. In my opinion, people wouldn't let something like this happen again because they knew what it was going to turn into.

2. What would be your first reaction to this horrifying experience? My first reaction to this horrifying expirience would be really scared. I would be very scared because I was seperated from my family, shoved in a traing where I dodn't know where it was going with no food or water. I would be scared for my life because of the men that looked so cruel.

3. What means might you use to deal with what is happening (example: would you lie, cheat, steal)? In this situation, I think I would lie about my age and religion. Another thing I would lie about is if I knew or helped any Jews even though I am one. It would effect me a lot, to have to say these things, but I think that I still would say them because if I didn't they Germans would kill me.

4. Do you think it would be better to give up and die or try to survive? Between dying and trying to survive, I would choose death. I would choose death because not a lot of people lived anyways, and the people that did are haunted by the visions of their personal journeys.

5. Inhumanity means being inhumanly cruel and brutal. Do you think the world could ever allow this kind of inhumanity to happen again? This kind of inhumanity could not happen again because for most people the Halocaust was actually a learning expirience.

6. What kind of punishment do you feel would be suitable for this kind of inhumanity? The punishment I would find suitable is DEATH.

7. Do you think this kind of inhumanity could exist in our day and age? I do think that this kind of inhumanity could exist in this day and age because some people are STILL denying that the Halocaust happened.

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? Elizer prays because he is showing his faith and respect to G-d. He does not know why he cries when he prays. It is just something that happens.

2. Why don’t people believe Moche’s stores? People don’t believe Moshe’s stories because they have always thought of him as crazy.

3. Site examples of how the Jews gradually lose their freedom. Some examples of how the Jews gradually lose their freedom are 1. Kids could no longer go to school 2. Adults could no longer go to work 3. They had to live in Ghettos 4. They had to wear fabric stars 5. They were transported to concentration camps and labor camps.

__Chapter 2, pages 23-28__ 4. What does Madam Shachter’s nightmares about a fire foreshadow? Madame Schachters nightmares about the fire foreshadow the crematorium where the Jews were burned.

5. Where does the train finally stop? The train finally stopped in Berkinow.

__Chapter 3, pages 29-46__ 6. When questioned by the SS officer, why does Elie lie about his occupation and age? Ellie lies about his occupation and age because a mysterious inmate tells him to or else he will be cremated or beaten.

7. Why does Elie disbelieve what his own eyes show him? Ellie disbelieves what his own eyes show him because he thinks it is inhumane to burn people.

8. Why is Elie now reluctant to pray? Ellie is now reluctant to pray because he is thinking, “How had G-d helped me? Is this what G-d calls help?”

__Chapter 4, pages 47-65__ 9. Why is Elie summoned to the dentist? Ellie is summoned to the dentist to get his golden crown pulled.

10. How does Elie react to his father’s beating? Ellie reacts in a very negative way to his father’s beating. He just stands there silently. He even blames it on his father for not being able to step in time.

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 moving in this novel because the boy didn’t even do anything.

__Chapter 5, pages 66-84__ 12. What is selection? Selection is when the SS officers test you to see if they want you to keep working or if they want to kill you because you cannot work hard enough.

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

Ellie could not allow himself to die because he was almost done, he had almost survived the war and he could not give up now. Also because hid father needed him and without Ellie his father would see no reason to go on either and we DO NOT want to go down that road again... 14. Why does Juliek play the violin?

15. Compare how the other boys treat their fathers with Eliezer’s treatment of his own father. ellie treated his father with amazing respect and always helped him and tried to sneak him extra rations of bread. The other boys theived from their fathers and treated them horribly. An example is when a mans son killed his father just for the ration of bread he had event hough his father had gotten a peice for him too and was pleading.

__Chapter 7-9 pages 98-115__ 16. Why can’t Elizer weep at his father’s death? Elizer cannot weep at his fathers death because he had seem so many people suffer and die that there were just no tears left.

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? He cannot ever forget the look in his eyes because he looked like the walking 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? I think that “Night” symbolizes dark and sad times to Ellie.

2. What fires does he speak of that consumed his faith forever? Why do these fires consume his faith I think the fires are the crematoriums that burn the Jews after they have been in the Gas Chamber.

3. Do you find it difficult to believe that a boy so devout in his faith could lose his faith? Why? I think Ellie lost faith because it seemed like there was really nothing left for him and that where was G-d when all of the Jews were being burned and beaten? He feels like G-d didn’t help him so he shouldn’t be faithful to G-d.

4. Why does he lose his desire to live? Ellie loses his desire to live because suffering this much was just not worth living for.

5. Elie spoke these words as an adolescent. Do you think that as an adult his feelings have changed? Why? I do think his feelings have changed because although he will //always// have the memories the Halocaust is behind him and I think he would want to live now that he has already lived through so much.

6. Why do you suppose Elie wrote this novel? I think Ellie wrote this novel because he wanted everybody to know what had happened to his family and the rest of the Jews. I also think that he wanted to teach people all about what happened in the Holocaust so it can never happen again, He probably wants to prove to some people that the Holocaust DID happen.

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: Ellie's father tells him to not eat all of his bread at onece because tomorrow is another day and he will need it because they always get very small portions of bread and he will still be very hungry tomorrow so he should save his ration of bread. What I think:

I would’ve done: I would have listened to the advice my father gave me because if it means being hungry in the presant, but will help me not be so hungry in the future, then it is worth listening to. 2. Page 49-50

Relationship shown: Ellie wanted to stay in the same Barrack as his father. What I think: I think that this is immensely sweet because he wanted to stay with his father in the same barrack as him because he loves him and he did not want anything bad to happen to his father so he decided that he wanted to stay with him. Also because people are always a little more comfortable around family.

I would’ve done: I would have done the exact same thing.

3. Page 55-56

Relationship shown: Ellie tried to teach his father to march in place because he was getting beat because of it.

What I think: I think that it is really really nice how Ellie is trying to help out his father because he does not want him to be beat up by the Kommando's anymore for not being able to march in time with the beat of the music and the rest of the Jewish people.

I would’ve done: Again, in this situation I would have done the same thing because it is a nice thing to do to help out your father mostly because he is a family member and you love him and it really really hurts you to see him being beaten by the Kommandos'.

4. Page 90-91

Relationship shown: Ellie's father gets very very sick and has to see the doctor but the doctor would not do anything. What I think: I think this is very very sad that the soctor would not help father because father had never done anything to HIM.

I would’ve done: I would have stayed by his side and supported him jusr like Wllie did.

5. Page 101

Relationship shown: Ellie saves his father from getting thrown off of the cattle car by proving to the SS officers that he was not actually sick.

What I think: I think t hat it is amazing that ellie would risk his life to save his father.

would’ve done: I would have done the same.

6. Page 112

Relationship shown: Ellie's father dies and Ellie gets really really really really sad.

What I think: i cried so much at this part of the story!!

I would’ve done: Cired and cried and cried

__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!’ This is ironic because they are telling you that work makes you free, when really, you might die working, or you might die because they just dont like you! (page 40)

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 if people see you wearing the star, they know that you are Jewish. Therefore increasing your chances of death.

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) Well, they're ni a death camp! No duh there's a danger of death! thats the whole sad point of the camp.

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.” Ohmygosh! like WHAT?? "I promise to kill off your race because I am blaming Germany losing the war on you!"

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 means that no one cares about them right now. That no one cares what happens to them.

2. “Work makes you free.” (page 40) This means that if you work really hard then they'd set you free. 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 means that they have been through so much, that 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) This means that most of the time they were better off dying then suffering so much.