Hardage's English Class
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Night by Elie Wiesel Elie Wiesel was only twelve years old when, in 1941, the events of World War II and the Holocaust invaded his home in Sighet, Transylvania. His childhood was cut short, his dreams and beliefs shattered, as he witnessed the death of his family and his people in the Nazi death camps of Auschwitz and Buchenwald. After the war, Wiesel took a 10-year vow of silence before he attempted to put into words the horror and pain of the Holocaust. When he finally wrote Night, Wiesel had difficulty finding a publisher, for it was believed that few would want to read such heart-wrenching words. Today it is one of the most read and respected books on the Holocaust.After World War II, Wiesel lived in Paris, France, for 10 years where he studied at the Sorbonne and worked as a journalist, traveling to both Israel and the United States. Eventually, Wiesel moved to the United States and currently lives in New York City. In 1976, Wiesel became the Andrew Mellon Professor in the Humanities at Boston University. His book Night has been followed by other equally powerful books. Against Silence: The Voice and Vision of Elie Wiesel is a three-volume collection of his work. In 1985, Elie Wiesel was the recipient of the Congressional Gold Medal and in 1986, he was honored with one of the greatest of all awards, the Nobel Peace Prize.Over the years, Wiesel has, in a sense, become the soul of the Holocaust. His books and lectures compel us to not only confront the issues and consequences of the Holocaust, but to keep it in our memory to ensure that history is never repeated. He lives his life, he explains, in the pursuit of meaning. Wiesel has traveled all over the world, including Bosnia, where he attempted to assist with the peace efforts. His eloquence, sensitivity, and insights serve as the voice for those who can no longer speak.Night is Elie Wiesel's personal account of the Holocaust as seen through the eyes of a 15-year-old boy. The book describes Wiesel's first encounter with prejudice and details the persecution of a people and the loss of his family. Wiesel's experiences in the death camps of Auschwitz and Buchenwald are detailed; his accounts of starvation and brutality are shattering—a vivid testimony to the consequences of evil. Throughout the book, Wiesel speaks of the struggle to survive, the fight to stay alive while retaining those qualities that make us human. While Wiesel lost his innocence and many of his beliefs, he never lost his sense of compassion or his inherent sense of right.Kabbala: Jewish mysticism studied by Jewish scholars.Ghetto: a small area of a city to which the Jewish people were restricted and from which they were forbidden to leave.Concentration camps: a group of labor and death camps in Germany and Poland.Kapo: overseer in charge of a work detail, or some other branch of a concentration camp. Often, kapos were selected from the prisoners—usually the criminals.The cover of Night contains an illustration of a lone person surrounded by barbed wire. Study this picture, and create a list of words the image brings to mind. We will select one of the words from this class list and write a brief essay that reflects the feelings that this word evokes. We will share our essays.Why did people in Wiesel's village refuse to believe the warnings of Moishe the Beadle when he told them what happened to Jews who had been expelled from their villages in other countries? Why did the people in Wiesel's village doubt Hitler's plans to exterminate the Jewish population? How did the German soldiers win the confidence of the people of Sighet? At one point, upon arrival at Auschwitz, the prisoners considered revolting. What stopped them? Describe conditions in the death camps. 1. When the Jewish people were being deported, they were allowed to take only one small bag with all their possessions. Evidence has shown that most people took their photograph albums. Why were these albums so important to them?2. Wiesel's village was invaded by the Nazi soldiers in 1944, years after the extermination of Jews had begun. Why, after all this time, did the people have so little, if any, information about what had been happening to Jews all over Europe?3. Wiesel was given two contrasting pieces of advice about how to survive. One was from a young Pole, a prisoner in charge of one of the prison blocks, and the other was from the head of one of the blocks at Buchenwald who spoke to Wiesel as his father lay dying. Summarize these two philosophies of survival and discuss the wisdom of each.4. Many people ask survivors why there was so little resistance in the death camps. While there is documented evidence of some resistance in the various camps, why do you think that there were so few accounts of resistance?5. In what ways did Wiesel's experiences affect his beliefs?Wiesel wrote of those things he will never forget (p. 32). After reading Night, what images, ideas, and feelings do you think you will never forget?Due Friday, 13 JanuaryIn discussing the Holocaust, one survivor, Luba Frederick, said, "To die was easy." Based on the reading you have done, explain her statement.Due Friday,20 JanuaryAt one point in the book, Wiesel said that he had ceased to feel human. What did he mean by this and what things can cause people to lose their sense of dignity and humanity?Due Friday, 27 JanuaryReread the essay you wrote in your journal for the Prereading activity based on the book's cover illustration. Revise the essay based on insights and reactions to Night.Due Friday, 3 FebruaryDiscuss the significance of the book's title, Night.Due Friday, 13 January, 10 FebruaryWiesel was born in Sighet in Transylvania. Locate the region of Transylvania on a pre-World War II map of Europe. Discover what happened to this area during and after World War II. Share five facts you find most significant.Due Friday, 13 JanuaryIf you could talk to one of the survivors of the Holocaust, what would you want to ask? Write to your state or local Holocaust Center (see Resources) and arrange for a survivor to speak with your class. With your classmates, determine which questions you would like the survivor to answer.Due Friday,20 JanuaryCreate a cover for Night based on your own interpretations and reactions. Share your cover with classmates and explain what motivated you to create as you did.Due Friday, 27 JanuaryCreate an "Open Letter" to those people of Europe who did little more than watch as their neighbors were persecuted.Due Friday, 3 FebruarySelect a recurring word, phrase, or symbol from Night. For example, the word night is used frequently throughout the book. Analyze the word/ phrase/ symbol and explain the images it evokes. Due Friday, 13 January, 10 February1. Where is Sighet? (Page 2)2. Where did the Hungarian police come from? What is the minimum distance? (Page 13)3. Where is “Kashau on the Czechoslovak frontier”? (Page 21) It has to be between the next two maps. What is the Czech spelling of Kashau? Once you have that, you can find it on the map. I haven’t yet found this site.4. Where is Birkenau-Auschwitz? (Page 26)5. Where is Buchenwald?6. Timeline . . . document this . . .This book begins “toward the end of 1941” when Elie “got to know (Moishe the Beadle).” (Page 1)Moishe returns “toward the end of 1942.” (Page 5)“Thus the year 1943 passed by.” (Page 6)“Spring 1944.” The government changes. (Page 6)“Before three days had passed, German army cars had appeared in our streets.” (Page 7)Three days from when?“The week of Passover.” “The seventh day of Passover.” The Hungarian police break into (Jewish) people’s houses. “When three days were up . . . every Jew must wear the yellow star.” (Page 8)“It was January 28, 1945.” (Page 106)“I had to stay at Buchenwald until April eleventh.” (Page 107)Works Cited
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