Elie's Experiences

Describe the entire incident with Elie and the dentist. Do you feel that this situation was commonplace among the prisoners, or were the circumstances surrounding Elie different from the others. Explain fully with evidence from the text. You can include evidence from other related books or movies to develop a thorough response.

Emotions

Respond to the following prompt using textual evidence:

Elie was angry with his father when Idek beat him. How would you explain these irrational feelings exhibited by Elie, when the beating was clearly not under his father's control?

Life is a series of choices.

Eli was faced with many difficult decisions during the Holocaust. We can NEVER judge what happened as we never have been faced with a similar situation, and hope never to be.

Take a moment to look back at how Eli judges himself and his decisions. Explain your responses with evidence from the text.

Of what decisions was he proud?

What decision did he say made him feel "ashamed forever"?

Family Dynamics

What was the relationship between Eli and his father while in camp? For example, did they rely on one another or did the stress of the experience strain their relationship? How would you describe the relationship? Explain your thoughts using textual evidence.

One's Experiences Contribute to Who They Are...

“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.” -Elie Wiesel

Eli Wiesel shared these feelings with the world in the book Night. Do you believe his experiences have turned him into a bitter person or a more compassionate one? Does he seek retribution? Does he seek to retaliate for the crimes against humanity? Or, does he seem to remember these moments in an effort to communicate his feelings to the world, hoping to ensure the Holocaust is remembered and nothing like it happens again? Find textual evidence to support your thoughts.

What is NORMAL?

How does Eli describe his life before his family was forced to move? How old was he? Where did he live? What did he find enjoyable?

Night Post #1

Wiesel states, "The ghetto was ruled by neither German nor Jew; it was ruled by delusion" (12).

What evidence does Wiesel share with readers to help them explain why people were so naive?

Night by Eli Wiesel is our second book

We'll have our first NIGHT related post the first week of February.

It is a short read BUT full of many concepts to virtually discuss.

See you in February!