Directions: All of the following assignments are due by Tuesday, January 6, 2009. Some of the assignments are due on the blogger and some are due in hardcopy (typed up on regular paper) so, please make sure you follow the guidelines.
Vocabulary for Night
Directions: Write the definitions for the following words. Please turn this in hardcopy form (typed on paper.) Hand-in on Tuesday, Jan. 6.
1. prostrate
-to cast (oneself) face down on the ground in humility, submission, or adoration.
-to lay flat, as on the ground.
-to reduce to physical weakness or exhaustion.
2. interlude
-an intervening episode, period, space, etc.
-a short dramatic piece, esp. of a light or farcical character, formerly introduced between the parts or acts of miracle and morality plays or given as part of other entertainments.
-any intermediate performance or entertainment, as between the acts of a play.
3. reprieve
-to delay the impending punishment or sentence of (a condemned person).
-to relieve temporarily from any evil.
-a respite from impending punishment, as from execution of a sentence of death.
4. rations
-a fixed allowance of provisions or food, esp. for soldiers or sailors or for civilians during a shortage
-to restrict the consumption of (a commodity, food, etc.)
-an allotted amount
5. dysentery
-an infectious disease marked by inflammation and ulceration of the lower part of the bowels, with diarrhea that becomes mucous and hemorrhagic.
-An inflammatory disorder of the lower intestinal tract, usually caused by a bacterial, parasitic, or protozoan infection and resulting in pain, fever, and severe diarrhea, often accompanied by the passage of blood and mucus.
-A gastrointestinal disease characterized by severe, often bloody diarrhea, usually caused by infection with bacteria or parasites.
6. robust
-strong and healthy; hardy; vigorous
-strongly or stoutly built
-suited to or requiring bodily strength or endurance
7. quarantine
-a strict isolation imposed to prevent the spread of disease.
-a period, originally 40 days, of detention or isolation imposed upon ships, persons, animals, or plants on arrival at a port or place, when suspected of carrying some infectious or contagious disease.
-a system of measures maintained by governmental authority at ports, frontiers, etc., for preventing the spread of disease.
8. apathy
-absence or suppression of passion, emotion, or excitement.
-lack of interest in or concern for things that others find moving or exciting.
-Lack of interest or concern, especially regarding matters of general importance or appeal; indifference.
9. humane
-characterized by tenderness, compassion, and sympathy for people and animals, esp. for the suffering or distressed
-of or pertaining to humanistic studies
-Characterized by kindness, mercy, or compassion
10. grimace
-a facial expression, often ugly or contorted, that indicates disapproval, pain, etc.
-A sharp contortion of the face expressive of pain, contempt, or disgust.
-contort the face to indicate a certain mental or emotional state
11. nocturnal
-of or pertaining to the night
-done, occurring, or coming at night
-active at night
12. livid
-having a discolored, bluish appearance caused by a bruise, congestion of blood vessels, strangulation, etc., as the face, flesh, hands, or nails.
-dull blue; dark, grayish-blue.
-feeling or appearing strangulated because of strong emotion.
13. pious
-having or showing a dutiful spirit of reverence for God or an earnest wish to fulfill religious obligations.
-characterized by a hypocritical concern with virtue or religious devotion; sanctimonious.
-practiced or used in the name of real or pretended religious motives, or for some ostensibly good object; falsely earnest or sincere
14. interminable
-incapable of being terminated
-monotonously or annoyingly protracted or continued; unceasing; incessant
-having no limits
15. wizened
-withered; shriveled
-To dry up; wither or shrivel.
-lean and wrinkled by shrinkage as from age or illness
16. morale
-emotional or mental condition with respect to cheerfulness, confidence, zeal, etc., esp. in the face of opposition, hardship, etc.
-The state of the spirits of a person or group as exhibited by confidence, cheerfulness, discipline, and willingness to perform assigned tasks.
-the spirit of a group that makes the members want the group to succeed
17. infernal
-hellish; fiendish; diabolical
-extremely troublesome, annoying, etc.; outrageous
-of, inhabiting, or befitting hell.
18. refuge
-shelter or protection from danger, trouble, etc.
-a place of shelter, protection, or safety.
-anything to which one has recourse for aid, relief, or escape.
19. oppressive
-burdensome, unjustly harsh, or tyrannical
-causing discomfort by being excessive, intense, elaborate, etc.
-unjustly inflicting hardship and constraint, especially on a minority or other subordinate group
20. expelled
-causing discomfort by being excessive, intense, elaborate, etc.
-to cut off from membership or relations
-To force to leave; deprive of membership
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Journals
Directions: When reading, be an active reader: take notes and keep a journal. I want you to keep a Reaction Journal for the novel. Everytime you read 10 pages, I want you to react in writing to something you have read that was especially powerful, meaningful, or interesting. Log the page number that you are commenting on, include the date, identify the quote that you are reacting to, and your reaction, which should be a paragraph long. In total, you should have a minimum of 10 paragraphs. Keep this Reaction Journal on the Blogger; you can include pictures if you like.
Date: 12 December 2008
Entry Number: 1
Quote/Page: "They were made to dig huge graves. And when they had finished their work, the Gestapo began theirs. Without passion, without, haste, they slaughtered their prisoners. Each one had to go up to the hole and present his neck. Babies were thrown into the air and the machine gunners used them as targets." (Page 4)
Reflection: This quote angered me with the fact that babies were used as targets. Also, that the prisoners would be a part in their own deaths. To know that I was digging my own grave would disgust me. It would disgust the works of the ones who fascinated and planned those deaths. It shows how heartless a human being can be. How much hate a person can possibly hold. Even, how much ignorance a person can hold. How can anyone bare the cruelty done to one another?
Date: 12 December 2008
Entry Number: 2
Quote/Page: "There was the same infernal heat. The same thirst. But there was no longer anyone left to bring us water." (Page 16) "Two Gestapo officers strolled about on the platform, smiling: all things considered, everything had gone off very well." (Page 20)
Reflection: I thought that I was suffering from what I thought was a scorching sun without water for running in track, but that was nothing compared to their situation and what they would soon be lead to. Many others and I complain about the smallest things while these people do not complain at all. We now take advantage of many things in life. We think things are too hard when they are quite simple. The officers show no mercy. How can they show no amount of care when the Jews are people, as well? How can you just watch other people suffer and then go on with your life knowing that you were a part of the suffering towards innocent people? It just shows how you can not trust everyone you meet in this world.
Date: 12 December 2008
Entry Number: 3
Quote/Page: "There are eighty of you in this wagon," added the German officer. "If anyone is missing, you'll all be shot. like dogs...." (Page 22)
Reflection: This caught my attention at "dogs." How can the officer(s) think of the Jews as anything lower than human beings? What they were going through at this point would be very difficult for people these days. The amount of people on the bus seems almost impossible. Maybe even impossible to breath. It can not even compare to being in a packed community bus with no air conditioning. It is scary to think of listening to someone in order to live. Yet, if they stayed anyway, where they were headed would be where many of them would end up dying. Would it be easier to die fast or keep going with either the chance to survive or die?
Date: 14 December 2008
Entry Number: 4
Quote/Page: "Never shall I forget the little faces of the children, whose bodies I saw turned into wreaths of smoke....Never shall I forget those flames which consumed my faith forever....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." (Page 32)
Reflection: Seeing the dead children is a horrible site. Especially at Wiesel's age at the time. It is like a scary movie, but even worse. The movie ended up turning into life. It is horrible that it made Wiesel lose or lessen his religion/faith in God. I would never consider giving up God for anything, but if this very religious boy began to slowly give up on God, his religion, and everything based on what he saw and lived through, who knows if I would. I really doubt I would, but I have never seen anything like what Wiesel saw. I might just be like those people that Moshe said would feel sympathy only because they did not actually see what he saw. It is hard to imagine people being this cruel, but it happens in the great, yet, at the same time, horrible world.
Date: 14 December 2008
Entry Number: 5
Quote/Page: "You...you...you and you..." they pointed a finger as though choosing cattle or merchandise. (Page 47)
Reflection: This reminds me of being called for in a P.E. sport to join a team, except in the sport, we are people. They do not just say "you", but instead call us by names. They do not treat us like we are nothing (sometimes), knowing that we are a part of the team and that every player is important in order to win. Back to the quote, the officers think the Jews are nothing and just look at them as objects. Not even as human beings. It is really hard to understand how people can develop this much hate toward someone or something.
Date: 14 December 2008
Entry Number: 6
Quote/Page: "Lie down on it! On your stomach!" I obeyed. Then I was aware of nothing but the strokes of the whip. (Page 55)
Reflection: What kind of a person would treat someone, even a kid, like this? Even n the twentieth century? It reminds me of Jesus having whippings, as well. How can you have so much hate over someone, when, besides religion (etc.), we are all the same? I am definitely not racist towards any race, but in this situation, or through everything the Jew are going through, it would be hard not to hate on a specific race. Seeing so many people die for nothing would be enough to change a person. Being judged by the cover or by gossip is not what we should live by. We can all be better if we stand by our virtues and our good nature.
Date: 14 December 2008
Entry Number: 7
Quote/Page: "Everything was regulated by the bell. It gave one orders, and I automatically obeyed them. I hated it." (Page 69)
Reflection: Having to be regulated by a bell reminds me of school. It is a sound that we hate because it is a new class, or that we love, because it is lunch or the end of the day. Maybe even like the army or boot camp (since it is like hell), but even worse. Boot camp would be heaven compared to what the Jews went through in their camps. In their situation, they were not humans. Instead, they were robots. They heard the bell and moved on. No time to be late, or last-minute potty breaks; there were just orders that had to be followed.
Date:15 December 2008
Entry Number: 8
Quote/Page: "I learned after the war the fate of those who had stayed behind in the hospital. They were quite simply liberated by the Russians two days after the evacuation." (Page 78)
Reflection: I regret many things in life, but if I was in Wiesel's situation, this would have been the biggest and greatest regret in my life. Both his father and himself would have been able to survive. It is understandable of the decision they made, though. It was a difficult time with many things flowing through their mind. Plus, it would be hard to trust anybody there for the fact that anybody could be dangerous at that point. Especially how word goes by and gets out of hand. To me though, I would be angry that I did not stay, because I would think that all of the physical suffering would come to an end if I stayed.
Date:15 December 2008
Entry Number: 9
Quote/Page: "Then I remembered something else: his son had seen him losing ground, limping, staggering back to the rear of the column. He had seen him. And he had continued to run on in front, letting the distance between them grow greater." (Page 87)
Reflection: The Jews can not think of anything else but to survive. Even if that means leaving a loved one. I do not know what I would do if I was at that position. Would I leave my father to increase my chances of living or stay because he is the only one I have left? Right now I would choose my father, but would my decision be the same if I was in Elie's position or any other kids who was with their father as well during the Holocaust? No matter what, it would have been a hard path. It is hard to see a loved one be killed, but seeing death happen at a daily basis would probably make anyone care less about death besides their own lives.
Date:15 December 2008
Entry Number: 10
Quote/Page: "...one by the head and one by the feet, and threw him out of the wagon like a sack of flour. " (Page 94) "Meir. Meir, my boy! Don't you recognize me? I'm your father...you're hurting me...you're killing your father! I've you some bread...for you too...for you too...." (Page 96)
Reflection: Not only the guards, but now the prisoners as well are thinking of others as objects. They just threwe the dead out with no mercy in their actions. They are now surviving for themselves; not for the rest of the prisoners or their family members. For the next quote, the boy even had the courage to beat his father in order to feed himself. It is horrible what trying to survive can do to you and how much it can change a person. This quote is what really reminds me of Lord of the Flies, and people becoming more savagely than what they originally were
Date:15 December 2008
Entry Number: 11
Quote/Page: "I awoke on January 29 at dawn. In my father's place lay another invalid." (Page 106)
Reflection: This quote caught my attention for the fact that they day his father died is also my birthday. It made me sad that Wiesel's father was so close to being free, but he ended up dying. It was great that Elie Wiesel lived through the Holocaust, but he was not able to rejoice with his father. As I enjoy my birthday, Elie probably remembers that day forever as when his father died and everything that they have been through in the past. What happened in his past still follows his in his future.
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Questions
Directions: Before you begin reading Night, read the questions below and keep them in mind as you read. The questions should be posted on your blogger. Remember no need to write the question out-just give a complete answer.
Questions for Consideration: Elie Wiesel's Night
1) Where is Wiesel's childhood home? Locate the country on a map.
A: Wiesel's childhood home was a town in Transylvania (now Romania) called Sighet.
2) Wiesel opens Night by relating his youthful desire to study the cabbala. What is the cabbala?
A: The cabbala is an ancient Jewish tradition of mystical interpretation of the Bible, first transmitted orally and using abstruse methods.
3) Wiesel says that when he was young, he wanted to study the cabbala in order to know the truths of this world. What kinds of truths is he referring to? After you complete Night, return to this question: what kinds of truth was the young Elie ignorant of?
A: The truths that Weisel was referring to were about the human race, why we do what we do (such as pray, live, and breath), and and to learn more about his faith and God. The kind of truths that Elie was ignorant of was that not everyone treated others equally and rather treated them as objects; that there were others out there that were cruel.
4) Why is Moshe the Beadle a significant character? What does he tell Elie about answers, questions, and the truth? After you complete Night, return to this question: why was Moshe prescient in his admonition to Elie?
A: Moshe the Beadle is a significant character because he taught Elie about the cabbala and about their religion and faith. He also tries to warn the rest of the Jews about the dangers that they are heading toward. What he tells Elie about answers, questions, and the truth is that you have to search for what you want to find it. Moshe was prescient in his admonition to Elie because he previously saw what was about to be afflicted among the Jews.
5) Why do the people of Sighet ignore Moshe after he returns from his escape? Why don't they listen to him?
A: The people of Sighet ignore Moshe the Beadle after he returns from his escape because they do not believe that people can actually treat others that way. The people of Sighet do not listen to Moshe because they believe he is crazy, they do not want to believe that what he is saying is true, and because all the news that they hear on the radio are positive; as if nothing like what Moshe is saying can actually happen.
6) Who is Madame Schachter? In what ways is she similar to Moshe the Beadle? (Think about prophetic figures and how people often ignore them.)
A: Madame Schatcher is the lady who boarded on the same car/cattle wagon as Wiesel and his family on their way to Auschwitz. Madame Schachter is similar to Moshe the Beadle since nobody believed what they were trying to say. The others only believed Madame Schachter and Moshe the Beadle when they actually "saw" what the two were saying. The others believe that the two are crazy for what they are saying.
7) Consider this passage on pg. 32: Never shall I forget that nocturnal silence which deprived me, for all eternity, of the desires 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.
A: This passage shows us how he lost his voice to speak up for others because of fear and how his views on his religion, beliefs, and God have changed because of all the things he has gone through in that time.
8) What is the context of this passage? How has the young Elie's theology changed? As you continue reading, ask yourself how this passage speaks to the rest of Night.
A: Wiesel says this due to the sudden changes in his life and the cruelty he has seen up to that point in his life. Wiesel lost or, at least, lacked a lot of affection towards God.
9) How does Elie's understanding of God and God's presence—or absence— continue to change throughout Night? When is he most angry with God? When is not angry at all? Mark passages throughout Night that illustrate his changing attitudes toward God.
A: Wiesel first fully believes that there is a God out there. His faith is strong and he is willing to learn more about his religion. Throughout Night, Wiesel starts to lose his faith towards God as he sees all the cruel things that a human being can do to other people. Wiesel and many others in the concentration camp question why God is not there to stop all the evil that is happening to them (the Jews). He is most angry with God when he sees the cruel things happening to others. He is not angry with God when he or his father is saved from being in danger. One passage of his changing attitudes toward God is when one person asked the other Jews to pray for him after he died, and when the others were suppose to pray for that man, including Wiesel, they forgot to because they believed that saving themselves was more important.
10) What literal and figurative (symbolic or metaphorical) meanings does night have in Night?
A: The literal meaning of "night" is basically the time of day throughout Night. The figurative meaning of "night" is when God is absent, being that many of the torture and the inhumanity happened in the night. It also symbolizes the danger and the silence and how others did not talk in order to save themselves. "Night" symbolizes the "loneliness" that many of the Jews felt.
11) Why do you think Night is such a slim book? Surely Wiesel could have included much more detail.
A: Night is such a slim book possibly because Wiesel did not want to relive the past and all of the cruel things he was put through or witnessed. Wiesel might have not wanted to offend others for actions against the Jews and probably wanted to leave some things behind him in order to move on.
12) Is Night a memoir of tragedy or triumph? Can it be both? If so, why? If not, why not?
A: Night can be both a memoir of tragedy and of triumph. Night can be a tragedy because of the many hardships of the Jews, all that they lost throughout the Holocaust, and also some of the Jews' loss of their beliefs of God. Night can also be a triumph for the survivors of the Holocaust, such as Wiesel himself, because they can tell of their sacrifices and their losses, and still maintaining to be strong in order to save themselves.
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Essay Choices
Write a full 3 page essay. Complete in MLA format, use direct quotes and outside sources (academic level.) Just remember to cite all. Turn in a hardcopy (formal typed essay.) Use the outline that we have been working on to help you write more effectively. Choose one of the following topics for your essay:
ESSAY QUESTIONS
1. Dehumanization is the process by which the Nazis gradually reduced the Jews to little more than "things" which were a nuisance to them. Discuss at least three specific examples of events that occurred which dehumanized Eliezer, his father, or his fellow Jews.
2. After Eliezer’s father was beaten by Idek, a Kapo, Eliezer says, "I had watched the whole scene without moving. I kept quiet. In fact I was thinking of how to get farther away so that I would not be hit myself. What is more, any anger I felt at that moment was directed, not against the Kapo, but against my father. I was angry with him, for not knowing how to avoid Idek’s outbreak. That is what concentration camp life had made of me." Discuss what the last line signifies. Discuss how his attitude had changed.
3. Discuss why you think the townspeople remained complacent despite the advance of the German army.
4. Discuss why Eliezer lied to Stein, his relative, about Stein’s family. Discuss whether or not you think he was morally right.
5. Discuss the significance of "night" in the novel. Cite examples from the story to support your answer.
6. Explain the author’s meaning when he says after the handing of the youth from Warsaw that "the soup tasted excellent that evening," yet after the pipel was hanged, "the soup tasted of corpses."
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Essay
Hillary Mamaril
Mrs. Bosch
Honors English 10-1
6 January 2009
Dehumanization During the Holocaust
In Elie Wiesel’s memoir, Night, he tells us about his experiences during the Holocaust, which took place during World War II. Throughout Night, Wiesel demonstrates how the Nazis dehumanized (to deprive of human qualities) the Jews.
One of the many examples of dehumanization that Wiesel demonstrates in Night is when Moshe the Beadle describes the horrifying acts the Nazis performed to many of the foreign Jews expelled from Sighet, which included himself as well, before he was able to escape. Moshe explained to Wiesel that the, “Babies were thrown into the air and the machine gunners used them as targets” (Wiesel 4). Wiesel demonstrates dehumanization in this quote by describing how the Gestapo did not have the impression of the babies being human beings or as something to be thought about in a stronger sense. The babies were simply used as targets. The Gestapo did not show any mercy and were completely inhuman in their actions toward the babies. The babies were used as if the Gestapo were playing a hunting game, without even being thought of as a living being. By showing how the Gestapo treated the babies in such a harsh and unbelievable act, Wiesel demonstrates how the Nazis dehumanized the Jews during the Holocaust.
More into the memoir, as Wiesel, his family, and many other Jewish families began boarding the wagons on the way to Auschwitz, a German officer said, ‘“If anyone is missing, you’ll all be shot, like dogs….”’ (22). There was obviously no hesitation in the officer’s short speech toward the Jews. The officer did not refer to the Jews as humans, but instead, as “dogs.” In another part of the memoir, Wiesel points out an additional “dog”-related dehumanization when he writes that an SS officer “…looked us over as if we were a pack of leprous dogs hanging onto our lives” (36). Being taken as an animal may also be considered as being something that is wild and savage. Also, by being called as an animal, Wiesel demonstrates how both the German officer and the SS officer show an extraordinary amount of hatred toward the Jews by treating them with such a lack of respect. In this case, being called “dogs” is dehumanizing toward the Jews for the fact that animals may not automatically symbolize the fine qualities of a human, but instead, the poor qualities of a human.
Another demonstration of dehumanization that Wiesel presents in Night is when the prisoners were marked with numbers. Wiesel writes that, ‘“The three “veterans,” with needles in their hands, engraved a number on our left arms. I became A-7713. After that I had no other name”’ (39). The prisoners had no purpose for their names at that point, for the reason that their names were replaced with letters and numbers. The Nazis removed a part of all the prisoners by altering their names into something meaningless, such as “A-7713.” By having the prisoners names altered, it also shows a lack of respect towards them since their changed names acted as lists and only benefited the Nazis for organization. With the Jews having no purpose of their given name because of the replacement to their new “letter-number” name, this demonstrates dehumanization by being called something less than what each of the Jews old names originally stood for.
Wiesel displays another example of dehumanization in Night when the Kapos begin to choose the Jews that suit them. The Kapos forcefully demanded who they wanted and said, ‘“You…you…you and you….” They pointed a finger, as though choosing cattle or merchandise”’ (47). Again, the Jews were being treated as if they were objects and were treated with no respect which is shown through the way they were chosen by the Kapos. When Wiesel writes that, “they pointed a finger, as though choosing cattle or merchandise”, this demonstrates how he, and possibly many of the other Jews, felt as if they were anything lesser than a human being. Because there was no respect toward the Jews from the Nazis by calling the Jews “you” instead of their actual name, the Jews definitely must have felt as if they were not equal to the Nazis. Being called as if the Jews were anything less than a human, such as “cattle” or “merchandise”, and the unequal feeling toward the Jews is a way the Jews were dehumanized by the Nazis throughout Night.
One of the last approaches that Wiesel displays how the Jews were dehumanized during the Holocaust in Night was when they were marching on their way to Gleiwitz. An SS officer began yelling to the Jews as they ran, ‘“Faster, you swine, you filthy sons of bitches!”…. We were no longer marching; we were running. Like automatons”’ (81.) This is another time in the memoir when the Jews were called something animal-related, which, in this case, is a “swine”. The Nazis do not see the Jews as people, but instead as a crowd of animals, or anything else inferior than a human being. The additional “filthy sons of bitches” reflects on how the SS officers treated the Jews as if they were nothing; as if the SS officers were disgusted of how the Jews lived their lives and what they believed in. Wiesel then adds how the Jews’ running was as if they were “automatons.” With Wiesel saying this, it tells us that the Jews basically felt as if they were robots throughout their time in the camps. With that, it shows how the treatment of the officers toward the Jews were challenging and harsh, leaving the Jews to follow a strict hand and being forced to do as they were told, like robots, in order to survive. By showing how the Jews were treated and how Wiesel believes that they were like “automatons”, Wiesel demonstrates to us how the Jews were dehumanized throughout Night.
Elie Wiesel demonstrates all the difficult and often brutal circumstances that he and many other Jews faced during the Holocaust in his memoir, Night. In Wiesel’s memoir, it shows how many Jews, including himself, were dehumanized by the Nazis. The action of dehumanization in Night is shown on how babies were used as targets for killing, how the Jews were constantly compared to animals, how they lost their names in exchange for letters and numbers, how they were described as objects, and how they were treated with a lack of respect from the Nazis. There is room to be able to forgive what happened in the past, but Elie Wiesel will never let us forget the horrific treatment of the Jews demonstrated through dehumanization during the Holocaust.
Work Cited
Wiesel, Elie. Night. 25th ed. New York: Hill & Wang, 1960.
