“He explained to me, with great emphasis, that every question possessed a power that was lost in the answer…” (5).
How is it that at such a young age, Wiesel had already decided what it was he wanted to do with his life? He decided it before realizing what the true power of man could do if it is possessed with bad spirits. He was so sure of what he wanted to become that he searched for his own guide (master) to teach him the ways. Moreover, at such a young age, Wiesel was getting himself into disruptions, which penetrate deep within all human spiritual aspects of life. He did all of this without even knowing his true self.
“The police were taking role calls, once, twice, twenty times” (16).
Whis is it that the Hungarian police had to take role of every Jew within that ghetto more than once. What was the difficulty in trusting them as to obey the rules they were given. Why could they not trust that race, that they started the torture within each person before it was started externally to each Jew? How could the Jews not see or foresee what dangers laid for them. How could they not see, as they were crammed into lines and files, making sure repeatedly that everyone were accounted for, that there would not be pain and suffering ahead for them? They ignored the sign that warned them.
“She received several blows to the head, blows that could have even lethal” (26).
At what point of stress do men go from being men to absolute savages? How is it that the grown men in the train reached their point of true savagery, that they would beat a woman in front of her child? What is it about the distress of being on a train with the destination unknown, that made these men change so much, that they would have the nerve to through possible lethal blows at a women. How is it possible for a thing like this to occur in a matter of days? Change should be positive, not returning to our savage ways.
“We did not know, as yet, which was the better side, right or left, which road led to prison and which to the crematoria” (32).
It must be terrifying; having a man chooses your fate for you based on your age, health, and protection. The worst possible dilemma, instructed to walk in a certain direction, not knowing if the path in which you are walking leads to fatality or if you will be spared, to later on go through hell on Earth. It is crazy to think that it was possible for people to decide the fate of other people based sourly on little information about them. People’s fates were being decided on whether you were too young or too old, ill or in great health. Fate should not be at the hands of man, it should remain in God’s position.
“At the start of the third week, our Blockalteste was removed; he was judged too humane” (44).
Finally, there is at least one person who shows a bit of human kindness, allowing the Jews a bit of freedom. How is it that, because a person is acting like a human, not beating the Jews, but still obeying his orders, is punished and replaced by a person who is known to act more crewel? What was it about the Jewish race that upset the Nazis? How could they become so upset with an entire race, that instead of waging war or trying to come to a compromise, they turn to murder and touché?
“What’s more, if I felt anger at that moment, it was not directed at the Kapok but at my father” (54).
How can a boy, that before anything had happened to him, a boy, who loved his father so much that he would have killed himself if they were to have been separated; go from this to being angry at his father as he is being beat in front of him. It is hard to believe how a boy who loved his father, changes over time to despise him as he is being beaten. Is it the fact that he had seen death or that he had witnessed firsthand what humankind can really be without order; is that why Wiesel had changed?
“How could I say to him: Blessed be Thou, Almighty, Master of the universe, who chose us among all nations to be tortured day and night, to watch as our fathers, our mothers, our brothers end up in the furnaces?” (67). It is amazing how a person can gain their belief for a God, but it is more amazing how one could lose their faith. Losing faith I you God that you have loved so much and appreciated, is similar to that of losing your would. Wiesel loved his God so much, that he was willing to dedicate his entire life to learn about his teachings. However, after going through what he had to go through, it is my belief that anybody would lose his or her faith in God. How could he let that happen to his people, and do nothing to the people who are committing the crimes?
“He was not alone in having lost his faith during those days of selection” (76).
Unfortunately, the occurrences that happened in the concentration camps caused a whole love of people to lose their faith. It is understandable how this could happen, but unfortunate. Many people lost part of themselves during this time. Even worse, is to think about how God allowed the Germans to execute their gruesome plans on the Jewish and not be punished for their sins in any way. The Jews suffered great loss, family death, destruction of their homes, and loss of faith; but the Germans lost nothing.
“If one of us stopped for a second, a quick shot eliminated the filthy dog” (85).
It is atrocious to imagine this quote. How can a group of soldiers follow their orders to kill someone based on stamina and durability? How can a person shoot another person with such ease, that they do not have any remorse as to what they have just done? If the passé slowed down, if a person needed to catch their breath, they would be shot dead like nothing... Denying the people a simple act of human nature is inhumane, because they denied it with murder.
“pressed tightly against one another, in an effort to resist the cold, our heads empty and heavy, our brains a whirlwind of decaying memories” (98).
Having to huddle together is not bad. However, when you know you have to, because if you do not your chances of dying a slow painful and freezing death are increased greatly, giving you no option, but to tyro save your own life. It is not only the physical properties that are affected by the possibility of a freezing death, but also the internal and mental pain. You begin to think of what could happen, you imagine yourself there, just another dead soul, and that is what keeps you alive, fighting for your life.
“Suffering from, dysentery, my father was prostrate on his cot, with another five sick inmates nearby” (108). Such great hospitality that the Jews were given by the Germans. They wouldn’t allow the sick to be comfortable. Instead, they worsened. They crowded all of the sick people in to one little room. Doing this was like saying that all of the people in the room were at the bottom of the barrel, the highest on their list to kill or allow them to die. The people were of no use if they were ill, so they should just let them suffer, the kill them.
Monday, January 12, 2009
Night Essay: Dehumanization
Helio Tejeda
Mrs. Bosch
Honors English 10
5 January 2008
Dehumanization in Night
The author of Night, a novel documenting the horrible and gruesome events of the holocaust, Elie Wiesel expresses his experiences and observations in which he and his fellow Jews were dehumanized while living in concentration camps (a hell on earth). All Jews, as a race were brutalized by the Nazis during this time; reducing them to no less than objects, positions which meant nothing to them, belongings that were a nuisance. Nazis would gather every Jew that they could find and bring them to these infernos, separating the men and women. Families, not knowing it would never see each other again. Individuals within the categories were divided even more, based on their health, strength, and age. They would be judged by a Nazi officer, which would then decide their fate, if they would have the opportunity to live or if they would be sentenced strait to execution. In these camps, babies became target practice, being tossed in the air like an object with no significant value and shot at with no remorse. The more mature could be sentenced to execution, tossed into pits of fire while fully conscious burning them alive. In addition, the ones who passed inspection received treatment as if they were slaves and dogs, making them follow any command, any disobeying of these demands would consequence them to be shot without hesitation. These dehumanizing crimes were the punishments forced on the Jewish race by the Nazi influence, turning Jewish nationality into a nuisance against what they believed.
One of these unique dehumanizing crimes committed against the Jewish persuasion, included making the Jewish people dig trenches, which would eventually become their deathbed and discarding the infants by throwing them into the air converting them into targets. This was a story told to young Wiesel by Moishe the Beatle (a town homeless) who was abducted by the Hungarian police. He was sentenced to the same fate, forced to dig his own grave, but by a miracle managed to escape and returned to warn the town for what was in store for their future. He explained to Wiesel in detail what had occurred there, “Without passion or hast, they shot their prisoners, who were forced to approach the trench one by one and offer their necks” (Wiesel 6). Nazis must have been the most impassionate and cruel people, to force people to dig their own grave. As soon as they had finished their job, execute them one by one as if they were cows in a slaughterhouse. Moishe also explained how the infants were executed, “Infants were tossed into the air and used as targets for the machine guns” (6). The cruelty of man when there are no restrictions to hold his true savage ways, his actual state of being. To kill people without compassion is cruel, but to murder innocent infants who are new to the world, that is beyond cruelty, that is having no human regard toward the people you are murdering.
Another particular dehumanizing crime includes the burning of fully conscious people. At the concentration camps, there were crematories, in which the ill, healthy, men, or women was tossed in. “Not far from us, flames, huge flames, were rising from a ditch. Something was being burned there” (32). The only things that are thrown into crematories are dead animals. It is out of respect to that person or animal that they are thrown into these crematories. Not, as cruelty, but as a last wish. However, it is complete disregard from the Nazis to throw living people into burning fire, to feel unexplainable pain until their death. To murder a person while they suffer in complete agony is inhumane. Not all death is or should be painless, but purposely causing pain to torture a subject is mercilessness.
The final act of dehumanization directed toward the Jews by the Nazi is the treatment of humans as dogs. All orders had to be followed or you would be shot. If you were told to run in a group, any person seen that slowed down the pace would be shot immediately. “’Run!’ And we ran” (36). The Jewish people of the camp who were “fortunate” enough to pass inspection and live followed all orders out of fear. Fear was the only motive needed for these people to obey every command they were given. It was not only fear of death, but also fear of abuse, and fear of what was going to happen to them as they did follow their orders. Dogs, that is how each Jew was treated, like an animal. Disregarding each person’s life, Nazis would base their judgment on each Jew based on their orders. And based on their orders, each judgment lead the Nazis to believe each Jew was a dog and they should be treated with no humanity.
Dehumanization is one of the worst acts that can be committed against another person. The dehumanization of the Jewish race as a whole is one of the most unexplainably gruesome acts of all history. Treating people like property, an animal, not caring about any aspect of that person or (in this case) a whole race, leaves you in silence. Turning a person from an equal to having the same properties as an object is the most disrespectful act. The Jews had no chance to defend themselves against the armed Nazis. Knowing this, the Nazis set out to punish and exterminate what they believed wrong. Abuse of power and hatred toward what the Nazis believed to be wrong led to the complete disregard for the Jewish race and caused dehumanization to occur.
Mrs. Bosch
Honors English 10
5 January 2008
Dehumanization in Night
The author of Night, a novel documenting the horrible and gruesome events of the holocaust, Elie Wiesel expresses his experiences and observations in which he and his fellow Jews were dehumanized while living in concentration camps (a hell on earth). All Jews, as a race were brutalized by the Nazis during this time; reducing them to no less than objects, positions which meant nothing to them, belongings that were a nuisance. Nazis would gather every Jew that they could find and bring them to these infernos, separating the men and women. Families, not knowing it would never see each other again. Individuals within the categories were divided even more, based on their health, strength, and age. They would be judged by a Nazi officer, which would then decide their fate, if they would have the opportunity to live or if they would be sentenced strait to execution. In these camps, babies became target practice, being tossed in the air like an object with no significant value and shot at with no remorse. The more mature could be sentenced to execution, tossed into pits of fire while fully conscious burning them alive. In addition, the ones who passed inspection received treatment as if they were slaves and dogs, making them follow any command, any disobeying of these demands would consequence them to be shot without hesitation. These dehumanizing crimes were the punishments forced on the Jewish race by the Nazi influence, turning Jewish nationality into a nuisance against what they believed.
One of these unique dehumanizing crimes committed against the Jewish persuasion, included making the Jewish people dig trenches, which would eventually become their deathbed and discarding the infants by throwing them into the air converting them into targets. This was a story told to young Wiesel by Moishe the Beatle (a town homeless) who was abducted by the Hungarian police. He was sentenced to the same fate, forced to dig his own grave, but by a miracle managed to escape and returned to warn the town for what was in store for their future. He explained to Wiesel in detail what had occurred there, “Without passion or hast, they shot their prisoners, who were forced to approach the trench one by one and offer their necks” (Wiesel 6). Nazis must have been the most impassionate and cruel people, to force people to dig their own grave. As soon as they had finished their job, execute them one by one as if they were cows in a slaughterhouse. Moishe also explained how the infants were executed, “Infants were tossed into the air and used as targets for the machine guns” (6). The cruelty of man when there are no restrictions to hold his true savage ways, his actual state of being. To kill people without compassion is cruel, but to murder innocent infants who are new to the world, that is beyond cruelty, that is having no human regard toward the people you are murdering.
Another particular dehumanizing crime includes the burning of fully conscious people. At the concentration camps, there were crematories, in which the ill, healthy, men, or women was tossed in. “Not far from us, flames, huge flames, were rising from a ditch. Something was being burned there” (32). The only things that are thrown into crematories are dead animals. It is out of respect to that person or animal that they are thrown into these crematories. Not, as cruelty, but as a last wish. However, it is complete disregard from the Nazis to throw living people into burning fire, to feel unexplainable pain until their death. To murder a person while they suffer in complete agony is inhumane. Not all death is or should be painless, but purposely causing pain to torture a subject is mercilessness.
The final act of dehumanization directed toward the Jews by the Nazi is the treatment of humans as dogs. All orders had to be followed or you would be shot. If you were told to run in a group, any person seen that slowed down the pace would be shot immediately. “’Run!’ And we ran” (36). The Jewish people of the camp who were “fortunate” enough to pass inspection and live followed all orders out of fear. Fear was the only motive needed for these people to obey every command they were given. It was not only fear of death, but also fear of abuse, and fear of what was going to happen to them as they did follow their orders. Dogs, that is how each Jew was treated, like an animal. Disregarding each person’s life, Nazis would base their judgment on each Jew based on their orders. And based on their orders, each judgment lead the Nazis to believe each Jew was a dog and they should be treated with no humanity.
Dehumanization is one of the worst acts that can be committed against another person. The dehumanization of the Jewish race as a whole is one of the most unexplainably gruesome acts of all history. Treating people like property, an animal, not caring about any aspect of that person or (in this case) a whole race, leaves you in silence. Turning a person from an equal to having the same properties as an object is the most disrespectful act. The Jews had no chance to defend themselves against the armed Nazis. Knowing this, the Nazis set out to punish and exterminate what they believed wrong. Abuse of power and hatred toward what the Nazis believed to be wrong led to the complete disregard for the Jewish race and caused dehumanization to occur.
Work Cited
Wiesel, Elie. Night. New York: Hill and Wang, 2006.
Wiesel, Elie. Night. New York: Hill and Wang, 2006.
Monday, January 5, 2009
Vocabulary for Night
1. Prostrate - a) to cast (oneself) face down on the ground in humility, submission, or adoration
b) to lay flat, as on the ground
c) to throw down level with the ground
2. Interlude - a) an intervening episode, period, space, etc
b) 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
c) one of the early English farces or comedies, as those written by John Heywood, which grew out of such pieces
3. Reprieve- a) to delay the impending punishment or sentence of (a condemned person)
b) to relieve temporarily from any evil
c) a respite from impending punishment, as from execution of a sentence of death
4. Rations- a) a fixed allowance of provisions or food, esp. for soldiers or sailors or for civilians during a shortage
b) an allotted amount
c) to supply, apportion, or distribute as rations
5. Dysentery- a) an infectious disease marked by inflammation and ulceration or the lower part of the bowels, with diarrhea thata becomes mucous and hemorrhagic
b) a gastrointestinal disease characterized by severe, often bloody diarrhea, usually caused by infection with bacteria or parasites
6. Robust- a) suited to or requring bodily strength or endurance
b) strong and healthy; hardy; vigorous
c) suited to or requiring bodily strength or endurance
7. Quarantine- a) a strict isolation impossed to prevent the spread of disease
b) 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
c) a system of measures maintained by governmental authority at ports, frontiers, etc., for preventing the spread of disease
8. Apathy- a) absence or suppression of passion, emotion, or excitement
b) lack of interest in or concern for things that others find moving or exciting
c) freedom from emotion of any kind
9. Humane- a) characterized by tenderness, compassion, and sympathy for people and animals, esp. for the suffering or distressed
b) of or pertaining to humanistic studies
10. Grimace- a) a facial expression, often ugly and contorted, that indicates disapproval, pain, etc.
b) a sharp contortion of the face expressive of pain, contempt, or disgust
11. Nocturnal- a) of or pertaining to the night
b) done, occurring, or coming at night
c) active at night
12. Livid- a) having a discolored, blush appearance caused by a bruise, congrestion of blood vessels, strangulation, etc.
b) as the face, flesh, hands, or nails; enraged; furiously angry
c) feeling or appearing strangulated because of strong emotion
13. Pious- a) having or showing a dutiful spirit of reerence for God or an earnest wish to fulfill religious obligations
b) 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;
c) falsely earnest or sincere.
14. Interminable- a) incapable of being terminated; unending
b) monotonously or annoyingly protracted or continued
c) unceasing; incessant; having no limits
15. Wizened- a) withered; shriveled.
16. Morale- a) emotion or mental condition with respect to cheerfulness, confidence, zeal, etc.
b) The state of the spirits of a person or group as exhibited by confidence, cheerfulness, discipline, and willingness to perform assigned tasks
c) a state of individual psychological well-being based upon a sense of confidence and usefulness and purpose
17. Infernal- a) of, inhabiting, or befitting hell
b) extremely troublesome, annoying, etc.
c) hellish; fiendish; diabolical
18. Refuge- a) shelter or protection from danger, trouble
b) a place of shelter, protection, or safety
c) anything to which one has recourse for aid, relief, or escape.
19. Oppressive- a) burdensome, unjustly harsh, or tyrannical
b) causing discomfort by being excessive, intense, elaborate, etc
c) distressing or grievous.
20. Expelled- a) to force or drive out
b) to discharge from or as if from a receptacle
c) to force to leave; deprive of membership.
b) to lay flat, as on the ground
c) to throw down level with the ground
2. Interlude - a) an intervening episode, period, space, etc
b) 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
c) one of the early English farces or comedies, as those written by John Heywood, which grew out of such pieces
3. Reprieve- a) to delay the impending punishment or sentence of (a condemned person)
b) to relieve temporarily from any evil
c) a respite from impending punishment, as from execution of a sentence of death
4. Rations- a) a fixed allowance of provisions or food, esp. for soldiers or sailors or for civilians during a shortage
b) an allotted amount
c) to supply, apportion, or distribute as rations
5. Dysentery- a) an infectious disease marked by inflammation and ulceration or the lower part of the bowels, with diarrhea thata becomes mucous and hemorrhagic
b) a gastrointestinal disease characterized by severe, often bloody diarrhea, usually caused by infection with bacteria or parasites
6. Robust- a) suited to or requring bodily strength or endurance
b) strong and healthy; hardy; vigorous
c) suited to or requiring bodily strength or endurance
7. Quarantine- a) a strict isolation impossed to prevent the spread of disease
b) 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
c) a system of measures maintained by governmental authority at ports, frontiers, etc., for preventing the spread of disease
8. Apathy- a) absence or suppression of passion, emotion, or excitement
b) lack of interest in or concern for things that others find moving or exciting
c) freedom from emotion of any kind
9. Humane- a) characterized by tenderness, compassion, and sympathy for people and animals, esp. for the suffering or distressed
b) of or pertaining to humanistic studies
10. Grimace- a) a facial expression, often ugly and contorted, that indicates disapproval, pain, etc.
b) a sharp contortion of the face expressive of pain, contempt, or disgust
11. Nocturnal- a) of or pertaining to the night
b) done, occurring, or coming at night
c) active at night
12. Livid- a) having a discolored, blush appearance caused by a bruise, congrestion of blood vessels, strangulation, etc.
b) as the face, flesh, hands, or nails; enraged; furiously angry
c) feeling or appearing strangulated because of strong emotion
13. Pious- a) having or showing a dutiful spirit of reerence for God or an earnest wish to fulfill religious obligations
b) 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;
c) falsely earnest or sincere.
14. Interminable- a) incapable of being terminated; unending
b) monotonously or annoyingly protracted or continued
c) unceasing; incessant; having no limits
15. Wizened- a) withered; shriveled.
16. Morale- a) emotion or mental condition with respect to cheerfulness, confidence, zeal, etc.
b) The state of the spirits of a person or group as exhibited by confidence, cheerfulness, discipline, and willingness to perform assigned tasks
c) a state of individual psychological well-being based upon a sense of confidence and usefulness and purpose
17. Infernal- a) of, inhabiting, or befitting hell
b) extremely troublesome, annoying, etc.
c) hellish; fiendish; diabolical
18. Refuge- a) shelter or protection from danger, trouble
b) a place of shelter, protection, or safety
c) anything to which one has recourse for aid, relief, or escape.
19. Oppressive- a) burdensome, unjustly harsh, or tyrannical
b) causing discomfort by being excessive, intense, elaborate, etc
c) distressing or grievous.
20. Expelled- a) to force or drive out
b) to discharge from or as if from a receptacle
c) to force to leave; deprive of membership.
Night Questions
1) Where is Wiesel's childhood home? Locate the country on a map.
Wiesel’s childhood home was Sighet, Transylvania.
2) Wiesel opens Night by relating his youthful desire to study the cabala. What is the cabala?
The cabala is a book comprised of the prophetic and hagiographic books of the Bible. Not writings of God, but received from the Holy Spirit.
3) Wiesel says that when he was young, he wanted to study the cabala 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?
The young Wiesel wanted to know the truth of God, how a man can come closer to God, how God answers to men, and to find himself by searching for God. However, he was ignorant about the true evil of man, what can be done under God, and how God allows such grusome things to occur to the people he has created.
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?
Mosche the Beadle is a significant character in the novel Night, as he becomes Eliezer’s master of the Kabbalah. He also manages to some how escape his death by the Nazis and goes back to Sighet to warn his fellow Jews about German plans. Moishe the Beadle tells Eliezer, “…every question possessed a power that was lost in the answer… Man comes closer to God through the questions he asks Him. Therein lies true dialogue. Man asks and God replies. But we don’t understand His replies. We cannot understand them. Because they dwell in the depths of our souls and remain there until we die.” (Wiesel 5).
5) Why do the people of Sighet ignore Moshe after he returns from his escape? Why don't they listen to him?
The people of Sighet don’t listen to Moishe the Beatle after he escapes from the Nazis, because they believe him to be crazy. They could not believe that a race would try to make another race become extinct. People believed that he told these stories to gain pity and or charity from them.
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.)
Madame Schachter is a woman aboard the train to Auschwitz. She is also a mother of two children. Madame Schachter was seperated from her husband and her eldest son by mistake when the Hungarian poliece loaded the first train from Sighet. She is a bit of a prophet, as she predicts burning fire at there destination, warning her fellow compainions. Simillar to Moishe the Beatle, the people ignore her, however, in her case, the warnings become unbaribaly anoying, that some of the men beat her to shut her up.
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.
He shall never forget the night sky in the camp which destroyed every aspect of life that he loved. Everything he dreamed and lived for. He shall never forget when he lost his faith in God, killing his soul, murdering every and any chance in which he could accomplish his dream and become a master of the Kabbalah.
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.
The context of the passage explains how Elie’s soul was murdered by figuring based on inference that there was no God. He explains how what could have happened became could never happen. Elie’s theology has changed in extremes. He went from loving God and the world, to dispising the world and losing faith in God as he allowed such grusome violence to occur to the Jews.
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.
Elie’s belief in God continues to faid throughout the novel. Through all of his pain and suffering, God siezes to exist in his mind, he doesn’t think about him. He becomes furious with God when he states that God is rewarding his sinners and punishing those who do right by him. He is not angry at God when he leaves God out of his thoughts.
10) What literal and figurative (symbolic or metaphorical) meanings does night have in Night?
Night is the darkness occuring after the sun has set. It is the evil that comes out after all light is gone. It can symbolize death, hatred, and loss of hope.
11) Why do you think Night is such a slim book? Surely Wiesel could have included much more detail.
Wiesel could have included much more detail in his novel. But, to write the book, he had to relive in his mind the pain and suffering that he went through in the concentration camps. Not every detail could have been remembered, as the mind has ways of blocking grusome past memoriez so that they don’t haunt you.
12) Is Night a memoir of tragedy or triumph? Can it be both? If so, why? If not, why not?
Night is a memoir of tragedy as well as triumph. The tragedies occur in the concentration camps, however the triumph is living through those tragedies and being able to express your view to that tragedy.
Wiesel’s childhood home was Sighet, Transylvania.
2) Wiesel opens Night by relating his youthful desire to study the cabala. What is the cabala?The cabala is a book comprised of the prophetic and hagiographic books of the Bible. Not writings of God, but received from the Holy Spirit.
3) Wiesel says that when he was young, he wanted to study the cabala 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?
The young Wiesel wanted to know the truth of God, how a man can come closer to God, how God answers to men, and to find himself by searching for God. However, he was ignorant about the true evil of man, what can be done under God, and how God allows such grusome things to occur to the people he has created.
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?
Mosche the Beadle is a significant character in the novel Night, as he becomes Eliezer’s master of the Kabbalah. He also manages to some how escape his death by the Nazis and goes back to Sighet to warn his fellow Jews about German plans. Moishe the Beadle tells Eliezer, “…every question possessed a power that was lost in the answer… Man comes closer to God through the questions he asks Him. Therein lies true dialogue. Man asks and God replies. But we don’t understand His replies. We cannot understand them. Because they dwell in the depths of our souls and remain there until we die.” (Wiesel 5).
5) Why do the people of Sighet ignore Moshe after he returns from his escape? Why don't they listen to him?
The people of Sighet don’t listen to Moishe the Beatle after he escapes from the Nazis, because they believe him to be crazy. They could not believe that a race would try to make another race become extinct. People believed that he told these stories to gain pity and or charity from them.
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.)
Madame Schachter is a woman aboard the train to Auschwitz. She is also a mother of two children. Madame Schachter was seperated from her husband and her eldest son by mistake when the Hungarian poliece loaded the first train from Sighet. She is a bit of a prophet, as she predicts burning fire at there destination, warning her fellow compainions. Simillar to Moishe the Beatle, the people ignore her, however, in her case, the warnings become unbaribaly anoying, that some of the men beat her to shut her up.
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.
He shall never forget the night sky in the camp which destroyed every aspect of life that he loved. Everything he dreamed and lived for. He shall never forget when he lost his faith in God, killing his soul, murdering every and any chance in which he could accomplish his dream and become a master of the Kabbalah.
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.
The context of the passage explains how Elie’s soul was murdered by figuring based on inference that there was no God. He explains how what could have happened became could never happen. Elie’s theology has changed in extremes. He went from loving God and the world, to dispising the world and losing faith in God as he allowed such grusome violence to occur to the Jews.
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.
Elie’s belief in God continues to faid throughout the novel. Through all of his pain and suffering, God siezes to exist in his mind, he doesn’t think about him. He becomes furious with God when he states that God is rewarding his sinners and punishing those who do right by him. He is not angry at God when he leaves God out of his thoughts.
10) What literal and figurative (symbolic or metaphorical) meanings does night have in Night?
Night is the darkness occuring after the sun has set. It is the evil that comes out after all light is gone. It can symbolize death, hatred, and loss of hope.
11) Why do you think Night is such a slim book? Surely Wiesel could have included much more detail.
Wiesel could have included much more detail in his novel. But, to write the book, he had to relive in his mind the pain and suffering that he went through in the concentration camps. Not every detail could have been remembered, as the mind has ways of blocking grusome past memoriez so that they don’t haunt you.
12) Is Night a memoir of tragedy or triumph? Can it be both? If so, why? If not, why not?
Night is a memoir of tragedy as well as triumph. The tragedies occur in the concentration camps, however the triumph is living through those tragedies and being able to express your view to that tragedy.
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