ACTIVATOR: BRAINSTORMINSTRUCTIONS: Make a brainstorming web on your own piece of paper (like what appears to the right). Next, brainstorm on the word “mature.” Think about what the word means, the process, synonyms, examples, etc.

MATURE

ACTIVATOR: BRAINSTORM

MATURE

COMING-OF-AGE STORY• Coming-of-age story:

traces the protagonist's growth from a self-absorbed, immature individual into an expansive, mature human being concerned with the welfare of others, and his or her place in the world.

COMING-OF-AGE STORY CHARACTERISTICS• The protagonist is initiated into adulthood

through knowledge gained and/or experience.

• The protagonist’s growth is achieved through abandonment of preconceptions, destruction of a false sense of security, and loss of innocence.

• The protagonist changes from ignorance to knowledge, innocence to experience, false view of world to truthful view, idealism to realism, and immature responses to mature responses

CHARACTERIZATION• Characterization: the process by which the

writer reveals the personality of a character.– Direct characterization: an author overtly reveals a

character’s personality.– Indirect characterization: textual clues show a

character’s motivation and intent.• Presenting the character’s words and actions.• Revealing the character’s private thoughts and feelings.• Showing how the other people respond to the character.• Using vivid imagery by describing how the character looks

and dresses.

IMAGERY AND SYMBOLISM• Imagery: descriptive language that appeals to

the five senses.– An image is the “picture” created in the reader’s

imagination by the use of imagery in a text.• Example: The bright green apple was crisp and sweet.

• Symbol: a person, place, or thing used to represent something else.– Example: The American flag is a thing, but it

symbolizes the United States of America. – Example: A heart is a thing, but it symbolizes love.

IMAGES AND SYMBOLS IN NIGHT• As we read, be sure to practice your close

reading skills by looking for these images and symbols:– Night: Pay attention to each time Wiesel refers to the

night and determine what night symbolizes in the memoir overall.

– Fire: Notice Wiesel’s descriptions of fire and flames throughout the memoir and analyze what this image typically represents.

MOTIF• Motif: a word, character, object, image,

metaphor, or idea that recurs in a work.– Example: In Romeo and Juliet, light and dark imagery

recurs throughout the play.– Example: In Julius Caesar, bad omens and warnings

recur throughout the play. – Example: In The Odyssey, the seductress archetype

recurs throughout the play.

MOTIFS IN NIGHT• As we read, be sure to practice your close

reading skills by looking for these motifs:– Bearing Witness: Pay attention to which characters

are witnesses and to what they bear witness.– Father-son Relationships: Take note of how fathers

and sons develop relationships throughout the memoir.

– Loss of faith: Notice how Elie’s faith in God frequently shifts as the memoir progresses.

ADDITIONAL FAMILIAR TERMS• Foreshadowing

• Similes

• Metaphors

• Repetition

• Irony

THEME• Theme: a central message or insight into life revealed

through a literary work; a lesson or moral

• Theme formula: Subject + What the author says about the subject = Theme– What is the subject?: what the work of literature is about.

Possibilities: love, friendship, hate, prejudice, family, relationships, etc. For example, in Antigone, one of the subjects is stubbornness.

– What is the author saying about the subject?: To answer this question, think about what happens in the plot and to the characters that teaches a lesson/moral, or makes a point to the reader. It should also be a short phrase, not just one word. For example, what is Sophocles trying to say about stubbornness in Antigone?

– Combine the above two in order to develop the theme: Stubbornness + Tragic flaw= Stubbornness causes terrible things to happen

SUMMARIZER: TICKET OUT THE DOORINSTRUCTIONS: In order to summarize our learning for the lesson, select one of the following characters from Chapter 1 of Night, and explain how he is characterized thus far in the memoir.

Elie Moshe the Beadle Elie’s father

Be sure to cite specific examples from the memoir in your response.