NightElie Wiesel

Never shall I forget that nocturnal silence which deprived me, for all eternity, of the desire to live.

Never shall I forget those moments whichmurdered my God and my soul and turned my dreams to dust.

Audio• Part 1• Part 2• Part 3• Part 4• Part 5• Part 6• Part 7• Part 8• Part 9• Part 10• Part 11• Part 12• Part 13• Part 14• Part 15• Part 16• Part 17• Part 18• Part 19

-Born 1928

-Sighet, Transylvania, Hungary

-Holocaust survivor

-Writer, activist

Background & Setting•Europe (Sighet & Romania, Poland,

Germany)•World War 2 (1941 – 1945)•Nazi party regime (National Socialist

German Workers Party) & Gestapo•Chancellor Adolf Hitler•Jews (and others) blamed for Germany’s

defeat in WW 1•Auschwitz and Buna (Poland)•Buchenwald (Germany)

Wiesel’s Family

•Mother: Sarah Feig•Father: Chlomo Wiesel•Older Sisters: Hilda, Bea•Younger Sister: Tzipora•Narrator: Eliezer

Theme: universal idea

•Inhumanity

•Struggle to maintain faith

Symbols

•Night/darkness

•Fire

Vocabulary1. Abstraction (noun) adjective?2. Annihilate (verb) noun?3. Apathy (noun) adjective?4. Appease (verb) adjective?5. Barometer (noun) adjective?6. Bestial (adjective)7. Compulsory (adjective) noun?8. Derision (noun) adjective?9. Edict (noun)10. Implore (verb)11. Incite (verb) noun?12. Inert (adjective)13. Lucid (adjective) noun?14. Pillage (verb) noun?15. Vigilant (adjective) noun?

Holocaust Connection: Anne Frank•What is the setting of Anne’s diary?

•What kind of personality does Anne have?

•What other adjectives would you use to describe Anne?

•Describe the “Secret Annexe” and how does Anne view the move into hiding?

Night Lab Questions1. When the prisoners first arrived at Birkenau, why did

they not throw themselves on the guards and revolt?2. Who were the first ones to beat Eliezer and his father?3. What was tattooed on each prisoner’s left arm? Why is

this significant? 4. What motto was inscribed on the plaque at Auschwitz

and what did it mean?5. Why do you think Eliezer lies to his cousin about his

family still being alive?6. In this section we see Eliezer begin to lose his

humanity because of the way he and the other prisoners are treated. We also see his struggle with faith in God. Write a paragraph about these changes in Eliezer.

Section 1 Discussion Questions1. When the prisoners first arrived at Birkenau,

why did they not throw themselves on the guards and revolt?

2. Who were the first ones to beat Eliezer and his father?

3. What was tattooed on each prisoner’s left arm? Why is this significant?

4. What motto was inscribed on the plaque at Auschwitz and what did it mean?

5. How did the French girl comfort Eliezer, and where did they meet again years later?

Chapter 4 Questions•How many times was Eliezer lashed? Who

was he thinking of afterwards?•What metaphor does Eliezer use to compare

himself and the other inmates’ longing for the abandoned cauldrons of soup?

•Why do you think Eliezer and the other inmates are happy for the bombings?

•Why do you think the boy that was hanged “upset me [Eliezer] deeply”?

•What question does the man standing behind Eliezer repeatedly ask during the hanging of the pipel? What is Eliezer’s response?

Night & Anne Frank discussion•How did the French girl comfort Eliezer, and

where did they meet again years later?•How were the two cauldrons of soup like

“two lambs with a hundred wolves lying in wait for them”?

•What is the “selection”? •In Night, Eliezer says that his wish is to live

in a world without bells. In The Diary of Anne Frank, Anne shares each person’s first wish once outside of their hiding place – what are some of the things they wish for?

Holocaust Connection: Anne Frank• In Night, Eliezer says that his wish is to live in a world without bells. In The Diary of Anne Frank, Anne shares each person’s first wish once outside of their hiding place. Margot and Mr. Van Daan want to have a hot bath for half an hour; Mrs. Van Daan wants cream cakes; Dussel longs to see his wife, Lotje; Mrs. Frank wants a cup of coffee; Mr. Frank wants to visit Mr. Vossen; Peter wants to go to town and the movies; Anne simply wishes to be back in a home of their own and to get back to school.

If you were suddenly required to be cut off from life as you know it for an extended period of time, what would be the first thing you wish for when you were able to re-enter society?

Section 2 Discussion Questions1. How were the two cauldrons of soup like “two

lambs with a hundred wolves lying in wait for them”?

2. What is the “selection”? 3. What made the move to Gleiwitz so hard?4. What happened to the prisoners who stopped

running?5. What did Eliezer tell Rabbi Eliahu? Why does

he tell him this? Connect this to something else Eliezer tells his cousin earlier in the book.

Section 3 Discussion Questions1. What did Juliek do before he died?2. How did Eliezer save his father even after his

father had been sent “to the left”?3. Years later, how was the Parisienne’s

treatment of the “natives” like the Germans’ treatment of the starving Jews?

4. How did Meir Katz save Eliezer?5. Why did Eliezer feel ashamed of himself while

he searched for his father?6. Why did Eliezer hate the doctors?7. How did the other patients treat Eliezer’s

father?8. How did Eliezer’s father die?

Night concentration camps

1. Birkenau and Auschwitz (Poland) 2. Buna (sub-camp of Auschwitz)3. Gleiwitz (80 miles from Buna) 4. Buchenwald (Germany)

MapsAuschwitz Animated Map

Sighet, Transylvania (pre-WW2)

Sighet Jews Bound for Deportation

Deserted ghetto in Sighet

Bunks at Buchenwald, 1945

Oprah and Elie Visit Auschwitz

Anne Frank, 11 years oldSecret Annex Residents:Otto FrankEdith FrankMargot FrankMr. Van DaanMrs. Van DaanPeter Van DaanAlbert Dussel

Annex pets:MoortjeMouschiBoche

Dutch Protectors:Mr. KoophuisMr. KralerMiep Van SantenHenk Van SantenElli Vossen

Anne’s Friends:Lies GoosenSanne HoutmanJopie de WaalMiep de JongPeter WesselHarry Goldberg

Holocaust Literature Review•What is a central conflict in both Night and The

Diary of a Young Girl? Give an example from both works.

•Compare and contrast the father-son relationship in Night with the father-daughter relationship in The Diary of a Young Girl. Use specific references from both works.

•Both Eliezer and Anne go through monstrous changes throughout the course of their ordeals. What are their outlooks and ideals before their captivity (Eliezer) or hiding (Anne) and what are they by the end? For Anne, focus especially on her opinions changing of others in the Annex.

Elie Wiesel’s Nobel Prize Speech•He says, “A young Jewish boy discovered the

Kingdom of Night…I remember he asked his father, ‘Can this be true? This is the twentieth century, not the Middle Ages. Who would allow such crimes to be committed? How could the world remain silent?’” ▫How does referring to himself in the third person go

along with the narrator in Night?▫What is the difference between the twentieth century

and the Middle Ages? Why is it so horrific that such crimes be committed in the twentieth century?

▫How does Elie’s reference to silence connect with his fight against indifference?

Elie Wiesel’s Nobel Prize Speech•He says, “…if we forget, we are guilty, we

are accomplices.” ▫What is an accomplice? What does Elie mean?

•He says, “Wherever men and women are being persecuted because of their race, religion, or political views, that place must – at that moment – become the center of the universe.” ▫What does Elie mean?

Group Work:•Find at least two instances of foreshadowing in

Night and one instance in The Diary of a Young Girl.

•What are some of the inhumanities inflicted upon Eliezer and the prisoners? What are some examples of Eliezer losing his humanity? Come up with at least 5 specific examples.

•Night/darkness, fire, and silence are important symbols and motifs in Night. Describe what each symbol represents and find at least one specific reference for each.

•What is Eliezer’s most pressing internal conflict? Anne’s? How do they overcome them?