NIGHT: Chapters 1-3Historical & Emotional References

MEMOIRS

Memoir: a record of events written by a person having intimate knowledge of them and based on personal observation

Similar to autobiographies Historically accurate Concerned with the emotional truth about

the experiences Failure or inability of language to

communicate events accurately

THE BASICSSetting:

Time Place

Characters: Elie Moishe Father Mother

HISTORICAL REFERENCES

Amazingly, 100% of the information and facts about the Holocaust in Elie’s novel is accurate. With a partner, identify as many historical events and facts that you can from chapters 1-3. This may include, but is not limited to laws/ordinances, places, transports, camps, etc.

“Work makes on free.”

BEGINNING OF A HISTORICAL ANALYSISPRE TO GHETTOS foreignJjews expelled prisoners forced to work/shot encouraging news on radio Budapest taken Germans arrive in city No synagogues Curfew/stay in home No jewelry Wear yellow star No restaurants No trains Ghettos with barbed wire Transports to different

ghettos Massive role calls/waiting Transport in cattle cars

(80ppl) Waited in small areas No food/water/bathroom

TRANSPORTS TO CAMPS Separation – men/women

children Separation – Healthy & Able /

Sick & Babies (went to pits) Dr. Mengele checks Prisoners: shaved, stripped,

disinfected/soaked, random clothing

transfers to Aushwitz-Birkenau

“work or die” theme Random beatings/shootings Roll call & runs from place to

place Food – coffee, soup,

bread/butter slept in barracks (2 to bed) ID #: A-7713 Good to avoid transports

(unskilled stay til the end) Transfers to Burna

CHAPTER 1 Moishe’s Experience

“Where did I get my strength?... I wanted to return to Sighet to describe to you my death so that you might ready yourself while there is still time. Life? I no longer care to live. I am alone. But I wanted to come back to warn you. Only no one is listening.” (7)

Jewish Optimism Why didn’t anyone panic? When were they optimistic? “We even doubted his resolve to exterminate us. Annhilate

an entire people? Wipe out a population dispersed throughout so many nations?... By what means? In the middle of the 20th century?” (8)

New Jewish Edicts Describe waiting for the Second

Transport

CHAPTERS 1-2 Transfer to Small Ghetto – A breaking

point (READ) “That was when I began to hate them, and my hatred remains our

only link today. They were our first oppressors. They were the first faces of hell and death” (19)

Two chances at escape “By eight o’clock in the morning, weariness had settled into our

veins, our limbs, our brains, like molten lead” (16)• The Synagogue Experience

• Mrs. Schlachter’s Experience“Fire! I see a fire! I see a fire!... Look at this fire! The terrible fire! Have mercy on me!”

CHAPTER 3 The Selection Camp Introductions “Work Makes One

Free” “You should’ve hanged yourselves rather than come here. Didn’t

you know what was in store for you here in Auschwitz? You didn’t know in 1944?...You still don’t understand? You sons of bitches. Don’t you understand anything? You will be burned! Burned to cinder! Turned into ashes!” (30-1)

“Here you must work. If you don’t you will go straight to the chimney” (39)

The Guards Losing Faith The Gypsy Beating

“What had happened to me? My father had just been struck, in front of me, and I had not even blinked. I had watched and kept silent. Only yesterday, I would have dug my nails into this criminals flesh. Had I changed that much? So fast?... All I could think was: I shall never forgive them for this.” (39)

WARM UP: Pronoun

EMOTIONAL REFERENCES We, the readers, can experience the

emotion and feeling of the writer through their description of an experience or event.

How do we build emotion/feeling in writing?

EMOTIONAL REFERENCES

Sometimes, the images that are created latch on to us emotionally. It could be because you have had a similar experience and it triggers a memory or it could be that it simply made you empathize or sympathize with the writer.

Imagery – the formation of mental pictures, figures, or likenesses of things; use of figurative language

EMOTIONAL REFERENCES

Animal and death imagery is used frequently, as well as references to normalcy and silence. To help understand how Wiesel uses this type of imagery, identify quotes and events from the novel that are examples of each with your partner.

Imagery – the formation of mental pictures, figures, or likenesses of things; use of figurative language

FAITH

FAITH and Purpose of religion?

Propaganda – the