Night Elie Wiesel Study Guide Notes

Journal Within the next ten minutes write everything you know or think you know about World War II and the Holocaust.

Night: Genre World War II and Holocaust Autobiography Genre (type or style of writing) World War II and Holocaust Autobiography

Night Study Guide Notes The original title Elie Wiesel gave the novel was And the World Has Remained Silent. He wrote this book after 10 years of silence. By the end of the Holocaust, over 6 million Jews had been killed.

Night: Background Wiesel first wrote a 900-page text in Yiddish titled Un di Velt Hot Geshvign (And the World Remained Silent). The work later evolved into the much-shorter French publication La Nuit, which was then translated into English as Night.

Night : Tone Tone Eliezer’s perspective is limited to his own experience, and the tone of Night is therefore intensely personal, subjective, and intimate. Night is not meant to be an all-encompassing discourse on the experience of the Holocaust; instead, it depicts the extraordinarily personal and painful experiences of a single victim.

Night: Setting setting (time) · 1941–1945, during World War II settings (place) · Eliezer’s story begins in Sighet, Transylvania (now part of Romania; during Wiesel’s childhood, part of Hungary) The book then follows his journey through several concentration camps in Europe: Auschwitz/Birkenau (in a part of modern-day Poland that had been annexed by Germany in 1939) Buna (a camp that was part of the Auschwitz complex) Gleiwitz (also in Poland but annexed by Germany) Buchenwald (Germany)

Night : Themes Themes Eliezer's Struggle to Maintain Faith in a Benevolent God Silence Inhumanity Toward Other Humans The Importance of Father-Son Bonds

Night Study Guide Notes There are five motifs to look for while reading Night: motifs (a recurring subject, theme, or idea) Night – pay attention to what happens at night and what that might symbolize. Remember what we learned when we talked about archetypes and what night might symbolize. Bearing Witness – Pay attention to which characters are witnesses and to what they bear witness.

Night Study Guide Notes Motifs (continued): Father-son Relationships – Pay attention to how Elie and his father’s relationship develops; in addition, notice other father- son relationships in the book. Loss of Faith – Notice how Elie’s faith in God changes as the book progresses. Write on your study guides where these changes occur.

Night Study Guide Notes Motifs (continued): Voice vs. Silence – Who has a voice and who chooses to remain silent? Why might Elie Wiesel title his novel what he did originally (And the World Has Remained Silent), and why did he no longer remain silent? Click here to listen to Elie Wiesel's "A God who Remembers"

Night : Symbols Symbols Night Fire Night always occurs when suffering is worst, and its presence reflects Eliezer's belief that he lives in a world without God. Fire Fire appears throughout Night as a symbol of the Nazis' cruel power. 12

Night Study Guide Notes In Poland, 90% of the approximately 3,000,000 Jews were murdered in the Holocaust. As you read, look for times that Wiesel mentions the people in surrounding towns. There are several groups who contributed to the Holocaust, persecutors and by-standers included. Be prepared to discuss: Why are by-standers just as important as the persecutors?

Sighet and Ghettos

Aushwitz-Birkenau

Night Vocabulary Dehumanization - the psychological process of demonizing the enemy, making them seem less than human and hence not worthy of humane treatment. Alienation - the state or experience of being isolated from a group or an activity to which one should belong or in which one should be involved. Ghetto - a poor densely populated city district Gestapo - abbreviation of Geheime Staatspolizei, or the Secret State Police, was the official secret police of Nazi Germany and German-occupied Europe. Hasidic - of or relating to the Jewish Hasidim or its members or their beliefs and practices

Night Vocabulary Surname – name used to identify members of a family Utter - without qualification Penury - a state of extreme poverty or destitution Rendering - a performance of a musical composition or a dramatic role Insignificant - conveying nothing

Night Vocabulary Waif - a homeless child especially one forsaken or orphaned Synagogue - the place of worship for a Jewish congregation Mysticism - a religion based on communion with an ultimate reality Fraught - filled with or attended with Peril - a state of danger involving risk

Night Vocabulary Indulgently - in an indulgent manner Eternity - time without end Expel - eliminate Deportee - a person who is expelled from home or country by authority Trench - any long ditch cut in the ground

Night Vocabulary Observant - quick to notice; showing quick and keen perception Pity - a feeling of sympathy and sorrow for misfortunes of others Resolve - find a solution or answer Exterminate - kill on a large scale Elder - a person of more advanced age

Night Vocabulary Emigration - moving from one place in order to settle in another Liquidate - eliminate a debt by paying it off Abstract - existing only in the mind Disquieting - causing mental discomfort Penetrate - pass into or through, often by overcoming resistance

Night Vocabulary anti-semitic - relating to or characterized by anti-Semitism; hating Jews Optimism - the hopeful feeling that all is going to turn out well Anguish - extreme distress of body or mind Emblem - special design representing a quality, type, or group Reassure - cause to feel confident

Night Vocabulary Earnest - characterized by a firm, humorless belief in one's opinions Billet - provide housing for (military personnel) Jubilant - full of high-spirited delight Verdict - findings of a jury on issues submitted to it for decision Edict - a formal or authoritative proclamation

Night Vocabulary Henceforth - from this time forth; from now on Decree - a legally binding command or decision Prominent - conspicuous in position or importance Bleak - unpleasantly cold and damp Lethal - of an instrument of certain death

Night Vocabulary Republic - a form of government whose head of state is not a monarch Apparatus - equipment designed to serve a specific function Hostile - characterized by enmity or ill will Delusion - a mistaken or unfounded opinion or idea Insinuate - suggest in an indirect or covert way; give to understand

Yiddish and Hebrew Vocabulary Chutzpah – Shameless Audacity; impudence; nerve; guts Dreck – Rubbish; Trash Golem – (In Jewish Legend) a clay figure brought to life by magic to seek vengeance (justice) Klutz – Person who often drops things, falls down, etc.; a clumsy person

Yiddish and Hebrew Vocabulary Kosher – 1. (of food, or premises in which food is sold, cooked, or eaten) satisfying the requirements of Jewish law. (of a person) observing Jewish food laws. (of ritual objects) fit for use according to Jewish laws. 2. genuine and legitimate. Mazel tov - a Jewish phrase expressing congratulations or wishing someone good luck.

Hebrew and Yiddish Vocabulary Schlep – (v) to haul or carry something heavy or awkward; (n) 1. a tedious or difficult journey; 2. an inept or stupid person Schmooze – (v) to talk intimately; gossip; (n) a long, intimate conversation Schmuck – a foolish or contemptable person Shtick – a gimmick, comic routine, style of performance associated with a particular person