Elie Wiesel Hero Notes “…to remain silent and indifferent is the greatest sin of all…” –Elie Wiesel (“Elie Wiesel Bio”)

How do we define the personality traits of a hero? we define the personality traits of a hero by qualities like sacrifice, courage, bravery, selflessness, perseverance, and being able to focus on the goal they are trying to reach. (“Qualities of a Hero”)

How does a hero reflect his/her particular culture and society? A hero reflects their views on society by how they react when they are put in situations where they have to make big decisions (Wiesel, Elie) Also the quality of their work shows how they reflect their society (Wiesel, Elie)

How does a hero represent his/her time period and geographical area? A hero represents their time period and geographical area by how they respond to situations they are put in (“Qualities of a Hero”)

How do various cultures reward or recognize their heroes? Some cultures recognize their heroes differently than others (“Qualities of a Hero”) Some dedicate a day to them in their honor and others don’t recognize them at all nationally (“Qualities of a Hero”)

What was going on in the world during Elie's childhood? During Elie’s childhood the biggest thing that was going on was the Holocaust (“The History”) Holocaust Facts- Began in January 1933 (Camps) More than 11 million people died and 6 million were Jews (Camps) More than half the people killed in the Holocaust were women and children because they were automatically sent to the gas chambers (Camps) Camp--Deaths--Auschwitz--2,000,000 Belzec--600,000 Bergen-Belsen-- 70,000 Buchenwald--56,000 Chelmno--340,000 Dachau--30,000 Flossenburg--30,000 Majdanek--1,380,000 Mauthausen-->95,000 Ravensbruck-->90,000 Sachsenhausen--100,000 Sobibor--250,000 Treblinka--800,000 (Camps)

What made Elie decide that he wanted to write a book about his experiences? After the war ended Elie said that he was determined to tell his story to the world to share with other people ("Elie Wiesel Bio”) Elie Wiesel was persuaded by a French writer named Francois Mauriac to write about his experiences at the death camps ("The Elie Wiesel Foundation for Humanity”)

Even though it was difficult to write the books why did Elie want to do it anyways? Elie decided he would write the book because of the Catholic writer Francois Maurice (“Elie Wiesel Biography, Elie Wiesel Childhood”)

What was Elie’s family life like as a child? During Elie’s childhood he was not that close to his father and didn’t talk to him that much (Wiesel, Elie pg.3-4) His father also wasn’t around very much because he was always working either at the grocery store or the community offices At the community office his job was to help prisoners that were threatened with expulsion Elie also wished that he would have been able to talk to his father more about things that bothered him and just wanted his opinion on some things Elie was named after his grandfather that was killed in WWI (Wiesel, Elie pg.8)

Awards that Elie has won 1978 president Jimmy Carter appointed Elie Chairman of the United States Holocaust Memorial Council ("Elie Wiesel Biography”) 1985 he was awarded the Congressional Medal of Freedom ("Elie Wiesel Biography”) 1986 awarded the Nobel Prize for Peace ("Elie Wiesel Biography”) He also won the Presidential Medal of freedom, U.S. Congressional Gold Medal, National Humanities Medal, Medal of Liberty, the rank of Grand- Choix in the French Legion of Honor (“The Elie Wiesel Foundation for Humanity”)