'Night': Family History, Moishe the Beadle, and German Power in Pages 3-12
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ACTIVE READING NOTES AND PASSAGE ANALYSIS
Night
Passage Analysis
Each requires a complete sentence, and
at least
2-3
sentences to fully answer. Your commentary should
fully explain your response.
(1) Identify two strong words/phrases in the passage. What
makes this word/phrase strong? How does it impact the
audience?
(2) How does Wiesel
sound
(think: tone)? How does he ensure
these feelings come across?
(2) What is the ultimate ‘claim’ that could be made from the
passage being read and discussed? What does Wiesel
want
us to
think after reading that specific passage?
Pages 3-12
Reveals family history
Starts in 1941, he is 13-years-old
Does not know what “The Final Solution” is (proves Hitler’s
agenda is very secretive)
He was deeply religious
Has 3 siblings:
2 older sisters
1 younger sister
Pages 3-12
Moishe the Beadle
Poor child in Sighet
He is left alone often (his character development suggests that he
is unloved)
Known for asking controversial questions
Why do you pray?
Elie does not know how to answer his questions. Moshe helps him to
want
to learn about involved religions that might help him answer
that question.
Pages 3-12
German power starts to be known
Foreign Jews are deported (Moishe)
Rumored to be at a labor camp; people are okay with this idea of
losing rights
Sighet stops talking about the deported Jews…
The common belief: “we are safe” and “the labor camps cannot be
real”
The start of developed ignornace…
Pages 3-12
Moishe’s story:
He survived, by sheer happenstance
Gestapo (part of the Nazi party) stopped train, made victims dig
a mass grave, and then executed the victims.
It was about fear
and
suffering.
Pages 3-12
1945:
People believed mass extermination was not realistic (it was so
barbaric, people
refused
to believe the stories)
There were few witnesses and absolutely no photographic
evidence
Why should they believe
?
Also:
Elie asks to leave Sighet. Father refuses (he is too old).
German forces arrive shortly after this request.
Pages 3-12
German officers:
Good natured, supportive
Sighet Jews refuse to believe the rumors, even mocked the
rumors
In reality:
Germans were taking notes, identifying the Jewish
families, and establishing a need for a ghetto
He was a spy. A very likeable spy who falsely gained their trust.
Pages 3-12
German forces then….
Arrested political leaders
Placed Jewish families under house arrest (3 days)
Seen outside? Punishment was
death
.
Forbidden to own valuable property
Forced to wear the Star of David (the yellow star)
Could not be out of their house past 6:00PM
Could not travel
Could not go café’s or diners
THIS IS THE START OF A
GHETTO
.
Pages 3-12 Passage Analysis
“He told me what happened to him and his companions.
The train with the deportees had crossed the Hungarian
border and, once in Polish territory, had been taken over by
the Gestapo. The train had stopped. The Jews were
ordered to get off and onto the waiting trucks. The trucks
headed toward a forest. There everybody was ordered to
get out. They were forced to dig huge trenches. When they
had finished their work, the men from the Gestapo began
theirs. Without passion or haste, they shot their prisoners,
who were forced to approach the trench one by one and
offer their necks. Infants were tossed into the air and used
as targets for the machine guns. This took place in the
Galician forest, near Kolomay. How had he, Moishe the
Beadle, been able to escape? By a miracle.”
Pg. 12-22
Two ghettos created
One large and one small
Some remained in their home, others were forced to move
Families moved in to help others
Walls and barriers were built to establish segregation
Pg. 12-22
Once in the ghetto…
People
accepted
their fate (they
were alive, and were separated
from the Germans… not dead)
People refused to
accept
that the
Holocaust was occurring… even
the people who would most likely
be killed from it
If the victims did not believe it was
true, then the same might be said
of the Allied forces at war
Pg. 12-22
Larger ghetto condensed to just smaller ghetto
Ghetto starts to be destroyed… the Jews of Sighet were
now being transported
They do not know where. Concentration camps were not highly
publicized.
President of Jewish Council does know…
Germans threaten to kill if he tells anyone.
Pg. 12-22
People were loaded like cattle onto a freight train
German’s goals:
Remove freedom
“Cage” the Jews
Transport them to the camps
The Germans treated people like animals to make
them feel
less human
.
Pg. 12-22
First reference to “night”
It’s a time that is too dark to see, and thus becomes something to
fear
Tomorrow (a daylight) seems to be unknown
Pg. 12-22 Passage Analysis
“Night. No one was praying for the night to pass
quickly. The stars were but sparks of the immense
conflagration that was consuming us. Were this
conflagration to be extinguished one day, nothing
would be left in the sky but extinct stars and unseeing
eyes.”
Pg. 23-28
In a train, headed to Auschwitz
Largest and most deadly death camp (used labor
and
gas
chambers)
Between 1940 and 1945, over four million people died there
Pg. 23-28
Germans are psychologically trying to affect their
victims by treating them as animals
Loaded into a cattle car, the symbolism was
meant
to deeply
affect their victims
They call them “dogs”
Pg. 23-28
Mrs. Schacter
Sees a fire (inside of her mind, no one else can see this fire)
She is having an anxiety attack: her friends and son are trying to
calm her
Her screams
could
mean
their
death
The men tie and gag her to prevent screaming (she’s affecting
them
psychologically, too). She gets loose, they physically strike
her.
The Holocaust victims became violent towards
one another
out of
preservation. They have been treated like an animal, so now they are
starting to act like one.
Pg. 23-28
Auschwitz-Birkenau
Final destination (learned by someone reading and offering gold
watch)
1944: Auschwitz-Birkenau had been opened for four years
This proves that German propaganda to hide the truth worked:
no
one
knew what Auschwitz was or did.
Pg. 23-28 Passage Analysis
“The night seemed endless. By daybreak, Mrs.
Schachter had settled down. Crouching in her corner,
her blank gaze fixed on some faraway place, she no
longer saw us.”
Pg. 29-37
At Auschwitz-Birkenau:
“Men to the left, women to the
right.”
This is the last he saw of his
mother, his younger sister
This is the
selection
process
:
Determining who will live and
who will die
Pg. 29-37
An old man gives advice to avoid being “selected”:
Elie is OLDER than he actually is
Shlomo (his father) is YOUNGER than he actually is
Pg. 29-37
The old man becomes angry due to their confusion
The Wiesel’s were too innocent/ignorant to know or to recognize
the danger that they were in.
The old man is
insulted
– he has been there for a while. No one
has come to save him from the Holocaust. Them not knowing
anything
proves
to the old man that no one will be coming.
Pg. 29-37
Dr. Mengele
“cruel, though not intelligent,
face, complete with a monocle”
Determined who was “selected”
with his cane
Known as the Angel of Death
LEFT: you are put to work
RIGHT: crematoria
Pg. 29-37
SS officers search for “stronger men”
Kommando: German word for detachment, here a detachment of
concentration camp prisoners at forced labor
A similar role to a Kommando was…
Kapos
:
a concentration camp prisoner selected to oversee other
prisoners on labor details. The term is often used generically for
any concentration camp prisoner whom the
SS
gave authority
over other prisoners.
Pg. 29-37
Arrival process:
Selection
Barracks
Loss of clothes
Loss of possessions
Barber: loss of hair
Disinfectant
Running in the snow/cold – further psychological attacks
Clothes given
Pg. 27-37 Passage Analysis
“Never shall I forget that night, the first night in camp, that
turned my life into one long night seven times sealed.
Never shall I forget that smoke.
Never shall I forget the small faces of the children whose bodies
I saw transformed into smoke under a silent sky.
Never shall I forget those flames that consumed my faith forever.
Never shall I forget the nocturnal silence that deprived me for all
eternity of the desire to live.
Never shall I forget those moments that murdered my God and
my soul and turned my dreams to ashes.
Never shall I forget those things, even were I condemned to live
as long as God himself.
Never.”
Pg. 37-46
One NIGHT from arrival:
Last image of mother and sister
Man shot and killed
Infant bodies in grave
Crematoria
Shaved, freezing, degraded
Pg. 37-46
Passes under gate of Auschwitz: Arbeit Macht Frei
“Work makes you free”
Literal translation: you work yourself to death, and in
death you are free of the oppression.
They
encouraged
their victims to hope for death.
Pg. 37-46
All Holocaust victims bear a tattoo.
Nazi’s numbered their victims to ensure that they were able to
keep track of how many victims were murdered.
Continuation of de-humanization
Elie: A-7713
Pg. 37-46
Stein: relative of the Wiesel’s
His only reason to live is finding his family
He is always asking for any person who can verify that they are
still alive
Once he discovers the truth, that they are dead, we
never see him again.
The understanding is that he had
no
reason to live without his
family being there. He lost his will to survive.
It’s an
inference
with deeply-rooted understanding in survival.
Pg. 37-46
Elie and a few hundred others were then taken to the
next location: Buna
A sub-camp of Auschwitz (aka: Auschwitz III)
Pg. 37-46 Passage Analysis
“In the afternoon, they made us line up. Three
prisoners brought a table and some medical
instruments. We were told to roll up our left sleeves
and file past the table. The three ‘veteran’ prisoners,
needles in hand, tattooed numbers on our left arms. I
became A-7713. From then on, I had no other name.”
Pg.47-54
Victims of the Holocaust were intentionally starved,
while the leaders of the camp were obese
Holocaust victims would trade food and clothing with
the perpetrators for additional rights
Pg. 47-54
Rumors also swirled about some of the leaders of the
camp about inappropriate actions with children
It was thought that some of the leaders engaged in sex
trafficking with young boys at the time.
This is a further extension of
human trafficking
: illegal trade of
human beings for the purposes of reproductive slavery,
commercial sexual exploitation, forced labor, or a modern-day
form of slavery
Pg.47-54
Dentists made notes about those with gold fillings in
their teeth
It was about who had “money in their mouth”
It was about
greed
Basic human emotion
Driving factor of hate
Not always money related, but often connected
Pg. 47-54 Passage Analysis
“A few days after my visit, the dentist’s office was shut
down. He had been thrown into prison and was about to
be hanged. It appeared that he had been dealing in the
prisoners’ gold teeth for his own benefit. I felt no pity for
him. In fact, I was pleased with what was happening to
him: my gold crown was safe. It could be useful to me one
day, to buy something, some bread or even some time to
live. At that moment in time, all that mattered to me was
my daily bowl of soup, my crust of stale bread. The bread,
the soup – those were my entire life. I was nothing but a
body. Perhaps even less: a famished stomach. The stomach
alone was measuring time.”
Pg. 54-65
Elie discusses Idek and other German leaders who
physically beat the prisoners at Buna during “times of
madness”
Elie is attacked most often for being in the wrong place at the
wrong time
When guards were angry, they released their anger on the
prisoners with no reason (Elie’s first recount, he crossed in front
of Idek – nothing else)
Pg.54-65
Elie’s father and their relationship
Elie loves him dearly, tries to help him as often as possible
Elie forfeited his gold tooth to save his father from Franek’s
constant assaults
Removed with a rusty spoon in the latrines
Lost his tooth for nothing, he was transferred two weeks later
Pg. 54-65
One day, before his transfer, on the day he was not
scheduled to work, Idek forced everyone to work.
During the time he worked, Idek was nowhere to be found
Elie found Idek, in the back of a warehouse with a
young girl
Idek forced hundreds to work so that he could sleep with a girl
Elie laughs at the notion – it was
that
ridiculous
Idek swears revenge on Elie
Pg. 54-65
Elie is called forward with his ID number, placed on a
crate, and is whipped 25 times
Elie fainted from the pain
Afterwards, Idek threatens Elie with more whipping
if
he ever reveals what he saw
INFERENCE: Idek was breaking a camp law, and if he was found
out – he could face punishment similar to the greedy dentist
Pg. 54-65
During an air raid at Buna, prisoners
are required to be confined to their
block
Two cauldrons of soup are left unattended
Everyone stares in extreme hunger, but
only one man was brave enough to attempt
to eat the food
He reached the cauldron, and then was shot
dead before he could eat the food.
The only man who died during the
air raid was this man.
Pg. 54-65
A week after the bombing, the
Nazi’s create a “gallow” in the
central square to hang a man who
attempted to steal during the air
raid
The narrative discusses 2 of the
other prisoners in depth:
One is suspect is involved with the
resistance
One is a young boy (the
pipel)
who was
the servant of a resistance member
Pg. 54-65
The prisoners seemingly never cry as they are always
in pain. The boy’s death brought them all to tears.
When being hung, you die from your weight pulling down and
snapping your neck. The boy was too light. He suffocated to
death as he strangled himself at the end of the noose.
Starts a discussion on God and faith in relation to the
Holocaust
Pg. 54-65 Passage Analysis
“And so he remained for more than half an hour,
lingering between life and death, writing before our
eyes. And we were forced to look at him at close range.
He was still alive when I passed him. His tongue was
still red, his eyes not yet extinguished.”
Pg. 66-75
Elie is angry and confused about God
Wants to know why he should pray: he was
targeted
and
oppressed.
To him, a just God would never let this happen.
You must understand, Elie struggled with his faith
because he suffered physically to no end.
Pg. 66-75
By the end of 1944:
Elie begins to struggle and rebel against religious traditions: he
eats on a day of fasting to prove his lack of faith
Pg. 66-75
Dr. Mengele and the selection:
Nazi’s executed anyone who had become too frail or too weak.
Others were kept alive as they could still work (… still suffer)
Both Elie and his father pass the selection.
He does not stop to think about those who did not pass, he is too
thankful to be alive.
The Holocaust has changed him… he is no longer compassionate.
Pg. 66-75 Passage Analysis
“I did not fast. First of all, to please my father who had
forbidden me to do so. And then, there was no longer
any reason for me to fast. I no longer accepted God’s
silence. As I swallowed my ration of soup, I turned that
act into a symbol of rebellion, of protest against Him.
And I nibbled on my crust of bread.
Deep inside me, I felt a great void opening.”
Pg. 75-84
Victims in the hospital were treated better
No work
Better food
If the victims were healed, they could return to their
suffering.
The goal was to exterminate the Jewish race, but an underlying
mission was to cause pain and suffering. By prolonging some of
those that were dying, the Nazi’s were able to aid this underlying
mission.
Pg. 75-84
Rumors of a liberation are encouraged
Nazi’s started moving victims to new camps
This caused the inmates to
believe
the rumor
Those in the infirmary had a choice: march or stay?
If they go, they could die. If they stay, they could die.
On the other hand, they could be found and saved.
Elie and his father choose to go. They could have been liberated
had
they stayed.
Pg. 75-84
Inmates are forced to clean their housing
Designed to mislead the liberating army
If the area is clean, it cannot be thought that prisoners of war
were being held and tortured there
Pg. 75-84 Passage Analysis
“What do you care what he said? Would you want us
to consider him a prophet?”
His cold eyes stared at me. At last, he said wearily:
“I have more faith in Hitler that in anyone else. He
alone has kept his promises, all his promises, to the
Jewish people.”
Pg. 85-97
Death March
Running to a new location to avoid the liberation forces
Minimal breaks – very few opportunities to catch ones’ breath
SS soldiers were offered chances to rest and to catch breath
If you could not keep up, you would be trampled to
death by other victims, or you were shot by the S.S.
Pg. 85-97
This is the best known of all the death marches:
January 1945
60,000 prisoners marched out of camp
35 miles long, then put on a freight train to other camps
Approximately 15,000 died on the way
Pg. 85-97
The Rabbi’s story:
Lost his son during the death march
Elie remembers the true story: the son
ran ahead
as his father
fell
behind
Family and friends once were the pillars for the reason to survive
They became meaningless in the end,
self survival
was more
important
Pg. 85-97
Juliek the violinist:
Plays the violin and brings life to the fellow survivors; music is
not something they have heard/experienced in a great deal of
time
He played the violin until he died
In the morning: he was dead, and the violin was trampled
Pg. 85-97
Selection process:
Weak to the left, strong to the right
Elie’s father was sent to the left
Elie ran after his father, created confusion and pulled him to the
right in order to save his father’s life
Pg. 85-97 Passage Analysis
“A terrible thought crossed my mind: What if he had
wanted to be rid of his father? He had felt his father
growing weaker and, believing that the end was near,
had thought by this separation to free himself of a
burden than could diminish his own chance for
survival.”
Pg. 98-103
Elie worries about his father’s health and ability to
progress is dwindling
Glassy eyes, not moving, etc.
The S.S. are clearing out the trains of those that are
dead
Victims helped as they could steal their clothes and anything of
value
Pg. 98-103
Elie manages to get his father to move, and the train
continues to travel for days
The train is uncovered, and so they are draped in snow freezing
to death
Travelling to Buchenwald
Another sub-camp of Auschwitz
Pg. 98-103
During the travel, a civilian throws bread onto the train
The victims fight over the bread, try to kill one another for the
bread
INFERENCE: The idea of compassion has to come from the right
place. If you give to help, be sure in the end it does not cause
more pain.
Proven by the story of the woman who shared coins with the children
in the fountains. The children were trying to kill one another.
Charity has to done so in a way to
help
, not
hurt.
Pg. 98-103 Passage Analysis
“… And what if he were dead, as well? I called out to
him. No response. I would have screamed if I could
have. He was not moving.
Suddenly, the evidence overwhelmed me: there was no
longer any reason to live, any reason to fight.”
Pg. 104-112
Arrival at Buchenwald:
Told about taking a “hot shower”
Elie is tasked with trying to get to the showers, but to also help
his father who has resigned to die
Pg. 104-112
Elie realizes that his father is sick, he does not accept
the reality of it: his father is dying of dysentery
Deathly ill, weakened, consistently thirsty (however, should he
drink water – it could help kill him)
Doctors will not cure him
Other victims in the bed nearby steal his food and assault him
because they are angry that he does not have the strength to go
the bathroom outside
Pg. 104-112
Elie’s father gets worse, and other victims recommend
to Elie that he worry only for himself (his father was
going to die anyway)
He could be eating his rations to save his own life
He immediately regrets thinking this way, is ashamed
Elie pretends to be sick so that he can remain with his father in
the blocks
Pg. 104-112
S.S. officers are in the blocks, and Elie’s father keeps
crying out to Elie to get him more water.
The officer commands him to be silent. When he does not
comply, he takes a club to Elie’s fathers head.
Pg. 104-112
January 28, 1945: Elie went to sleep above his father’s
cot.
January 29, 1945: Elie woke up to an empty cot, his
father was taken to the crematoria.
Elie is not sure if he was
actually
dead, or near death
In any case, his father is now gone
Pg. 104-112 Passage Analysis
“No prayers were said over his tomb. No candle lit in
his memory. His last word had been my name. He had
called out to me and I had not answered.”
Pg. 113-115
Remained in Buchenwald until April 11, 1945
He does not describe his time there (his father died, he felt he
had no reason to live)
Pg. 113-115
April 5:
Mass “liquidation” – the camp would do roll call and force people
to leave its gates, never to return
April 10:
20,000 still in the camp (all would evacuate at the same time)
Resistance movement decided to act at 10:00 A.M:
By 6:00 P.M., the S.S. had fled and the first American tank entered the
gates of Buchenwald
Pg. 113-115
First act of freedom:
Eating
Getting clothes
Sex
Never talk about revenge
The idea was to show that ignorance and hate only leads to pain.
As the person on the end of torture, he says it is best to rise
above the hate. Revenge will not “fix” anything.
Pg. 113-115 Passage Analysis
“From the depths of the mirror, a corpse was
contemplating me.
The look in his eyes as he gazed at me has never left
me.”
Class Wordle
Much like you did in your PBL assignment, we are
going to create a Wordle.
Right now, write down a list of five words/phrases in
which you feel best “summarize” this novel.
Be prepared to share out – we are going to create the
Wordle in class.
Pages 3-12 of "Night" by Elie Wiesel reveal the protagonist's family history, interactions with Moishe the Beadle, and the emergence of German power during the Holocaust. Starting in 1941 when Elie is 13 years old, the narrative explores the ignorance and disbelief surrounding the deportation of Jews, the survival story of Moishe, and the initial refusal to accept the mass extermination. Through character developments and subtle hints, Wiesel intricately weaves a tale of innocence shattered by the unfolding horrors of the Holocaust.
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Presentation Transcript
Night ACTIVE READING NOTES AND PASSAGE ANALYSIS
Passage Analysis Each requires a complete sentence, and at least 2-3 sentences to fully answer. Your commentary should fully explain your response. (1) Identify two strong words/phrases in the passage. What makes this word/phrase strong? How does it impact the audience? (2) How does Wiesel sound (think: tone)? How does he ensure these feelings come across? (2) What is the ultimate claim that could be made from the passage being read and discussed? What does Wiesel want us to think after reading that specific passage?
Pages 3-12 Reveals family history Starts in 1941, he is 13-years-old Does not know what The Final Solution is (proves Hitler s agenda is very secretive) He was deeply religious Has 3 siblings: 2 older sisters 1 younger sister
Pages 3-12 Moishe the Beadle Poor child in Sighet He is left alone often (his character development suggests that he is unloved) Known for asking controversial questions Why do you pray? Elie does not know how to answer his questions. Moshe helps him to want to learn about involved religions that might help him answer that question.
Pages 3-12 German power starts to be known Foreign Jews are deported (Moishe) Rumored to be at a labor camp; people are okay with this idea of losing rights Sighet stops talking about the deported Jews The common belief: we are safe and the labor camps cannot be real The start of developed ignornace
Pages 3-12 Moishe s story: He survived, by sheer happenstance Gestapo (part of the Nazi party) stopped train, made victims dig a mass grave, and then executed the victims. It was about fear and suffering.
Pages 3-12 1945: People believed mass extermination was not realistic (it was so barbaric, people refused to believe the stories) There were few witnesses and absolutely no photographic evidence Why should they believe? Also: Elie asks to leave Sighet. Father refuses (he is too old). German forces arrive shortly after this request.
Pages 3-12 German officers: Good natured, supportive Sighet Jews refuse to believe the rumors, even mocked the rumors In reality: Germans were taking notes, identifying the Jewish families, and establishing a need for a ghetto He was a spy. A very likeable spy who falsely gained their trust.
Pages 3-12 German forces then . Arrested political leaders Placed Jewish families under house arrest (3 days) Seen outside? Punishment was death. Forbidden to own valuable property Forced to wear the Star of David (the yellow star) Could not be out of their house past 6:00PM Could not travel Could not go caf s or diners THIS IS THE START OF A GHETTO.
Pages 3-12 Passage Analysis He told me what happened to him and his companions. The train with the deportees had crossed the Hungarian border and, once in Polish territory, had been taken over by the Gestapo. The train had stopped. The Jews were ordered to get off and onto the waiting trucks. The trucks headed toward a forest. There everybody was ordered to get out. They were forced to dig huge trenches. When they had finished their work, the men from the Gestapo began theirs. Without passion or haste, they shot their prisoners, who were forced to approach the trench one by one and offer their necks. Infants were tossed into the air and used as targets for the machine guns. This took place in the Galician forest, near Kolomay. How had he, Moishe the Beadle, been able to escape? By a miracle.
Pg. 12-22 Two ghettos created One large and one small Some remained in their home, others were forced to move Families moved in to help others Walls and barriers were built to establish segregation
Pg. 12-22 Once in the ghetto People accepted their fate (they were alive, and were separated from the Germans not dead) People refused to accept that the Holocaust was occurring even the people who would most likely be killed from it If the victims did not believe it was true, then the same might be said of the Allied forces at war
Pg. 12-22 Larger ghetto condensed to just smaller ghetto Ghetto starts to be destroyed the Jews of Sighet were now being transported They do not know where. Concentration camps were not highly publicized. President of Jewish Council does know Germans threaten to kill if he tells anyone.
Pg. 12-22 People were loaded like cattle onto a freight train German s goals: Remove freedom Cage the Jews Transport them to the camps The Germans treated people like animals to make them feel less human.
Pg. 12-22 First reference to night It s a time that is too dark to see, and thus becomes something to fear Tomorrow (a daylight) seems to be unknown
Pg. 12-22 Passage Analysis Night. No one was praying for the night to pass quickly. The stars were but sparks of the immense conflagration that was consuming us. Were this conflagration to be extinguished one day, nothing would be left in the sky but extinct stars and unseeing eyes.
Pg. 23-28 In a train, headed to Auschwitz Largest and most deadly death camp (used labor and gas chambers) Between 1940 and 1945, over four million people died there
Pg. 23-28 Germans are psychologically trying to affect their victims by treating them as animals Loaded into a cattle car, the symbolism was meant to deeply affect their victims They call them dogs
Pg. 23-28 Mrs. Schacter Sees a fire (inside of her mind, no one else can see this fire) She is having an anxiety attack: her friends and son are trying to calm her Her screams could mean their death The men tie and gag her to prevent screaming (she s affecting them psychologically, too). She gets loose, they physically strike her. The Holocaust victims became violent towards one another out of preservation. They have been treated like an animal, so now they are starting to act like one.
Pg. 23-28 Auschwitz-Birkenau Final destination (learned by someone reading and offering gold watch) 1944: Auschwitz-Birkenau had been opened for four years This proves that German propaganda to hide the truth worked: no one knew what Auschwitz was or did.
Pg. 23-28 Passage Analysis The night seemed endless. By daybreak, Mrs. Schachter had settled down. Crouching in her corner, her blank gaze fixed on some faraway place, she no longer saw us.
Pg. 29-37 At Auschwitz-Birkenau: Men to the left, women to the right. This is the last he saw of his mother, his younger sister This is the selection process: Determining who will live and who will die
Pg. 29-37 An old man gives advice to avoid being selected : Elie is OLDER than he actually is Shlomo (his father) is YOUNGER than he actually is
Pg. 29-37 The old man becomes angry due to their confusion The Wiesel s were too innocent/ignorant to know or to recognize the danger that they were in. The old man is insulted he has been there for a while. No one has come to save him from the Holocaust. Them not knowing anything proves to the old man that no one will be coming.
Pg. 29-37 Dr. Mengele cruel, though not intelligent, face, complete with a monocle Determined who was selected with his cane Known as the Angel of Death LEFT: you are put to work RIGHT: crematoria
Pg. 29-37 SS officers search for stronger men Kommando: German word for detachment, here a detachment of concentration camp prisoners at forced labor A similar role to a Kommando was Kapos: a concentration camp prisoner selected to oversee other prisoners on labor details. The term is often used generically for any concentration camp prisoner whom the SS gave authority over other prisoners.
Pg. 29-37 Arrival process: Selection Barracks Loss of clothes Loss of possessions Barber: loss of hair Disinfectant Running in the snow/cold further psychological attacks Clothes given
Pg. 27-37 Passage Analysis Never shall I forget that night, the first night in camp, that turned my life into one long night seven times sealed. Never shall I forget that smoke. Never shall I forget the small faces of the children whose bodies I saw transformed into smoke under a silent sky. Never shall I forget those flames that consumed my faith forever. Never shall I forget the nocturnal silence that deprived me for all eternity of the desire to live. Never shall I forget those moments that murdered my God and my soul and turned my dreams to ashes. Never shall I forget those things, even were I condemned to live as long as God himself. Never.
Pg. 37-46 One NIGHT from arrival: Last image of mother and sister Man shot and killed Infant bodies in grave Crematoria Shaved, freezing, degraded
Pg. 37-46 Passes under gate of Auschwitz: Arbeit Macht Frei Work makes you free Literal translation: you work yourself to death, and in death you are free of the oppression. They encouraged their victims to hope for death.
Pg. 37-46 All Holocaust victims bear a tattoo. Nazi s numbered their victims to ensure that they were able to keep track of how many victims were murdered. Continuation of de-humanization Elie: A-7713
Pg. 37-46 Stein: relative of the Wiesel s His only reason to live is finding his family He is always asking for any person who can verify that they are still alive Once he discovers the truth, that they are dead, we never see him again. The understanding is that he had no reason to live without his family being there. He lost his will to survive. It s an inference with deeply-rooted understanding in survival.
Pg. 37-46 Elie and a few hundred others were then taken to the next location: Buna A sub-camp of Auschwitz (aka: Auschwitz III)
Pg. 37-46 Passage Analysis In the afternoon, they made us line up. Three prisoners brought a table and some medical instruments. We were told to roll up our left sleeves and file past the table. The three veteran prisoners, needles in hand, tattooed numbers on our left arms. I became A-7713. From then on, I had no other name.
Pg.47-54 Victims of the Holocaust were intentionally starved, while the leaders of the camp were obese Holocaust victims would trade food and clothing with the perpetrators for additional rights
Pg. 47-54 Rumors also swirled about some of the leaders of the camp about inappropriate actions with children It was thought that some of the leaders engaged in sex trafficking with young boys at the time. This is a further extension of human trafficking: illegal trade of human beings for the purposes of reproductive slavery, commercial sexual exploitation, forced labor, or a modern-day form of slavery
Pg.47-54 Dentists made notes about those with gold fillings in their teeth It was about who had money in their mouth It was about greed Basic human emotion Driving factor of hate Not always money related, but often connected
Pg. 47-54 Passage Analysis A few days after my visit, the dentist s office was shut down. He had been thrown into prison and was about to be hanged. It appeared that he had been dealing in the prisoners gold teeth for his own benefit. I felt no pity for him. In fact, I was pleased with what was happening to him: my gold crown was safe. It could be useful to me one day, to buy something, some bread or even some time to live. At that moment in time, all that mattered to me was my daily bowl of soup, my crust of stale bread. The bread, the soup those were my entire life. I was nothing but a body. Perhaps even less: a famished stomach. The stomach alone was measuring time.
Pg. 54-65 Elie discusses Idek and other German leaders who physically beat the prisoners at Buna during times of madness Elie is attacked most often for being in the wrong place at the wrong time When guards were angry, they released their anger on the prisoners with no reason (Elie s first recount, he crossed in front of Idek nothing else)
Pg.54-65 Elie s father and their relationship Elie loves him dearly, tries to help him as often as possible Elie forfeited his gold tooth to save his father from Franek s constant assaults Removed with a rusty spoon in the latrines Lost his tooth for nothing, he was transferred two weeks later
Pg. 54-65 One day, before his transfer, on the day he was not scheduled to work, Idek forced everyone to work. During the time he worked, Idek was nowhere to be found Elie found Idek, in the back of a warehouse with a young girl Idek forced hundreds to work so that he could sleep with a girl Elie laughs at the notion it was that ridiculous Idek swears revenge on Elie
Pg. 54-65 Elie is called forward with his ID number, placed on a crate, and is whipped 25 times Elie fainted from the pain Afterwards, Idek threatens Elie with more whipping if he ever reveals what he saw INFERENCE: Idek was breaking a camp law, and if he was found out he could face punishment similar to the greedy dentist
Pg. 54-65 During an air raid at Buna, prisoners are required to be confined to their block Two cauldrons of soup are left unattended Everyone stares in extreme hunger, but only one man was brave enough to attempt to eat the food He reached the cauldron, and then was shot dead before he could eat the food. The only man who died during the air raid was this man.
Pg. 54-65 A week after the bombing, the Nazi s create a gallow in the central square to hang a man who attempted to steal during the air raid The narrative discusses 2 of the other prisoners in depth: One is suspect is involved with the resistance One is a young boy (the pipel) who was the servant of a resistance member
Pg. 54-65 The prisoners seemingly never cry as they are always in pain. The boy s death brought them all to tears. When being hung, you die from your weight pulling down and snapping your neck. The boy was too light. He suffocated to death as he strangled himself at the end of the noose. Starts a discussion on God and faith in relation to the Holocaust
Pg. 54-65 Passage Analysis And so he remained for more than half an hour, lingering between life and death, writing before our eyes. And we were forced to look at him at close range. He was still alive when I passed him. His tongue was still red, his eyes not yet extinguished.
Pg. 66-75 Elie is angry and confused about God Wants to know why he should pray: he was targeted and oppressed. To him, a just God would never let this happen. You must understand, Elie struggled with his faith because he suffered physically to no end.
Pg. 66-75 By the end of 1944: Elie begins to struggle and rebel against religious traditions: he eats on a day of fasting to prove his lack of faith
Pg. 66-75 Dr. Mengele and the selection: Nazi s executed anyone who had become too frail or too weak. Others were kept alive as they could still work ( still suffer) Both Elie and his father pass the selection. He does not stop to think about those who did not pass, he is too thankful to be alive. The Holocaust has changed him he is no longer compassionate.
Pg. 66-75 Passage Analysis I did not fast. First of all, to please my father who had forbidden me to do so. And then, there was no longer any reason for me to fast. I no longer accepted God s silence. As I swallowed my ration of soup, I turned that act into a symbol of rebellion, of protest against Him. And I nibbled on my crust of bread. Deep inside me, I felt a great void opening.
