Wrap Up for Night

Our Advanced Composition class had a great time blogging about the novel Night. Here are some of the reflections written by class members:

- "Being able to blog freely, at any given time of the day allowed me to sort my thoughts out clearly."

- "The overall experience of the blog we did for Night was actually shockingly enjoyable."

- "By having a blog, everyone was able to interact and pay attention to the details that they otherwise would not have caught; which led to long discussions over ideas of what the author was trying to convey."

- "I enjoyed the blog we did for Night because it felt very interactive and it was easy to do on the go since we could access it on our phones."

- "I would love to do this again."

- "I was able to express myself in a different way. I became excited and quickly loved blogging."

- "I found the blog we made for Night to be very helpful because my older siblings told me that a lot of their classes have assignments that require to post online."

- "The blog allowed me to observe a story through many different viewpoints."

- "It allowed the class to engage in conversation and brought to my attention different things about the story that weren't caught while reading."

- "I was afraid to post my thoughts on a blog...I realized I was over-thinking it. By the third chapter I really enjoyed the blog. I wanted to read the chapters as quickly as possible and post before anyone else could steal my thoughts."

- "I would like to do a blog like this on every book we read."

- "A lot of the symbols had multiple interpretations which at first I did not notice but when I went into the blog and read my classmates' posts I comprehended the chapters and symbols better."

- "I really enjoyed blogging and it got me more involved with the novel and had me thinking more deeply than usual."

- "The system of comments was also probably the most important part of the assignment since we had to engage in some kind of conversation with each other, leading to a deeper understanding of the work."

- "It was a way for people who normally don't talk much to voice their opinions and thoughts."

Our blogging experience has created not only a fire within our own class, but we have inspired sparks for other classes on our campus as well. 

*All posts from January 12 through February 20 are discussions about the novel Night by Elie Wiesel. 

Ch. 8/9- Over

I found it very mind boggling of how Elie just ended the story. How the author did not include any after the war stories or anything. I wonder if this sudden ending was just the perfect way to state that the German possession over the Jews was over. I interpreted the sudden ending of the story Elie's way of coping with he was free and that part of his life was over. Which makes sense because why would anyone want to remember those days of inprisonment.

Ch. 8/9

 In these final Chapters Elie describes the physical hardships of moving camps. Although Elie has the will to survive, his father becomes weaker and weaker. What was so shocking to me was that his father held on for so long but died only a few weeks before they were liberated. It's sad to think that if he would have held on a little longer he might have survived. I was also shocked at how anyone would have been able to survive the journey. They were given no food , no water, and we're forced to run twelve miles in the cold. It's hard for me to believe that the Nazi's hoped for any survivors. 

The Look in His Eyes

The final lines of the book can't help but leave the reader with a strange mix of relief, disillusionment, and contemplation. Though it definitely wasn't the most satisfying ending that I've read, it was unmistakably the realest. I don't know about everyone else, but I know that I still enjoy the whimsical, "fairy-tale" endings that can be found in children's books because they provide that sense of fulfillment and resolution that's often absent from life. They allow me to imagine that even as the story concludes, the characters continue to live on in happiness... Night is the complete opposite. And I think that's what's made it such a truly remarkable piece of literature. Unlike the idealistic books of my childhood, Night reminds me that life isn't all rainbows and sunshine... and even when it is, bows of color are dimmer and the sunshine feels more like a curse rather than a blessing. Night reminds us that the capacity of the human will, which is so beautifully dangerous, has the power to not only execute something as horrendous as the Holocaust, but to also author something as illuminating and powerful as Night.

ch.8/9 thoughts

It was surprising to see how Wiesel’s father was treated in his last dying moments. As he lied in his cot, barely alive, he was beat by his neighbors for his rations. This comes off as more shocking than the other beatings because it is coming from people in his same position instead of their captors. The event displays how when humans are at their lowest point, some will just break and their worst will come out of them. This even happened to Wiesel as he started to feel like he should just abandon his father and got these selfish thoughts of taking his ration’s, but then he would feel guilty about these thoughts as if he were fighting this inner darkness within himself.

Ch.8/9

Within these two chapters, I noticed Elie's reluctance in taking care of his weak, dying father. At their arrival at the new camp, Elie's father felt he could not muster the strength to survive any longer. And it was saddening to see Elie push his father to stay alive, yet he was very unwilling to take care of him. Elie saw his father's pain and suffering as a nuisance, which struck me. He had become like Rabbi Eliahu' son, just as he had feared.

Ch. 8/9: The End

These last two chapters of the book were strange to me because they didn't seem to be wrapping up the story or concluding it in any way. After Elie's father died in chapter 8, there wasn't any closure for Elie and the story never seemed to move on. It abruptly ended Elie looking at his reflection, describing it as something separate from himself. I didn't like this ending because it felt so abrupt. I wished for more details about his life after the war ended and how he turned out. I wanted some type of closure or happy ending. But I realized that perhaps Elie ended the book this way because he, and the Jewish people, never got a happy ending.

Ch. 7: Bread Fight

What stood out to me in the chapter was how horrible it was when the father and son died fighting over a crust of bread. It was shocking to me how the son didn't care about his father at all and only thought of bread, and treated his father like how an animal would treat someone with food. The son took the bread from his dead father but he too was killed before he could eat it. They both died for nothing and didn't even have the company of one another. The most powerful thing about this part of the chapter was how Elie ended it by dramatically saying "I was sixteen", emphasizing how young he was and how much horror he had witnessed.

Chapter 7- Animals

Throughout the novel Elie compares the Jews to cattle who are being herded and transported from one place to another in cattle cars. He also mentions multiple times of how the Germans treat the Jews like animals. In chapter 7 Elie makes it seem like the Jews are not just cattle anymore, but they are more interesting animals like those at a circus that generate attention. The author repeatedly states of how the Germans find themselves in awe while watching the Jews fight for the little pieces of food that get thrown in. The Jews beat and put one another out like wild animals would do for some food that gets thrown at them. Not only do the Jews fight for food, but Elie mentioned how the Jews would also fight for money that was tossed in. It's interesting how Elie, however, is above this "circus act" of wild animals. He just sits back and watches for a while and then finally asks the Germans to stop throwing in food/money.

Chapter 8/9

The last sentence of the book really struck me, because it was such an upbrupt way that Wiesel decided to end the book. I feel that all the last appearances of all the characters are extremely abrupt, like the death of Wiesel's father, the last time he sees his mother and sister,  and all the other deaths of people he experiences within the concentration camps.  So I think that all though it is and unsatisfying ending,  it was fitting to end all of his character stories in an abrupt way. The way that he describes his physical  features after the concentration camp shows just how different and hurt he has come. He is essential rising from "death" at the end of the book to describe how he is going to carry on for the rest of his life.  He left a huge piece of him inside the walls if those various concentration camps .

As I finished reading the book, and even though I have read it many times before and know how it ends, I shuddered at Elie's ending lines. It was as if Elie recognized the two people he was; he separated the part of him that died - the "him" from the "me". And at the same time, he recognized that the "him" would always be there - "the look in his eyes as he gazed at me has never left me" - so that the two became one.

What I would like for us to think about is how could not only Hitler and the Nazis do this to the Jews, but how could the world have allowed this to happen. Consider WHY Russia was involved in the war. Consider WHY the U.S. finally got involved in the war. Consider WHY other countries finally came to the aid of these people.

Then apply that not only to current day atrocities that are occurring in our world, but also to local/personal issues we see on a daily basis. Can we continue to turn a blind eye to the oppression and suffering of humanity? What can we do as individuals to bring awareness to the world about issues that plague humanity? Must we care about every single holocaust, every child who is being trafficked, every animal that is mistreated, and every other issue that afflicts humanity?

In other words, what do you believe your role is when it comes to humanity? We will be reading Elie's speech when he was awarded the Nobel Prize that will further help inform this conversation.

Chapter 8&9 - The End is Here

It's sad to see Elie's father pass away when freedom was so close. Obviously it would have taken a lot of strength to get there and I just don't think he had the will to survive anymore. It's amazing that he lasted that long after all the beatings and work and starvation. There's this TV show I watch called The 100 and when one of their people dies, someone whispers I'm their ear, "Your fight is over." Although it's sad that Elie's father died, his suffering has ended and that's a beautiful thing. Although it seemed harsh that Elie felt relieved, I think it's completely understandable.

Chapter 8/9

When reading this chapter, I noticed the difference from the very beginning of the book in where Elie was really scared to lose his father and to be separated from him, to showing a bit of relief when he found out his father was taken to the crematory. Although Elie was upset that his father was gone for good, I feel that he also felt a sense of relief that his father was now dead. This was because he knew now his father would finally be at peace. He knew that even if his father still lived physically, emotionally and mentally they were dead. Elie said “a corpse gazed back at me,” when he was finally free and looked in a mirror. This shows that he isn’t happy that he’s still living. The Nazis caused for the Jews to lose their sense of humanity. Elie really felt that he has nothing to live for now that he has no one. 

Ch. 8/9

"I did not weep and it pained me that I could not weep." I will weep, if only so I will have a physical reminder that there are those dying at the hand of their oppressors. Elie continued to alluding to to being just like Elihu's son, but Elie stuck by his father to the bitter end even when everyone including himself said give up on him. We commit a greater crime than Elihu's son if we forget those, suffering because we have so much to give. Elie had nothing and he gave to his father how much more can we. Elie was left with nothing except the horrors of the concentration camp. He had seen his father die in his hands. I'm glad he had the courage to write this book it is a good reminder.

Chapter 8 & 9

Even though Elie survived the Holocaust, I think that a part of him died that day that his father died. It is scary to think that this really happened. It is horrible to think that there were people who had so much hate against certain groups of people. It is frustrating to think that the Nazis did this to the Jews and to many more other groups. How can the Nazis eventually make people become mindless, numb, and survive to any extent?  Even though Elie, eventually wanted to just survive and not think anymore about his father, he still loved his father. He proved it many times and he was tempted many times but he still had strength to care and love his father. However, the circumstances and situation that he was placed in made him just think about food and survival. That must have been hard and it must have taken great strength and love to last that long. After finishing this book I have gained a greater insight into how things really were in the concentration camps. I have learned things about life and history and a story about a man who lost his : innocence, his family, his pride, and his people; but, he survived the Holocaust.

Chapter 7

In this chapter Elie's energy and happiness has been sucked out of him. He is weak and it barely sustaining himself. He can no longer distinguish the dead from the ones (the Jews) who are alive. Since they almost look like corpses he cannot tell whether they are still alive. This appealed greatly to my emotion. "Here or elsewhere, what did it matter? Die today or tomorrow, or later? That night was growing longer, never-ending." His situation is unfortunate because he and many of the others tried their best to survive in the concentration camp. But, they have gone trough too many hardships under the Nazis. The Jews can't rationalize since they don't have enough to eat and have turned against themselves.

Ch. 6 Resisting death

Chapter six revealed to me a human’s capacity to not succumb to death. When Eliezer and his father leave and then return to the shed where hundreds of prisoners were falling asleep in the snow and dying, Eliezer’s father convinces him to try and rest under his watchful eye. Eliezer tries to fall asleep but can’t, because he knows it would mean death. This is where he states “And something in me rebelled against death.” Previously in the book Eliezer had contemplated death, and saw it as an escape from the suffering he endured. And yet, at this moment when death would be as easy as falling asleep, he resisted. And he did not know why. This shows how powerful the human instinct to live is.

Ch.7 Sleep

Reading the first two pages of this chapter, I found it selfish of Elie to wake his father from his deep sleep, practically waking his father up from the dead. I know this thought comes off as cruel and insensitive, but at this point, Elie's father was clearly unfit to push on. All the marching through the snow had exhausted him completely, leaving him nothing but a lifeless body. Sure he had been able to withstand unimaginable trials up to now, but who's to know when it'd all end? And how much longer could he possible brave through the suffering? Elie had a chance to put an end to his father's agony, yet he chose to prolong his torment.

Ch 8/9

Even though I knew that they're state of mind In the concentration camp was survival, hearing it said my one of the blockalteste say he had to think about himself and nobody else came as a surprise to me. What shocked me even more was the fact that Elie began to become more selfish even thinking about how his fathers death would bring him less responsibility. He began to want to keep his fathers soup and bread and his father didn't have any one else to help him. He was dying and wanted his son to help but his son couldn't help him and at the same time didn't have the power to feel anything anymore mentally and physically. In the last chapter it surprised me that there was no thought of revenge from the Jews after they were liberated. Elie even says that after a long time of being free not once did anyone try to think about revenge. I think it had to do with the fact that they were already so tried of the situation and were so disconnected with their emotions. 

Ch 7

In this chapter when Elie said that when they through bread in the wagon all the Jews started to attack each other I thought about how dehumanized they were being described. He also said they threw the dead into a wagon like a sack of flour when they died. Those events make me think that because they aren't treated like humans, Elie and others don't think they they are actually as human anymore, emotionally.Everything that Elie describes about the inmates and himself make it sounds like he has given up on the fact that he is human and they have too.

Chapter 8/9

The last two chapters were very difficult to read because of the death of Elie's father. I noticed that Elie stretched out the chapter in which he died, including lots of details about his last few days. He even goes deep within himself, revealing the struggles he faced as he realized his father was about to pass on. I also noticed that he made the last chapter, in which he is freed, very short. I think the reason behind this format was that he wanted to emphasize how little the time after his father passed meant to him. He highlights the fact that nothing mattered to him after his father died. This shows us exactly how much Elie's father really meant to him. The chapters also showed us how hard it was for Elie to accept that his father was dying and to try and make the right choices in order to survive himself, without being disrespectful to his dying father.

Chapter 8/9

I found it interesting how much time had passed between the death of Elie's father and the day he was freed.  A majority of the book is about Elie and his father and their struggle through the multiple camps.  Only three pages are about Elie being freed.  This shows that although there were times when Elie did not necessarily show sympathy towards his father, he is showing it through the use of the book.  The time between the death of his father and Elie being free meant nothing to him.  He really did care about his father, and did not want to believe in the "every man for himself" concept.  Had he not cared, a majority of the book would have been about the day he was freed.

Chapter 8/9

"I knew that he must not drink. Water was the worst poison for him, but what else could I do for him? With or without water, it would be over soon anyway..."
'You, at least have pity on me...'
"Have pity on him! I, his only son..."
The very last sentence to this struck me the most. It almost seems like Elie was giving into his father's demands for water to speed up the process, his death. I wouldn't say intentionally, I wouldn't like it to be true. Elie understood that giving in would mean a likely death for his father because water wasn't good for him in this state. I'd also like to mention the last sentence in chapter nine. "The look in his eyes as he gazed at me has never left me." This whole time Elie hadn't been able to look at himself, or well actually he hadn't been able to focus on things that weren't vital to his survival. It was just a chilling statement to me. I've also noticed that many of the last sentences to paragraphs have a lot of meaning to them, like they end with a strong tone. Leaving the reader eager for more, or shocked, or perhaps both. Great book though.

Revenge (ch. 8/9)

The last two chapters were definitely the hardest to read. But what caught my attention was the fact that none of the prisoners sought revenge against the nazis when they were freed. Elie does mention that  revenge was necessary, but fails to bring up the topic again and instead focuses on something else. I found this odd because of the gruesome experience that the prisoners had while in the concentration camp. As I thought about it, I came to the realization that the prisoners did want revenge, but they knew they could never change what had happened to them. The Jews had experienced a living hell. Their loved ones were killed, they were practically starved and beaten to death, and had been stripped of their humanity. In other words, the Jews may have thought about revenge, but what had happened to them couldn't be erased. 

Ch. 7 Thoughts

The Jews were treated like animals once again when they were fed bread by the German worker. The worker was exploiting their suffering and hunger for his own amusement eventually as it was fascinating for him to watch them fight over food. But this worker was not thinking about what it would be like if he had been their position. However, when Wiesel witnessed a similar event years later, except with coins this time, he tried stopping one of the ladies as he knew how cruel it was capitalize on the hardships of others for your own amusement. This also shows how the lack of empathy could still be seen in the world, even after the war had ended.

Chapter 7

During this chapter we witness how inhuman the prisoners act. Fighting over a piece of bread, hurting/killing a family member, etc. Elie seems surprised, or well perhaps not necessarily surprised but more, amazed at the behaviors of his fellow beings. Amazed at the changes, animal like changes maybe. Despite having gone through so much, they continue to demonstrate inhuman like behaviors because of what was done to them. It almost seems as if the German Nazis continue to push the limits of  human beings with such acts. Because many of the citizens are no longer surprised to see them on trains. They are probably not even surprised to see their bodies and how sickly they all look. They are actually amused by throwing them pieces of bread and watching the prisoners behave like animals.

CH 8/9 - Free at Last

Elie previously prayed to never abandon his father, to never turn into Rabbi Eliahu's son, and when he said "like Rabbi Eliahu's son, [he] had not passed the test," my heart broke. Throughout Chapter 8 we see the constant internal conflict that Elie faces -- he is torn between caring for his father and only caring for himself. Should he share his food? Should he step in when his father is being beaten? Should he abandon his father?

When Elie awakes to see that his father is gone, he has no reaction. He doesn't cry. He doesn't search for him. The closest thing he has to a reaction is his inner most thought of "Free at last! . . ."

I think it's easy for us to judge what he did, what he thought, but as much as my heart sank when I read this, I wasn't angered or upset by Elie and his actions. I'm more saddened that he had to experience all of this and had to have this inner conflict at all. I can't begin to imagine what this must have been like for Elie to have gone through at such a young age. I can't begin to imagine how much of an impact this one year in the concentration camp must have had on the rest of his life. I feel as though even after he was liberated, he was never really free, that he's still haunted by things that he experienced and witnessed. I think that's evident in his writing, especially in the final line, "the look in his eyes as he gazed at me has never left me."

Chapter 7

I think that it was an interesting choice for Wiesel to make chapter 7 a short chapter, in order to show how short the last day of their journey was, and yet so many men where killed. I also think that Wiesel chose to only mention Meir Katz to represent how long it took Meir Katz to accept and realize that his son had died and that he realized he didn't have a reason to continue on. I also want to mention that the last paragraph of this chapter really struck me, because all of the men that began the journey and only 12 survived to the end to the next camp. It just showed how disposal the Jews were to the SS soldiers and it just highlight the immense tragedy of the holocaust.

Giving to charity

  For me the most upsetting part of the chapter is when they are ridding through the German town and the townspeople throw bread to taunt the Jews. People begin to kill each other. When Elie has a flash back to the woman in Paris throwing money to the children and watching them beat each other she is almost taking pleasure in being superior. It's so weird that people don't always do the right thing for the right reasons. People like to feel superior to others and their circumstances . The townspeople didn't throw the bread to help the Jews they did if to taunt them. There is no empathy there. 

Chapter 6- Death

This chapter really stood out to me because it highlighted Weisel's relationship with death and his relationship with his father, and how those two relationships were interconnected. In the beginning of the chapter he discussed how his father was the only reason that he was still trying to stay alive because he "...had no right to let myself die. What would he do without me? I was his sole support." He is able to contrast his relationship with his father to the relationship of Rabbi Eliahu and his son. Weisel theorizes that Rabbi Eliahu's son purposely abandons him in order to have a better chance at surviving on his own, and Weisel mentions all the "Sons abandoned the remains of their fathers without a tear" which symbolizes all the men that became so overcome with the thirst to live that the would turn leaving their fathers to die in the snow. This is a direct juxapostion to Weisel because as he is elaborating all the ways the he is constantly brushing death, like the freezing conditions or almost being suffocated by the pressure of death corpses on his back, he is constantly reminding himself he needs to live to also keep his father alive.

Chapter 7

When reading the novel I found this chapter to be very upsetting because of how the Jews seem to almost completely lost their humanity.  From the beginning of the book to this chapter the Jews seem to have slowly been losing their humanity over the course of time, and I believe this is because of the treatment they’ve received by the Nazis. A specific event that truly struck me was when the Jews volunteered to throw the cadavers out. How can someone throw out a body of people they were close too? And even volunteer to do the job? That would require to not feel emotions or to really not care for others. Also when the Jews were thrown bread, they beat themselves to death just for a piece. All of these events just show how they have lost their humanity. 

Chapter 7

I found it disturbing how quickly it seemed that the prisoners lost their humanity.  For only one piece of bread, a son was willing to kill his own father.  I understand that the prisoners are starving and have been treated terribly,  but for one to turn on his own family is beyond me.  What was also disturbing is how amused the German workers who threw the bread in the car seemed to be.  Elie compared it to another instance in which he was on a ship and a woman threw coins to watch children fight over it.  It is unbelievable that someone would take pleasure in watching humans at their lowest. Elie on the other hand refused to see his father harmed.  When the officers threatened to throw his father out of the car, Elie did all he could to wake his father.  He and his father still show strength even when they seem to be at their lowest.

Chapter 7 - From Beyond the Grave

This chapter was short, but had a lot of details in it that made my eyes water. The thing that had the biggest impact on me was the idea that there are millions of people who died during this time without graves, without their loved ones knowing where they are or what became of them. I think this hit me hard because recently I've lost a lot of my family and if I didn't know where they were or what happened to them, I'd go insane. And then I read about Meir Katz and how "his son had been taken from him during the first selection but only now was he crying for him," and I could really relate to that. When you first lose someone, you don't want to believe that they are gone and then later, little things hit you and eventually you realize what is no longer there and you just break down and can't take it anymore. Then I think about Elie and his father and how far they have made it together, each one fighting for the other, and the terrible pain Elie must feel when he thinks of losing his father during a time of such turmoil. Elie was so close to losing him during that train ride when the "gravediggers" almost threw him out, and I'm sure his father is using every last bit of his strength to stay alive for his son, because that is just what family does.

Chapter 7

This is the part of the book where the Jews lost their humanity almost entirely. They began to behave like animals once they were thrown into the convoys. They tossed their dead aside without a second thought, killed each other over scraps of bread, and many of them gave up. They were finally overwhelmed by their environment, lack of food, and lack of hope. Even the sturdiest of their ranks, Meir Katz remained on the train when they reached Buchenwald. He was done. As Elie's story nears its end, it is hard to believe that things could get any worse than they already are for him.

CH 7 - Volunteers

Through out the book we've seen the Jews face such cruel things and we've seen them slowly become more and more dehumanized. I always thought though that they still held on to some of their humanity, that it wasn't really possible for someone to be completely dehumanized, but this chapter has made me have some second thoughts.
When the corpses of the deceased were being unloaded from the train it was said that "volunteers began the task."
Volunteers.
This really hit me because I imagine that it was very crowded and uncomfortable but I don't understand how people could just volunteer to dispose of the corpses. These were bodies of people who had faced an awful, tragic death, a death that these others had barely managed to escape themselves. These bodies belonged to people that they may have known, people that they were suffering with side by side. I imagine that they wanted the bodies gone because it was, for various reasons, uncomfortable to have them around, but I really cannot wrap my head around the fact that people so easily, so quickly volunteered to remove them -- throw them out of the train and just abandon them. I think that it takes a lot of detachment and lack of emotions to do something like that. This chapter, this scene in particular, has really made me realize how much the Jews have been dehumanized and how much they've changed.

Chapter 7

I am amazed at how inhumane the prisoners acted in this chapter. Throughout the novel, I have noticed how the prisoners have slowly began to loose their humanity. In this chapter, it is evident that the prisoners have completely been destroyed both mentally and physically. For example, when the German workmen throw bread into the train, the prisoners behave like predatory animals. They will do whatever it takes to get some food, even if it means harming loved ones. This behavior has been caused by the nazis. By being forced to live in a place where there is no respect for others, the prisoners see no harm in behaving like animals. 

And then there were 12...

And then there were 12... In just a few days, a crowded cart full of starving men dwindled to an empty cart of lonely souls. I don't know about anyone else, but personally, I was dreading the moment that we'd read about the death of Elie's father, and was a bit surprised and relieved to learn that he survived the trip. 

However, I guess that's what makes this book so hard to read. Anyone who read the Foreword already knows the inescapable fate of Elie's poor father... Just as we knew what the invading Nazis signified. And the smokestacks in the concentration camps... And all of the other dreadful horrors of this book.

I know that the crowded, filthy enclosure of the cattle carts must have been unbearable, but just imagine how empty and barren those carts must have felt with only the 12 survivors. I mean the struggle between relief over their own survival and grief resulting from the loss of their friend Meir Katz must have been terrible. And even more... Not knowing what was waiting for them, must have been the greatest uncertainty of all.

H

Ch 4 late

What stuck with me the most about this chapter was the young man who refused to be 
cowed and the child who couldn't die. The first hanging, the young man, was the first in
the book to show true courage. I think I speak for most people when I say that if you 
have to die like that Ihope I would have the courage to act as he did. His body language 
and actions screamed that this is wrong that you cannot break him and that your evil can 
be conquered. He was a hero. The young boy who took so long to die was horrific and 
almost as bad as his death was the cowardice of those preasent. I don't know how I would 
truly respond if I were actually in that position, but from my relativly safe viewpoint I
say that I would rather die than stand idly by as a young boy is slaughtered.

Ch 3 late

The most disturbing and frightening passage in the chapter was, for me, at the 
end. The faithful began to say that this was all god's test and that they had no right to 
despire. "And if he punishes us mercilessly, it is a sign that he loves us that much 
more." This mentality is destructive and it takes away from te magnitude of the crimes 
being committed and their own behavior. The most disturbing part of the proceeding 
statement it the fact that it closly reflects the type of feelings that are often shown 
in victims of abuse. The fact that any form of a just god would cause this, or that
causing suffering proves love is a trap of self depreciation as well as absolvment of 
the other's crimes. Specifically the idea that hurting someone EVER proves love being spouted 
by leaders of a community is deeply disturbing.

Ch 2 late

The most disturbing thing about this chapter was the response to the mad old woman 
and her son. It was to late for her, as Elie said she had been shattered, but her little 
boy was alone except for her and the lack of pity and help for the woman for his sake was 
heartbreaking. He needed her and she was selfish and as were those in the car, in fact they
beat his mother in front of him. No fear is worth that type of cruelty twards that woman 
and more importantly her child.

Ch 1 late

The thing that struck me the most about this chapter was Elie's belief without a 
reason and Moisshe's questions about his faith. The neverending delusions of the people 
was also intruiging. Despite the horrors and neverending march tward ruin they kept up a 
form of optimism that only served as a lie to themselves. The refusual to hide was a 
strange choice that all charecters will regret as long as they live which likely wont be 
long.

Chap. 6- father son

 I think in this chapter it was sad how the Rabbi's son had let him fall behind and didn't stop running. This made me compare it to the relationship between Eli and his father, because I know that Eli would never do that seeing as his father is the only reason he has the will to live and vice versa. With the Rabbi's son, it seems that the cruel circumstances finally got to him and he began to see his father as a liability and that he would be better off without him. To him, it seems it was survival of the fittest. Also, I found it ironic how Eliezer prays that he doesn't have the strength to do what the Rabbi's son did. So this makes me think that he still has faith in God.

Chapter 6 - The Violin

I have always noticed Juliek and his violin, but during this reading of Night, I was really struck by the symbolic value of the violin and perhaps why Elie included such an image during this chapter. The violin is one of the few things of beauty Elie discusses. I believe it represents the will or hope of the Jews. It is interesting how Elie personifies the violin, calling it "an eerily poignant little corpse." The Nazis allowed the Jews to play instruments, and they even commissioned an orchestra at Auschwitz. Perhaps the music provided hope to those who were in the camps; maybe the Jews thought that people who enjoyed music could not possibly extinguish a human race. The music was one of the very few human aspects the Jews experienced during their imprisonment.

Running ch.6

  Something that specifically stood out to me in this chapter was when the rabbi came looking for his son. The rabbi told the story like his son didn't know he fell behind but Elie observed the whole ordeal. He saw the son notice his father falling behind and then began to run forward. Elie had always stayed with his father even during the selection when he saved him. It shows how he was till putting someone else's survival at the same level of importance as his own. 

Death March

The force march to the Wodzislaw Slaski train depot was in a sense robotic as even though the prisoners where exhausted they kept going. The determination they had was amazing but dehumanizing as they kept following orders. This must show the control the SS officers had in the minds of the prisoners.

ch.6 thoughts

  As the Jews were running through the snow, their humanity was completely disregarded by their Nazi shepherds as they were treated like a herd of animals. Wiesel stated that it was as if their legs were machines, providing an image of how at this point they were no longer being acknowledged as fellow human beings, but basically as robots that were to keep running until told to stop. In contrast, the herders were allowed to stop and take breaks, further showing how the Jews were not being respected as humans with limits as the Nazis didn’t even attempt to accomplish what they were telling others to do. But this also shows how much stronger the will of the Jews was, as well as Wiesel who was contemplating suicide, as they continued to fight on through these terrible conditions.

Zalman and Elie

Zalman, the young Jew who frequently occupied himself by "meditating on some Tamudic question" served as an interesting foil, that is a character who contrasts the main protagonist, who in this case was Elie. Though the description was brief, I noticed how Elie said Zalman's meditation served as a refuge which allowed him to "escape from reality". I found this interesting because Zalman's attitude towards religion seems to directly contrast that of Elie.

 As the brutality of the concentration camps becomes increasingly severe, Elie seems to reject his faith in God and detach himself from the faith of his childhood. Oppositely, according to Elie's testament, Zalman's has utilized his faith to deter the pain of the camps. I just think this is interesting because it reveals how complex and un-uniform the captives' reactions were to their situation. While some clung to faith, others rejected it, and I think the importance of such contrasts in character is to illustrate that nothing about the Holocaust was clear-cut black and white. Not every German was a Nazi, not every victim was a Jew. Not every Jew lost his faith. 

We must recognize that while such generalizations help us begin to understand the great paradox that is the Holocaust, we mustn't allow one person's account, to represent everything that we know about it.

Chapter 6

When reading this chapter I found it very ironic and strange when Ellie prayed to God that he hoped he would never abandon his father the way the son of Rabbi Eliahou did. Although this was a very noble action of Elie to still care for his father and his father’s survival, it just seems that this prayer he made to God was a sign of his weakness. He seems to have not trust himself to not abandon his own father which is why he prayed to God. In the previous chapter he had gathered anger towards God due to all the atrocities done to Jews but now he is praying to God for something he can control himself.  He just seems to not believe in himself. 

Late- chap1

The Jews were really optimistic because they prayed for better times and that things will brighten for there future so when Moishe the Beadle came back saying terrible things about how they had to dig up there own graves, no one believed him. Not even Eliezer really which was his only actual friend. Many of the town people believed God would watch over them and that the war would end soon so all things were happening for the better. Not only is this optimistic but I believe it's almost naive too because a war was going on and Eliezer as the author describes everyone going back to "normal" in 1942. No one took the situation seriously, not even when they were not allowed to leave there house or keep valuables or wear a star. They knew they were leaving there town and they called it a vacation!!! Which seems absolutely crazy looking back on history because you know the horrible things that happened to them later.

Chapter 5

In the beginning of chapter 5, it is apparent there is a strong hatred towards God from Eliezer that has formed because of certain events. He questions why would a God so great let all these things happen. Soon there is the Yom Kippur where Jews fast to show there devotion to God. Not only does Eliezer eat because he needs the nutrients but he eats and feels good about it to mock God. This shows how Eliezer has changed from the beginning of the story how he was a student of God to just about despising him. He values food over his faith because his mentality has changed to believe man is bigger than God himself. He has this sort of new dark side that disables him from being sympathy, although when it comes to children and his father. An example though is how he got angry at his dad from being at the wrong place at the wrong time but then in chapter 5 when his father is beaten he doesn't spend much time dwelling his emotions on the subject.

CH.7

It was really sad to read the suffering they endured. Most gave up and quit but not Elie and his father they had each other to live for. It was a disgusting game the German soldiers played throwing a few pieces of bread to dozens of hungry men. It would be nice to think that that cruelty had been reserved for the past yet Elie witnessed a similar event years after his imprisonment. People finding sport in someone else's pain seems a recurring theme of human nature from Gladiators to Terrorist. Its a saddening thought to realize that in some ways society hasn't progressed very far.

Chapter 6

Elie distinguishes the thoughts of the mind and the actions of the body throughout chapter 6. As everyone kept running, he describes this in a way that demonstrates their compulsive robotic-like movements as they run even though consciously they want to give up, or to succumb to their physical weakness even though their minds are telling them to keep up (it depends on each of their exact conditions). 

Eli further demonstrates how his thoughts are detached from inevitable actions by  resorting to prayers yet again, even though he stresses his lack in God. Prayer has become routine, almost like it has to be done out of habit but isn't truly what he consciously believes.

Chapter 6

In this chapter, one thing that I noticed was that Elie and the other prisoners are pushed to the limits. They are forced to run for hours without food or a break. Although Elie is tired, he continues to run without really realizing it by "putting one foot in front of the other, like a machine." Elie and the prisoners ran automatically on command just like animals. At this point, the nazis have completely stripped away their humanity. They have overpowered the prisoners by treating them like animals, which has caused them to run on instinct without thought. 

Risk and Reward (Ch. 5)

Eliezer and his father made the decision to not stay behind in the camp at the end of chapter 5. They felt that the prisoners in the hospital would likely be killed, which was a logical assumption to make considering that the Nazis repeatedly killed off those considered weak and unfit for work. Staying behind had a high risk, Elie and his father could have been killed on the spot, but they also had a high reward, that being their liberation. Leaving the camp would centralize the extreme risk and reward a little more, considering their survival would've been left up to their ability to keep pushing. They decided to leave their future in their own hands, rather than put it in the hands of the SS officers.

Better Late than Never (Ch. 4)

In this chapter, I noticed a stronger shift in Eliezer's character. He was no longer as worried for others, including his father, as he was for himself. Earlier on in the book it seemed as though Eliezer was quite sensitive to what was going on around him. Then, in chapter 4, when his father was being beaten by Idek he was not mad at Idek for being so inhumane, rather, he was frustrated with his father for not avoiding Idek and his wrath. When Eliezer entered the concentration camp he was engulfed by inhumane acts, and after being surrounded by them for so long, he began to be desensitized by it, and he himself became inhumane.

Chapter 6

I found it interesting how Elie prayed that he would never abandon his father the way the son of the Rabbi did. This showed how much Elie still cared about his father, and how he knew his father needed him to survive. There was another instance in which Elie was considering giving up and letting death take him.  But then he again thought that this would be selfish, for his father would not be able to survive without him.  I found this was very noble of Elie, and showed that the Nazis had not completely broken his spirit down.  Had he been completely broken and dehumanized, he would have either let himself die, or abandoned his father in order to attempt to better his chances of survival.

Chapter 6

This chapter basically revolved around death. Their march to the next camp killed a great deal of the Jews involved, and those who survived struggled mightily to find the strength to continue. During their rest, when the Rabbi came looking for his son, Elie recalls that he saw his son push forward without him and prays to ask for the strength to not do something like that to his own father. I found it very ironic that he was praying to a God he himself said he no longer believed in, but I think he needed extra strength and didn't know where else to go.

Prayer

"Oh God, Master of the Universe, give me the strength never to do what Rabbi Eliahu's  son has done." Reading of all the dead and dying is incredibly sad. Yet this line in the book stood out to me. I found it ironic that the God Elie had rejected, that he no longer believed in, he was praying to. He had to acknowledge that by himself he did not have the strength to avoid doing what Rabbi Eliahu's son had done. He had to look beyond himself for strength. He turned to the God who he believed had abandoned his people thus had abandoned his promises and therefore was nonexistent. Nevertheless, It seemed God showed his presence through Rabbi Eliahu  for why else would Elie resort to prayer.

Chapter 6

What stood out to me the most, despite this chapter being incredibly sad and such, was Elie's father's smile. Elie didn't go into very many details about it, but I could sense that it meant a lot to him. That despite everything that was done to them, they were still human in the end. "What world did it come from?" Elie and his father have gone through hell and back and now that something as natural as a smile is finally displayed, it's bizarre. It's not natural because it's not something that's part of the everyday life of living in a concentration camp. This was something innocent, truly beautiful because it stood out amidst the hell around them.