Essay Assignment

Essay Assignment: Write an essay on one of the topics below. You must cited Night 6-10 times (concrete details/quotes); the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum 3-4 times; and at least two newspaper or magazine articles (2-4 times). (Total 12 citations minimum with at least 4 different sources). You may also use other sources. All your sources must be listed in your Works Cited.

1. Authors write with a purpose to teach the reader something about the subject. What lesson is Wiesel teaching in Night? Use specific examples to support your claims.

2. One of the most tragic themes in Night is the discovery that atrocities and cruel treatment can make decent people into brutes. Does Wiesel himself escape this fate? Use specific events to convey your opinion.

3. Auschwitz dehumanized people, both prisoners and guards. Write a paper on the dehumanization process of Auschwitz and why it still matters today.

4. Elie Wiesel entitled his first book, Night. Show why this is an appropriate title using citations from the book as well as historical refences to Auschwitz.

5. Today, it seems difficult to believe that human beings can treat one another in such inhuman ways. In an essay, discuss about 3 or 4 of these inhuman acts from the book, Holocaust Museum, and/or from your research. Then explain how these events could take place and how Wiesel and others survived these inhuman acts.

Suggested outline:

Follow the outline below, unless you earned an A on your previous essay. If you earned an A, you are free to deviate from this outline.

1. Introduction

- hook your reader. Explore Concentration Camps as employed by Nazi Germany in the WW2 era.

- thesis

2. Body Paragraphs 1, 2, 3, 4 - support your thesis

Body paragraphs

at least 7 sentences

Format:

#1 Topic Sentence

#2 Quote - Starts with, For example... This means....

#3 commentary

#4 commentary

#5 Quote - Start sentence with "In addition/Furthermore" -

#6 commentary

#7 commentary

4. Conclusion

Do not summarize. Instead talk about the effects of Auschwitz and similar camps.

Feedback

Works Cited

Smale, Alison. "A Holocaust Survivor Tells of Auschwitz at 18 and, Again, at 90." The New York Times, March 15, 2015,

https://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/14/world/europe/a-holocaust-survivor-tells-of-auschwitz-at-18-and-again-at-90.html

United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. “Introduction to the Holocaust.” Holocaust Encyclopedia. 2019.

https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/introduction-to-the-holocaust .

United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. “Jewish Population of Europe in 1933: Population Data by County.” Holocaust

Encyclopedia. 2019.

https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/jewish-population-of-europe-in-1933-population-data-by-country .

Wells, Samuel. "How Evil Wins." Christian Century, March 29, 2017.

http://web.b.ebscohost.com/src_ic/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=2&sid=fbbe90a9-96f1-44ec-b0eb-ac4031ba5111%40pdc-v-sessmgr01

Wiesel, Elie. Night. Translated by Marion Wiesel. Hill and Wang. 2006.