English 10
Assignment on Night
..the writer's mission is to be a witness, to be a messenger…
Elie Wiesel
Elie Wiesel wrote in The New York Times (June 19, 2000) about the difficulties he faced in finding the right words for the painful story he wanted to tell—and had to tell—in Night. “I knew I had to testify about my past but I did not know how to go about it,” he wrote, adding that his religious mentors, his favorite authors, and the Talmudic sages of his youth were of surprisingly little help. “I felt incapable and perhaps unworthy of my task as a survivor and messenger. I had things to say but not the words to say them…Words seemed weak and pale ...And yet it was necessary to continue. “ Wiesel did continue, and wrote a book which has been a testimony to the Holocaust for 50 years.
Your assignment on Night is to focus on the language Wiesel uses to tell his story. As you read, you are to make note of words and images he uses to tell the story that strike you as particularly evocative. By the end of your reading, you should have a list.
1. pp. 3-22
2. pp. 22-46
3. pp. 47-65
4. pp. 66-97
5. pp. 98-end
Write down any and all questions you have as you read about allusions, place names, or historical references.
1. The Major Question:
How do people survive in the world of the camp? List all the details you can find. Be as specific as you can.
2. “Man comes closer to God through the questions he asks Him” (2). Keep track of comments on the role of faith as the story progresses. Write out a list. Is it possible to believe in God in the face of such horror?
3. Does our responsibility to act morally/ethically change under extreme circumstances e.g. when our survival is at stake? What does the memoir suggest are the limits, if any, of morality?
4. Why don’t the townspeople listen to the warnings of Moshe?
5. What are the first impressions of the ghetto? What is life like in the ghetto?
6. Why do the townspeople create and believe illusions about their future?
7. What is the significance of the episode of Madame Schachter?
8. “Humanity is not concerned with us. Today anything is allowed.” What does the father mean here. Do you think he is correct?
9. What is the significance of the details about Rabbi Eliahou’s son?
10. “Here, there are no fathers, no brothers, no friends. Everyone live and dies for himself alone.” Is this true in the camp?