Characters
Who is Moishe the Beadle?
Elie’s religious mentor
What was the relationship between Elie and his father like at the beginning of Chapter 1?
They were not close because his father was unsentimental and always busy with work.
What is a possible theme for Night?
1. After experiencing trauma, it is common to experience emotional death.
2. Family should stick together through hard times.
3. It’s important to rise above your circumstances when in an unfair environment.
4. In hard times, it is incredibly difficult to keep a strong, healthy relationship with God.
5. When the future is unknown, it’s important to genuinely listen to the warnings of others.
Name 3 ways Elie changed from the beginning to the end of the book.
1. Older
2. Traumatized
3. Alone/Orphaned
4. No longer religious
5. Skinnier
What was the name of the camp Elie was freed from?
Buchenwald
Who is Shlomo?
Elie's father
Which character served as a model of female hysteria and how it is often misunderstood by society?
Mrs. Schachter
The imagery in the text is primarily used to elicit which effect?
To make readers feel as though they are experiencing this themselves.
What is the significance of the quote below?
“My father was crying. It was the first time I saw him cry. I had never thought it was possible.” (page 19).
It shows how Elie's father was having a moment of crisis, abandoning his previous beliefs and characteristics while enduring the traumatic events.
What disease did Elie’s father die from?
Dysentery
Who is Dr. Mengele
The decider of selection (AKA The Angel of Death)
After the initial selection, what structure in the camp immediately traumatized Elie?
The crematorium
Why does Wiesel use figurative language in the text?
To portray emotional depth and provide a further understanding
What is the significance of the quote below?
“Anyone who still owns gold, silver, or watches must hand them over now. Anyone who will be found to have kept any of these will be shot on the spot” (page 24).
It shows how the Nazis hated the Jewish people so much and thought so little of them that they wanted to rid them of any sense of humanity. It also shows how greedy the Nazis were.
What did the Nazis use as target practice for their machine guns in Chapter 1?
Babies/Infants/Kids
Who is the pipel?
The young, hanged boy
What is one object that Elie was able to keep throughout the entire Holocaust?
Nothing, he lost everything he had
What is the effect of the figurative language below?
“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.” (page 34)
To reinforce how traumatizing this instance was for Elie by emphasizing the emotional toll it produced in him
What is the significance of the quote below?
“‘I have more faith in Hitler than in anyone else. He alone has kept his promises, all his promises, to the Jewish people’” (page 81).
This shows how everyone has turned their backs on God as only Hitler has told them the truth. Everyone else turned out to be liars with false hope.
What was Elie’s father’s last word?
Eliezer (Elie's name)
Who is Juliek?
Violin player and friend of Elie
When Elie saw his own reflection for the first time after the Holocaust, what did he see?
A corpse
What is the effect of the figurative language below?
“That night, the soup tasted of corpses” (page 65).
It reflects a loss of hope amongst the prisoners as they realize no one is safe here and God has abandoned them.
What is the significance of the quote below?
“The service ended with Kaddish. Each of us recited Kaddish for his parents, for his children, and for himself” (page 68).
It shows how they have never had to suffer like this before. It is an entirely unprecedented traumatic event that they are facing, one in which they are expecting to die simply for existing.
Which relationship/loss was more impactful for Elie? That with God or his father?
Reference one moment from the text to support your answer.
Credit if student(s) defended their argument with evidence.