Civ & Lit - Miller/Hinrichs
Genocide
Holocaust
Crimes against humanity
Civ & Lit - Miller/Hinrichs
By Elie Wiesel
Night
Night
“The Holocaust is a central event in many people’slives, but it has also become a metaphor for ourcentury. There cannot be an end to speaking andwriting about it.”
-Aharon Appelfeld
Civ & Lit - Miller/Hinrichs
* Genocide
Geno – from theGreek word genos,which means birth,race, of a similarkind
Geno-
cide
-Cide – from theFrench word cida,which means tocut, kill
Civ & Lit - Miller/Hinrichs
Essential questions…
•How should we remember pastgenocides or crimes againsthumanity? Why should we?
•How does human conflict at alllevels impact society and thepeople in it?
•What social responsibility do wehave to prevent future crimesagainst humanity?
•How does Elie Wiesel convey theinhumanity and humanityassociated with the Holocaust inthe novel Night?
Civ & Lit - Miller/Hinrichs
How does Elie Wiesel convey theinhumanity and humanityassociated with the Holocaust inthe novel Night?
Inhumanity –
Humanity –
With a partner, come upwith a definition for eachof these terms. Be readyto share
Civ & Lit - Miller/Hinrichs
The novel begins in Sighet,Transylvania.
During the early years of World WarII, Sighet remained relativelyunaffected by the war. The Jews inSighet believed that they would besafe from the persecution that Jews inGermany and Poland suffered.
Elie Wiesel’s Night…
Civ & Lit - Miller/Hinrichs
Civ & Lit - Miller/Hinrichs
In 1944, however,Elie and all theother Jews in townwere rounded up incattle cars anddeported toconcentrationcamps in Poland.He was 14.
Night continued…
Civ & Lit - Miller/Hinrichs
After surviving the Naziconcentration camps,Wiesel vowed never towrite about his horrificexperiences.
He eventually changed hismind and wrote Night in1955. Wiesel won theNobel Prize in 1986
Night continued…
Symbols:* Night (literally)* Snow* Certain minor characters are symbols* “Cage” symbolsHow Elie creates his diction (language/ wordchoice):* Figurative language* Intense descriptionThemes and Motifs (these are themes that aretangible/ visible/ and repeat)* night versus day* snow/ nature/ seasons* Dehumanization* Denial* Greed* Making difficult choices - internal conflicts* Death- literal and figurative* Religion and religious symbols- There are tons!!
What to look for when reading- Consider thesefor your dialectical journals!:
Roll call in Buchenwald, February 1941