4th Period Socratic Seminar on Night
B. Comment on at least SIX other posts. Comments should vary in length, but consider the dialogue nature of a Socratic Seminar--the goal is to build on other’s ideas to reach enlightenment on the subject. Five to seven sentences is acceptable. Refer to other comments or posts and use quotes from the text to progress the discussion.
C. PROOFREAD YOUR WORK BEFORE POSTING.
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Commenting format:
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Mackenzie
ReplyDeleteWorld Connection:
Even though Elie and other victims of the Holocaust repeatedly plea for remembrance and recognition in order to learn from our mistakes, there are still atrocities and genocides going on every day. Why does it seem like the voices of the Jews and the others who have suffered at different points in history reach the oppressors and tyrants in the modern world?
In order to assure that something like the Holocaust doesn't occur again, people need to be informed. I think it is important for students to learn about it in school, to know the devastating effects it had. I spent a large amount of 8th grade studying the holocaust and somethings said to me are never going to leave my mind. The survivors of the holocaust understand the importance of informing the youth of what had happened in the past, because they are the future, and knowing of the Holocaust will give them the knowledge that they are responsible for preventing it, and to continue to pass on the information to the next generation.
DeleteTo be more clear, why does it seem like the Jews' plea for recognition is so important, so as to reach the tyrants and oppressors of the modern world?
DeleteProbably because so many of them died. WW2 had the most deaths of any war or conflict so far. It was shocking, to say the least, and I guess the Jews want people to really understand and comprehend what they really had to go through. People often underestimate what exactly happened, and in order for people to never let this kind of thing happen again, they had to make sure people understood.
DeleteI think that the main problem is that we do not realize that these things are going on throughout the world. We have become small and disconnected from the world around us. It is still a real things that has not faded into the past. The main battle is to spread the knowledge and to make a change, not just to the moment, but to the future.
DeleteMichael Danner
ReplyDeleteOpen Ended Question
In Night we see many people become savage in the situation they are in. If any human being is subjected to such conditions do you believe it brings out the raw survival instinct?
Yes, all humans have an underlying animal survival instinct. In today's civilized and mostly privileged society, it is rarely needed, and almost never shown. However, in Night, many people are pushed to the point that they no longer behave in a civilized manner. This is because their survival instinct kicks in, but anyone will do this whenever they are subjected to extremely harsh conditions. Their will to survive overpowers rational thought, and they become like savages.
DeleteI do believe it brings out the raw survival instinct. When faced with hardships we must find a way to overcome them. Sometimes getting past harsh conditions can be a hard thing to do. We see this when Elie feels like his dad is holding him back from survival even though he has been his inspiration up to the point where he has become weak. Survival is mostly independent but it can sometimes be very dependent, it is all based upon the situation.
DeleteEbba Green
DeleteHumans have only been civilized for about 10,000 years, compared to the hundreds of thousands of years that we lived as hunter-gatherers. We went off of instinct and killed animals when we were able to in order to fill our stomachs. Although our lives have greatly changed since then, the old instincts are still build into how we act. In the modern day, when humans are malnourished and desperately need food, the survival instinct that we had so many years ago will arise and take over our bodies no matter what moral beliefs are in place. This explains why, in Night, we see the men savagely fighting each other over a piece of bread; they have not eaten in a very long time and they do not know when they will be getting food again. No matter how we were raised or what we think is right vs. wrong, we will always return to ancient instincts in situations where there is a need to survive.
Yes, I think that the conditions provided in Night bring out the basic instinct of human beings. I think humans in general value their life above all else when put in a situation of survival of the fittest. People will do whatever they can to survive, even if we think this instinct has been suppressed it still exists. In our society today, there aren't really any situations that draw it out because we live in good enough conditions to avoid it. However, A situation where it really is a matter of life or death, such as in camps where the weak and and injured are killed off, allows it to entirely re-surface.
DeleteIt seems like these people were all pushed to display the lowest and most uncivilized traits they possessed. Like the boy in the cattle car, who killed his own father for a bite of bread, many Jews were now living on the instinct to survive. They no longer thrived on religion and love, now all that was needed to sustain them was food and water, the sources of animal life. The idea that the Jews turned essentially into animals after they were treated like animals interests me because it shows the true nature of humans, that we are all animals without civilizations.
DeleteSarah
DeleteI think when any person is subjected to terrible conditions such as the ones Elie experienced, they focus more on survival than anything else. According to Maslow's hierarchy of needs, humans cannot advance past basic requirements such as shelter, food, and water until they feel secure in those areas. Anyone who is undergoing starvation and other forms of torture will return to their basic instincts of survival. They forget their other needs such as respect from family and friends or respect for themselves. When the human instinct takes over, people forget all past morals and focus solely on living. In the book, Elie witnesses a boy attack his own father for a small amount of bread, showing that family is left behind in the struggle to survive. Elie himself begins to question whether or not he should continue taking care of his father or let him die. Even the most innocent people lose their morals when basic instincts take control.
All humans have survival instincts and when faced with dire situations we resort to using them. When our brains are deprived of food and water, we start to only think a blot ourselves. If we see a piece of bread, we will try to take it no matter who we hurt. Our bodies will do whatever is necessary to survive.
DeleteEveryone who endured the Holocaust was human, with human needs and instincts, one of those being self preservation. When faced with starvation, dehydration, disease, and the crematorium, Humans are driven to their basic primal instinct to survive at all costs. In the story, a boy kills his father over a piece of bread only to be killed by another starving prisoner for it. Another boy purposefully loses his father in the crowd of runners when he realizes that his father has become a burden on him. But, this is not true for everyone. Elie supports his father all the way until his death, even when it becomes clear that giving him extra rations and water will not save him and may starve Elie. This is because his father is the only reason he chooses to stay alive and not end his suffering by running to the electric fence.
DeleteElliot
ReplyDeleteOpen-Ended Question
In Night Elie is constantly on his guard due to the hysteria and savageness that the inmates of the camps are expressing. How do you think so many people gave up nearly all reason and resorted to basic to survival instincts in such a relatively short period of time?
Michelle
DeleteI think everybody became so savage because everything they had and knew was ripped away from them. When they were thrown into these camps, they revoked all of their basic rights. Also I think the conditions they lived in played a role in the way they acted. For example they were so starved that they were willing to kill their own fathers. I think their fight or flight mode kicked in, it was their primitive instinct for survival. I think it was the conditions that they lived in that made them become so savage.
After witnessing babies being tossed into a fire, it would appear most people would be changed. Elie and his brothers were worked down to a raw pulp of men, bearing witness to family and friends being burned alive, inmates going crazy, and young boys being hung in front of crowds of men. Aside from that, they were only provided with the very basic necessities to live: crappy clothes, bread, soup, and "shelter". Not only were the hands of death brushing their necks at all times, but they all knew in the end their work would be for nothing.
DeleteMattPalamar
DeleteBecause they were being exterminated in such a large scale of people, they lost hope and spirit to try and rebel. They had no guns or weapons to fight against the armed nazis with, so therefore, they couldn't do anything but follow the cruel instructions of Hitler and the nazi party. Also because it all happened so quickly and unannounced, they didn't know what else to do other than focus on having simple survival tactics. Eventually, they realize that they needed to rebel and stop the horrific madness that was occurring.
Like Michelle said: everything they knew was taken from them and drastically changed. They had no choice but to work like slaves or be burned alive. They became savages because they were treated like rodents. They were given little bread so the survival instinct kicks in and people may become completely different than they once were. The people that were involved in the Holocaust most likely felt no reason to rebel because they would die anyway, so they resorted to the most basic instinct human beings have: survival, during their short time in the camps.
DeleteI think that witnessing all of these horrific things that they did can change your life motives surprisingly fast. You lose all sense of hope on a good life with friends and family because you are witnessing so many each day be ruined. How can you continue to try after that? At the end of the day, all you can care about is food, water, and making it through the next day because I'm sure they felt like that was all they had. Elie says in the book, “Never shall I forget those moments which murdered my God and my soul and turned my dreams to dust. Never shall I forget these things, even if I am condemned to live as long as God Himself. Never.” This explicitly says that the things he has seen have completely crushed his faith and hope so basic survival was all he cared about anymore.
DeleteUniversal Question
ReplyDeleteThe Novel shows not only that you must question your Government in many instances, but that ignorance leads to oppression. Moishi the beadle was captured and shot, but escaped and warned his people about what was coming for them, and they wouldn't listen because of their ignorance to what is about to happen. Are we ignorant enough to have something like this happen to us?
Ebba Green
DeleteI believe that it is human nature to be ignorant based on fear and disbelief. During the holocaust, so many people were allowed to die because the rest of the world, at first, could not believe that genocide on such a large scale was not possible during the 20th century. As the horror progressed, whether people believed the stories or not, they chose to be ignorant either way. Perhaps if they entered the war, they thought, they would also be killed or brought misfortune. Maybe if they pretended the cruelty were just myths, they could go on with their daily lives as if nothing was happening. Eventually people did step into help and the war ended, but not before major destruction of a population was already completed. Ignorance continues to be a problem today and the only way for our world to find peace is if we makes an effort to better understand our world events; if we don't, we could be ignorant enough to become subjects of yet another horrible event.
I don't believe we will let something like this happen again. The survivors of the Holocaust demand that we remember the people that were killed in the Holocaust so that nothing like it ever happens again. Today I believe we are able to stop something of this horrific nature before it gets out of hand. Genocide still happens today on a regular basis but not on such a large scale. If something were to happen of the same essence, we would act upon it quickly and not let it expand until it has already blown up in our faces.
DeleteBefore the Holocaust began, no one believed that a mass genocide was possible in the 20th century. But this belief drove the ignorance of the rest of the world and actually allowed the Holocaust to happen. Now, we all assume that a mass genocide is not possible in the 21st century. The only way to avoid the pitfall of ignorance that perpetuated the holocaust is to learn from our past mistakes. We need to realize the consequences of our actions or inaction and change them before something terrible happens, not after.
DeleteKole (Open Ended) At the beginning of the novel “Night” the citizens of Elies town do not accept Moshie the Beatles stories of the terrors of the containment camps. During the Holocaust, many of the jews outside of the containment camps were completely clueless as to what was really happening. They most likely had different opinions about what was happening than those within the camps. How does Elie’s perspective on the Holocaust change throughout the novel as he travels from his home town to multiple camps and is eventually liberated?
ReplyDeleteElie, like most of the other people think that Moishe the Beadle is crazy when he comes back telling these stories. When the Germans come to the town and act polite, even treat the women warmly, all the villagers(as well as Elie) think that the German’s ‘cruelty’ is a lie. They think the camps probably aren’t bad at all. It is not until the point where they are transported out of the ghetto the unease starts to rise. Elie sees the horrible fate he could have met in the fire, and this is where his point of view completely changes. Afterwards his view of the place becomes worse and worse as he is treated like an animal and he sees other prisoners he knew, or at least was acquainted with, die. However, at a certain point, after seeing so many people die it seems he doesn’t seem to think about the morality of the dark events anymore. It’s just the way things are, the horrors still exist but they do not get him down nearly as much as they did at in the beginning of the book. At the end when he is liberated. After Elie is freed, I think he sees the camps as an example of injustices humans can put upon others, and because of this he writes Night as a recollection, and warning of the events.
DeleteMoishe the Beadle was greatly changed by his close experience with seat. He felt the need to broadcast it to the world and when people ignored him he realized there was no hope. Of course if they had listened to Moishe they may have been able to stand up for themselves. It shows how ignorance can lead to oppression.
DeleteElie doesn't believe the Moishe at first, just like a lot of people in his society, but I believe it is because of the things they were being told. Back then they didn't have the technology at hand to confirm if what was being said was true. In a way, I think they denied the rumors not completely based on their disbelief, but because they were afraid. The things they were hearing about other Jews were too awful, and I think they pushed back the thought of it being possible, because if what was being said was true, their fate was no different then of those in the camps. I think Elie has this fear, when he first hears of it, and denies it because he wants to. Eventually he is forced into the camps, into the shoes of other Jews, and then he can't pretend like everything is fine.
DeleteIn the beginning Elie was completely obliviant as to what was happening. When he first got to the camps he was obviously shocked and scared. He knew what they were doing was wrong but did not know how extreme they would go. He tolerated life in the beginning. He even said once that today was a good day. But as time went on and things were becoming more corrupt, so we Elie. In the beginning, he had faith and believed in God. In the end, all that was lost. His perspective of the holocaust was to simply get through the day. He would do what it took to survive but nothing more. He even felt relief when his distressing father dies.
DeleteIn the beginning they lived their lives as they always had, even though they knew far away Jews were being taken everyday. Even when Moishi the beadle warned them of what he saw, they still didn't do anything. They probably thought that this would be over soon, nobody can exterminate that many people before someone steps in to stop it. But eventually it caught up to them. At first in the ghetto I don't think they realized yet what was going to happen. But as time passes and he enters the camps he begins to change. He does question his dad why they didn't flee before this happened, because he sees how awful this is and they were warned about it. In the camp his survival instincts kick in, and all daily life becomes about for him is his survival and his fathers survival. I think throughout his holocaust experience he sees what people can become and are capable of doing in such situations. He sees the worst in people come out. His perspective on the Holocaust definitely changed from before he went in to when he came out. He saw what it was able to do to people.
DeleteSarah Newell
ReplyDeleteOpen-ended Question
Throughout the book Elie begins to have thoughts of abandoning his father. What caused him to begin to resent his father? If his father had not survived in the beginning, how long would Elie have kept fighting? Would he still have survived?
Michael
DeleteI think Elie needs his father through out the book but slowly his instinct to survive takes over. While his instinct to survive makes him more selfish he also becomes doubtful after constantly hearing that his father will drag him down. I do believe that Elie would have given up if his father was not with him at the beginning. The camps clearly change people and Elie is not an exception. Many people become savages as seen on the train with bread crumbs. I think any situation that volatile could make people so selfish and brute.
I believe that he needed his father in order to have something to fight for. When he loses his father he becomes a kind of robot. He goes through the motions but isn't really present. If he were to have lost his father in the beginning I don't think he would have survived. In the beginning he really depends on his father and needs him. When he starts to resent him is when his father starts to become weak. He believes that if he didn't have his father around that he would have a better chance at surviving.
DeleteElliot
DeleteElie begins to have thoughts on abandoning his father as his father is becoming more of a burden then a help as he is requiring a lot more attention and effort to keep somewhat healthy. I don't really think he ever starting resenting his father but began to think of him as more of an annoyance even though he didn't really want to admit it. Elie was a smart person in the story, so I think that he would have survived without his father but probably would have had to struggle a lot more to get through, and if his father was not there he may have been rescued by the Russians instead of leaving the infirmary when his foot was messed up to be with his father.
I think if Elie's father were to have died in the beginning, Elie would have no will to fight and no reason to live. Him and his father supported each other and fueled each others' fires. I think they each knew that if one died, the other would too, so they each stayed alive to help one another and keep each others' spirits up. Without the other, both would have perished early on in the story because they both had the resolve to stay alive for the other. For most of the book, the two men keep their civility and their familial love. They both were not only thinking of themselves in the camp, they each were always worried about the other. The thought processes being to change dramatically when Elie's father starts to get sick. The father actually gives up, he does not care about how his son will carry on without him, he just wants the suffering to end. This causes Elie to think more for himself, after it is clear that his father's primal instincts have taken over. After this, Elie only cares about himself and when his father is dying and asking for his son, he does not answer out of self-preservation. Elie realizes that he is beginning to resent his father and want him dead after his father wants himself dead.
DeleteElies father potentially kept him alive for the majority of the book, and without him its hard to tell what Elies fate would have been. Not only did his dad help keep him out of making stupid decisions but as well as morally supporting him. Giving him something to keep thinking about. Eventually he learned it was only about survival, nothing else, and his father was a part of that need for survival. Without his father he would have absolutely nothing.
DeleteElie only begins to think of abandoning his father when he becomes a burden to keep alive. Elie is starving but still gives his rations to his father, ultimately in vain. The extra ration would have benefited Elie more. Someone even suggests that he should be taking his father's rations. But Whenever Elie thinks thoughts like this, he feels guilty. How could he betray his father, after he had raised him and kept him alive throughout their time in the concentration camps? He sees the example of the son who abandoned his father by purposefully losing him in the crowd of runners. Elie does not want to become that kind of person. He could not live with himself after the Holocaust.
DeleteZak: Open Ended
ReplyDeleteThrough Elie’s constant struggles he begins to come in conflict with his religion. Elie questions how something like this could happen in the 20th century and how the world and god could let it happen. So many innocent people are being starved, tortured, and killed on a very large scale. How does this influence his faith in God? How does his faith in god help him through or hold him down in the concentration camp?
After seeing the evil and horrifying treatment the Jews endured, Elie begins to question his faith and how anyone could let this happen. He sees more and more people lose their faith in God; this makes him realize that this suffering could be stopped by God in some way. But God has done nothing, He has not sent help in the form of other nations or given the Jews some kind of miracle. He has not even tried to restore their faith. On page 68, Elie is enlightened; "I was the accuser, God the accused... in a world without God." The loss of faith in God probably helped him through the concentration camp because he had someone to blame, someone who could do something but stood by. This helped Elie keep his sanity in a world "without love or mercy," where humans were forced to act like animals by other humans.
DeleteI agree with Mackenzie. Once Eliezer had finally let go of his God(In a sense), he was able to start relying on himself to get himself out of the Concentration Camp. He had someone to blame. A balance of his anger towards God, and his love and care for his father kept him alive, and kept him more human than many of the other prisoners.
DeleteMattPalamar
ReplyDeleteOpenEnded
The jews were moved to the ghetto, then taken in loads of cattle cars to the concentration camp to be killed or put to work. Why was it so easy for the Jews to be taken to the concentration camp? Why didn't they try and fight against the Nazis?
Elliot
DeleteI think the Jewish people wanted to stay neutral to avoid any unnecessary conflicts, but this silence oppressed them enough to be controlled completely by the Nazis. After they were oppressed I'm assuming they lost much of their morale after they began to get oppressed and logically they could not fight the Nazis without certain annihilation as they didn't have much weapons compered to the Nazis that were holding them. Also, everything happened very fast for the people and they did not have the resources to fight back.
I think this was mostly due to the fact that they were too scared to fight back. Unfortunately for them, this was going to be the easiest time to fight back because they were at their strongest. Also, the German soldiers were armed and the Jews weren't, so they probably submitted out of fear. Ignorance might have also played a part. If they knew what was in store for them, I doubt that they would have showed as little resistance that they did. They had no idea that this was the best time for them to escape, and so did not take advantage of this opportunity.
DeleteThey weren't able to fight back because they had no weapons, and if they tried they would have been slaughtered any way. They were either going to die trying to rebel in the beginning or die from cremation or starvation in the end. In the concentration camps they did not have the effort to start a rebellion because they were starved and worked to exhaustion. The nazis were able to fully suppress them through pure power.
DeleteAt first the Jews did not know where they were going, some even thought they might be going somewhere to get sheltered from the war, as the front approached Hungary. They were very curious as to where they were going until they were actually there. Even on the train they did not have a strong grasp of where they were going, just vague ideas. Once they were at the camp they didn't want to fight back because they saw what the Germans were capable of, and their ease to kill. They were scared of death and just wanted to worry about surviving, and not standing out to the Germans. If they knew their power they probably would have made an attempt to uprise.
DeleteI think the Jews were so easy to control because they were very ignorant to what was really going on. They believed they were being transported for their own good and that they would be safer leaving their homes. After undergoing days with little food and water, they were too weak to fight back when they arrived at the camps. I agree with what Zak said about them not fighting back because of their lack of weapons as well. Also, the longer they stayed in the camps, the weaker and more malnourished they became, making any kind of revolt impossible. If anyone tried to resist the guards could easily overtake them or kill them with the guns they had. I believe the Jews would have fought back if they had been in different circumstances, but their hopes were crushed after spending years in terrible conditions.
DeleteThey did not fight back because of they were deprived of weapons and good nutrition. Also, the Germans created an environment of fear where anyone who disobeys gets killed. They probably could have done it but their morales were way to low to fight.
DeleteThe Jewish people had been living on poor diets and little nutrition for years, so most were weak and unable to put up a fight, even if they wanted to. Aside from being striped of everything they owned before being "cattled", they had no weapons, or any want to use them. “The germans were already in our town, the fascists were already in power, the verdict was already out, and the jews of Sighet were still smiling." What Elie means is that even if the jews had been strong enough to fight back or had the means to do so, they wouldn't have because of the Germans speed t action, as well as the Jews ignorance to what was really going on.
DeleteAt the beginning, when the Jews were sent to ghettos and then put into cattle cars, they had no idea what was in store for them. They kept saying that the Red Army would rescue them, that it would get better, when instead, it got worse. They simply were kept in the dark by the Nazis, obviously on purpose, to make them compliant to what the Germans said. Of course, the Jews did not fight back because they had no weapons, but I think they could have escaped or run away before getting sent to concentration camps. The Jews did not know any of this and they we able to be easily corralled and packaged for transport in the cattle cars.
DeleteWorld-Connection
ReplyDeleteAt several points in history we have seen social injustices. However, some of these other situations have lead to a rebellion and actions against the injustice. How is the situation of the Holocaust different? Are there other social injustices where the oppressed were helpless to do anything and could only depend upon the bystanders or other people to aid them?
Jack
ReplyDeleteOpen Ended
When the prisoners in Buna are driven from the camp and forced to run in the dead of winter, their suffering is so great that they lose any sense of morality. A boy kills his father over a piece of bread only to be killed by another starving prisoner for it. Another boy purposefully loses his father in the crowd of runners when he realizes that his father has become a burden on him. But Elie supports his father all the way until his death, even when it becomes clear that giving him extra rations and water will not save him and may starve Elie. How does the basic human instinct of survival replace morality and how does Elie resist the temptation to abandon his father for his own survival?
Ebba Green
DeleteIn a time when the need to survive over powers the need to follow good morals, human instinct arrises and all of civilization is forgotten… at least most of the time. Elie is very strong spirited and somehow abandons his instincts to follow his morals. Although he is worked to exhaustion and very malnourished, he manages to stay loyal to his father. Many of his companions have abandoned their fathers in order to get more food for themselves and be rid of the burden. Elie, however, makes it clear that his father is the only thing keeping him alive. After losing faith in God, his father is the only thing that matters to him. There would be no reason to continue on if his father is no longer; he sees no point in it. This is why he brings his father food, sacrificing his own, even when Mr. Wiesel is dying. When his father does finally die, Elie carries on but he does so with no hope or happiness whatsoever. He uses the love he has for his father to get him through the horrible life of concentration camp.
Morals are created by society. They are created to maintain a general order and to avoid major disaster. When a person is placed in a life or death situation they forget how society wants them to react and do whatever they must in order to survive. Elie resists this temptation by keeping his head and analyzing situations before reacting. He stays with his father because without his father he has no reason to continue his journey. His father is what is keeping him alive.
DeleteThe most basic human instinct is to survive no matter what. The most basic human need is to have a family and to feel loved. When the two come in conflict some people chose to save themselves rather than their family but others chose to save their family and stick with them. It is difficult to decide and often people feel they have made the wrong choice because abandoning your family in order to save yourself means you give up you morality. Some people don't give up on their family because their morality is to strong and I believe that is why Elie never gives up on his father.
DeleteHuman instinct replaces morality when people are face with dire situations of life or death. People can become completely different than they once were when faced with a struggle to survive. Most want nothing to hold them back from survival so they do whatever it takes. In this case a boy kills his father and another abandons his. Elie is able to resist the temptation to abandon his father because he has supplied moral support for Elie throughout their entire journey. His father has been helping Elie survive this whole time, so why would he give up on him? At one point he has the urge to abandon him but he realizes that he is his father and he would never do anything of the sort to him.
DeleteMichelle
ReplyDeleteOpen-ended Question:
Throughout the book the main thing that kept him going was his father. He saw many other sons abandon their fathers, some even killed their fathers for a piece of bread. He looks badly upon this, and doesn’t understand how they could do such. Yet at other times he himself is tempted to leave his father, but he never does. In the end what is his reaction to his fathers death, is he happy, sad, or relieved?
Taylor
DeleteIn the beginning Eli is only concerned about being with his dad and not being alone. When he dies Eli feels surprisingly relieved. He didn't want to badoned his father but in the end he was only bringing him down and saw no benefit to him being around. He was giving him food and water but he really didn't want to because he wanted it for himself. It started as being with his father and not alone and he ended with the morals of every man for himself basically so he was relieved when he no longer had to watch over his father.
The thing is, is that he never really spends any time discussing his feelings over the death of presumably the only family member he has left. He mentions that he doesn't cry, and I think that this happened because he had already been through so much already. In a way, he knew his father was going to die, and so when his father started getting really sick, he started to prepare for him passing away. So when it did finally happen, it was almost expected. Despite it being anticipated, I don't think he was prepared to deal with it emotionally. He had been put through a traumatic experience, so the death didn't effect him like it would have in a normal environment.
DeleteAt first, Elie and his father depend on each other for their survival. They keep each other strong and hopeful. The change comes when his father becomes weak, and Elie has to devote much more energy into taking care of his father than he receives in the form of care from his father. At several times in the later parts of the story, he has a thought that he would be much better off if his father died so that he could focus on taking care of himself. However, every time he has a thought of this type he immediately feels guilty, and at one point he notes that this guilt has haunted him for the rest of his life. Due to this, I think that his reactions are mixed. He is relieved to not have extra weight on his shoulders, but is also very sad that he has lost his last remaining family member. In any event, the death of his father must have been numbed by all of the death he witnessed every day, as well as the feeling of relief he had, however guilty he was from possessing it.
DeleteI think that Elie was loyal to his father for most of the time they spent together, but his devotion did waver at times. This is because his primal instincts were taking over his civilized ones and he began thinking only for himself. He did not consider his father's anguish and stayed in his bed for fear of being beaten. The love and devotion to his father eventually vanished in the end when his father is crying for his some and gets no answer. After his father is dead, Elie is relieved at first, but after he realizes what had happened, he says abandoning his father was his biggest regret.
DeleteBlake, Open-Ended:There was a scene in the book where a son killed his own father for a piece of bread, only later to be killed by a group of men. What drove the son to perform this brutal action?
ReplyDeleteTowards the end of the book, even in the middle Elie realized not only in himself, but in everyone around him that survival was the number one priority, no matter the cost. “We were masters of nature, masters of the world. We had forgotten everything—death, fatigue, our natural needs. Stronger than cold or hunger, stronger than the shots and the desire to die, condemned and wandering, mere numbers, we were the only men on earth.” In saying this, Elie is explaining that they had forgotten about everything but staying alive another day, leaving behind pain, basic needs, and morality, the lack of all three is what drive the boy to kill his own father.
DeleteMackenzie
DeleteThis action was probably done solely on instinct. I think that once the hunger took over, the men and women on the train were essentially animals. They did not have compassion for other and were driven by hunger. Food is the most basic need for all animals, the son's most basic instinct was to get the bread. In the wild with animals and before humans evolved to be able to sympathize for others, there was no consideration for other, there was only the thought of surviving. Most animals do not have conscious thought; maybe the son literally had no control over his body and what his instincts were forcing him to do.
This is a great scene in the book because it shows the lengths a person will go in order to survive. I believe that the son was driven to kill his father because he was starved and had seen so many disturbing things when he was in the camps that he had lost all morals and emotions. By losing his morals he can not decipher what is right from what is wrong. In this moment his actions are driven by his hunger which he must attend to in order to survive. By losing all emotions he has lost feeling for everyone including his father, therefore he has no attachment to his father who has just become an obstacle between himself and life.
DeleteElliot
DeleteMainly greed, hunger, and his primal instincts. After a while of being at the camp the only thing people wanted was to survive at any cost necessary. Family is less important to people when they themselves are looking death in the face. For instance, when a person is on the verge of starving all they an think about is food, and may even forget or bypass the thought that your trying to kill your father. Overall, the only thing that the person could think about was survival, there was no room for family in that.
Starvation and the instinct to survive is what drove the son to do that to his own father. When the bread landed in the train I think the son forgot that it was his father, all he could see was competition for the bread. He was under so much pressure to get food that he forgot about the people around him. This scene really shows how primitive they became. In the wild animals kill their parents and children and all the time for survival. Animal instincts is what drove the son to do this to his father.
DeleteThis scene captures a lot of what was happening throughout the book. The son was beyond the point of caring about morals and knew that that bread was key to his survival, so he had to get it at all costs. He was probably much like Elie in the sense that he is just a shape of what he was before, he was not the caring person he used to be. Elie was experiencing many of the same things as the others. In the very beginning we see Elie's father get beaten in front of Elie, he just stands there watching, helpless, when just the day before he would have "dug into the flesh" of the other man. The basic message is that under certain circumstances people change and go back to their instincts of protecting themselves at any cost.
DeleteThe son's raw survival instincts were what made him kill his father. His level of starvation had risen to the point that he no longer cared for his family anymore and the sight of food was able to make him kill his father. Also, he was in an environment where this was not uncommon and this made it seem ok to do.
DeleteThe fight for survival can cause people to do horrible things. The boy was starving and had been subjected to terrible conditions for a long time. When he saw a chance for food he lost his connection to himself and only thought only of eating and surviving for longer. Under certain circumstances, people lose their past selves because their basic instincts as humans take over and they forget their family and loved ones. He was thinking only of himself when he attacked his father, because he was probably so hungry that he was becoming delusional.
DeleteI think that is was a desperate move, and that the people were starting to revert back to their animals instincts, they were willing to kill to keep themselves alive. in the years of struggle, they lost all connections to the world around them, and like the book said, they simply became bodies and empty stomachs
DeleteOpen Ended:
ReplyDeleteThroughout the novel night we see many social injustices, such as simply how the germans treated the jews: like cattle or dogs, or how they threw all unworthy to work into a furnace, alive, including young children and babies. What do these actions tell us about human nature? If the movement was big enough would you follow actions such as these?
This tells us that humans mostly look out for themselves when it is beneficial. The rest of the world watched as Germans mistreated and killed millions of Jews, because they did not want to start a war because of something happening to others. It was not until Germany messed with the Americans that they got involved. Germans killed because they were expected to as German men. Countries like Hungary turned over their Jewish people so they would not have anything bad between them an Germany. So basically people look out for themselves, and others if it is convenient for them, but during this time period Germany posed a significant danger to anyone that crossed them.
DeleteThis shows that human nature and be savage and murderous. Most of the time something bring out the part of human nature that is this way. One example of something that can do this is a traumatic event. It can cause the mind to do amazing and crazy things. Other times it could be just because someone has a mental disorder and has lost control over themselves. Even if a movement like this were to become big enough I would never follow it because it os committing mass murder. Even though I might not be the one killing the person it is my fault for not standing up and fighting back.
DeleteThroughout history it is shown that people follow a person or group with the most power and influence. Hitler had many followers and all of them adopted his ideas as their own without thinking about it. Night is the story of how blindly following someone and allowing them to have so much power can change the lives of many people forever. How has the relationship between leaders and followers changed over time? Is the relationship the same? Why is this the case?
ReplyDeleteOver time followers have begun to develop a mind of their own, coming up with new government styles that suit the people, not just the leader. In this case, we can say most Germans weren't necessarily following hitler blindly, while he was bending the truth and blaming large problems like germanys debt or shortage of supplies on the jews. He is considered one of the most successful leaders of all time, because he lead his cause head strong the whole time, he gave his soldiers something to believe in and fight for, no matter how gruesome. Blindly following the leader is often the case because they either use their power to blind their followers, or they find something they can follow easily and believe in, even if it is lies.
DeleteElliot
DeleteNow people that are leaders of large groups of people they rarely ever have personal relationship with any of their supporters. People don't know what they want until someone tells them what they want. Hitler convinces the masses of followers that he is what they want. Once this is established in the supporters minds they will believe nearly everything he says even without much logic or reason. This is how people begin to follow people blindly into anything. The leaders also use there power to get propaganda and stuff like that to "brainwash" people into thinking he is the future and he is correct.
I think that we as Americans like to believe that the relationship between leaders and followers has changed from the dictatorship of kings to democracy: a government by the people, for the people. But this isn't necessarily the case. Modern political leaders may not have the power to directly impose their will on the people, so they have to employ clever techniques to convince the people that the leader is making decisions in their best interest. Propaganda is used to make people agree with the leader and consequently vote for them and allow their plans to be carried out. Hitler's rise to power was not exactly through democracy, but people voted through their support of him. He used the Jews as a scapegoat for the economic recession following World War One and waited to introduce his plans for genocide until he had a large enough base of support.
DeleteAbby
ReplyDeleteUniversal Theme/Core:
Several times Wiesel expresses very violent and angry thoughts. He writes, “That is when I began to hate them, and my hatred remains our only link today. They were our first oppressors. They were the first faces of hell and death.” He also writes in his Acceptance Speech for the Nobel Peace Prize, “Who would allow such crimes to be com- mitted? How could the world remain silent?” Do you think the book was written more in anger of the people who participated in the extermination (German Soldiers and Hitler) or more in anger of the people just standing by and watching?
In his acceptance speech he makes it very clear that what made this situation worse was that people just remained silents and allowed it to happen. Silence doesn't help the people being oppressed, it only helps the ones oppressing others. I think that Elie wrote this book for people to remember what happened, and how this could have been stopped if other countries hadn't stayed neutral or silent. When he wrote Night I think his intentions were for people to not let something like this happen again, and to not remain silent the next time someone is being oppressed.
DeleteLike Michelle said, he wrote it to make sure people would not forget. He wanted people to know what really went on in the camps; to share his experience so no one would forget. I do not think he wrote it to really direct anger towards the Nazis, or towards bystanders, but his anger is still present in the book. He doesn't understand how people could watch this happen and not do anything to stop it; he is angry at those who did not help him and his fellow prisoners, and he is angry at those who caused their pain. So, in answer, he is angry at both, but he did not write the book to specifically project that anger, more to inform and keep the memories of the Holocaust from being forgotten.
DeleteMichael
ReplyDeleteWorld Connection
Night is a story about a struggle of one group of people that affects the world, Do you think that it often takes an atrocity to unite the world?
think that it always does take a huge event to get the whole world involved. Although, I do not think it has to be an 'atrocity' all the time, I think that sometimes the whole world will get involved if it will somehow involve them in a bad way, that can be anything from threatening their power, to their people. I mean, in the first world war more than a half of the main powers of the world united to defeat a common enemy, an atrocity did not start it. It was a just many factors that caused everyone to involve themselves, it could have been to defend their position, to improve it, or any other beneficial reason. Although an atrocity will most likely always cause the world to unite, other events and conditions can cause this to happen as well.
DeleteUnfortunately, a atrocity is needed to turn the heads of the public. We do not feel that it is needed to unite unless there is an event that forces us to unite. Also, the more people there are, the less likely an individual will take action. This means that if something is happening, nations will leave it for someone else to do.
DeleteElliot
DeleteYes I do, because if everything is fine and nothing is wrong nobody will strive to change something that major such as uniting the world. But when something like the Holocaust happens people realize something is wrong and they try to make sure something like that can never happen again.
Elliot
ReplyDeleteWorld Connection Question
There were monstrosities that took place in Night that many people think could never happen again in today’s society. In today's world could something like what happened in the book could happen again?
I believe that we do not live in a tolerant or civilized world. Genocides are still carried out across the world, many of them due to ethnic or religious differences. Even though a mass extermination may not be possible in the modern world genocide is carried out. Even in the 21st century we have not seen the absence of forced labor in concentration camps. In fact most of the world has no idea that these concentration camps exist. I think it is Ironic that in our modern age we do nothing for people who are suffering in concentration camps, its like a step backwards.
DeleteI defiantly think something like the Holocaust could happen again. Something like it could already be happening. I don't think there will be a time where people have perfect tolerance over one another until the human race realizes the importance of standing up for each other. Like Elie said in his acceptance speech, silence will encourage the tormentor, and neutrality helps the oppressor. It can be preventable.
DeleteI agree with Blake that when we do not stand against an atrocity they are carried out simply and effectively. I also believe that when we do not stand against something that it becomes normal and can plague the earth. Currently Atrocities are carried out like genocides in Africa and Concentration camps in North Korea.
DeleteTodays society believes that they are better than they were then and that the world would never let something like that happen again. Fact of the matter is that this kind of stuff is still happening today and will inevitably happen for the foreseeable future. The same thing is happening as before, the rest of the world ignores problems. For example Norht Korea has issues with concentration camps and oppression, it was not until they issued threats to other places such as the US that we got involved. We get involved when we are at risk or it is convenient for us, it's human nature to keep oneself safe.
DeleteIt could, and it is happening, but it is hidden from us by large masses of land and water. It is hidden by our own innocents, and is causing us to belive that we live in a safe little place that is separate from the horrid history
DeleteZak: World Connection
ReplyDeletePeople that were involved with the Holocaust were starved, worked like slaves, and even burned alive. Elie questions how such a horrific event and mass genocide could happen during the 20th century. Do you think such genocide on this scale could ever happen again or have we learned our lesson? What do you think are the main causes of genocide today?
It is defiantly possible for something like that to happen again. The society we live in still has a lot of hate directed towards certain groups of people. Hate groups, such as the KKK, are still very much real. Not only that, but hardly anyone knows they exist, allowing horrendous crimes to take place. People need to know about injustice currently taking place and bring light to it. This will bring support to the victim, and run the aggressor into the ground. But should we ignore the problem, the issue will only get worse and could very well lead to genocide.
DeleteKole
DeleteI believe that genocide of this scale could definitely happen again. It would be difficult to do so, but if a major country like the United States or China decided that they wanted to attempt it they could most likely pull it off. Genocide is still being committed to this day just on a smaller scale. I believe that genocide today is mostly based upon religion and race. If the controlling power of a country feels threatened by a certain race or religion they can oppress them by forcing them to work for little to no money or just rid the country of them.
If the right circumstances are present, an event like this can definitely happen again. The world would have to not notice that it was happening until it was in full stride. Also, the media would ignore it and the public would never find out that it was happening.
DeleteOpen-ended
ReplyDeleteDuring the bombing raid, Elie says the inmates enjoyed the raid, despite the danger of a bomb landing on a prison block. He explains this by saying that the inmates were no longer afraid of death. Why would the inmates no longer fear death?
MattPalamar
DeleteThe inmates were watching, experiencing and coming extremely close to death everyday. They were around it so much that they became completely used to it. In their minds there was no reason to fear death considering that they would most likely be killed eventually. For them, the sooner they were killed, the better. They were being abused, beaten and tortured against their will everyday. For them being killed would put them out of their everyday misery and absolutely take them to a better place.
Life for the inmates was absolutely terrible. Any thought of happiness or hope has been completely wiped from their brain. The tortures they went through, such as being starved and overworked, made death seem like the greatest thing that could happen to them. It would be freedom from the hardships of the camp if that bomb killed them. Also, in a way the camp already killed them. The last scene of the book is Elie looking into his reflection, which looks eerily like a corpse.
DeleteTo the inmates death had become a very common term. Everyday they could die, from soldiers, work, or disease. They saw so many people die, including hangings of children. To the death was not a foreign, it was part of their everyday life. I think they became numb to the thought of death, some may raven have preferred death. The way they were treated everyday, death may have seemed like a better option. To the inmates dying was part of their everyday life, they no longer thought of it in the same way.
DeleteThe inmates no longer fear death because they've seen it happen all the time. In the beginning, seeing someone die was a big deal to Elie but towards the end, although I'm sure it effected him, was not nearly as big of a deal. This is the obvious point but there's also the reason that it feels normal and they have grown comfortable with it. Many believed that death was a better option then the way of life they are experiencing. Their purpose of life failed to exhist.
DeleteEbba Green
ReplyDeleteWorld-Connection:
Intolerance was a major cause of the holocaust. Most of the German’s and people around the world were not tolerant towards the Jewish people because of their differences. Intolerance has been an ongoing problem through the civilizations developed on Earth. When has intolerance been a problem in the past other than the holocaust, and is it still a problem today?
There was a great deal of intolerance directed towards the african americans for a great deal of time. Originally, they were treated only as slaves to help support the lives of white residents in the US. Later on, they were not treated like slaves, but more like objects that could be tortured and aggressed. Even now, African american residents are treated unequally in court and in job settings. Intolerance is still a major problem, and probably won't be resolved until people stand up for the tormented and have kind feelings towards the beliefs of others.
DeleteMattPalamar
DeleteIntolerance has been a major problem in the past and will continue to be in the future. Intolerance is created when someone who believes that they have the most ideal way of living, thinking and approaching things encounters another person who doesn't have the same beliefs or disagree's with the philosophies that the first person had. This creates tension and conflict toward another which is known as intolerance. In the past, present and future, if someone doesn't have the same religious beliefs as another, they tend to look down on them because they do not believe in the same aspect of religion. Most people in the present time we live in today would just overlook the situation and not care what the other person believes in. But years back, if you were jewish, you were taken to a brutal concentration camp where you were either put to work until death, or you were simply murdered by the people who disagree with your religious views and thoughts. This is a ridiculous way of expressing that someones beliefs are incorrect in your opinion, but, unfortunately, it is very much a part of human history. Because no two humans are explicitly identical in the aspect if their beliefs and way of living, intolerance will continue to occur. Just hopefully it will cease to exist as cruel and horrifying as it was in the past.
In the book we see many father and son relationships. They may change throughout the book but for the most part it seems that they two need each other in order to not feel so alone. In the 21st century are relationships they same way? Why do we still need the support and love of our families to not feel so alone in the world?
ReplyDeleteAlthough we still rely on our families for many of our basic needs, the bonds between family members is much weaker in the 21st century. During the time of the holocaust, families spent much more time together because there weren't very many other options. Today we are so closed off from our families because of technology and other modern advancements, so interactions are limited and very different from old times. Traditions were very important in the 20th century, but now they are being forgotten. This loss of connection with our families causes us to no longer need their love and support as much as people needed it back then. We find support from other sources, such as our friends. Although I do believe that we all need our families so we don't feel so lonely, I think the relationships were stronger in Elie's time.
DeleteMIchelle
ReplyDeleteWorld-Connection Question:
In the book he asks his father how the holocaust is possible. How in the 20th century they are able to treat people like this, and how nobody stands up and says it is wrong and tries to save them. The entire world just let it happen. He wonders how that is possible in such an evolved society, this was not the middle ages anymore. Do you think that today it would be possible to do the same thing as the Holocaust did back then, target a group of people and try to eradicate them the same way?
I don't think it would be same. I'm not saying it's not possible, because it is possible. In society today, everything is so easily accessible. Technology has changed the way of doing things in a lot of ways, but it has never ensured the removal of something bad. Technology has reduced the amount of in-person social interaction, and you would think that would decease bullying, but it doesn't, because there is cyberbullying. Problems like discrimination don't go away because of the introduction of technology and modernization, the way these things occur change though. If someone were to try and exterminate an entire race in todays society, it might be harder to do then way back then, it might also be easier. But one thing is for sure, is that it wouldn't be the same.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteWorld-Connection
ReplyDeleteAt one point, Elie asks his father how the 20th Century world could allow this genocide to happen. Even today, in the 21st Century, genocide is allowed to happen. Why does the world often turn a blind eye to acts of atrocity?
The world would rather be ignorant to the fact of the matter and deal with what is behind the curtain, and just continue on with their lives as not to get involved. It is not ignorance alone that drives us away from dealing with the real problems at hand like mass genocide, but that most find themselves more comfortable out of the matter, and attempt to stay neutral, which might seem like the "right" choice, but neutrality only magnifies the problem at hand.
DeleteDuring the Holocaust, most people did not believe the genocide of an entire race was actually possible or that Hitler was willing and able to do it. Even the people in Elie's own village did not believe it until the germans reached their village. Moshie the Beadle's stories are not believed because they don't seem possible. I think that it is impossible for people to conceive of the extent and brutality of an atrocity such as genocide until they see it first hand. This explains why the rest of the world, during the Holocaust and today, does not intervene until it is too late. Neutral countries refuse to accept the idea that something so horrible could happen until it affects them directly and by then it is often too late
DeleteEbba Green
ReplyDeleteUniversal Theme/Core Question:
One of the reasons that Hitler could kill so many people was because of the ignorance around the world during this time. No one believed that such a horrible thing could occur in the 20th century, so they ignored the stories and failed to come to the aid of the Jews until it was very late and many people had already died. Is ignorance a human instinct or shaped by the way we are raised?
I believe it is a bit of both. A lot of kids are greatly impacted by their parents opinions, and by the way they are raised. This could also be based on instinct, because despite who you are, everyone has the instinct to survive, and ignorance plays a role in that. People have the ability to shape who they are, though, so when it comes to deciding whether or not to help others, to speak up, their ignorance is not based on instinct, and more so as a way they were raised. Or maybe the real reason people didn't speak up, was because of fear.
DeleteAbby
ReplyDeleteWorld-Connection:
There was a time in the book that Wiesel works next to a French woman, and after he was beaten one day, she helped him. She even gave him some of her bread. She reveals that she can speak german by talking to him. She went out of her way to help him, despite the danger of her being caught speaking anything but french. Do you think these people play an important role in everyday life? Do you think these people are harder to come by in times like the Holocaust?
During the Holocaust, it was every man for himself. To find someone who would try to help another person was extremely rare. Survival is a base instinct; the prisoners of the Holocaust were treated in such a way that their instincts took over, leaving no room for thoughts of other people. The French woman and Elie most likely were able to sense that neither had completely lost all empathy, and so were able to make a connection to each other. This world is forged on connections; if everyone were to revert to their basic instincts, situations like the one in the cattle car(the fight over bread) would be exceedingly common.
DeleteUniversal Theme
ReplyDeleteIn the beginning of the story, before the germans enter his village, Moshie the Beadle asks Elie why he prays. He replies: “Why did I pray? What a strange question. Why did I live? Why did I breathe?” Religion is such a core element of his person that he cannot imagine life without it. Later, after witnessing children thrown into a crematorium and enduring life in the concentration camps, he comes to the conclusion that God could not exist and allow an atrocity on this scale to happen on earth. Yet he does not entirely lose his faith because he prays for his father and describes his experiences in a religious context. How is Elie’s struggle with faith a theme in Night?
Universal Theme/Core
ReplyDeleteAt many points in Night, Elie either loses, gains, or develops his faith in God. Faith in Religion is a theme in Night. At times his faith helps him, and at others his belief seems pointless. The idea of a greater being looking over you creates a self-deception of hope for a brighter future and can boost moral. Is it really beneficial to believe in a religion? In what ways does religion help or become a hindrance?
Throughout history, there has hardly been a cause that could unify people as much as religion. But believing that a greater being has supreme influence over everything could also cause people to become stagnant in their situation; thinking that their fate lies in the hands of another could prevent them from attempting to change their situation. While yes, their faith did help them to persevere, it also confused them. How could their God allow this to happen? Religion and faith do help to strengthen a person, but they create the image that nobody has control over their fate.
DeleteWhile religion has gotten some negative reactions throughout history, there are many things that are beneficial in having faith. Religion creates a bond between people with similar beliefs, and you get a feeling of acceptance withing this. Faith pushes people to be better versions of themselves; they focus on what they can do to be better people and how they can improve their own life as well as the life of others. I think Vivian is right about how religion can be confusing when horrible things happen to good people, but I choose to believe that everything happens for a reason. What Gods intends to happen is for a higher purpose, and how can we even know that he let something like this happen? Any religious person has something that distances them from God, and maybe that is that they don't believe he has complete control over their lives. While some things are meant to happen, it really depends on what you do with your own life that will decide what happens to you.
DeleteJulian Cantillo (world connection)
ReplyDeleteWhen Elie discovers the truth about what happens in the camps, he asks himself how the world could possibly let this happen. During the Holocaust, many people in the camps wondered the same question. How could Germany get away with The Holocaust for so long?
At first, the world was trying to avoid war, so they appeased Germany by turning a blind eye to what was happening. Gradually, as the danger of war became more apparent, and it seemed a war would not be stopped, people preferred to not involve themselves in it for fear of being associated with the crimes. Once the war started however, people became much more focused on defeating the enemy rather than the enemy's internal affairs. The world only really tried to stop the Holocaust when they invaded Germany, but even then, this was a side-note. The real goal was still destroying Germany.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteVivian
ReplyDeleteOpen-Ended
Early in the book, after Moishe the Beadle escapes his execution, no one, not even Eliezer believes him. Even when the Germans arrive in Sighet and move all the Jews into ghettos, the Jewish townspeople seem to ignore or suppress their fears. "Most people thought that we would remain in the ghetto until the end of the war, until the arrival of the Red Army. Afterward everything would be as before" What might be the reasons for the townspeople's widespread denial of the evidence facing them?
Nobody wants to hear bad news. Even more so, no one wants to believe it. I think that even with all the evidence the townspeople were in denial because they didn't want to imagine a world like that. They also had never heard such tails before Moishe came back. They were told that they were just going to work somewhere. It is easy to be in denial when they people who are supposed to be protecting you tell you they are.
DeleteEbba Green
DeleteThe ignorance of the Sighet Jews shows how they would rather suppress and ignore their fear rather than take precautions to ensure their safety. I think the main reason why they chose to ignore such a pressing matter was because of disbelief. They could not fathom that genocide on such a large scale in the modern day was even possible; if it was occurring, they believed that nations would surely step in and help. They convinced each other that there was no need to worry and that the stories were just myths. Underlying this disbelief, fear was a driving force for the ignorance. Although you would think that if they were scared they would take action and hide, this is not the case. They were scared of facing the ongoing events, so they subconsciously convinced themselves that nothing was happening and that everything would be alright. Ignorance allows for reality to be forgotten and a fake but safe world to be build around you.
Open Ended
ReplyDeleteHow does Elie respond when his father is beaten for the first time? What does this foreshadow about the person he is going to become and how does he see himself after this happens?
He just watches. He does feel a little upset, but he really has no reaction. He is becoming like everyone else; having his empathy and emotions ripped from him. His survival instincts are taking over. This is really the start of his internal battle with survival, instincts, and holding on to who he used to be before the Holocaust.
DeleteWorld-connection
ReplyDeleteWhat is the significance of the end of the book when he sees himself for the first time since he’s been in the camps? What does the face he sees represent beyond the malnutrition; the greater picture?
When he sees himself in the mirror, he is shocked, because it wasn't him staring back. Nor will it ever be the same person staring back. He had been through a traumatic experience, that has shaped him into a new person. Also, I believe the reason why the image was so shocking, because all throughout the time he spent in the camps, he viewed everyone somewhat the same. He saw all of them with glazed eyes, not even human, but just trying to survive. I don't think he really considered himself to ever look that way, so when he looked in the mirror, he saw he was just like a million others. He saw the faces of others who were just like him, people that had passed away, people that had been changed, people that had their lives completely ripped from them. I think he really saw the full effects the Holocaust had, not only on him, but everyone else in the world.
DeleteThe mirror reflects everything he has seen, and how he has changed into a completely different person. During the time of the camp he and everyone else there weren't really living. They had been dulled until they were simply going through the motions of living. It is important that it is his reflection's gaze that he never forgets. The eyes of his reflection have seen so many events, horrors of the holocaust. By never forgetting that gaze, he is never forgetting what he saw.
DeleteDuring Elie father’s life, he strived to be as helpful and as kind as possible. How did this benefit him when he had to prepare the jews for transport?
ReplyDeleteI believe that Elie's fathers kindness was his ultimate down fall. He was helpful to the point where he could not survive the camps in the end. I don't think his helpfulness benefited him in the transport of the Jews. Because in the end he only bought himself extra time before dying.
DeleteKole (World Connection) In the Holocaust, millions of people were captured and forced to slave labor and eventually killed. This has happened many times throughout history and continues to happen today. Where have you seen this type of genocide throughout history?
ReplyDeleteMattPalamar
ReplyDeleteUniversal Theme.) This book shows how horrid and inhumane humans can be at times. If people remain ignorant, tragic revolutions and terrifying events like this will continue to happen. How do we know for sure that these events will not reoccur in the future?
Ebba Green
DeleteMany horrible events of mistreated and killed populations have occurred over the past. Although we have recognized and ended most of these circumstances, they are still ongoing in the current day. Flaws in human nature and therefore government will guarantee a continuation of such events unless the human population as a whole forgets the nature of ignorance. We must overcome the fear and, in a sense, laziness, in order to reach out and prevent more genocide and mistreatment in the future. The removal of ignorance from our society must be done relatively soon before the people of our Earth get a chance to suffer more.
We don't know "for sure" that nothing like this will ever happen again. There are still many tragic event that happen today, such as school shootings, bombings, and even small scale war. Though none of these events are as big as the Holocaust they still happen, and will continue to happen. I don't think there is anyway to ensure peace throughout they entire world, we can only slightly contain such crimes.
DeleteThere is no way to prevent horrible events from happening in the future. We may recognize these events, but we rarely seem to learn from them considering how often social injustices and other tragic events re-occur. However, it is extremely unlikely that something as big as the Holocaust will happen again. We have so many ways of communication that if a large scale genocide happened again, someone would find out. Rumors, or even a picture could spread easily, eventually leading to an investigation. So overall, the likelihood of the holocaust happening again is unlikely, but we have no way of knowing for sure, or entirely preventing it from happening again
DeleteWorld Connection
ReplyDeleteDespite the horrifying circumstances during the Holocaust, would it be possible for someone today to gain that much power and recreate a situation similar to the Holocaust? Would people be able to recognize the recurring circumstances and stop it?
In today's society I believe that it would be possible for someone to gain that much power, very difficult, but possible. Trying to recreate that situation however is a different case. I don't think that would be possible. They would need the support of so many people and I don't think they could rally enough people to support them. Without that then they would ultimately fail. You can't wipe out a huge group of people without the support of even more people. Even if they did have that support someone would stand up and fight back.
DeleteI completely agree with what Rhya said. It is possible for someone to gain that much power, but it would be extremely difficult for a situation like the holocaust to happen again. In the time of the holocaust communication was much different. Today news travels so fast that it's very hard to keep such large scale atrocities secret. Other countries would stand up and oppose any person trying to recreate this situation because we have more resources available today to lend support. Also, after the world really noticed how much the holocaust affected so many people, they would never allow it to happen again.
DeleteI agree with Rhya and Sarah, a person could come to power, but it would not lead to anything else. The world has grown since the holocaust and would not stoop to something so violent. Also looking back on the situation we realize that the holocaust was outrageously violent and uncalled for. With our knowledge of the holocaust we know that it was wrong and that just standing by is wrong and doesn't benefit anyone except the oppressors. Another point that Sarah brought up is that in todays world, the news would be covering that story before anything could grow in secret. The world is a different place and todays governments realize that they can lean on anyone trying to do such a thing in ways that will prevent them from continuing.
DeleteQuillen
ReplyDeleteOpen ended
Throughout the book Elie resists certain things, whether it be the soup out in the open, or abandoning his father. How does he have the willpower to avoid doing these things?
Because he realizes that restraining from those actions will prolong his survival. His father is who has been keeping him alive almost this whole time, and he realizes that abandoning him would be suicide. As for the soup in the square, it as an open invitation to anyone to end their suffering. He thinks about going to it, but quickly realizes it is out there to see who will go for it and disobeys the rules, which would be punished with death, as the inmate who went for it demonstrated. After a certain point of being in the camp, Elie realizes that he must stick only to his survival instinct and his father, which are what held hi back from doing anything rash or stupid.
DeleteTristan is right in saying that it will help him survive longer. Although his starvation could haven taken over and he could have gone for the soup, he knows it will only get him killed in the end. He would rather resist eating for a little longer so he could survive. Elie also stays with his father because without him Elie can't think of anything he would have to fight for. It also gives him something to focus on and keep him going. If his dad had died, Elie probably would have let himself die because in the beginning he was only staying alive for his fathers sake.
DeleteI think our ability of individual thought is why we have become so intolerant we each come to believe that our right and wrong is universal. There is no universal right and wrong. Even in hindsight it is hard to view something with the same emotion it was carried out in. It is impossible to recreate the same feelings and emotions that something was carried out with. The feelings that someone felt who witnessed or experienced it. That is why we do not change for the better.
ReplyDeleteI think people often feel that being evil is the only way to accomplish anything. Creating fear among society is unfortunately effective. People won't go against you or try to fight back becuase they are afraid of what will happen. Also, the human race is very intolerant because people have a hard time accepting change. We believe that we are right and want to be the best which is often how most mass outbreaks begin; because we are so convinced we are right.
ReplyDeleteWorld View
ReplyDeleteOver the course of many years, leaders in Germany were able to monopolize the beliefs of many of their citizens and led them to believe that Jews were bad people by using propaganda and instilling fear. Would such a large scale form of genocide by able to happen in today's society?
I believe that someone would be able to gain as much power as was needed before. It would nearly impossible but if they really tried they could do it. However I do not believe that they would be able to kill as many people. Someone would recognize the similar circumstances and fight back. Also, before the government was in on it and I don't think that would happen again due to the severe consequences that would follow even if they did manage to kill close to the number of people that died last time. They would be caught and punished.
DeleteIt depends on whether or not such a large mass of people could be convinced to act against another people as they were in Germany. This would be much harder in first-world countries today because of the level of communication and integration that is present. However, the less developed a country is, the easier it is to convince a people to do terrible things, either with a promise of payment or just plain propaganda usage like Germany. This is made possible by the lack of outside influence these countries get. More developed countries will often not intervene because they fear an intervention will be costly, either in money or politically, and would prefer to claim ignorance rather than get involved in something that does not directly concern them.
DeleteIn todays society I think it would be highly unlikely, but could possibly still happen. I would hope that people have learned from the holocaust, and that such a thing could not be possible again. Like Hayden says I think in first world countries mass genocide would be much more difficult. Yet I think like in Germany when this occurred they were in an economic depression and Hitler made it sound like he could fix that. If something were to happen here like that maybe people would start following a leader who promised to fix things. So even today, I think a mass genocide like the holocaust would be possible, highly unlikely but still possible.
DeleteYes, although perhaps not on such a large scale because the world has more knowledge about what is going on around the world. But was we saw in "The Wave" it is very easy to corrupt people to follow you if you are in a position on leadership. After you have corrupted them to follow you to the end of the world, you can get them to do what ever you want, they become your own personal army
DeleteEbba Green
ReplyDeleteI agree with Michael and Taylor, how evil powers are the successful ones and how we believe that we are the ones who are right without acceptance of other ideas. Some people take this to the extreme, becoming racist and intolerant on a mass scale. Other people do believe they are right, although they don't have the ability to take in any further than a belief, thankfully. No matter how many times such horrible events occur, we will continue to be ignorant and intolerant because it is how the psychology of our brains are wired; there is nothing we can do unless we practice our entire lives to change how we work. It is the combination of a person who has the qualities of a leader and who is outgoing in their beliefs that create these evil powers who execute evil in our society.
I think many of us don't even think what we are doing is evil. We just do things without thinking abut the consequences. When something is exposed to us that we don't like, we immediately turn away and not accept it, without even truly understanding it. It is our human nature to think for ourselves first. Often times this leads to other being suppressed and hurt, yet we don't even realize what we have done.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Michael, our ability to have individual thought allows for disagreement. When we disagree with someone/something we inherit a sort of resentment to their opinion and try to change it to match ours. Some people are more radical than others and believe very strongly in something, like Hitler hating Jews. People use there opinion as a reason to commit immoral acts much like the holocaust. Intolerance to things we do not believe in is a natural instinct that most people can just dismiss and have no anger towards, but theres always that one guy.
ReplyDeleteHumans treating eachother bad shows up all the time in history. Jack provided a great example with the treatment of Africans in America, and I think the idea he mention of the the idea of superiority being ingrained into a society is completely true. We still see African Americans being treated differently, even if the divisions may not be as strong. For example, a black person is more likely to be pulled over on the highway, or blamed from a crime then a white person, even if it is obvious they are innocent. Another example of intolerance would be from Rwanda. The main two groups of indigenous people, the Hutu and Tutsi have always been at odds with each other ever since being colonized. One race was believed to be superior by Europeans, and this created a huge rift between the people, such a huge rift that a revolution ensued. The idea has just been existent in a society long enough for it to become normal. People may not even realize they're being biased. It's alike a habit you would never notice until someone pointed it out.
ReplyDeleteThe Jews of Sighet do not believe Moishe the Beadle when he warns them of the danger to come. They dismiss his words as craziness. Why were the Jews so optimistic about what was to come?
ReplyDeleteChandra
ReplyDeleteReaction to the book "Night"
This book was really shocking to me, and all the horrible things that happened were things that in the modern era are hard to imagine happening. But these things did happen, and will happen in the future if we are not careful. These were people's neibors, friends, or even family and they were just cast out like garbage. This was also was very personal as half my family (its a tad complicated) is German. Everything from selections to the living and working conditions that they lived through. The endless running and the fridged cold.