Noah+and+Charlie+Responses

CHAPTER 1 "'They think I'm mad,' he whispered, and tears, like drops of wax, flowed from his eyes."

"'Well, what did we tell you? You wouldn't believe us. There they are, //your// Germans. What do you say now? Where is their famous cruelty?'"

In a way i love this quote, it shows that in the beginning the German soldiers weren’t terrible and that they didn't immediately come in and take things over and just instantly start killing people. Sadly it also shows that the Jewish people trusted them and believed that they were there to do no harm and just keep peace; which pains me when I think of what they would be doing to them and not just that specific group but the Jewish people as a whole later on. If I was in there position and a strange army or group of people came into my land and assumed even bits of power I would be highly weary of them and never let them have even a little of my trust until I knew they weren’t going to do anything. But i guess that’s how a lot of the people felt, and then when they least expect it, the Germans turned around and showed their true colors.

'"The yellow star? So what? Its not lethal..."' - This is significant because it talks about the star of david which is one of the main idolizations of the Jewish religion. What he is saying is that he dosen't understand the Germans hating the Jews because the star of david (or the Jews) is completely harmless and that they as a whole are being unfairly accused.

Not only did wearing the Star of David most likely condemn you to death, but it also marked you (at the time) as the lower class and to the Germans, absolute filth. They made them wear the star not only so they could keep track of them all (treating them like animals, getting ready to be slaughtered) but also so they could dignify between what was considered a perfect human and what “scum” was. To the Germans I can see how it was necessary; they had to keep track of everyone and know who was what if they were going to get anywhere. I can also see how in some cases the Jewish people would accept the star and wear it proudly, even if it meant they were going to die. However I can’t see myself accepting it so easily, at the time if I knew it would condemn me eventually then I would try all I could to separate myself and my family from the religion until it was time to rise again.

** Share quotes that impacted you both then choose one to share with the class and explain why it impacted you all. **

'Well, what did we tell you? You wouldn't believe us. There they are, //your// Germans. What do you say now? Where is their famous cruelty?'"

It shows that in the beginning the German soldiers weren’t terrible and that they didn't immediately come in and take things over and just instantly start killing people. Sadly it also shows that the Jewish people trusted them and believed that they were there to do no harm and just keep peace; which is terrible when we think of what they would be doing to the Jewish people as a whole later on.

** Who is Moshe the Beadle? Why do you think Wiesel used him as his introduction? (Think about your good intro. techniques!) **

Moishe the beetle is a homeless man and “jack of all trades” that lives In the Jewish community and eventual ghetto. He doesn’t bother anyone and no one minds having him around, later in the first chapter he becomes Elie’s teacher of the Jewish mysticism. We believe Elie used Moishe as an introduction to his book because he was a good example of how peaceful and tranquil the Jewish people were even to someone like moishe, until the Germans came into their town.

** Look up the word ghetto – can you find a definition that links to what we have learned about ghettoes in the book? Paste the definition and explain its connection. **

A ghetto is a section of a city predominantly occupied by a group who live there, especially because of social, economic, or legal issues. The Jewish people were put into the ghettos because of their social and sometimes economic status. We're sure that if there was a rich enough Jew that he would be able to buy himself out of the ghetto.

** What are the steps in the “race toward death” (10)? List all of the steps (there are more than 5!) **


 * 1) Jews were prohibited
 * 2) Every Jew had to wear the yellow star
 * 3) No longer allowed to frequent cafes or restaurants
 * 4) To travel by rail
 * 5) To attend synagogue
 * 6) To be on the streets after 6 o clock in the evening.

CHAPTER 2 - 3 "Never shall i forget that nightm the first night in the camp, thatturned my life into one long night seven times sealed. Never shall i forget that smoke. Never shall i forget the small faces of the children whose bodies i saw transformed into smoke under a silent sky. Never shall i forget those flames that consumed my faith forever". (Night p. 34)

I think this quote was very powerful and I really liked the way he describe exactly how he felt about what horrors that he knew the future would bring. While the other Jews seemed to be in a bit of denial of what was to come.

"The inscription: Warning! DANGER OF DEATH. What irony. Was there here a single place where one was //not// in danger of death?" (Night p. 40)

This quote really shows the desolation of the Jews at the time, andhow they showed, in a way, a form of sarcasm to everything,even death itself. This because theyknew they weren't in a good place, and they were not getting out any time soon.

I was really surprised by the detail he was able to put into the book, and how once you started reading and really got into it, how realistic it all became and how easily you were able to see the SS guards or the men loading bodies into the creamtoria.

So far nothing has been unfamiliar, the only thing i dont understand is when he writes in other languages, but he usually explains and translates them later on any way. I do have a few words though... Blockalteste p. 44, Kappo p. 36

I really think that the main impact of the story comes from the fact that the Jews trusted the Germans from the beginning, and on a whim, they were taken from where they had lived for their entire lives, everything they had worked for and known was now gone and not only that, but they thought that it was all their faults for letting the Germans into their city in the first place. And now they had no idea what was to come, they only knew that what was to come, was not going to be good.

Chapters 2-3 Questions. Paste these questions onto your reading response wiki page. With your wiki reading partner, discuss them with one of you taking notes on the wiki page.

1. Read one other pair’s wiki response page focusing on what they say has surprised/affected/etc them the most. How does their response link to yours? - Our feelings weren't shown in Mary Grace's response but, after reading it, it was a very big impact in the story when they first saw the crematorium and how they had lost faith for a long time. 2. What are the Jews reactions to: Moishe the Beadle, the ghettoes, and Madame Schachter? - Moishe The Beadle- Didn't listen to him, and they thought of him as crazy. Relatable to Socrates who was shunned for thinking different things about the future and was thus put in jail, and ultimately killed, even though he was right all along. 3. Looking carefully through your answers to #2, what is similar about all of these and why is this similarity a logical way for the Jews to act? - They basically thought he was crazy and didn't believe him. Which is logical due to the fact that he was speaking about the total annihilation of the Jewish people, so even if it was true, natural denial would still hinder the others from agreeing with him. 4. What do you think the title, //Night//, means? - Night was a significant time of the day for the Jews in concentration camps because it was the one time they were able to get rest and express their religion, and it was also they only time they were near any form of being "safe." CHAPTER 4

CHAPTER 5

"The SS offered us a beautiful present for the new year" "His eye's would suddenly go blank, leaving two gaping wounds, two wells of terror" (Wiesel 76)

It is quite insane what has happened to the people in this story the thought of love and caring for each other has been so broken down to the point where kids cant even love their parents. We talked in class about what the human body will do to get food and the boundaries are set even further back in this chapter.

CHAPTER 6 - 7

CHAPTER 8 - 9 "The look in his eyes as he gazed at me has never left me." (Wiesel 115) I really think that this book leaves something with the reader and it shows that even though some people live from the camps, they are never really alive again. It also shows the raw emotions of the holocaust contrary to raw facts like most books show an abundance of.

"i did not weep, and it pained me that i could not weep. But i was out of tears. And deep inside me i could have searched the recesses of my feeble conscience, i might have found something like: Free at last!... I felt like he should of had more, he was such a great writer and gripped the reader so well that he should have put a little of what happened after the camps into the story. I feel robbed.