night 2

  1. Conflagration


Extensive fire that ruins a great amount of land 


  1. Familial


Relating or occurring to a family or its members 


  1. Synagogue


A Jewish temple of worship 


  1. Inhibitions


Unable to act in a relaxed way, self conscious 


  1. Irrevocably


In a way that cannot be changed, reversed, recovered 


  1. Hermetically


In a way that is completely airtight 


  1. Auschwitz


Concentration camp during WW2 


  1. Birkenau


City that Auschwitz was in 


Literary Terms of Note:

  1. Simile:  a comparison of two dissimilar items using “like” or “as”

  2. Metaphor: When one item is spoken of as though it were something else. It implies comparison between two things.

  3. Verbal Irony: Words are used to express the opposite of what is meant

  4. Mood:  A feeling created for the reader using descriptions.  Often can be described using one word.

  5. Internal conflict: A conflict that rests inside a character, such as making a decision.


Guided Questions:  (Write answers as you are reading)


  1.  What simile does Wiesel use to describe all the people passing by on their way to the Sighet?” (17)


Elie says the people looked like beaten dogs. This is important because it connects the state of the people showing how they had no hope of freedom. 

 

  1. “Night had fallen” is the first time a reference to the title is made.  What is meant by night here? Is this a metaphor?


Night is not a metaphor but rather a symbol stating that everyone found nighttime the best because it was the time they could do anything.  


  1. As they begin to march, describe Elie’s father, mother, and sister, Tzipora. (19)


Elie’s father was crying, his mother was in deep thought, his sister was scared and anxious about what would happen to their family. 


  1. What is ironic about the situation when Maria offers the family protection? (20)


It is ironic because at the end, they all were to be taken away from their homes and leave everything behind. 


  1. Explain how the Jews in the ghetto use verbal irony when saying deportation was going on vacation. (21)


The Jews use verbal irony by saying the Germans are robbers and it is easiest to rob people when the owners are on vacation. 


  1. What did the synagogue look like? (22)


The walls were shredded and empty, the altar was destroyed, it was cramped, the women were upstairs and men down and their baggage surrounding them. 


  1. What was the penalty for keeping jewelry? (24)

If any Jews kept any jewelry with them and didn’t hand it over to the Germans, they would be shot. 

  1. What simile is used to let the reader know the German soldier’s view of those in the cattle car? (24)


The German soldier says that they will be shot like dogs which indicates he has no feelings but rather hatredness towards them. 


  1. “The world had become a hermetically sealed cattle car” is an example of which literary term? (24)


This is an example of a metaphor comparing two things that don’t relate together. 


  1. Describe Madame Schacter’s behavior on the train. (24 - 25)


Madame Schachter was in disbelief and many said she was mad because of the separation with her family. 


  1. What did she foreshadow? (24 - 25)


She kept shouting saying there was a fire. Nobody believed her at first and they beat her several times because there was no fire and everyone was tired of dealing with her. When they reached the camp however, they saw there were blazing flames.  


  1. What is the mood of the cattle car with Mrs. Schacter saying what she was saying? (26)

Everyone was trying to sleep and no one wanted to deal with her because they were already worried about what would happen next. 


  1. Where did the train finally stop? What time was it? (28)


The time was around midnight when the train finally reached the city of Birkenau to work in the Auschwitz camp where horror awaited them. 


  1. Two characters (Elie and Mrs. Schacter’s son) in this part of the novel must have internal conflicts with their parents.  In 5 - 6 sentences explain what internal conflict the two boys share.  Include one direct quote to support your thought.


Mrs. Schacter’s son and Elie are both embarrassed of their parents. Mrs. Schacter’s son desperately wanted his mother to stop screaming fire and he didn’t do anything when everyone beat up his mother. “Her son was clinging desperately to her, not uttering a word, He was no longer crying,” (Elie, 26) shows the reaction her son had after they beat Mrs. Schacter. Elie was embarrassed of his father when he thought he made a bad decision about not fleeing before the Germans arrived. “I am too old, my son, " he answered. Too old to start a new life. Too old to start from scratch in some distant land…” (Elie, 9) shows that when Elie begged his father to leave, his father responded with a response that Elie didn’t appreciate. These two characters keep these feelings internally however and they still respect their parents.