Sam Melo
Bosch
Honors 10 English
4 January 2009
Night Essay Prompt 4
Occasionally it is difficult to decide between right and wrong. When the time comes to make a decision such as this, it is important to make the decision based on good morals. For example, some truths can hurt, so tell a lie instead to make someone feel better; however, lying is bad morally, while making someone feel better is not. In the novel Night, an autobiography by Eliezer Wiesel about his experience in a German concentration camp at Auschwitz, Eliezer finds himself in one of these difficult situations. He and his father had been in the concentration camp in Auschwitz for eight days when a forgotten relative named Stein approached them. The Nazis separated Stein and his family many years ago. When Stein heard a transport had come in from Eliezer’s region, he came to Eliezer and his father inquiring if they had corresponded with his family. While Eliezer did not have any knowledge about Stein’s family, he decided to lie, and explained that they had corresponded and the family was doing well. His actions filled Stein with hope who wept with joy. Eliezer made his decision by considering the situation and its outcome. Eliezer lied in hopes that it would provide Stein with some hope and happiness, this quick decision was immoral.
Eliezer’s decision to lie derived from his hope that it would make Stein feel better. Part of this decision came from Eliezer’s religious past. As he grew up, he studied the cabala and had aspirations of becoming a religious superior like his father. These religious factors played into his decision to lie to Stein. In Eliezer’s eyes, it would have been difficult and painful to tell the truth, therefore he kept the truth to save the pain. Eliezer considered the horrible fact that their chance of survival was low as well. In fact, most Jews that were deported to Auschwitz were “liquidated”. Therefore, Eliezer knew that whether or not Stein knew the truth about his family, one or both of them would probably be dead by the time real news reached them anyway. In Eliezer’s eyes, it did not matter if he told the truth or not. He decided to make Stein feel better and give him hope, so he lied.
Eliezer decision to lie was morally poor. Instead of filling Stein with despair, he chose to bestow him with false optimism. Eliezer should have realized that it is more upsetting to have optimism crushed than to have low hopes recognized. Stein exemplifies his high optimism in the following passage:
Stein, our relation from Antwerp, continued to visit us, and from time to time he would bring a half ration of bread.
“Here, this is for you, Eliezer.”
Every time he came, there would be tears running down his face, congealing there, freezing….
“The only thing that keeps me alive,” he used to say, “is that Reizel and the children are still alive. If it wasn’t for them, I couldn’t keep going.”
He came toward us one evening, his face radiant.
“A transport’s just come in from Antwerp. I’m going to see them tomorrow. They’ll be sure to have news.”
He went off.
We were not to see him again. He had had news. Real news. (Wiesel 41 – 42)
The passage demonstrates how exited Stein became, and how devastated he was when he found out the truth. Although, the truth might have caused Stein to get discouraged, discovering reality with a hopeful mentality proved to be been too much for him. Decent morals would have called for the truth, because although the truth hurts, false optimism hurts more when reality sets in.
Eliezer was not a bad person; however, he made a decision based on poor morals. He only wanted to help; however, the truth would have helped more. Eliezer reveals the truth through these thoughts, “I knew nothing about them. Since 1940, my mother had not had a single letter from them. But I lied. ‘Yes, my mother’s had news from your family. Reizel is very well. The children too…’” (Wiesel 41). He did not know if they were well or not, all he knew was that the families had not corresponded for some time. Therefore, a small chance did exist that Stein’s family was still alive. However, after all the death and destruction that Eliezer had witnessed, he should have known that this chance was too small to be significant. In Eliezer’s case, it would have been better to tell the truth, and it would be in the interest of good morals. In most cases, when deciding between right and wrong or truth and deception, it is always best to do the right thing, even if it hurts. Morally speaking, doing the right thing is always within the realm of good morals.
Work Cited
Wiesel, Eliezer. Night. New York: Bantam Books, 1982.
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Sunday, January 11, 2009
Sam Melo
Bosch
Honors 10 English
3 January 2009
1. Prostrate
To lay flat. As on the ground; to cast down, as oneself in humility or adoration; to overthrow, overcome, or reduce to physical weakness or exhaustion: to be prostrated by disease
2. Interlude
An interval; a temporary pause of lull during some other activity; an intervening episode or period.
3. Reprieve
The suspension of the execution of a sentence; a warrant of authorization for this; respite; temporary ease or relief
4. Rations
A daily allowance of provisions to soldiers and sailors: any fixed amount or quantity allotted; a share or portion
5. Dysentery
An infectious disease characterized by inflammation of the bowels, with diarrhea
6. Robust
Possessed of or indicating great strength or health; strong or enduring; vigorous; rude, rough, or boisterous; strong or full flavored, as coffee.
7. Quarantine
A detention or isolation to prevent the spread of disease; a place of confinement or isolation; a system of measures, as for observation or disinfection, maintained by governmental or public authority at ports of frontiers thus preventing the spread of disease
8. Apathy
Lack of feeling or excitement; indifference
9. Humane
Kind; benevolent; tender; merciful; tending to civilize or refine
10. Grimace
A facial distortion expressing scorn, pain, disgust, affection, disapproval, or other emotion; a smirk; a wry face
11. Nocturnal
Pertaining or belonging to the night; done or occurring at night
12. Livid
Black and blue, as bruised flesh; of a lead or ashen color, as the face; discolored by contusion, as flesh
13. Pious
Having or showing a dutiful spirit of reverence for God or an earnest regard for religious obligations; devout; religious; godly; practiced or used from religious motives, real or pretended, or for some good object
14. Interminable
Boundless; unending; wearisomely prolonged
15. Wizened
Dried out and shriveled; withered; shrunken
16. Morale
Mental attitude, as of soldiers expressing courage, zeal, hope, or confidence
17. Infernal
Hellish; fiendish; diabolical
18. Refuge
Shelter or protection from danger or distress; any safe place or asylum
19. Oppressive
Unreasonably burdensome; unjustly severe; given to oppression; tyrannical; overpowering; overwhelming
20. Expelled
To drive or force out or away; to cut off from membership; to expel a student
Bosch
Honors 10 English
3 January 2009
1. Prostrate
To lay flat. As on the ground; to cast down, as oneself in humility or adoration; to overthrow, overcome, or reduce to physical weakness or exhaustion: to be prostrated by disease
2. Interlude
An interval; a temporary pause of lull during some other activity; an intervening episode or period.
3. Reprieve
The suspension of the execution of a sentence; a warrant of authorization for this; respite; temporary ease or relief
4. Rations
A daily allowance of provisions to soldiers and sailors: any fixed amount or quantity allotted; a share or portion
5. Dysentery
An infectious disease characterized by inflammation of the bowels, with diarrhea
6. Robust
Possessed of or indicating great strength or health; strong or enduring; vigorous; rude, rough, or boisterous; strong or full flavored, as coffee.
7. Quarantine
A detention or isolation to prevent the spread of disease; a place of confinement or isolation; a system of measures, as for observation or disinfection, maintained by governmental or public authority at ports of frontiers thus preventing the spread of disease
8. Apathy
Lack of feeling or excitement; indifference
9. Humane
Kind; benevolent; tender; merciful; tending to civilize or refine
10. Grimace
A facial distortion expressing scorn, pain, disgust, affection, disapproval, or other emotion; a smirk; a wry face
11. Nocturnal
Pertaining or belonging to the night; done or occurring at night
12. Livid
Black and blue, as bruised flesh; of a lead or ashen color, as the face; discolored by contusion, as flesh
13. Pious
Having or showing a dutiful spirit of reverence for God or an earnest regard for religious obligations; devout; religious; godly; practiced or used from religious motives, real or pretended, or for some good object
14. Interminable
Boundless; unending; wearisomely prolonged
15. Wizened
Dried out and shriveled; withered; shrunken
16. Morale
Mental attitude, as of soldiers expressing courage, zeal, hope, or confidence
17. Infernal
Hellish; fiendish; diabolical
18. Refuge
Shelter or protection from danger or distress; any safe place or asylum
19. Oppressive
Unreasonably burdensome; unjustly severe; given to oppression; tyrannical; overpowering; overwhelming
20. Expelled
To drive or force out or away; to cut off from membership; to expel a student
Saturday, January 3, 2009
NIGHT Reflection Questions
1) Elie Wiesel was born in the town of Sighet in Transylvania. 
Here you can see the main countries mentioned in the novel. (Transylvania is now part of Romania.)
2) The cabala is a system of belief developed by Jewish rabbis.
3) Elie was referring to truths about purpose and a truthful explanation for the world around him. He was ignorant of the truths about evil and patience. He was mad that God never answered his questions with words or signs.
4) Moshe the Beadle is a significant character because he represents what Elie would have become if he was not deported. Moshe represents Elie’s search for religious understanding and wisdom, he is the one that explains to Elie that through religion question and answer can become one. He is also significant because he provides the first warning of the Nazis, mostly to his “apprentice” Elie. I believe he wanted to warn Elie the most because Elie listened to him and understood him more than anyone.
5) I believe that the people of Sighet ignore Moshe the Beadle partly because he was old and feeble. However, I think that it was mostly because the stories he told were so brutal that the people listening could not comprehend or even imagine them. They did not understand what he was telling them.
6) Madame Schachter is a woman that lost her mind when her husband was mistakenly taken with and earlier group or deportees. While Elie’s group was being deported, she constantly shouted about a big fire. She was like a prophetic figure because when they finally arrived to Auschwitz, they realized there was in fact a large fire coming from the incinerator filled with fellow Jews. She is similar to Moshe the Beadle because they were both ignored prophetic figures.
7) This passage is actually one that I reflected on in my journal because of its life changing power over Elie. He realizes the truth about his position. He finds that nothing is worth what it seems, and that there really is not point in living. This part had and impact on his whole life; it began his humanitarian acts and guides him every day.
8) Elie used to think that the world was a good place, a place where he could study his religion and find answers to life’s questions. However, from this point on, his outlook changes negatively. This passage sets up the rest of the novel in that it shows his transformation and the base of all his somewhat inhumane actions and thoughts while being a prisoner.
9) At first Elie believe in God’s presence on earth and his power to change things. As the novel progresses Elie no longer believes in God’s power to find justice, but still in His presence. Finally Elie becomes rebellious to all of his Jewish traditions and mentally refuses to bless his God.
10) Night and darkness goes hand in hand with the biblical vision of hell. I relate night to a sort of evil much like the dark side in Star Wars. Therefore, I believe that the evil of the concentration camps were exemplified at night, after all, night is when fire is most vivid.
11) There are a couple of reasons I could think of for why Night is such a slim book. First it might have hurt Elie emotionally to recall all of his past. Second, Elie might want any literate person to be able to read his account and learn from it; therefore he made it small and easy to understand. Finally, I think that the Holocaust was such a powerful and horrific event that it does not take much description to demonstrate its power.
12) I think that it is more of a memoir because it is a collection of memories from Elie’s time at Auswitz. Elie did not triumph really besides the fact that he survived because he did a lot of things that he is ashamed of. However, it could be both because he did survive and it is a collection of his memories.
Here you can see the main countries mentioned in the novel. (Transylvania is now part of Romania.)
2) The cabala is a system of belief developed by Jewish rabbis.
3) Elie was referring to truths about purpose and a truthful explanation for the world around him. He was ignorant of the truths about evil and patience. He was mad that God never answered his questions with words or signs.
4) Moshe the Beadle is a significant character because he represents what Elie would have become if he was not deported. Moshe represents Elie’s search for religious understanding and wisdom, he is the one that explains to Elie that through religion question and answer can become one. He is also significant because he provides the first warning of the Nazis, mostly to his “apprentice” Elie. I believe he wanted to warn Elie the most because Elie listened to him and understood him more than anyone.
5) I believe that the people of Sighet ignore Moshe the Beadle partly because he was old and feeble. However, I think that it was mostly because the stories he told were so brutal that the people listening could not comprehend or even imagine them. They did not understand what he was telling them.
6) Madame Schachter is a woman that lost her mind when her husband was mistakenly taken with and earlier group or deportees. While Elie’s group was being deported, she constantly shouted about a big fire. She was like a prophetic figure because when they finally arrived to Auschwitz, they realized there was in fact a large fire coming from the incinerator filled with fellow Jews. She is similar to Moshe the Beadle because they were both ignored prophetic figures.
7) This passage is actually one that I reflected on in my journal because of its life changing power over Elie. He realizes the truth about his position. He finds that nothing is worth what it seems, and that there really is not point in living. This part had and impact on his whole life; it began his humanitarian acts and guides him every day.
8) Elie used to think that the world was a good place, a place where he could study his religion and find answers to life’s questions. However, from this point on, his outlook changes negatively. This passage sets up the rest of the novel in that it shows his transformation and the base of all his somewhat inhumane actions and thoughts while being a prisoner.
9) At first Elie believe in God’s presence on earth and his power to change things. As the novel progresses Elie no longer believes in God’s power to find justice, but still in His presence. Finally Elie becomes rebellious to all of his Jewish traditions and mentally refuses to bless his God.
10) Night and darkness goes hand in hand with the biblical vision of hell. I relate night to a sort of evil much like the dark side in Star Wars. Therefore, I believe that the evil of the concentration camps were exemplified at night, after all, night is when fire is most vivid.
11) There are a couple of reasons I could think of for why Night is such a slim book. First it might have hurt Elie emotionally to recall all of his past. Second, Elie might want any literate person to be able to read his account and learn from it; therefore he made it small and easy to understand. Finally, I think that the Holocaust was such a powerful and horrific event that it does not take much description to demonstrate its power.
12) I think that it is more of a memoir because it is a collection of memories from Elie’s time at Auswitz. Elie did not triumph really besides the fact that he survived because he did a lot of things that he is ashamed of. However, it could be both because he did survive and it is a collection of his memories.
Reflection Journal for NIGHT
1-3-09
Page: 4
Quote: He told his story and that of his companions. The train full of deportees had crossed the Hungarian frontier and on to Polish territory had been taken in charge by the Gestapo. There it had stopped. The Jews had to get out and climb into Lorries. The Lorries drove toward a forest. The Jews were made to get out. They were made to dig huge graves. And when they finished their work, the Gestapo began theirs. Without passion, without haste, they slaughtered their prisoners. Each one had to go up to the hole and present his neck. Babies were thrown into the air and the machine gunners used them as targets. This was in the forest of Galicia, near Kolomaye. How had Moshe the Beadle escaped? Miraculously. He was wounded in the leg and taken for dead…
Reflection: This is the first taste of the Holocaust in the novel presented to me as the reader. It is so brutal that I have a hard time imagining it as something real. It is difficult for me to believe that this novel is all true. I have always read fictional novels and had to use my imaginations, there is no room for that here. Therefore, I can relate to all the people that will not listen to this tale by Moshe the Beadle. Neither they nor I have ever been exposed to anything like this which makes it impossible to believe.
Page: 10
Quote: On the Saturday before Pentecost, in the spring sunshine, people strolled, carefree and unheeding through the swarming streets. They chatted happily. The children played games on the pavement. With some of my schoolmates, I sat in the Ezra Malik gardens, studying a treatise on the Talmud.
Reflection: None of the people believed that anything could happen to them. This illusion ultimately leads to their deportation. It is hard to believe that they all had a chance to get out by getting a travel permit. They had all denied the obvious signs. They all believed that the liberation front was closing in quickly; however, they overestimated their speed. This illusion is demonstrated by their carefree actions in the time before they were deported.
Page: 22
Quote: “There ore eighty of you in this wagon,” added the German officer. “If anyone is missing, you’ll all be shot, like dogs….”
Reflection: The Germans used fear to make sure that the Jews did whatever they asked them. Personally, if I was one of the people in the wagon, and I knew I could get away, I would escape at the cost of the people in the wagon with me. However, I would do this only if I knew that they were taking me to a concentration camp. I would offer others to come with me though. Now that I think of it, Elie is the only one that survives from that cart by the end of the novel anyway; he never talks about seeing any friends from home.
Page: 32
Quote: Never shall I forget that night, that first night in camp, which has turned my life into one long night, seven times cursed and seven times sealed. Never shall I forget that smoke. Never shall I forget the little fades of children, whose bodies I saw turned into wreaths of smoke beneath the silent blue sky. Never shall I forger those flames which consumed by faith forever. Never shall I forget that nocturnal silence which deprived me, for all eternity of the desire to live. Never shill I forger 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.
Reflection: This is the turning point for Elie in the novel. He no longer has faith in his beloved God and he no longer sees any value is life. After all the death he has seen, he realizes that it is pointless to live if they can kill so many. He will never forget the horrors that he saw. Hopefully no one will forget these things in order to prevent it from happening again in the future. Anyway, after this point, Elie is no longer a naive little boy. He has become a changed and twisted man, due to his experiences.
Page: 42
Quote: I did not deny God’s existence, but I doubted His absolute justice.
Reflection: Even after Elie’s God is murdered and he no longer has faith, he still holds high respect to God. I noticed that he always capitalizes God’s name and any pronoun referring to God. To me this shows that Elie knows that God is still there, but doubt the fact that he can do anything at all. He is also frustrated with the fact that God never answers man’s questions and remains silent to the ears. Elie began as a very religious man, I think that if I was in his position I would stop believing in a God and His existence all together, but this is because I have a much smaller religious understanding and enthusiasm that Elie did.
Page: 51
Quote: I felt that she wanted to say something but was choked by fear. For a long moment she stayed like that, then her face cleared and she said to me in almost perfect German: “Bite your lip, little brother…Don’t cry. Keep your anger and hatred for another day, for later on. The day will come but not now…Wait. Grit your teeth and wait…”
Reflection: I thought that this small fragment of the novel was very beautiful. It goes to show that even though Elie had been through so much, he was one of the lucky ones. This part with the young French girl has no large significance in the outcome of Elie’s time in the prison, but I liked it. I can not come up with the correct words to explain why. I just felt that her words were powerful and revealing. I also liked how Elie met the girl many years later on the outside. I am glad that she survived.
Page: 64
Quote: Why, but why should I bless Him? In every fiber I rebelled. Because He had had thousands of children burned in His pits? Because He kept six crematories working night and day, on Sundays and Feast days?
Reflection: This is just another example of Elie’s loss of faith. However, his loss in faith has turned to a rebellious attitude toward his religion in its entirety. I am amazed that he still relates with the Jewish traditions, but old habits die hard. I suppose that it is impossible not to relate to his Jewish traditions because after he has been stripped of everything, it is all that he had left. I believe that these are questions anyone should ask about their faith. Something should be said for those that can find an answer.
Page: 72
Quote: Were there still miracles on this earth? He was alive. He had escaped the second selection. He had been able to prove that he was still useful…I gave back his knife and spoon.
Reflection: As I was reading about how the father wanted Elie to have his knife and spoon before the selection I thought nothing of it. That was until I got to the part where I had a revelation. These meager items were his inheritance. They were the only things that his father could leave behind for his only son, his only family. All of the sudden these objects became very important, they represented Elie’s father. It saddens me that when his father actually died, he left nothing.
Page: 81
Quote: I was putting one foot in front of the other mechanically. I was dragging with me this
skeletal body which weighed so much. If only I could have got rid of it! In spite of my efforts not to think about it, I could feel my self as two entities my body and me. I hated it.
Reflection: It is amazing what these bodies have gone through. Young and old all have been running for miles, yet they keep going. I suppose that the necessity to live can cause a body to overexert itself. These bodies have been turned into the bodies of animals. The only thing I can think of to relate them to being are the infected savage humans from the movie I am Legend with Will Smith. A healthy person could not even do what these malnourished bodies have done.
Page: 95
Quote: One day when we had stopped, a workman took a piece of bread out of his bag and threw it into a wagon, there was a stampede. Dozens of starving men fought each other to the death for a few crumbs. The German workmen took a lively interest in this spectacle.
Reflection: If there was anything that Hitler was really good at, it was speeches. He was able to turn the Jewish people into dogs through his speeches to the Germans. This scene demonstrates his power. Most of the Germans thought that the suffering Jews were vermin. This scene disgusts me. I can just imagine a pack of wolves tearing at a scrap of meat, but these wolves are savage people killing others just for a bite.
Page: 101
Quote: I went to look for him. But at the same moment his thought came into my mind: “Don’t let me find him. If only I could get rid of this dead weight, so that I could use all my strength to struggle for my own survival, and only worry about myself.” Immediately I felt ashamed of myself, ashamed forever.
Reflection: I can completely sympathize for Elie. It is impossible to not have these thoughts in a situation like this. I am just glad that Elie had the strength to not abandon his father. I believe that as long as you have family, you have all you need, which is why I was very upset when his father gave up and died so close to liberation. Out of all the devastation in the novel, I think that losing his family was the worst that happened to Elie.
Page: 4
Quote: He told his story and that of his companions. The train full of deportees had crossed the Hungarian frontier and on to Polish territory had been taken in charge by the Gestapo. There it had stopped. The Jews had to get out and climb into Lorries. The Lorries drove toward a forest. The Jews were made to get out. They were made to dig huge graves. And when they finished their work, the Gestapo began theirs. Without passion, without haste, they slaughtered their prisoners. Each one had to go up to the hole and present his neck. Babies were thrown into the air and the machine gunners used them as targets. This was in the forest of Galicia, near Kolomaye. How had Moshe the Beadle escaped? Miraculously. He was wounded in the leg and taken for dead…
Reflection: This is the first taste of the Holocaust in the novel presented to me as the reader. It is so brutal that I have a hard time imagining it as something real. It is difficult for me to believe that this novel is all true. I have always read fictional novels and had to use my imaginations, there is no room for that here. Therefore, I can relate to all the people that will not listen to this tale by Moshe the Beadle. Neither they nor I have ever been exposed to anything like this which makes it impossible to believe.
Page: 10
Quote: On the Saturday before Pentecost, in the spring sunshine, people strolled, carefree and unheeding through the swarming streets. They chatted happily. The children played games on the pavement. With some of my schoolmates, I sat in the Ezra Malik gardens, studying a treatise on the Talmud.
Reflection: None of the people believed that anything could happen to them. This illusion ultimately leads to their deportation. It is hard to believe that they all had a chance to get out by getting a travel permit. They had all denied the obvious signs. They all believed that the liberation front was closing in quickly; however, they overestimated their speed. This illusion is demonstrated by their carefree actions in the time before they were deported.
Page: 22
Quote: “There ore eighty of you in this wagon,” added the German officer. “If anyone is missing, you’ll all be shot, like dogs….”
Reflection: The Germans used fear to make sure that the Jews did whatever they asked them. Personally, if I was one of the people in the wagon, and I knew I could get away, I would escape at the cost of the people in the wagon with me. However, I would do this only if I knew that they were taking me to a concentration camp. I would offer others to come with me though. Now that I think of it, Elie is the only one that survives from that cart by the end of the novel anyway; he never talks about seeing any friends from home.
Page: 32
Quote: Never shall I forget that night, that first night in camp, which has turned my life into one long night, seven times cursed and seven times sealed. Never shall I forget that smoke. Never shall I forget the little fades of children, whose bodies I saw turned into wreaths of smoke beneath the silent blue sky. Never shall I forger those flames which consumed by faith forever. Never shall I forget that nocturnal silence which deprived me, for all eternity of the desire to live. Never shill I forger 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.
Reflection: This is the turning point for Elie in the novel. He no longer has faith in his beloved God and he no longer sees any value is life. After all the death he has seen, he realizes that it is pointless to live if they can kill so many. He will never forget the horrors that he saw. Hopefully no one will forget these things in order to prevent it from happening again in the future. Anyway, after this point, Elie is no longer a naive little boy. He has become a changed and twisted man, due to his experiences.
Page: 42
Quote: I did not deny God’s existence, but I doubted His absolute justice.
Reflection: Even after Elie’s God is murdered and he no longer has faith, he still holds high respect to God. I noticed that he always capitalizes God’s name and any pronoun referring to God. To me this shows that Elie knows that God is still there, but doubt the fact that he can do anything at all. He is also frustrated with the fact that God never answers man’s questions and remains silent to the ears. Elie began as a very religious man, I think that if I was in his position I would stop believing in a God and His existence all together, but this is because I have a much smaller religious understanding and enthusiasm that Elie did.
Page: 51
Quote: I felt that she wanted to say something but was choked by fear. For a long moment she stayed like that, then her face cleared and she said to me in almost perfect German: “Bite your lip, little brother…Don’t cry. Keep your anger and hatred for another day, for later on. The day will come but not now…Wait. Grit your teeth and wait…”
Reflection: I thought that this small fragment of the novel was very beautiful. It goes to show that even though Elie had been through so much, he was one of the lucky ones. This part with the young French girl has no large significance in the outcome of Elie’s time in the prison, but I liked it. I can not come up with the correct words to explain why. I just felt that her words were powerful and revealing. I also liked how Elie met the girl many years later on the outside. I am glad that she survived.
Page: 64
Quote: Why, but why should I bless Him? In every fiber I rebelled. Because He had had thousands of children burned in His pits? Because He kept six crematories working night and day, on Sundays and Feast days?
Reflection: This is just another example of Elie’s loss of faith. However, his loss in faith has turned to a rebellious attitude toward his religion in its entirety. I am amazed that he still relates with the Jewish traditions, but old habits die hard. I suppose that it is impossible not to relate to his Jewish traditions because after he has been stripped of everything, it is all that he had left. I believe that these are questions anyone should ask about their faith. Something should be said for those that can find an answer.
Page: 72
Quote: Were there still miracles on this earth? He was alive. He had escaped the second selection. He had been able to prove that he was still useful…I gave back his knife and spoon.
Reflection: As I was reading about how the father wanted Elie to have his knife and spoon before the selection I thought nothing of it. That was until I got to the part where I had a revelation. These meager items were his inheritance. They were the only things that his father could leave behind for his only son, his only family. All of the sudden these objects became very important, they represented Elie’s father. It saddens me that when his father actually died, he left nothing.
Page: 81
Quote: I was putting one foot in front of the other mechanically. I was dragging with me this
skeletal body which weighed so much. If only I could have got rid of it! In spite of my efforts not to think about it, I could feel my self as two entities my body and me. I hated it.
Reflection: It is amazing what these bodies have gone through. Young and old all have been running for miles, yet they keep going. I suppose that the necessity to live can cause a body to overexert itself. These bodies have been turned into the bodies of animals. The only thing I can think of to relate them to being are the infected savage humans from the movie I am Legend with Will Smith. A healthy person could not even do what these malnourished bodies have done.
Page: 95
Quote: One day when we had stopped, a workman took a piece of bread out of his bag and threw it into a wagon, there was a stampede. Dozens of starving men fought each other to the death for a few crumbs. The German workmen took a lively interest in this spectacle.
Reflection: If there was anything that Hitler was really good at, it was speeches. He was able to turn the Jewish people into dogs through his speeches to the Germans. This scene demonstrates his power. Most of the Germans thought that the suffering Jews were vermin. This scene disgusts me. I can just imagine a pack of wolves tearing at a scrap of meat, but these wolves are savage people killing others just for a bite.
Page: 101
Quote: I went to look for him. But at the same moment his thought came into my mind: “Don’t let me find him. If only I could get rid of this dead weight, so that I could use all my strength to struggle for my own survival, and only worry about myself.” Immediately I felt ashamed of myself, ashamed forever.
Reflection: I can completely sympathize for Elie. It is impossible to not have these thoughts in a situation like this. I am just glad that Elie had the strength to not abandon his father. I believe that as long as you have family, you have all you need, which is why I was very upset when his father gave up and died so close to liberation. Out of all the devastation in the novel, I think that losing his family was the worst that happened to Elie.
Friday, September 12, 2008
Theme Questions
1. The qualities of a good leader is one of the play's important themes. To explore this theme, students can do one or more of the following:• Discuss the qualities possessed by a good leader. Generate a list of these qualities
• Make a list of the leadership qualities that the class feels are legitimate. Compare and contrast the two lists and compile one list of leadership qualities that the class feels a good leader should have. Prioritize the list.• Examine the effect a leader's domestic relationships, physical condition, and/or athletic ability may have on his or her leadership abilities.
My List:
Self confidence
Self dependence
Responsibility
Loyalty
Persuasiveness
Good orator
Experienced
Self control
Wise
Just
Native
Class list:
Persuasive
Responsible
Mental strength
Loyalty
Supports the common man
Serves others
Just
Trustworthy
Educated/Intelligent
Political understanding
Feared/Respected
Experienced
Charasmatic
In the beginning of man, tribes would select the biggest and strongest of their members to be their leader. Those people were uneducated; however, the idea of a big strong leader remains today. During Caesar’s time, those who supported him did not go by images as much as we do today because of the lack of political propaganda, but Caesar’s physical appearance could have had an effect on him. A strong or athletic person might be more confident and thus look like a better leader because of that, but otherwise, physical appearance and ability should not affect the way that a person can lead. That being said, physical appearance and ability diffidently sway several supporters of voters because they fail to see past their candidates physical shell.
2. Friendship is another major theme in the play. Explore this theme by answering the following questions:• How far would you go to stop a friend from harming your country?• How far would you go to obtain revenge on someone or some group who destroyed your best friend?• Is there anything for which you would betray a friend?• Which is more important to you, friendship or personal principles? Why?
I believe that the world is every man (or woman) for himself. However, I also highly value friendship and family unity. Therefore, I would do almost anything to stop a friend from harming my country if I was 100% sure that he or she was really a threat. If I found out that they were not a threat after I had done something, I could not live with myself.
I also have the same idea for taking revenge on my friend’s conspirators. I have to be sure that the people that kill my friend had a bad reason for it. If they destroyed my friend because he or she was a major threat, I would try to accept that my friend’s death was justified. I do not want to come across as bad person because I would still hesitate to stop my friend and I would still morn and be sad about the death of my friend.
There is very little that I would do to betray a friend. As we discussed in class, the most probable thing to come between a friend and me is another friend. This could be a girlfriend or just another friend that is stealing attention. As much as I hate to say, people are what tick off other people, and unfortunately, I believe that the only thing for which I would betray a friend is over another person.
Personal principles are more important to me because, as I said earlier, it is every man for himself. I cannot have other people holding me back. If a friend got in the way of my principles, I would ask that person to respect my opinion, effectively persuade me to accept another opinion, or get out of my face.
3. One of the most sensitive issues in the play is suicide. Research attitudes toward suicide held by the following cultures: ancient Roman, modern Japanese, and modern American. Compare and contrast these attitudes in class presentations or in written essays.
As modern Americans, we have a very Christian way of looking at suicide. A few terms and phrases that came up in class are as follows: going to hell, depressed, unresolved endings, fear, peace, neglect, and outcast. There were many more but some were just other ways to say something already stated so I am only posting the important ones. All of these terms have a very negative tone to them. Therefore, the American idea of suicide is negative. It is one of the worst things to do.
This contrasts greatly to the modern Japanese and ancient Roman ideas. They believed that giving a person’s own life was the ultimate act towards their god(s). For example, the Kamikaze in Japan believed that suicide was an honorable action. In fact, most of Eastern society believes in this notion.
4. The role of fate and superstition is another theme.• To what extent can we control the future?• How superstitious are you? Do you have any good luck rituals that you perform before important occasions?• Do you watch for omens before important events?• Do you read your horoscope every day, and do you follow its advice?
We can control our future fully. We as people come gifted with free will and can always chose what to do. If someone chooses not to decide, they still have made a choice. This means that someone can either go with the flow or try to do things the way they want. Obviously, I do not believe in anything like predestination. We come into this world to lead our own way in it. If someone told me that you could not control your future if you are in control by someone, I would say that the choices present are to rebel or to be controlled. Therefore, the future is not set and is in the control of the people living in the present time.
I pray. Saying a short Our Father or blessing myself helps me tremendously because it makes me feel like God is watching over me. Obviously, I am a Catholic. I do this for my own safety. I believe that luck should not exist (however, I like the luxury of hoping for it and blaming it) because it is our decisions that give us the mathematical chances for things to manifest. I am not very superstitious, but I do believe in karma, which goes hand in hand with the notion of “What goes around comes around.” I do not like to say things that will come back and bite me because I am always afraid that they will.
I do not believe in omens, and I think that horoscopes are completely illegitimate and a waste of time for everyone.
• Make a list of the leadership qualities that the class feels are legitimate. Compare and contrast the two lists and compile one list of leadership qualities that the class feels a good leader should have. Prioritize the list.• Examine the effect a leader's domestic relationships, physical condition, and/or athletic ability may have on his or her leadership abilities.
My List:
Self confidence
Self dependence
Responsibility
Loyalty
Persuasiveness
Good orator
Experienced
Self control
Wise
Just
Native
Class list:
Persuasive
Responsible
Mental strength
Loyalty
Supports the common man
Serves others
Just
Trustworthy
Educated/Intelligent
Political understanding
Feared/Respected
Experienced
Charasmatic
In the beginning of man, tribes would select the biggest and strongest of their members to be their leader. Those people were uneducated; however, the idea of a big strong leader remains today. During Caesar’s time, those who supported him did not go by images as much as we do today because of the lack of political propaganda, but Caesar’s physical appearance could have had an effect on him. A strong or athletic person might be more confident and thus look like a better leader because of that, but otherwise, physical appearance and ability should not affect the way that a person can lead. That being said, physical appearance and ability diffidently sway several supporters of voters because they fail to see past their candidates physical shell.
2. Friendship is another major theme in the play. Explore this theme by answering the following questions:• How far would you go to stop a friend from harming your country?• How far would you go to obtain revenge on someone or some group who destroyed your best friend?• Is there anything for which you would betray a friend?• Which is more important to you, friendship or personal principles? Why?
I believe that the world is every man (or woman) for himself. However, I also highly value friendship and family unity. Therefore, I would do almost anything to stop a friend from harming my country if I was 100% sure that he or she was really a threat. If I found out that they were not a threat after I had done something, I could not live with myself.
I also have the same idea for taking revenge on my friend’s conspirators. I have to be sure that the people that kill my friend had a bad reason for it. If they destroyed my friend because he or she was a major threat, I would try to accept that my friend’s death was justified. I do not want to come across as bad person because I would still hesitate to stop my friend and I would still morn and be sad about the death of my friend.
There is very little that I would do to betray a friend. As we discussed in class, the most probable thing to come between a friend and me is another friend. This could be a girlfriend or just another friend that is stealing attention. As much as I hate to say, people are what tick off other people, and unfortunately, I believe that the only thing for which I would betray a friend is over another person.
Personal principles are more important to me because, as I said earlier, it is every man for himself. I cannot have other people holding me back. If a friend got in the way of my principles, I would ask that person to respect my opinion, effectively persuade me to accept another opinion, or get out of my face.
3. One of the most sensitive issues in the play is suicide. Research attitudes toward suicide held by the following cultures: ancient Roman, modern Japanese, and modern American. Compare and contrast these attitudes in class presentations or in written essays.
As modern Americans, we have a very Christian way of looking at suicide. A few terms and phrases that came up in class are as follows: going to hell, depressed, unresolved endings, fear, peace, neglect, and outcast. There were many more but some were just other ways to say something already stated so I am only posting the important ones. All of these terms have a very negative tone to them. Therefore, the American idea of suicide is negative. It is one of the worst things to do.
This contrasts greatly to the modern Japanese and ancient Roman ideas. They believed that giving a person’s own life was the ultimate act towards their god(s). For example, the Kamikaze in Japan believed that suicide was an honorable action. In fact, most of Eastern society believes in this notion.
4. The role of fate and superstition is another theme.• To what extent can we control the future?• How superstitious are you? Do you have any good luck rituals that you perform before important occasions?• Do you watch for omens before important events?• Do you read your horoscope every day, and do you follow its advice?
We can control our future fully. We as people come gifted with free will and can always chose what to do. If someone chooses not to decide, they still have made a choice. This means that someone can either go with the flow or try to do things the way they want. Obviously, I do not believe in anything like predestination. We come into this world to lead our own way in it. If someone told me that you could not control your future if you are in control by someone, I would say that the choices present are to rebel or to be controlled. Therefore, the future is not set and is in the control of the people living in the present time.
I pray. Saying a short Our Father or blessing myself helps me tremendously because it makes me feel like God is watching over me. Obviously, I am a Catholic. I do this for my own safety. I believe that luck should not exist (however, I like the luxury of hoping for it and blaming it) because it is our decisions that give us the mathematical chances for things to manifest. I am not very superstitious, but I do believe in karma, which goes hand in hand with the notion of “What goes around comes around.” I do not like to say things that will come back and bite me because I am always afraid that they will.
I do not believe in omens, and I think that horoscopes are completely illegitimate and a waste of time for everyone.
Thursday, September 11, 2008
Theme Questions on Julius Caesar
1. The qualities of a good leader is one of the play's important themes. To explore this theme, students can do one or more of the following:• Discuss the qualities possessed by a good leader. Generate a list of these qualities
• Make a list of the leadership qualities that the class feels are legitimate. Compare and contrast the two lists and compile one list of leadership qualities that the class feels a good leader should have. Prioritize the list.• Examine the effect a leader's domestic relationships, physical condition, and/or athletic ability may have on his or her leadership abilities.
My List:
Self confidence
Self dependence
Responsibility
Loyalty
Persuasiveness
Good orator
Experienced
Self control
Wise
Just
Native
Class list:
Persuasive
Responsible
Mental strength
Loyalty
Supports the common man
Serves others
Just
Trustworthy
Educated/Intelligent
Political understanding
Feared/Respected
Experienced
Charasmatic
In the beginning of man, tribes would select the biggest and strongest of their members to be their leader. Those people were uneducated; however, the idea of a big strong leader remains today. During Caesar’s time, those who supported him did not go by images as much as we do today because of the lack of political propaganda, but Caesar’s physical appearance could have had an effect on him. A strong or athletic person might be more confident and thus look like a better leader because of that, but otherwise, physical appearance and ability should not affect the way that a person can lead. That being said, physical appearance and ability diffidently sway several supporters of voters because they fail to see past their candidates physical shell.
2. Friendship is another major theme in the play. Explore this theme by answering the following questions:• How far would you go to stop a friend from harming your country?• How far would you go to obtain revenge on someone or some group who destroyed your best friend?• Is there anything for which you would betray a friend?• Which is more important to you, friendship or personal principles? Why?
I believe that the world is every man (or woman) for himself. However, I also highly value friendship and family unity. Therefore, I would do almost anything to stop a friend from harming my country if I was 100% sure that he or she was really a threat. If I found out that they were not a threat after I had done something, I could not live with myself.
I also have the same idea for taking revenge on my friend’s conspirators. I have to be sure that the people that kill my friend had a bad reason for it. If they destroyed my friend because he or she was a major threat, I would try to accept that my friend’s death was justified. I do not want to come across as bad person because I would still hesitate to stop my friend and I would still morn and be sad about the death of my friend.
There is very little that I would do to betray a friend. As we discussed in class, the most probable thing to come between a friend and me is another friend. This could be a girlfriend or just another friend that is stealing attention. As much as I hate to say, people are what tick off other people, and unfortunately, I believe that the only thing for which I would betray a friend is over another person.
Personal principles are more important to me because, as I said earlier, it is every man for himself. I cannot have other people holding me back. If a friend got in the way of my principles, I would ask that person to respect my opinion, effectively persuade me to accept another opinion, or get out of my face.
3. One of the most sensitive issues in the play is suicide. Research attitudes toward suicide held by the following cultures: ancient Roman, modern Japanese, and modern American. Compare and contrast these attitudes in class presentations or in written essays.
Tomorrow (Friday) I am going to talk to you (Mrs. Bosch) about this question to fully understand what it is that we have to do. I will then post my answer tomorrow before the 12 o clock deadline.
4. The role of fate and superstition is another theme.• To what extent can we control the future?• How superstitious are you? Do you have any good luck rituals that you perform before important occasions?• Do you watch for omens before important events?• Do you read your horoscope every day, and do you follow its advice?
We can control our future fully. We as people come gifted with free will and can always chose what to do. If someone chooses not to decide, they still have made a choice. This means that someone can either go with the flow or try to do things the way they want. Obviously, I do not believe in anything like predestination. We come into this world to lead our own way in it. If someone told me that you could not control your future if you are in control by someone, I would say that the choices present are to rebel or to be controlled. Therefore, the future is not set and is in the control of the people living in the present time.
I pray. Saying a short Our Father or blessing myself helps me tremendously because it makes me feel like God is watching over me. Obviously, I am a Catholic. I do this for my own safety. I believe that luck should not exist (however, I like the luxury of hoping for it and blaming it) because it is our decisions that give us the mathematical chances for things to manifest. I am not very superstitious, but I do believe in karma, which goes hand in hand with the notion of “What goes around comes around.” I do not like to say things that will come back and bite me because I am always afraid that they will.
I do not believe in omens, and I think that horoscopes are completely illegitimate and a waste of time for everyone.
• Make a list of the leadership qualities that the class feels are legitimate. Compare and contrast the two lists and compile one list of leadership qualities that the class feels a good leader should have. Prioritize the list.• Examine the effect a leader's domestic relationships, physical condition, and/or athletic ability may have on his or her leadership abilities.
My List:
Self confidence
Self dependence
Responsibility
Loyalty
Persuasiveness
Good orator
Experienced
Self control
Wise
Just
Native
Class list:
Persuasive
Responsible
Mental strength
Loyalty
Supports the common man
Serves others
Just
Trustworthy
Educated/Intelligent
Political understanding
Feared/Respected
Experienced
Charasmatic
In the beginning of man, tribes would select the biggest and strongest of their members to be their leader. Those people were uneducated; however, the idea of a big strong leader remains today. During Caesar’s time, those who supported him did not go by images as much as we do today because of the lack of political propaganda, but Caesar’s physical appearance could have had an effect on him. A strong or athletic person might be more confident and thus look like a better leader because of that, but otherwise, physical appearance and ability should not affect the way that a person can lead. That being said, physical appearance and ability diffidently sway several supporters of voters because they fail to see past their candidates physical shell.
2. Friendship is another major theme in the play. Explore this theme by answering the following questions:• How far would you go to stop a friend from harming your country?• How far would you go to obtain revenge on someone or some group who destroyed your best friend?• Is there anything for which you would betray a friend?• Which is more important to you, friendship or personal principles? Why?
I believe that the world is every man (or woman) for himself. However, I also highly value friendship and family unity. Therefore, I would do almost anything to stop a friend from harming my country if I was 100% sure that he or she was really a threat. If I found out that they were not a threat after I had done something, I could not live with myself.
I also have the same idea for taking revenge on my friend’s conspirators. I have to be sure that the people that kill my friend had a bad reason for it. If they destroyed my friend because he or she was a major threat, I would try to accept that my friend’s death was justified. I do not want to come across as bad person because I would still hesitate to stop my friend and I would still morn and be sad about the death of my friend.
There is very little that I would do to betray a friend. As we discussed in class, the most probable thing to come between a friend and me is another friend. This could be a girlfriend or just another friend that is stealing attention. As much as I hate to say, people are what tick off other people, and unfortunately, I believe that the only thing for which I would betray a friend is over another person.
Personal principles are more important to me because, as I said earlier, it is every man for himself. I cannot have other people holding me back. If a friend got in the way of my principles, I would ask that person to respect my opinion, effectively persuade me to accept another opinion, or get out of my face.
3. One of the most sensitive issues in the play is suicide. Research attitudes toward suicide held by the following cultures: ancient Roman, modern Japanese, and modern American. Compare and contrast these attitudes in class presentations or in written essays.
Tomorrow (Friday) I am going to talk to you (Mrs. Bosch) about this question to fully understand what it is that we have to do. I will then post my answer tomorrow before the 12 o clock deadline.
4. The role of fate and superstition is another theme.• To what extent can we control the future?• How superstitious are you? Do you have any good luck rituals that you perform before important occasions?• Do you watch for omens before important events?• Do you read your horoscope every day, and do you follow its advice?
We can control our future fully. We as people come gifted with free will and can always chose what to do. If someone chooses not to decide, they still have made a choice. This means that someone can either go with the flow or try to do things the way they want. Obviously, I do not believe in anything like predestination. We come into this world to lead our own way in it. If someone told me that you could not control your future if you are in control by someone, I would say that the choices present are to rebel or to be controlled. Therefore, the future is not set and is in the control of the people living in the present time.
I pray. Saying a short Our Father or blessing myself helps me tremendously because it makes me feel like God is watching over me. Obviously, I am a Catholic. I do this for my own safety. I believe that luck should not exist (however, I like the luxury of hoping for it and blaming it) because it is our decisions that give us the mathematical chances for things to manifest. I am not very superstitious, but I do believe in karma, which goes hand in hand with the notion of “What goes around comes around.” I do not like to say things that will come back and bite me because I am always afraid that they will.
I do not believe in omens, and I think that horoscopes are completely illegitimate and a waste of time for everyone.
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