Transcript Night Literary Devices Chapters 5, 6, 7, 8, & 9

Night Literary Devices
Chapters 5, 6, 7, 8, & 9
Image
• Language that creates a concrete
representation of an object or an
experience
• Also the vivid mental picture created in the
reader’s mind by that language
• Images are collectively referred to as
imagery
Image, continued
• One striking image in Night is the white
placard that reads “Warning: Danger of
Death” and bears a skull and crossbones.
?? – Describe the final image of the book.
?? – Why do you think Wiesel chose to end
with that image?
?? – What images form the book have
particularly affected you or stayed in your
mind?
Juxtaposition
• Placing two items close together or side by
side, often for the purpose of comparing or
contrasting them
• Example on page 89: “When they
withdrew, next to me were two corpses,
side by side, the father and son. I was
fifteen years old.”
?? – What is the effect of juxtaposing the
image of two corpses with Elie’s age?
Juxtaposition, continued
• Another example: Wiesel describes the
prisoners being marched from Birkenau to
Auschwitz, surrounded by SS, revolvers,
and guard dogs. The next paragraph
reads: “It was a beautiful April day. The
fragrance of spring was in the air. The sun
was setting in the west.”
?? – What is the effect of this juxtaposition?
Irony
• Verbal: a statement that is made that means the
opposite (sarcasm)
• Situational: when an event occurs that violates
the expectations of the characters, the reader, or
the audience
• Example on page 19: Wiesel describes the look
on the German officers’ faces as the first
deportees leave Sighet. He writes: “[A]ll things
considered, everything had gone off very well.”
?? – How is this an example of verbal irony?
Irony, continued
• Example: When the train pulls up in front
of Auschwitz, the travelers see flames
emerging from a tall chimney. Madame
Schächter is silent.
?? – How is this an example of situational
irony?
• Example on page 35: Elie gives thanks to
God for mud.
?? – How is this situational irony?
Theme
• Central idea in a literary work
• Expressed the main idea the writer wanted
to convey
• Can always be supported by evidence
from the text
?? – How would you express the theme of
Night? What evidence do you have for
this theme?