By Elie Wiesel

“ The Holocaust is a central event in many people’s lives, but it has also become a metaphor for our century. There cannot be an end to speaking and writing about it.

” -Aharon Appelfeld

Facts and Literary Elements

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Author: Elie Wiesel Type of work: non fiction/memoir Night is semi autobiographical. Wiesel pulled from his own experiences POV: first person reminiscent

Facts and Literary Elements Setting

 World War II/ Holocaust  1941-1945  Various concentration camps in Poland and Germany: Auschwitz/ Birkenau, Buna, Gleiwitz, and Buchenwald

The memoir begins in Sighet, Transylvania.

During the early years of World War II, Sighet remained relatively unaffected by the war. The Jews in Sighet believed that they would be safe from the persecution that Jews in Germany and Poland suffered.

About the Author:

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born in 1928 in Sighet, Transylvania, now part of Romania In 1944 he was taken from his home at the age of 15 with his parents and three sisters and sent to the Auschwitz concentration camp, then to Buna, Birkenau, and finally Buchenwald

Family

 Father: A major community and cultural leader  Lived comfortably  Mother and three sisters (Tzipora, Bea, Hilda).

Tradition

 Elie had a serious interest in Jewish studies  He studied the Kaballah, Jewish Mysticism, and the Talmud (Jewish law) from a very early age.

 Spent hours studying.

In 1944, however, Elie and all the other Jews in town were rounded up in cattle cars and deported to concentration camps in Poland.

He was 14.

They were sent to Auschwitz and then other concentration camps.

Roll call in Buchenwald, February 1941

About the Author con’d:

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At Auschwitz he and his father were separated from his mother and sisters(Tzipora, Bea, Hilda)

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His father died 1945 while still held captive

About the Author Cont’d

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He survived the concentration camps and was freed from Buchenwald in 1945

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He was sent to France and lived in an orphanage until he came of age.

About the Author Cont’d

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He attended the Sorbonne where he studied literature, philosophy, and psychology

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For ten years he vowed never to speak of his experience

About the Author Cont’d

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In 1956 he published his first version of Night . He then shortened the novel and it was published in English in 1960 He has since written 40 other books

About the Author Cont’d

 He won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1986  Now 86 years old  Taught Boston University  Often speaks out against Anti Semitism. Recently spoke out against Hamas.

Facts and Literary Elements Conflicts

 Major external conflict: Eliezer struggles with Nazi persecution,  Major internal conflict: Eliezer struggles with his own faith in God and in humanity

Facts and Literary Elements Themes

 Eliezer’s struggle to maintain faith in a benevolent God  Silence  Inhumanity toward other humans  The importance of father- son bonds

WWII and the Holocaust Cont’d

 The Holocaust: A systematic extermination of Europe’s Jews.  Six million European Jews murdered, making this the greatest act of genocide known to the world  Gypsies, the handicapped, and Poles were also targeted for destruction. Other victims included homosexuals, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Soviet prisoners of war, and political dissidents.

WWII and the Holocaust

 Hitler comes to power in Germany in 1933. Hitler creates the Nazi party (The National Socialist Party)

WWII and the Holocaust Cont’d

 He promoted the argument that Nordic peoples, which he called the Aryan race, were superior to any other group or race of people.

 Under Hitler’s instruction, Germany implemented a set of Laws designed to dehumanize German Jews, who were then subjected to violence and prejudice.

WWII and the Holocaust Cont’d

 WWII begins on SEPTEMBER 1st, 1939 -Germany invades Poland. The Polish Armies crumble before the new kind of warfare, the Blitzkreig.

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WWII and the Holocaust Cont’d

JANUARY 19th, 1945 Germany in full retreat on Eastern Front .

MAY 1st, 1945 Berlin surrenders to occupying Soviet forces.

MAY 7th, 1945 Germany formally surrenders.

Cont’d

 Most of the groups targeted by the Nazis were killed in concentration camps, where they were gathered, imprisoned, and forced into labor. When they were no longer of use, they were killed.

By the end of WWII more than 35 million people were killed – more than half were civilians.

Genocide

Geno-cide

Geno

– from the Greek word genos, which means birth, race, of a similar kind

-Cide

– from the French word cida, which means to cut, kill

http://vimeo.com/11093871 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QJbX8KF5v gs