Memoir Project- "Night"
By Josh Fink
Author, Elie Wiesel
Birthplace: Sighet, Transylvania (later named Romania)
Date of Birth: September 30, 1928
Education: Pursued Jewish studies before being forced into a concentration camp during WWII at the age of 15. After being released from the concentration camp in 1945, he went on to study journalism for 3 years in France.
Career Background: After surviving the holocaust, Wiesel went on to become an author. After a ten year period of not speaking about his experiences at the holocaust, he wrote the memoir "Night", followed by 2 more novels called "Dawn" and "Day". These novels formed a trilogy looking at mankind's destruction, which kick started Wiesel's writing career. He went on to write many more books.
Awards/ Honors: Wiesel has won many awards over his time. The notable ones include the Novel Peace Prize in 1986, the Congressional Gold Medal in 1985, and the Presidential medal of Freedom.
Holocaust Overview
Night Summary
Quotes
-This quote explains that even when people die, they are still to be remembered. If a person dies and is forgotten, it's like killing them again.
“I pray to the God within me that He will give me the strength to ask Him the right questions.”
-Wiesel was a very spiritual person, and while praying he asked of God to give him the strength to ask the right questions, which often was tough to understand.
“His cold eyes stared at me. At last, he said wearily: "I have more faith in Hitler than in anyone else. He alone has kept his promises, all his promises, to the Jewish people.”
-This quote is from a Jew Eliezer speaks with while at the concentration camp. When asked about his faith, this Jew shows that Hitler is the only one that has kept his promises.
Writers Purpose
Themes
Symbols
Poem
by Josh Fink
I sit there in the cold of the night,
dead bodies in sight
my father on his death bed,
that picture in my mind I dread
As his eyes close,
his soul goes to heaven.
I'm on my own now,
that I know
but everything else,
is lost in the snow
I don't know why people could be this cruel
I don't know why The Lord won't take mercy
I don't know why there is no hope
I don't know why this happening
I sit there, in the cold of the night,
not knowing.
Personal Reaction/ Recommendation
I recommend this book to readers that can take the thought of death. Not only does it show what the holocaust was like, it shows the physical and mental struggles the Jews were put through. I recommend researching the holocuast before reading, so the reader can get a feel of what was going on and why.