NIGHT UNIT
CONTENT/UNIT:
NIGHT: Memory and Social Justice
Anchor Text:
Night – Elie Wiesel
Additional Texts:
“Nobel Prize Acceptance Speech” – Elie Wiesel
“Montgomery Boycott” – Coretta Scott King
“I Have A Dream” – Martin Luther King
From Farewell to Manzanar – Jeanne
Wakatsuki Houston
Unit Learning goal: Students will determine the author’s purpose
by citing specific evidence from the text and creating a project (video,
PowerPoint, spoken word presentation with visual aids) that connects Night to
other works that contain ideas of 1) social justice; 2) the use of memory as a
force of change; 3) the Holocaust.
Scale/Rubric relating to learning goal:
4 – The student can determine the author’s
purpose by citing specific evidence from the text and connect NIGHT to many
works, fiction and nonfiction, that contain ideas of social justice, memory as
a force of change, and the Holocaust.
3 – The student can determine author’s purpose
and cite evidence from the text and connect NIGHT to another work – either
fiction or nonfiction – by connecting one of the following ideas: social
justice, memory as a force of change, and/or the Holocaust.
2 – With some direction/help from the teacher
the student can determine author’s purpose and cite evidence from the text and
connect NIGHT to another work – either fiction or nonfiction – by connecting
one of the following ideas: social justice, memory as a force of change, and/or
the Holocaust.
1 – Even with help from the teacher the
student cannot determine author’s purpose and cite evidence from the text and
connect NIGHT to another work – either fiction or nonfiction
Objectives (smaller chunks of overall goal) and
suggested time periods
Students will be able to
- Discuss the author’s purpose by connecting it with a major theme in Night
- Discuss how Night uses elements of fiction to tell a story
- Outline the plot
- Discuss 2-3 motifs found in Night
- Discuss the importance of various characters in the story and how their roles reinforced a major idea (theme)
- Connect Night to the larger picture of the Holocaust
- Connect Night to the larger picture of social injustice in the world
- Discuss one major symbol in Night and analyze its meaning in connection with a main idea (theme) of the book
- Briefly discuss the following questions:
· What does it mean to be human?
· Why do bad things happen to good people?
· How does one man’s experience represent the experience of
millions?
· How does one overcome difficult situations?
· How do perceptions of a situation make it more or less stressful?
· How can feelings of sadness or anger affect one’s life?
· How can stress affect individuals?
· What events can suddenly change the course of a person’s life?
· What does hopeless mean to you?
· How can hopelessness affect people’s lives?
· Do I realize there is an ongoing battle against the exploitation
of the weak by the strong?
· What is freedom?
· What is the relationship between freedom and responsibility?
· Is liberty and justice for all attainable?
· How can an author’s personal experiences influence his/her work?
ESSENTIAL CONCEPTS:
Why do people
choose to write memoirs? What is the difference between a memoir and a
novel? How does a memoir utilize the techniques of fiction? What is the purpose of Elie Wiesel’s memoir?
Why did he write it?
NIGHT STUDY GUIDE
THEMES:
1.
FAMILY: At the
beginning of the book, prisoners in the concentration camps hold on to their
family members. The most important thing is to stay with your family members as
long as possible. However, as the book progresses, a major conflict in the book
arise: self-preservation vs. love and
loyalty to family.
2.
FAITH: Throughout
the book, Elie presents the Jewish faith during a time of extreme darkness. The
things Elie witnesses as a child cannot, in his mind, be reconciled alongside
the idea of God. Throughout the book, he “loses his faith”. Is man stronger than God?
3.
DECEPTION:
Especially self-deception – is a powerful force in Night. Self-deception
has two primary results: boosting morale
and hope, but also deluding the Jews and leaving them vulnerable.
IDENTITY: In the beginning of Night, Eliezer identity is that of an innocent child, a student of Talmud, and a devout Jew. But the concentration camps experience strips him (and his fellow Jewish prisoners) of his identity. Eliezer’s identity upon entering the concentration camp is that of a child, a student of Talmud. What is his identity when he leaves?
Night Study Questions (pages 3-22)
Detail everything you
know about them (physical description, personality, etc.):
Moishe the Beadle:
Elie:
Elie’s Father:
SETTING:
Detail the time and
place the story begins:
When does the story begin?
What year is it at the end of Chapter
One?
Where does Elie live?
IN-TEXT
QUESTIONS:
Infer the answer from
the text (Minimum 1-2 sentences):
Describe where Moishe the Beadle is
taken and what happens to him.
Describe the treatment Moishe the
Beadle is given when he returns.
Describe the condition of the synagogue
when the Hungarian police brings the Jewish Community there.
LITERARY
ELEMENTS:
ALLUSIONS:
The Destruction of
the Temple (pg. 1):
The Kabbalah (pg. 4):
The Week of Passover
(pg. 10):
SIMILIES AND
METAPHORS: GIVE FOUR EXAMPLES
IRONY:
The celebrating of
Passover in their current situation (pg. 10):
SHORT
ANSWER QUESTION
Minimum 4-5 Sentences
Why don’t the Jews listen to the
warnings of the danger to come? What explains their ignorant optimism?
Night Study Questions (pages 23-28)
CHARACTERS:
Detail everything you
know about them (physical description, personality, etc.):
Madam Schachter:
Elie:
SETTING:
Detail the time and
place the story is presently at:
Where were the prisoners brought?
How were they transported?
IN-TEXT
QUESTIONS:
Infer the answer from
the text (Minimum 1-2 sentences):
Describe the treatment of Madam
Shachter. Why is she treated this way?
LITERARY
ELEMENTS:
SIMILIES AND
METAPHORS: THREE EXAMPLES INCLUDING THE FIRE MADAM SCHACHTER SEES AND WHAT IT
MIGHT REPRESENT.
SHORT
ANSWER QUESTION
Minimum 4-5 Sentences
Why is Madame Shachter screaming? What
is she screaming about? What could she be predicting?
Night Study Questions (pages 29-47)
CHARACTERS:
Detail everything you
know about them (physical description, personality, etc.):
Dr. Josef Mengele:
Elie:
Stein of Antwerp:
Akiba Drummer:
SETTING:
Detail the time and
place the story is presently at:
Detail the routine the prisoners were
forced to endure after they first entered Auschwitz.
How long did the deportees stay at
Auschwitz?
What’s the name of the second camp they
attended?
IN-TEXT
QUESTIONS:
Infer the answer from
the text (Minimum 1-2 sentences):
Why did Elie lie to Stein about his
knowledge of the man’s family?
LITERARY
ELEMENTS:
IRONY: explain why
the statements are ironic and what type of irony it is.
Why was the prisoner
in charge of the block replaced?
“Work Makes You Free!” (Pg. 40):
SIMILIES AND
METAPHORS: GIVE THREE EXAMPLES
SHORT
ANSWER QUESTION
Minimum 4-5 Sentences
What change occurs in Elie’s faith?
NIGHT (pages 47-66)
CHARACTERS:
Detail everything you
know about them (physical description, personality, etc.):
Head of the Tent (Pg. 48):
Juliek:
Franek:
Idek:
SETTING:
Detail the time and
place the story begins:
In which camp does Chapter Four begin?
IN-TEXT
QUESTIONS:
Infer the answer from
the text (Minimum 1-2 sentences):
Which unit was not to be chosen at the
newest camp?
What job did Elie end up receiving?
Why is Elie whipped in the warehouse?
List the victims who were hung, if not
by name then by stature.
LITERARY
ELEMENTS:
ALLUSIONS:
“Evoking the calm waters of Jordan and
the majestic sanctity of Jerusalem.”:
SIMILIES AND
METAPHORS: GIVE THREE EXAMPLES
SYMBOL:
The
Soup (Pg. 63/Pg. 65):
SHORT
ANSWER QUESTION
Minimum 4-5 Sentences
At the end of the chapter, explain the
quote: “Where is He? Here He is—He is handing here on this gallows…”
Night (pages 66-84)
CHARACTERS:
Detail everything you
know about them (physical description, personality, etc.):
Akiba Drummer:
SETTING:
Detail the time and
place the story begins:
What time of year is it?
What holidays are the prisoners
celebrating?
IN-TEXT
QUESTIONS:
Infer the answer from
the text (Minimum 1-2 sentences):
What is “selection”?
Why does Elie hate the bell?
What might the bell be a symbol for?
What two things does Elie’s Father give
to him before going to the “Decisive Selection”?
LITERARY
ELEMENTS:
ALLUSIONS:
Rosh Hashanah (Pg. 66):
Sodom (Pg. 68):
Yom Kippur (Pg. 69):
“I’ve got more faith in Hitler than in
anyone else. He’s the only one who’s kept his promises, all his promises, to
the Jewish people.” (Pg. 81):
SHORT
ANSWER QUESTION
Minimum 4-5 Sentences
Discuss the quote and what is means for
Elie’s faith: “Blessed art Thou, Eternal, Master of the Universe…to be butchered
on Thine altar.” (Pg. 67)
EXTRA CREDIT: Should the Jewish people
fast for their holiday? Why or why not?
NIGHT (pages 85-97)
CHARACTERS:
Detail everything you
know about them (physical description, personality, etc.):
Rabbi Eliahou:
Juliek:
SETTING:
Detail the time and
place the story begins:
Where was reached at the end of the
chapter?
How long did the refugees run?
IN-TEXT
QUESTIONS:
Infer the answer from
the text (Minimum 1-2 sentences):
How does Rabbi Eliahou and his son
create a foreshadow for Elie’s future?
LITERARY
ELEMENTS:
SIMILIES AND
METAPHORS: GIVE FOUR EXAMPLES
SYMBOLISM:
Juliek playing Beethoven
before he died:
SHORT
ANSWER QUESTION
Minimum 4-5 Sentences
What does Juliek symbolize in the book
“Night”?
Night (pages 98-115)
1)
How does Elie
feel after the death of his father?
2)
Why do the
Germans decide to liquidate Buchenwald and evacuate the prisoners?
3)
What stops the
final evacuation of the prisons from camp?
4)
What is the first
act of the prisoners after the Americans begin to arrive?
5)
What stares back
at Elie at the end of the novel?
Short Answer:
Minimum 4-5 sentences
Relate this chapter to the theme of fathers and
sons.
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