Monday, July 27, 2009
Memoir and History
Look again at the opening pages of Night. When it begins, twelve-year-old Eliezer lives in the Transylvanian village of Sighet with his parents and sisters. How does being introduced to such people alter your understanding of the fact that, a halfcentury ago, six million Jews were exterminated in the Holocaust? How is this sickening truth achieved through Night’s dual purposes of memoir and history?
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Anny:
ReplyDeleteSince the book starts off with a believable begging then transforms into such a tragic ending, it helped me actually understand how easy ones decision in life can change you forever. For an example, nobody believed what Moshe had said about his escape from what the Gestapo had planned for him and the following Jews. In most situations, having a positive mind is useful. But, in this situation, being so positive and ignorant towards what was really happening around you wasn't going to help you out. If I was in that situation, I wouldn't really believe that something so tragic was really happening. Since that part of the book really connected to what I would do if I was told Moshe's story, it helped believe more of the deeper things that happened in the Holocaust. Elizer and his family were like any one of us and the way they introduced the characters as being so normal helped me really connect to the characters in the story. As the story went on to the really cruel parts of the book, I realized the purpose of sharing this story with everyone. There are many lessons in this book, but the one lesson that really stood out for me was having the strength to move on as an individual. For an example, Elizer did help his father out, but he started to realize that as cruel as it may seem, he had to let his father go so he can have the strength to move on in the hope of being saved.
Powerful words! Two parts really struck me: that Elie and his family were normal and that Elie "had to let his father go so he can have the strength to move on in the hope of being saved." What a tough moment for Elie to realize that he had to let his father go! Great observation to details while reading, Anny.
ReplyDeleteSterling,
ReplyDeleteBeing introduced to them gives me changes my understanding of the Holocaust because their eyes weren't as opened as ours are today and they didn't live in reality like we HAVE to today. Especially because Elzier's family was much different than how families are today so the actions that they made had a different effect on their lives then ours would have. If we were them we may have tried to do more to prevent it from happening and would've predicted it from the start. But more people may have gotten hurt because now a days people don't listen and back then they automatically did. Elie Wiesel achieves getting this sickening truth through to us because one he uses examples that actually happened which makes it more personal and because it was personal he made it more interesting and able to communicate with the reader. Also because he adds a different, more complex writing technique to the story whcih makes it much better.
;)
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