Elie Wiesel's community did not believe, either due to their geographical isolation or choice, that the Jewish community were being discriminated against or being sent to concentration camps to die. Why do you think the Jewish community or other people living during that time might have had a hard time realizing what was happening?
This novel deals with the historical event of the Holocaust. One of the reactions to this event was a promise that the world would never allow such events, including the mass extermination of a group of people, to happen again. Think about other major events in history. Has there been one or more historical events which you could think of in which large numbers of people were killed and persecuted?
Welcome back to the blog! As I write this on the night before the book blog for historical memoir Night will begin I can’t wait to get started with this blog.
Each week during the four week time span participants will be asked to read a certain number of chapters and will be given several questions relating to the novel. Each participant is required to make at least one comment each week. You are welcome to post as many comments as possible and not only reply to the original question, but also to make respectful comments on someone else’s response.
In commenting on the blog, here are a few simple rules you should follow:
- To leave a comment about a question please click on the comment link which is located to the right and slightly below the title of each post.
- Please type in your name as required. You do not have to provide your email. Please use only your first name
- Please make sure that your comments are in complete sentences following the correct rules of grammar and spelling. Your comments should also be at a minimum, 2-3 sentences in length.
- Please follow classroom rules of respect and trustworthiness. Posts which disrespect other members of the class or others participating in this blog will be removed.
The book blog starts on April 8th.
Hello and welcome to the Night book blog. Tomorrow will be the beginning of a four week period in April where we explore the historical memoir Night. While the majority of participants will be students within my 9th grade United States History classroom, I highly encourage parents, educators, and other members of the community to participate in this book blog.
Ms. Wilden is a certified history and English teacher from Michigan State University, she will be the moderator for this book blog.
If you have any questions or concerns about purchasing Night or the book blog, please email Ms. Wilden at [email protected].
Elie Wiesel was born in 1928 in Sighet, which is located in what is now known as Romania. He was 15 years old and had lived a scholarly life of learning when he and his family were transported to the Auschwitz concentration camp. His mother and younger sister perished immediately upon arrival. He and his two older sisters survived.
The historical memoir entitled Night is a record of his experiences in the camps, and the later Buchenwald death march, as well as his internal struggles over the deaths of his family, the loss of his own childhood innocence, and the conflicts he faced in trying to reconcile his strong religious beliefs with what was occurring in the camps. The message is clear within the novel, events such as the Holocaust must never be allowed to occur again.
Elie Wiesel is a human rights activist who brings to light human rights violations occurring throughout the world and who has dedicated his life to helping leaders around the world to meet to discuss these issues. He has also written some other really great novels. Other titles include Dawn, Twilight, Day, The Forgotten, and After the Darkness: Reflections on the Holocaust. Get a complete list of the books authored by Eli Wiesel as well as a biography at the author's website The Eli Wiesel Foundation for Humanity.
Please let me and the rest of the class know if you have read any of these other novels by Elie Wiesel, or any other novels which relate to the Holocaust.
