2. Comment on as many posts as you wish.
3. When commenting, you must:
- put your name
- write it as a letter starting "Dear _______ (person who wrote the initial post)"
- summarize the post you are writing about ( "Your post said....")
- clearly identify your purpose (disagree, agree, find interesting...)
- explain your reasons
- follow up with a question ("Can you further explain...", "Why did you say...")
- use formal standard written English
4. Check for any letters to you and respond to them if necessary.
Ms. Karvunis
ReplyDeleteDear Ahmed,
I thought your post on Monday night was interesting. It said, very briefly, that you and your group debated whether Elie had faith or lost faith during his horrible experience. I liked how your group worked through your ideas but I did not agree that Elie did not lose faith. He began the book by discussing and bringing up God a lot; at the end, he rarely brings up God. He addresses humanity. Why do you think that he does that?
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteElaine Wu
ReplyDeleteDear Miguel,
I thought your post on Monday night was intersting. You and your group said that other voices can infleunce Elie.I agree that other voices can affect how someone act and take the actions that they do. At first I thought the voice Elie remember most when his father was dying is the SS officer and his own voice. I wasn't sure if there could be two voices that remember him of his father dying. Which other characters from Night influenced and changed Elie's perspective in life?
Miguel Molina
ReplyDeleteDear Emily,
I like your post for many reasons. I thought you did a good job at describing what your partners were discussing. I also liked how you used specific examples of what was said throughout your conversation. I think your group had a good discussion on trying to see what Night symbolized. I agree with what Eric said. However I do not understand how night symbolizes an absence of God. I understand that characters like Elie thought God was not there for them but why in night as in the time of day? Can you clarify why the person that said it (Christian) thought that.
Matt Perloff
ReplyDeleteDear Lumi;
I found your that your post was very thought provoking. It was interesting how your group said that Elie (the author) included the part about Juliek and his violin because it inspired Elie (the character) to keep on living. I'd never thought of it that way. Also, I agree that when the ladies threw coins at the Jews it was because they were mocking them, not because they were doing them a charity, as several members of my group thought as well. In short, it's good that you learned support is indeed important.
Lumi Chan
ReplyDeleteDear Ewelina,
I found the post you made on Monday very interesting. You posted that if you do not have possessions then you are not who you are. I found that statement interesting since I agree with your thought that if a person doesn’t have any possessions they can claim ownership over then they don’t really have an identity. You stated that Elie had teeth and shoes that showed he had power because they weren't taken away by the Doctors yet. Why did you say that washbowl, soap, and blanket represented his life?
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteMonte Gonzalez
ReplyDeleteDear Stephanie,
Your post says how Elies posessions were his gold cap and also his father. I agree with you and I also belive he had another posession, his shoes. When one of the prisoners offered Elie to be with his father in exchange for Elies shoes, Elie wouldnt give them up. He says how his shoes were the only things he had left. His posessions do symbolize his reason for living because they were the only things in his life that still made him feel like a human, instead of the disgusting creature that the Nazis treated him like. I also disagree with the part of your group that said Elie was relieved that his father died. I belive that although Elie thought life would be easier without his father, he still would have liked his father to be with him because throughout most of Elies time in the concentration camps, it was his father that was giving him the strength he needed to continue living. Do you think that Elie also changed his father and that some of him was translated onto his father also?
Rania
ReplyDeleteDear Jason,
I found your post interesting because you as well as your group discussed the idea of symbolism. Your post said that the violin and charity each stood as a single symbol. Your group said that the violin represented a “lifeline” for his survival and that charity was a symbol for entertainment. My group also looked into symbolism but we didn’t define each possession as a single symbol but as a whole. We grouped them and discussed the idea of possession as a symbol. You also said that your group had a few disagreements, but you didn’t state your own opinion. What were your thoughts?
Denise Shu
ReplyDeleteDear Nesma,
I thought your post on Tuesday night was very interesting. Your group was discussing whether had a voice or not since it depends on his decision whether to use it or not. I liked how the group members were discussing two different ideas: Elie doesn't have a voice because he listened to the prisoner about lying about his age, and he does have a voice because he chose to lie to the officer. Your idea of how flames represent power because it "took over" Elie and turned him into a new person made me wonder. How did it turn him into a new person? Is it in a good way or a bad way?
Gianluca Infantino
ReplyDeleteDear Joseph,
I found your post on Monday night very interesting. You and your group were discussing what NIGHT can represent. It said that NIGHT represents no presence of God, and how all the prisoners were questioning their faith in Yaweh. I do disagree with your statement because I interpreted NIGHT in a different way. I said that NIGHT represented a dark and scary moment. Just like the Holocaust, it was a scary tradegy that the Jews went through. Also night is the last part of the day and it could have meant the last days of the jews during the Holocaust. Can you further explain how NIGHT represents the absence of God to the Elie and the other prisoners?
Boris Sukharlev
ReplyDeleteDear Stephanie,
Your comment on Tue was very interuging to me. Your group discussed many ideas that also thought when I was ansering the same question for hw. You stated that a person posseions is the thing that makes him human. I couldnt agree more. However when you mentioened his yellow hat as a poseesion I felt that it wasnt really of value to him,. Unlike possesions like spoons , bowls , or knifes; which had more value. Also ai agree with the mixed feeling of his fathers death. Do you think he ended up like the rabbis son? or did he trully feel remorese for his fathers death?
Dear Elaine,
ReplyDeleteYour post on monday's class discussion said that Lillian made an interesting point that you agreed with. She said that Night represents how Elie changed throughout the book and how he mentioned the word night before he was sent off to different camps. I find this interesting because I thought about that too. I remembered reading in the book that Elie was talking about how there was a last night for every camp he been too. I think that represents the end to everything.
Stephanie Almanzar
ReplyDeleteDear Miguel,
I thought that your Monday night post was really interesting. Your post stated that while Elie's father was dying, Elie remembered Rabbi Eliahou and the head of the block's voice the most. I disagree. I felt that Elie remembered his father's last words the most. The last thing that Elie's father had said before he was taken away was,"Eliezer."(106). I thought that this would have stuck in Elie's memory forever because his father was calling out to him when he was in need but Elie did nothing. He must've felt guilty but instead he felt "free at last!"(106). Can you explain to me how the Rabbi's and the head of the block's voice would be more memorable than his father's last cry for help? Thanks!
Dear Boris!
ReplyDeleteI find your post interesting when you wrote about your opinion on why Elie Wiesel chose the Night to be his title. Just to remind you, your post was about that Elie named his novel to be Night because “Night is not associated with happiness and positive…” What makes you think in the nighttime there is nothing involved with happiness? If you were Elie, or one of the prisoners in the concentration camps, wouldn’t you enjoy most of your time at night than day? If I was Elie, I would love the nighttime. It is when there is no more work, no SS officers commanding me to do this and that, and no harsh punishments if I do the work too slowly or not fast enough. So why do you think night represents unhappiness and negative factors? By the ways, you made some spelling mistakes: “Its cold lonely , that's how they he felt in Auschwitz.”
Dear Lumi
ReplyDeleteYour post on Tuesday night was about how Elie views the violin and what it represents in the book. You wrote how each member in your group came up with a conclusion and that it represents individuality and how it inspire Elie to live, that Juliek devotion to his violin, made Elie to understand how to treasure something. I found that interesting because I never that it that way. I never thought that the violin represented Juliek individuality and devotion. I just wonder what led you and your group to that conclusion, what trigger it. What you realize in point of view seems important.
Ying Dong
ReplyDeleteDear Lillian
I thought your post about Monday's class discussion was interesting because you mentioned what Christian said. I liked Christian's idea that night symbolized the absence of God. I had the same thought and I was wondering whether or not if anybody else had the same idea. I agree with Christian's idea completely because night is the time where everyone suffers the most and reflects how ELie lives in a world without God. Why do you think Christian thinks Night symbolizes the absence of God?
Ying Dong
ReplyDeleteDear Matt
I thought your post on Chapter Eight was interesting. It said that your voice that questioned God would haunt you. I find this interesting because not many people considered this and it never occured to me. Although, wouldn't Elie regret questioning God and not be haunted? And at the end of the book, does Elie still have faith in God?
Matt Perloff
ReplyDeleteDear Stephanie,
In your post from Monday, I like how direct you were with your ideas. You came outright and said the Elie got through his problems by having faith in himself, not in God. No babying around the bush for you! There was no "Ehh...well umm...he sorta prays like sometimes or something, so I'm not really sure..." There was evidence too! You even stated your opinion. It was a good post, keep it up!
Lillian
ReplyDeleteDear Ashley,
The post that Ashley wrote was about her group discussion. Her group was arguing about certain topics like the meaning of god and what is the quality of god. She also mentioned that there were many opposing ideas in their group about their discussions. In her post she said that the Nazis were God because they have power over the Jews and they controlled everything. I agreed and find it interesting about Ashley’s idea in the Nazis were the God. I agreed with her thoughts because in one of the chapters, some prisoners said that they would rather believed in the Nazis because they kept their promises and they also decided their fate on whether they were going to die or staying alive. The part that I found interesting at was the part that when she mentioned that her group member said that parents can be god because they have power over their children. It caught my attention because I think parents are not gods they were just humans who raised you and they don’t have authority over a large amount of people. Do you think your parents are gods?
Ahmed Atieh
ReplyDeleteDear xoohmydearxo,
I disagree with you and your group’s decision that God is a superior being that governs you. I disagree with this because people believe in God if they want to. They are not forced to believe in god and do as he says. God is a superior being that governs you but only if you believe in him. Elie and the Jews did not choose to be governed by the Nazis. They did not believe that the Nazis were right. This is why it would be inaccurate to say that the Nazis were the Jews god because although they did govern the Jews, the Jews did not believe in the Nazis. If you believe in god, it is only then that you follow his rules and become governed by him.
Joseph nagiub
ReplyDeleteDear, Michelle
I found your post to be intresting to me because your really discussed about your groups discussion and the debates your had very well. On your post you and your group debated about voice and if Elie used his voice and if he listens to the voice of others. I liked how you described the discussion and how you and your group had to define voice to really answer the question. In your post you explained how Elie listened to the s.s officers and the debates about Elie not listening to them but he had to follow them. I agree with the people that said Elie had to follow the s.s officers because if not they might've killed him. I dont believe Elie listens to the s.s officers because when the s.s officer was telling Elie to forget about his father and keep the food, Elie would continue to feed him and help him stay alive. What are your thoughts about Elie trying to help his father instead of himself?
Spyro
ReplyDeleteDear Amy,
I thought your post from Tuesday night was good. The post covered everything your group talked about. It was interesting to hear how the whole group went along saying that Elie only remembers the SS officers voice. On that note I think the voice that Elie remember's the most is his fathers. Elie always listened to his father and took care of him. Even though Elie thought about leaving his father he never did because he respected him. How can you show that the SS officers influenced Elie's opinion about leaving his father?
Dear Ewelina,
ReplyDeleteYou discussed about the question, how did the people outside of the Jews react to the situation? And you stated that that someone in your group had said that the woman had thrown coins at the Jews inside the train in order to mock them. And with the evidence the person showed you the group saw how the parson came to their conclusion and your whole group agreed with it. I agree with the statement that the people were throwing stuff at the Jews in order to mock them, though I disagree with the example given by that person. I thought that the woman who threw the coins happened years after the war and she was throwing them at the poor natives. Elie says, “Our ship’s passengers amused themselves by throwing coins to the natives” (Wiesel 100). This did not happen to the Jews he experienced it many years later. Did the person use the direct quote? Overall I agreed with the opinion but the person could have used a different quote.
Christian Sanchez
Dear Alicia,
ReplyDeleteOn your blog post for Chapters six and seven your answer to # 3 (Why does the author write about Juliek and his violin?) stated that you believe that the purpose or significance of Elie Wiesel including Juliek and his violin is to show how a certain thing can mean a lot to someone during this time. I definitely agree, to Juliek his violin was his motivation and one of the greatest things that meant a lot to him. Do you think you could have added why this possession could have been such a major deal to him due to the rule in the concentration camp about possessions?
~Ashley Cordero
Nestor L
ReplyDeleteDear Christian
Your post about the last chapter in the book was interesting. Even if I disagree with your answer it is interesting how you said it was for the people. You long with many others said the same thing and explained that it was to show others his experiences and enlighten them about the people who suffered in the era in order to be honored. I never tried looking at it that way, because in the last page of the book he looks at himself and sees a corpse. This gave me the idea that it could have been for his old self. Could you please elaborate more on what you said about “He wrote the story in order for people to remember all of the people that have died and suffered“. I did not understand this mainly because you didn’t state which people to be remembered, the people who they used to be or the people who they were in the end.
Dear Boris,
ReplyDeleteI found your view on the holiday’s very interesting. I liked how you saw Rosh Hashanah, a holiday which signifies a new beginning, as the end for the Jews. Also, I like the way your group discussed what God really is. Defining God to make the question clearer was a good idea.
Dear Ewelina,
ReplyDeleteYour post for Monday’s class discussion was interesting. It said that a person’s possessions make them who they are. It said that if they are missing a possession then part of their identity is also missing. I thought this was interesting because some possessions do define who a person is. For example, Juliek’s violin was a possession that was a part of his identity. Without his violin part of him was missing but with his violin he could express his soul through music, which made the violin a part of who he was. Your post also discussed the meaning of teeth and shoes. You wrote that teeth and shoes symbolized power, which I agree with. I agree with this because when Elie had his shoes he felt like he had more power or wealth over the prisoner who wanted them. Elie also felt a sense of power when he had the gold tooth because he had something that the officers wanted. You also wrote that teeth and shoes are known as lifelines and they connect with the meaning of soup, washbowl, soap and blanket which represent survival. What do you mean that teeth and shoes are lifelines? How are teeth and shoes similar to soap, blanket, washbowl and soup?
Dear Alicia,
ReplyDeleteIn your post you were talking about a point that you learned from discussing chapter 3. You said that you were discussing about how voices are influenced by other voices or actions. Your explanation was very clear and simple to comprehend. I agree with it your statement as well because when someone is influenced it is just the effect something has had on someone or something. Elie was influenced by another voice, who would be the inmate, but in the end Elie was the one who acted/spoke out and said what he said. Although I am saying this I still agree with your statement of how voices are influenced by other voices or actions.
Dear Ying,
ReplyDeleteYour post spoke about possessions and the meaning that it held in the book. You spoke about your group member's opinion on what possessions signified and the way they interpreted it. I first like to comment on your first outlook on the idea of possessions. I understand that you believed possessions meant power and the rights that people should have. If you notice, your definition of possessions is similar to the group's definition of possessions. You said that your group believes “possessions represents the humanity left in the Jews and gave them a sense of humanity." What makes us human and part of humanity is being able to possess objects, those are part of our rights as people. So I believe your beginning definition is similar to your groups definition just phrased differently.
-Sully G.
Michelle Lepkofker
ReplyDeleteDear Alicia,
Your post said that your group debated whose voice was important to Elie. You said that Boris believed the Nazi soldier’s voices were important as opposed to other group members who thought Hitler’s voice was important. I agree with the statement Boris made but, originally believed that the voices of the Nazi soldiers were very important in this chapter, but for other reasons. I believed that their voices were important because they were playing God. The Nazi’s chose who lived and who died and I think that there is a correlation between power and voice. In my opinion, voice means that someone follows their own opinion (which relates to Boris’ statement), says something that connects to their opinion, and as a result they are able to cause something to happen. This relates to the reason the Nazi’s voices were important because like Boris said, they choose to make their own decisions and tell the Jews what to do. I believe they also have power because by exhibiting their voice, they are able to choose which Jews live and which die. However, after reading your post I agree with Boris’ statement and can add those reasons to my list of why the Nazi’s voices were important. My only question is what is your point of view on this and for what reasons? Thank you.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteDear Gianluca,
ReplyDeleteYour post on monday's discussion was about the voices Elie remembered the most when his father was dying. You wrote that your group discussed about how Elie's voice was influenced by other characters' voices. I agree to this because in chapter six, Elie told the story of Rabbi Eliahou and his son about how his son left his father due to thinking he was a burden on him and in order to survive on his own. I think Elie's voice in the end when his father was dying was influenced by Rabbi Eliahou and his son's voice. Elie felt the same way about his father in the end also. He felt that he wanted his father to die so that he can finally be free and think about survival on his own.
Dear Monty,
ReplyDeleteI do agree with what you said about Elie not necessarily feeling relieved that his father was dead because his father was the one who kept him going. If I'm right, I believe that I wrote about this in yesterday's blog. I stated that, rather than Elie being translated onto his father, Elie's father was translated onto Elie. I felt that everything that Elie did, he basically did it for his father. Was he really free after his father died? He was still basically dead as it is portrayed once Elie looks at himself in the mirror. He looks like a corpes, a dead man.
Ying Dong
ReplyDeleteDear Miguel,
I found your post about Chapter Five contadicting. You wrote that you believe Elie shouldn't believe in other voices, but then you wrote he should trust everyone. You said Elie should listen to his own voice and that he can take care of himself. I disagree when you say he is able to make logical decisions for himself. He isn't a fully grown adult. He has experienced something nobody has and matured, but he is still young. Do you believe he is fully matured because of his experiences and knows what to do?
Dear Lumi
ReplyDeleteIn your post you mentioned that your group discussed what Juliek meant in that specific scene. You were answering what your group felt Juliek and his violin symbolized as well as why the author mentioned him.You wrote that your group's concluding thought about what Juliek's violin represented was individuality and i feel the same way but i also feel that it represented hope, a reassurance that Juliek and Elie needed. Juliek played something he loved, he was able to go back to who he used to be in those moments before his death. He became an individual and disapeared from the image the Germans created of the Jews. He was no longer a number, no, he was Juliek. Do you feel that if Juliek had lived Elie or the reader would be as affected by Juliek's random act of music?
To Alicia-
ReplyDeleteWe took a long time to realize that his violin represented his life. What led my group and I to this conclusion was that even though Juliek is marching and doing drills the SS officers give he continued to carry his violin. Even before he died he played the violin for the dead and the dying. This triggered our thought on how this would inspire Elie to live and understand to treasure something like Juliek did because Juliek was able to die by the side of his violin, the only possession and item that differs him from the rest of the prisoners, it was his identity, his violin.
Dear Monte
ReplyDeleteOn Tuesdays discussion you were talking about the voice that Elie listens to, and I agree with you and your group on when you all say how Elie listens to the veteran prisoner about lying about his age so that he'll be able to get through selection. I agree with you about how Elie listrns to the guard as well, because if he didn't he would've been killed for sure. Is it possible that you can tell me times that Elie uses his own voice to say what he's thinking or his opinion on something? Anyway very informative information you have provided on who Elie listens to.
-Eric Francis
Ahmed Atieh
ReplyDeleteDear sully,
i myself thought that Elie believed Humanity was God. Since Elie was in the concentration camp he believes that God had no mercy on the people who were suffering "Thou, Almighty, Master of the Universe, who chose us among all nations too be tortured day and night , to watch as our fathers, our mothers, our brothers end up in furnaces? Praised be Thy Holy name, for having chosen us to be slaughtered on Thine altar?"(Wiesel 67). He then started to question God's absence in this torture and hated him for it. He went against his religious ways and did not fast for Yom Kippur. He believes if man like himself is strong enough to go through this torment with out the guidance of God then man power must be stronger. Then as a group, we came up with the conclusion that we have to define what is God to a person before we can determine who was God to Elie. A definition that caught my attention was that go is the superior being that governs a person.
Elaine Wu
ReplyDeleteDear Denise,
I thought your post on tuesday night was interesting. You and your group diccussed questions from chapter six and seven. You wrote it was each other who kept Elie and his father alive which I agree with.When Elie was sleeping Elie's father would watch after him and not let him sleep forever. Elie would do the same thing for his father when it was his turn to sleep. Could wirting about Rabbi Eliahou and his son mean something else to Elie?
Dear Alicia,
ReplyDeleteWhat is your final view on Elie's voice? Did he use it or do you think he did not, because it was influensed?
Response to Stephanie:
ReplyDeleteIf you read my blog from Monday night I said that other voices influence people. I probably didnt make myself clear enough to help you understand the following: the Rabbi and the head of the block had a strong influence on what Elie thought. They both had Elie thinking or believing something else. For example after the whole incident with the Rabbi looking for his son, Elie played to a God (that he no longer believed in) and asked him to never find himself in that same situation. The head of the block made Elie agree with him. The both influenced his thoughts. In the end the combination of both voices changed his train of thought making his own voice important during the time when his dad was dying. His dads voice was finally important after the influences of outside voices shifted his thoughts which allowed him to listen to his father with a different state of mind.
Rania
ReplyDeleteDear Gianluca,
You said that you agreed that God is someone or something like an idol. So, is every idol a God? I have many idols but I don’t think of them as God. Do you think God is someone that is worshiped? Your group focused on defining what a God is. I don’t that’s important. I believe whether or not Elie still believed, or had faith in God was the question.
Matt Perloff
ReplyDeleteDear Ying,
To reply to your post: well no, Elie does lose faith in God. What I was trying to say was that if I were in Elie's position, I would have questioned myself questioning God because now that my father was about to die, it would have been comforting to know he'd be passing on to a better afterlife. To answer your question though, once again, Elie did lose his faith in God but he did pray after he saw the Rabbi looking for his son. It was almost like he was going against his decision to stop believing in God for fear he would become like the Rabbi's son.
Dear, Lumi!
ReplyDeleteWhen you asked Ewelina, “Why did you say that washbowl, soap, and blanket represented his life?” Well, even if that question wasn’t for me, I agreed that the washbowl, soap and blanket represent Elie’s life. Well, not just Elie’s life, but the lives of every prisoners as well! It is because prisoners in the concentration camp needed those possessions to survive. They need to clean themselves with the washbowl, soap, and blanket. And also you mentioned that you agree with Ewelina that if a person has possessions, that have identity. I believe that is true, and that is also another reason why the things Elie and the prisoners have can represent their own life, or identity. Because they actually have possessions, and I believe that anyone would want to keep anything they can possess in the camp.
Dear Ahmed,
ReplyDeleteI don't understand in which specific part does it state that beleiving ini God needs to be forced. Can u inform me by showing me which part
To Katherine,
ReplyDeleteYes, I do think that if Juliek had lived it would affect others by his random act of music. It would affect others because why would someone go through all the trouble and bring a instrument along with them while they are running for their life? This would surly give Elie the same thought about Juliek's strong passion for music. Even though he was mentioned for a little while, in NIGHT it was stated that he played the violin like his life, he had passion in his music that expressed who he is.
Stephanie Almanzar
ReplyDeleteDear Boris,
Thanks for replying. I had stated that Elie's golden cap was a possession because it was a way of identifying him. All the Jews had their golden caps taken away and Elie was basically the only one who, in a way, fought to keep his on which made him unique, it made him who he is. Answering your questions, I believe that he did end up like Rabbi Eliahou's son and at the same time he felt remorse for his father's death. Everyone, eventually, began to be very selfish both in action and though. Elie was only selfish in thought making him different.
Dear Eric,
ReplyDeleteElie uses his own voice many times even though he has no power in the concentration camps. He shows a thought to use his voice when he was about to commit suicide by throwing himself into the electrified fence. He also uses his voice when he lies to his family member to make him feel better about his wife and kids. He also does this when he leaves his work and finds an officer having sex with a girl because he decided to not do the work they gave him.
Nesma Annr
ReplyDeleteDear Sarah,
Your post said that your group was discussing how the other characters reacted on what was happening to the Jews and what it said about them. You included how your group interacted and what they were agreeing and disagreeing on. Some people in your group said that the Germans were giving charity to the Jews by giving them bread because they felt pity. You also mentioned how people disagreed with that idea and instead said that the Germans were just giving them bread to entertain themselves and that they found it amusing. I disagree with the idea of the Germans giving charity and feeling pity and agree with the idea of being entertained. When my group was discussing this same question on Monday, we all thought that the Germans didnt care about the Jews and the idea of people fighting over bread fascinates them. I felt that they were indifferent about what was going on around them and just found it entertaining to watch people fighting over a piece of bread. In the book a son was fighting his father for the bread that his fatehr had. While this was happening the German workmen were standing and watching as if they were watching a show.
Response to Ying:
ReplyDeleteWhich post are you talking about? And i disagree. You do not have to be a full grown adult to make your own decisions.
Ying Dong
ReplyDeleteDear Sully,
I'm a little confused. I remember I thought at first, possessions represented the little power and rights the Jews had. I disagree that the groups representation was similiar to others because it didn't occur to me that it could represent humanity.
Lillian
ReplyDeleteDear Ying,
I think that Christian thinks that Night symbolize the absence of God because in chapter three, when Akiba and other prisoners say that their God is testing them(42) and Elie thinks that God doesn’t exist. What Christian say is that what he thinks Night means in chapter three is the absence of God however this interpretation does not apply to the whole book. He only look at specific chapter for the meaning of Night and in chapter three, Night can mean the absence of God but throughout the book Night means the changes that happen to Elie after night.
Emily
ReplyDeleteDear Sypro,
I thought your post on Monday night was interesting. You said that if you were in Elie's position, you would not be angry with God because it was not his fault. I disagree with your answer because if I was Elie, I would be angry at God. If I was Elie, I would be angry with God because I believed in him and I believed that God would always help us when we are in a bad situation and the Holocaust was a horrible situation. Also, many Jews prayed to God every day hoping he could protect them but they just ended up dead because of the Holocaust. God only bought death to the Jews. God betrayed Elie and the Jews. God was a traitor. Everyone believed in God and God let them down. If I was in Elie's position I would be angry at God. Can you further explain why you would be angry at God?
Emily
ReplyDeleteResponse to Miguel:
You asked me why Christian thought night symbolized an absence of God. I am not sure because I didn't really understand it too. I think you should ask Christian to explain it.
Dear Nestor,
ReplyDeleteI found your response to my opinion very interesting. You stated that I said Elie Wiesel wrote Night in order for people to remember what happen to the Jews who were killed at the concentration camps. To elaborate more on what I meant, I thought that Elie Wiesel wrote the book in order for people in the Future to remember the terrible event that the Jews lived through at that time. Elie wanted people to remember the pain and suffering that the Jews went through in order for them to realize that people in the world abuse the rights of human beings. He wanted people to realize that the rights of human beings during the holocaust were violated and everyone who knew about the concentration camps kept silent. People who know that other human beings rights are being violated should not be silent and try to take action against the people who are responsible for such atrocities. The story was written in order for people to realize that such horrific events take place in the world and that they should be stopped. Silence cannot solve anything or make a situation better. I think that Elie Wiesel wrote this book in order for people to take action against human right’s violations and that people should not be silent about it.
Spyro
ReplyDeleteResponse to Emily
I would not be angry at God in Elie's position because God didn't imprision me and the other Jews. Even though the Jews prayed to God he could not help them all. Sometimes God just let human problems work out by themselves and not interfere in the situation. If the person was a true strong beleiver they would be able to handle any situation to prove there faith. The Holocaust was a giant test to see who will remain faithful to God.
Gianluca Infantino
ReplyDeleteResponse to Rania,
Yes but i do disagree, my group and I were discussing what a god is, and we came up with something or someone that is considered an idol. I don't think a god has to be thought as on a spiritual aspect, but it can be though as an idol as well. You can have many idols, and you can say some are considered a god. For example in my group, one of my group members said that Michael Jordan is one of my idols, does that make him a god?. To him it can be represented a god due to his abilities and actions. Also i do think that it was important to discuss what a god, because my group was a little confused on what kind of aspect to view a god as, so we talked it out to get a clear understanding.
Michelle Lepkofker
ReplyDeleteResponse to Joseph:
Your question was what were my thoughts on Elie's actions to help his father instead of himself. I believe that Elie actually helped himself more than he helped his father. I think that this began even in the beginning of the book when Elie does not help his father when he is beaten by a Nazi soldier. This does change for a little while when Elie tries to get his father to stay alive so that the other prisoners do not throw him off the train. Again, towards the end of Elie's father's life, Elie does not prefer his father's life over his own. It is true that Elie does help is father in some ways like trying to get the doctor to help him or giving him some of his own leftover soup, but ultimately Elie eats most of the soup himself. Elie also even has those moments of doubt where he wants to leave his father to die because he is such a burden. In the end, Elie does not even see his father once he dies and does not get to say goodbye. For these reasons, I'd have to say that Elie's actions were probably normal. In times of crisis people forget who they are and who is most important in their lives and trade it for food and shelter. Humans can only be human and have specific needs and when those needs aren't met, everything is thrown off balance. This is what happened to Elie.
Nesma Annr
ReplyDeleteResponse to Denise:
When my group was discussing this question about the flames, I thought that flames symbolizes power because it "took over" him and made him into a new person. It turned him into a new person because in the book, he begins to loose faith in God because he believes God isnt doing anything to help the Jews. He also was changed at the end of the book when he started to think like Rabbi Eliahou's son and started to not care about his father. The camp life has changed him and taught him many other things. I really believe that whether it has changed him in a good way or in a bad way can be your own opinion and how you view the situation. Do you see him as a better person now or do you see him as guilty? This reminds me of the quote "we each begin in innocence. We all become guilty." This book reminds me of this quote because at the begining of the book, Elie was an innoncent child who wanted to learn more about his religion and always prayed and cared for his family. As he got older, he began to change his ideas and the experiences he had in the concentration camps changed his way of thinking and made him guilty. He began to loose his faith just because he was suffering and wanted God to do something but didnt. He also began to not care about his father and instead cared about himself. He knew he was changing and was ashamed that he was thinking about not going to his father. Therefore he was guilty.
Response to Michelle
ReplyDeleteThank you for your post and my view on who had an important voice are that the Nazis. I saw it as them who had an important voice because how they decide the fate of the Jews. They decide if they pass the selection and if not they will go to where death awaits for them. I was the only one who saw Boris’s view on who had an important voice but we both had different reasons why their voice were important. I thought because they decide one fate, while Boris said because they have their own opinion and in the end it comes up to that, but after hearing his perspective, I as well as you gotten more evidence to support the answer we all agree on.
Marina Lumia
ReplyDeleteResponse to a question that Katherine asked Lumi:
Dear Katherine,
In your letter to Lumi you asked her if she felt that if Juliek would have lived would Elie or the reader be affected by Juliek’s random act of music. I think that they would still be affected by Juliek playing his violin even if he had survived. You mentioned that by Juliek dying he is no longer a number made by the Germans he is Juliek, which is a very interesting point. If he would have survived he would still be a number but by playing his violin he still became his own person again. If Juliek would have survived I believe it would have the same impact on Elie and the reader because his music felt like a goodbye song to all those who were going to die during the Holocaust. It reminds me of the scene in the movie Titanic when the musicians play their instruments on the sinking ship and the passengers ran around in a panic. The musicians knew many people would die that night and by playing the music they felt that they could possibly comfort them. Juliek played his violin for a similar reason. The prisoners were in pain and Juliek tried to comfort them because he knew it would be over soon and many of them would die. His random act of music was his goodbye song to all of those who would die during the Holocaust and if he would have survived he would have had the same impact on Elie and the readers in my opinion.
Response to Nesma:
ReplyDeleteI understand this interpretation a little better. Are you inferring that the flames represent the camp and the camp had changed Elie, therefore the flames had changed Elie? I like your connection to the quote "We each begin in innocence. We all become guilty." I agree with you that in the beginning, Elie was just a child who wanted to prove his faith to God but when he was inside the camps, he began to lose his faith in God and even let his father to die.
Response to Amy writing to Lumi:
ReplyDeleteAre you saying that the prisoners having the washbowl, soap and the blanket would mean that they had an identity?
Response to KATHERINE'S post to LUMI:
ReplyDeleteI just want to state my opinion on your question.
I think that if Juliek had lived, Elie would still be affected. I think it would be the fact that Juliek even had his violin with him that really affects Elie. It would surprise Elie that Juliek had the courage to bring something he loves and keep it with himcsince the officers took away all of the prisoners' posessions.
Ahmed Atieh
ReplyDeleteDear Ms. Karvunis,
In my opinion, I think elie stops bringing up God and instead he brings up humanity because Elie’s whole life was controlled by humans. At first, Elie was free and he did as he pleased. Elie was a good believer in God and he obeyed God’s rules. Elie’s life was revolved around religion. Elie brought up god a lot at the beginning because he lived under God’s rules. After realizing that he was forced to live under the Nazi’s rule, elie stops bringing up God and started bringing up humans (Nazis) because he lived under their rules and he had to obey them. Elie’s life now revolved around humans.
Joseph Nagiub
ReplyDeleteDear Gianluca,
My reply to your comment about the absence of God is that i believe that Night represents what you said the scary and dark tragedies of the holocaust. But their are proven evidence of how Night could represent the absence of God and how dark that is to the jews. Losing God is a big part to the jews and could change their lives.I disagree how you said Night could represent the last days of the holocaust because his whole novel wouldn't just be about the last days of the holocaust.It would symbolize something through out most of his novel.
Dear Marina,
ReplyDeleteYour post stated that the author made the chapter a forshadow between the realtionship of Elie and his father from the relationship of Rabbi and his son. I strongly agree with your statement. I believed that the reason the author, ELie Wiesel, put the relationship of Rabbi and his son in the story to forshadow the relationship between Elie and his father. Also, I believed that Elie felt that his father was becoming deadweight so he stopped worring about his own health. Why did you and your griou thought that Elie Wiesel wrote the book as an apology to his father?
Joseph Nagiub
ReplyDeleteDear Michelle,
I agree what your saying about how Elie's actions were normal because really Elie did eat most of his soup but he could've been greedy and didn't have to help his father. He also gave him bread also to save his life.Even though is father was a burden to him, it's father and he wouldn't try not to help him.Elie cared both himself and for his father and because of this i believe his actions were normal and good.
Dear Gianluca,
ReplyDeleteYour tuesday's post was interseting because you and your group discussed about God and the meaning of God. In general, I believe that it is hard to define the word God. As you stated, someone in your group thought God as someone that is powerful. while others disagreed with them and mentioned that God is someone or something that is looked up such as an idol. I somewhat disagree and agree with your group because God can be someone or something that is being looked up to as an idol but it also has many other definitions to it. For example, in my opinion I think that God is someone who has superior qualities who is being workshipped by people. Can you further explain why your group thought God is someone or something that is being looked up to such as an idol?
Response to Marina:
ReplyDeleteI would like to anser one of your questions that you asked which was: What do you mean that teeth and shoes are lifelines? My answer to your question is that Elie's golden teeth was a way for him to survive. He believed that his golden tooth will help him survive in the future by probably helping him to buy bread or something to eat. His golden tooth could ahve representing his lifeline. On the other hand, the shoes could represent his lifeline because the shoes were his only thing that was left. He really couldnt give away his shoes because that was a way for him to stay alive and he felt comfortable in them. The shoes can represent his lifeline.
Dear Lumi,
ReplyDeleteYour post spoke about the significance the violin h ad to Juliek and how it inspired Elie to keep living. I never really looked at it that way, but now that i read what you’re saying, I can understand that Juliek's violin can inspire Elie to keep living. Juliek had a passion for his violin and that was his motivation, Eli's motivation was his father, which is who kept him alive through out the book.Your post spoke about the signifigance the violen h ad to Juliek and how it inspireed Elie to keep living. I never realy looked at it that way, but now that i read what your saying, i can understand that Juliek's violin can inspire Elie to keep living. Juliek had a passion for his violin and that was his motivation, Eli's motivation was his father, which is who kept him alive through out the book. I'm not sure if you got the names confused in this part of your post, but i did not understand this part, it through me off : "From the book we inferred that Elie had a strong passion for his violin, for it was the only thing he cared about, Elie at first thought it was stupid to carry such a item while you are running for your life,...".
Dear Joseph,
ReplyDeleteI really found your posting on, whose voice will Elie remember, really interesting. I agree with you that Elie would remember his father’s voice and that is why I believe you shouldn’t have changed your mind about it. Christian was right that Elie will remember the voice of the SS officer but that doesn’t mean that his father’s voice won’t haunt him. Elie did hear his father but he ignored it. He knew that he could not do anything to help his father and that’s why he pretended that he didn’t hear him. I think you and Christian were right; you should have stayed with your idea as well.
Ying Dong
ReplyDeleteDear Matt,
I disagree that Elie lost faith in God. I have been convinced that losing faith means not believing in God. If Elie does not believe in God would he still mention him or pray?
Ying Dong
ReplyDeleteDear Miguel,
The post on Chapter 5. Question $ 4 was, "To whose voice should Elie to in your opinion?" I meant to say, I disagree that he doesn't have to listen to other voices as you have stated in your previous post; because he isn't a fully grown adult yet. I agree with you that you don't have to be a full grown adult to make your own decisions. However, we all should listen to others as well. I don't mind we have to comply, but we have to take into consideration the voice of others.
To CHRISTIAN:
ReplyDeleteI told Emily that I didnt understand why Night represents the absence of God. Like i said to Emily, sure to characters like Elie God was absent or atleast thats how it felt, but is that really the symbolism behind Night? I mean if your fellow group member was not able to understand your interpretation of this symbolism must be complicated. Can you explain what you meant?
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteStephanie Almanzar (response to Miguel)
ReplyDeleteDear Miguel,
I did understand what you were trying to explain. However, i don't feel that you have understood or answered my question. Do you think that the Rabbi's and the head of the block's voices had a greater impact on Elie than his father's cry for help?
Response # 2 to YING:
ReplyDeleteYou said, "I meant to say, I disagree that he doesn't have to listen to other voices." (Ying at 5: 56 PM). Then you said on the same post, "However, we all should listen to others as well." (Ying). I think you contradicited yourself. However if you are trying to say that we dont have to agree totally with some ones opinion but simply take it to consideration that leads me to my next question. Don't you have to be able to listen to someone in order to, like you said, comply with them. First you said he doesnt have to listen but I think he does. Then he wouldnt be able to come to his conlusion. Even so I still disagree, i think other voices have an influence on your voice or thoughts and ideas.
Ying Dong
ReplyDeleteDear Lillian,
I disagree that Night doesn't represent the absence of God throughout the whole book. As I have previous stated, notice that everyone suffers the most when night enters the picture. And this reflects Elie's belief he is in a world without God.
Response to Stephanie:
ReplyDeleteI did understand your question and I thought i had answered it. However let me try to re-explain to help you better understand my answer. Your question was: Can you explain to me how the Rabbi's and the head of the block's voice would be more memorable than his father's last cry for help? Thanks! I said that I probably didnt explain myself correctly in my first original quote which led you to this confusion. What I meant to say was (which is what i said in the response to you) that the combination of both voices changed his train of thought making his own voice important during the time when his dad was dying because he was debating on what he should do although he couldnt do much. His dads voice was at the end important after the influences of outside voices changed his thoughts which let Elie listen to his father with a different way of thinking.
Ying Dong
ReplyDeleteDear Miguel,
Your post on Chapter 5 said that "Elie shouldn't listen to others." I disagreed with that statement. I believed that Elie should listen to other people. I am unsure of what your question is asking. I would say yes, you would have to listen to other voices to comply with them. I also agree that other voices have influence on other voices and thoughts.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteIf you agree that voices have an influence on other voices then we are on the same page. I originally didnt have a question I was trying to answer yours. I was responding to your comment about making decisions. But what I was trying to say on my post for chapter five is that he shouldnt like you said listen to others in which he does what they say but simply take it into consideration but listen to himself. If he takes it into consideration and listens to himself he is listening to others as well because they had an influence on his thoughts. Does that make sense?
ReplyDeleteResponse to Amy's question for Boris:
ReplyDeleteThe question is why do you think night represents unhappiness and negative factors?
Even though the question isn't for me I would answer it. Night represents unhappiness and negative factor because that's when the Jews suffered most. The children were being thrown into the fire at a young age. When Night comes Elie's life changes for the worst . He had been move from camps to camps each night in the beginning. The first night in camp was the worst for Elie because he saw terrible things. He saw children been burned and the flames he could see far away. The book Night represents unhappiness and a negative factor because he experienced the Holocaust at the age of fifteen. He didn't know what to do but to follow whoever guided him. He thought about what's right from wrong and who to believe or not.
Dear Lillian, (RESPONSE)
ReplyDeleteIn my post I had stated that one of my group members had made the example that parents are not considered gods although they had power. This happened because another group member had said that all gods have a great amount power over someone. I also disagree with you that the Nazis cannot be considered Elie’s god because he did not look up to him. My definition of god is a person who inspires you, can determine your fate, a person whom you praise, and has some sort of power over you. Why do you believe that that Nazi’s are Elie’s god? Does anywhere within the book show that the Nazis served Elie’s god? In this case do you believe a person with a bigger voice and more power over you could be considered your god?
Rania Kaouadji
ReplyDeleteResponse to Ms. Karvunis’ question to Ahmed:
You’re right; Elie does bring up God a lot in the beginning of the book. He was engaged in religious beliefs and was curious about God. But as life got harder for him, he lost faith in God. I’m still confused on whether or not he lost complete believe in God. Maybe Elie was just drained and brainwashed at the moment that he didn’t know what to think. Elie still prayed to him which made me think that he still worshiped him. Elie addresses humanity rather than God because the power of man is visible. We don’t see the power God has. Humans are the most powerful creatures walking this earth as far as we know. According to Elie, the Nazi’s were the ones who were choosing the fate of people. They decided whether or not the Jewish would continue to live. I think that maybe Elie worshiped God but obeyed the Nazis. Maybe Elie didn’t stop worshiping God. If anybody kind of sees what hinting at, please help! Can anybody reword what I’m trying to say because it might sound confusing.
Stephanie Almanzar
ReplyDeleteDear Miguel,
So, are you saying that the thoughts that were the most important or memorable to Elie were his own?, which were influenced by others including his father?
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteIn a way yes. I guess I was not direct with my answer, I am in a way agreeing with what you are sayin. Your confusion came from me trying to explain myself. Yes other voices influenced his own, those same voices had him thinking to himself. They had him talking to himself like when he prayed to God to never let him be like the Rabbi's son. Or also like when Elie said that the head of the block was right. This is his voice, and this is also how they influenced him and had him thinking. This is his voice. The influence of others had him thinking and changed his train of thought which made him listen to his father differently. In turn, I think he remembers his voice and his fathers too.
ReplyDeleteResponse to Nesma,
ReplyDeleteI agree to your response. I think that is exactly how the outsiders feel about the Jews. Instead of giving them bread as charity to save them from starving, they are more amused by the fact that the Jews could kill each other just for food. They didn't really care if the Jews kill each other in the process.
Reponse to Ewelina's response to Marina,
ReplyDeleteI found it interesting that you asked Marina why she thought that Elie Wiesel wrote Night to apologize to his father. I think that is a interesting interpretation of who he's writing this book for. I think that Elie would write this book as an apology to his father because he wants his father to forgive him for hoping that his father will die so he can finally be free from his burden. I think he wants this book to help him clear his own guilt of such evil thoughts about his own father.
My responds to xoohmydearxo,
ReplyDeleteThankyou for you outlook, I meant to say it was Juliek instead of Elie but it seems like I was a bit unsure until I read it now. What I meant was From the book we inferred that Juliek had a strong passion for his violin, for it was the only thing he cared about, Elie at first thought it was stupid to carry such a item while you are running for your life, but Juliek believed it was worth it since it was all that Juliek had left.
Stephanie Almanzar
ReplyDeleteResponse to Miguel,
Thank you for clearing it all up. I understand and I also agree. I also feel that Elie's voice is very much influenced by those voices around him. Elie has been like this throughout the whole book, in my opinion. The only time when Elie really had a voice that was in favor for himself , which to me is really just his opinion, was when he decided that he was responsible for his father and when he started to go against God and His teachings.
Lillian
ReplyDeleteDear Ashley (Response),
I did not specifically said that Elie believe in the Nazis, I only said that some other prisoners which does not included Elie believed that the Nazis were their God. This concept of Nazis being god does not applied to Elie because he does not believe in god nor the Nazis he just listened to the Nazis.
Mohamed Elsayed
ReplyDeleteDear Rania,
I thought your post from monday was very interesting. You said how you and your group discussed religion and that you couuld see the events happening to him being a test of his faith. I think that this could be true but how Elie saw it was completly different. Elie didnt see it as a test but saw it as god turning his back on the jewish people showing his failure of this religious "test". If you were Elie wouldnt you lose faith the one thing you believe in is allowing millions of his followers to die with no signs of it ending? I think this was the point in which Elie starts to really change the second you doubt the one thing you believe in you are not the same person anymore an example would be a small child learning that santa is not real. They start to change they are not the same everything becomes more real to them. You also said even though he was angry at gods silence he still believed in him. I think he has no faith left in god at all. His whole life before these events happened to him was his religion and god and as he goes through these experiences he notices that what he believed in is not helping him in any way. The question really is would you believe in something that is suppose to help you and guide you if it was never really there? and i dont think anyone would. So put yourself in this position and try to see if you would think it is a test or something else. Also would you really believe in god after seeing the atrocities that have happened would you really just be angry as you said Elie was?
Dear Michelle,
ReplyDeleteMy opinion also after having herd Boris’s opinion is that the Nazi soldier’s voices were the most important in the chapter. The comparison made between the Nazi’s and God was excellent. God is known to be a being of powerful voice, and known well believed to make others do what ever he may choose. Michelle, you said that you think there is a correlation between power and voice, I believe that as well. My opinion on voice is more a metaphor of one voice is their actions. An action in this sense would be something that would change the outcome of something else like what you also said. You said how the Nazi’s had the power to choose who lived and died using their VOICE. God is also believed to be a man who can choose some one to die or live as well. I also believe the Nazi’s have voice because each one of them does not lack strength which would mean power. They are often aggressive and always requesting an answer. When a Nazi would ask a question they would get a reply.
Dear Marina,
ReplyDeleteI do feel that Elie would still be affected because the scene did tend to focus on the fact that he was playing at such an unconventional time. The fact that he found the strength to do something so useless to his survival yet empowering to his voice was quite impressive. His violin was his voice. I love how you compared it to that scene in the Titanic because i could imagine the exact same thing, but imagine if the muscisians and perhaps Juliek did not know of their impending doom and after playing their music they survived, the affect of their actions would not be as impactful to me personally. What stuck me in the movie is that the musicians knew they were going to die yet they kept on playing, it was their gift to the rest of the people and it was what they did best. Juliek plays for the dead and joins the dead soon after, but who plays a song for Juliek? It is through his memory and death that Elie realizes how beautiful Juliek's final piece was, because Juliek would never be able to play it again. I still do feel that either way the reader and Elie would be just as affected by Juliek's music.
Lillian
ReplyDeleteDear Ying (Response),
I personally did not agree with Night symbolized the absence of god yet Christian’s idea on Night have me change my idea on Night and that was the part I took interested in. I was trying to explain that Christian thought that Night symbolized the absence of god but I never agreed. I thought that Night represented the changes that happened to Elie each time when the word Night occurred. Elie’s life changed and got worse when the word Night appeared. I also like your comment on the prisoners suffered during nighttime because I also thought that was also the time when Elie’s life got worse as nights went by.
Dear Denise,
ReplyDeleteI agree with you completely because during that hectic chapter, survival was on everyone's mind which is why they obeyed the SS and their every word. What was different about Juliek is that maintaining his body was not what he cared about, in fact what he wanted was his violin. It was his main priority. Perhaps this is because without his violin, without an object to prove his identity his body would be useless to him. What would we be if we were all just empty shells struggling to survive? With just a body but no person, no identity how could humans distinguish themselves from animals?
Miriam Moran
ReplyDeleteDear Lillian,
I thought your post seem interesting. You mentioned what Christian’s point of view was about the symbol night. It made me see what it could mean because I had a different idea of what it meant. I thought it just meant suffering and I also thought it could mean the spark of unlighted hopes but I didn’t think of it that god had something to do in it.
Dear Amy Guam,
ReplyDeleteYour post stated that Elie wrote the book Night to be the voices of everyone who didn’t have a chance to escape from the Holocaust. The post also stated he wrote the book to tell people how many lives were taken away and show the story through a lens of a nightmare. Elie named the book Night because it’s basically a nightmare. Night shows repetition always coming back after day. I find appealing that you show a symbolism clearly but simple to understand. Your perspective on Night was appealing because it showed an insight to the readers. I also disagree on your idea that Elie Wiesel wrote the book to give voices to the Jews who didn’t escape. I disagree with your statement because the story shown more insight into the Holocaust not discussing the character feeling completely.
Can you state more evidence to support your statement on why did Elie write the book Night?
Dear Alicia,
ReplyDeleteYour post said that Elie wrote the book Night to tell people what had occurred to him and what affected him. Elie told people that the Holocaust has eternal changed him because it challenged his view and wanted the readers to learn of his experience. You stated Night represent darkness which is dark because he saw children being burn and other gruesome events. It was a dark period for Elie. I agree that Elie wrote Night to tell people what had occurred to him because she constantly gave insight into Night with evidence. The evidence helped to support the ideas which persuade the readers. I disagree with your statement discussing the idea that Night represents darkness because there was no evidence to support the statements.
Why did you say Night represents darkness? (Please Elaborate)
Dear Elaine,
ReplyDeleteYour post stated Elie Wiesel wrote the book Night to let people know of his experiences he was going through as a child. He represented the Jews and wrote it to let the people know how devastating life was doing the Holocaust. Elie called the book Night because life was very dark and terrible. Night is showed to be silent and gloomy time which can represent the people that were suffering during the Holocaust. Elie saw the children being toss in to fiery pits and burned. I agree that Elie wrote the book to show people of his experiences he was going through as a child. Your post also show detailed evidence to help justified his answer. I find it appealing that you symbolize Night as a dark and gloomy time which suffering is more common.
Can you further explain your answer on what does Night symbolize so it may be more understanding?