Night Essay

    "Never shall I forget that night, the first night in camp, which has turned my life into one long night, seven times cursed and seven times sealed," said Elie Wiesel, a Jewish man who survived the appalling Holocaust and wrote the memoir "Night." This autobiography had the scantest details of the horrifying holocaust, but we were still able to see the callousness of the Nazis. Although the book is gloomy, it depicts the Holocaust in all its genuine colours. In his memoir, Elie used techniques such as first-person narrative, rhetorical questions, and repetition. These methods have a depressing, wistful, and melancholy emotional effect. He utilised these methods to inform the public of what had transpired with the Jews, his family, and himself. 

    The first technique that Elie used was first-person narrative. "Standing on the station platform, we too were crying. The train disappeared over the horizon; all that was left was thick, dirty smoke. " This was when Moishe the Beadle, Elie's teacher, was forced to leave their hometown, Sighet. Elie's use of the first person narrative made me look at this event from his perspective. It made me feel pity and sorrow for Elie. He finally found a teacher that could teach him kabbalah and made a good friend. Moishe the beadle understands him. They spend time together reading Zohar. He teaches Elie Kabbalah. But all of a sudden, Moishe had to go. Fortunately, Moishe returned. But there were many many who weren't able to return. They were forced out of their hometown and never came back. "You can't predict the future, nor can you prevent it from happening." Elie, Moishe, and the other Jews were unable to foresee or stop the horrible catastrophe from occuring. 

    When Elie and his family got to the camp, they had to go through selection. Elie, his two sisters, and his dad passed the selection. But his mother and sister Tzipora didn't. Elie soon found out that the people who weren't selected were to be burned in the crematorium. "How was it possible that men, women, and children were being burned and that the world kept silent?" Here, Elie used the technique "rhetorical question" to show how shocked he was, and how he couldn't believe this was happening. It made me feel sorrowful and disappointed for Elie. Elie watched the smoke coming out from burning humans, especially when he knew that his mother and sister were one of them. I felt disappointed that the Nazis could be so cruel to do something like that. They burned humans alive. I feel indignant about their behaviour towards the Jews. They didn't do anything wrong. They all had family, had loved ones, but the next minute they got burned into ashes and disappeared from this world. This text was hurtful. I learned the ruthlessness of the Nazis and how people can lose their humanity just because others are a different religion or race. 

    At some point during the conflict, Elie's father, Shlomo Wiesel, was in critical condition. The Blockalteste told Elie that no one could save his father; he shouldn't either. When it was roll call, Elie lay on the upper bunk. He wanted to stay with his father. All around him there was silence. Shlomo called out to him many times, despite the officer telling him to be quiet. His father was soon given a blow on the head. Elie was afraid to receive that too. He didn't move. Elie went to sleep that night after looking at his father, remembering his face. His father was still alive. "No prayers were said over his tomb. No candle lit in his memory. His last word had been my name. " The technique Elie used here was the repetition of the word "No". It makes the sentence very powerful and poetic. It passes the sadness of the event to the readers. It makes me feel mournful and hopeless for him and his father. Elie likely had to process a variety of feelings at the time his father passed away: freedom? sadness? His father really wanted to see his son for the last time. However, he couldn't move. All he could do was to call Elie's name again and again. Elie knew his father was dying, yet he didn't have the courage to accompany him through the last moments of his life. I discovered through this text how drastically the Holocaust may alter a person. Rabbi Eliahu's son deserted him during the death march when he realised his father was losing strength. By that time, Elie had prayed to God for the courage to never act in the same way as Eliahu's son. But when his father passed away, he was liberated and relieved because he was no longer responsible for taking care of him. 

    I understood more about the Holocaust because of Elie Wiesel's use of first-person storytelling, rhetorical questions, and repetition. I learned about the awful history of World War II, which nobody should ever forget. The book has demonstrated to me how the Holocaust may alter a person's humanity, faith, and convictions. As Elie said in Night: "Those who kept silent yesterday will remain silent tomorrow." Elie lived through the Holocaust. He didn't, however, choose to remain silent; instead, he spoke out against bigotry, repression, and violence. In his lifetime, he saw his friend pass away, his mother, sister, and countless other Jews burned to death, as well as the passing of his father. He passed on his story, so we won't forget. He wrote this memoir so the world wouldn't forget. He engraved these experiences so he himself would never forget.