Unit 3: “Keep Memory Alive” by Elie Wiesel

pp. 539-545

Name______Hour ______Date______

Writing About the Big Question

The Big Question: What kind of knowledge changes our lives?

adapt awareness empathy enlighten evolve

growth history ignorance influence insight

modified question reflect revise understanding

A. Use one or more words from the list above to complete each sentence.

1. Elie Wiesel experienced one of the most painful moments in world ______.

2. It was impossible to gain ______into the cruelhearts of those who

persecuted him.

3. Claiming ______about the suffering andmistreatment of others is

never a good excuse.

4. Wiesel wants to ______others to stand up forthe rights of the

oppressed.

B. Follow the directions in responding to each of the items below using full sentences.

1. List two different times in which you learned about or experienced an unjustsituation.

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2. Write two complete sentences explaining one of the situations you listed, and describe how itmade you feel. Use at least two of the Big Question vocabulary words and circle each one used.

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C. Complete the sentence below. Then, write a paragraph of at least five sentences in which you connect thisexperience to the big question. Use at least five BQ vocabulary words and circle each one used.

When you learn that people are capable of brutality against others, you canchoose to ______

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Vocabulary Builder

Word List (p. 540)

accomplices bewilderment naïve presumptuous profound transcends

A. DIRECTIONS: Write a complete sentence that demonstrates the meaning of each of the vocabularywords.

1. A situation that might cause bewilderment: ______

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2. People who are accomplices: ______

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3. Characteristics of someone who is naïve: ______

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4. Someone who might make a profound statement: ______

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5. Feelings a person might have when he or she transcends expectations: ______

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B. WORD STUDY: The Latin root -scend- means “climb.” Revise each sentence so that the

italicized word containing the root -scend- is used logically. Be sure not to change the italicized word.

1. We knew that to ascend the mountain, we would have to climb down slowly.

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2. The mountaineer’s descent took her higher and higher until she could see across the valley.

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3. The ballerina’s dance was transcendent, and the audience walked out in disappointment.

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Grammar

Degrees of Adverbs (p. 554)

Most adverbs have three different forms to show degrees of comparison—the positive, the

comparative, and the superlative. There are different ways to form the comparative andsuperlative degrees of adverbs. Notice how the forms of the adverbs in the chart change to show

degrees of comparison.

Positive / Comparative / Superlative
People fighting injustice want change to come early. / Those who speak out can
make change occur earlier
than we think. / The earliest time that change can come is when leaders listen to their people.
Solzhenitsyn firmly believes in the power of writing to
change nations. / Solzhenitsyn believed this fact more firmly when people around the world read his work. / Solzhenitsyn probably
believed in his work most
firmly when he witnessed the fall of the Soviet Union.
Wiesel speaks very well. / Wiesel speaks better than
most people. / Wiesel is the best speaker I
have ever heard.

A. PRACTICE: The following sentences are based on Wiesel’s “Keep Memory Alive” or the excerptfrom Solzhenitsyn’s “Nobel Lecture.” On the line before each sentence, identify the degree ofcomparison of each italicized adverb or adverb phrase.

______1. Wiesel speaks most passionately about the danger of remainingsilent.

______2. Wiesel delivered his acceptance speech skillfully.

______3. Solzhenitsyn strongly urges his listeners to speak out againstviolence.

______4. The Soviet Union fell sooner than Solzhenitsyn might have expected.

B. Writing Application: On the following lines, write a paragraph of at least five sentences about your family. Underline the adverbs that have a positivedegree of comparison once, underline the adverbs or adverb phrases that are comparativetwice, and underline the adverbs or adverb phrases that are superlative three times. Use at least six adverbs that show degrees of comparison.

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Critical Thinking Questions: Answer in full sentences

  1. On whose behalf does Wiesel accept the Nobel Prize?
  1. Why does he believe the award belongs to those people?
  1. Why does he say that receiving the award both “frightens and pleases” him?
  1. What does the boy Wiesel ask the adult Wiesel?
  1. What do his questions imply about Wiesel’s adult responsibilities?
  1. Why does Wiesel believe we have a moral duty to remember?
  1. What lessons learned in a concentration camp have guided Wiesel’s actions as an adult?

Persuasive Writing

Persuasive writing is nonfiction intended to convince people to take a particular action oragree with the author’s point of view. Persuasive writers present arguments, using reason tosupport their positions. They also use rhetorical devices, or patterns of words that createemphasis and stir emotion. Rhetorical devices include the following:

• Repetition—the reuse of a key word or idea for emphasis

• Parallelism—similar grammatical structures used to express related ideas

• Slogans and saws—short, catchy phrases

• Rhetorical questions—questions that are intended to have obvious answers and that are

asked for effect

Examples of persuasive writing include persuasive essays, speeches, advertisements,political writings, legal arguments, sales brochures, and fund-raising letters.

A. DIRECTIONS: In full sentences,answer the following about Elie Wiesel’s speech “Keep Memory Alive.”

1. What sentence in Wiesel’s speech sums up the point with which he wants his listenersto agree?

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2. List three reasonable, persuasive elements Wiesel uses to support his main point. Identifythe type of argument or rhetorical device used in each.

1)______

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Device: ______

2)______

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Device: ______

3)______

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Device: ______

3. Why is this message more powerful coming from Elie Wiesel than from someone else?

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4. Why is it important to Wiesel to keep the memory of what happened to him and his people alive?

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Grade 10, Unit 3