Name ______
Date ______
Period ______
Night
By Elie Wiesel
Study Packet
English 2 – Mrs. Drain
VOCABULARY
Torah –
Talmud –
Cabbala –
synagogue –
surname –
betrothal –
liquidate
bade –
interlude –
reprieve –
apathy –
humane –
grimace –
nocturnal –
pious –
morale –
interminable –
refuge –
oppressive –
profound –
PEOPLE
Write at least two sentences about each character. Your descriptions should include physical traits, personality traits, and reasons why they are important to this story.
Narrator (Elie Wiesel) –
Elie’s Father –
Moshe the Beadle –
Madame Schachter –
Young Pipel –
Juliek –
Tibi and Yosi –
Dr. Josef Mengele –
Idek the Kapo –
Rabbi Eliahou –
Young French Girl—
PLACES
In complete sentences, describe each place and why it is important to include in the story.
Sighet –
Birkenau –
Auschwitz –
Buna –
Buchenwald –
QUESTIONS
1. What did the Jews of Sighet know about the Holocaust before their
deportation? Why did they not believe Moshe the Beadle?
2. On what day of the week was Elie’s family expelled? Why is that
Meaningful?
3. What does the arrival at Auschwitz mean for Wiesel? Consider this
quote:
“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. Never shall I forget that smoke. Never shall I forget the
llittle faces of the children, whose bodies I saw turned into wreaths
of smoke …. Never shall I forget those flames which consumed my
faith forever. Never shall I forget that nocturnal silence which
deprived me, for all eternity, of the desire to live.”
4. How were Jews dehumanized by the Nazis and their accomplices according
to Wiesel?
5. Describe Wiesel’s experiences in the camp. Which stood out to you the most?
6. What did Wiesel and his father have to do to survive? What special
characteristics set them apart from other inmates?
7. One of the few things Wiesel describes about his childhood and life before the
Holocaust is his faith. How does his faith change? Does the book change your
view of God?
8. Compare and contrast the father-son relationship you see at the end of this
memoir with the one you saw at he beginning.
9. Why do you think Wiesel titled the book “Night?” What does night
symbolize?
10. At the end of the book, Wiesel describes his image in the mirror as a
corpse. In what ways did Wiesel die during the Holocaust?
11. What would you have done in Wiesel’s situation? Could you have done
what was necessary to survive? Would you have resisted or tried to
escape?
12. Could something like the Holocaust happen today? Think of recent
genocides such as the situation in Rwanda of the Sudan. Does Night
teach us anything about how we can react to these atrocities?
CREATE A TIMELINE
Plot a timeline which includes at least 5 major events from the book.
Make sure to list events in chronological order. Include the location of the
event, people involved and how it affected Elie Wiesel.
CURRENT EVENTS CONNECTION
Find at least one example of something happening in the world today that
You can relate to NIGHT. Glue your newspaper or magazine article here.