Group Reader Response LC #3 (revisions + 2 paragraphs)

Group Reader Response LC #3 (revisions)

2 Thesis Statements

1. (theme) Pushing through difficult times helps to pull through life, in the novel “Night” by Elie Weisel, it goes to show that perseverance, hard work, and a little bit of smart thinking can get you anywhere through life.
2. (character) Many had lost hope during the days at concentration camps, but for Eliezer, he keeps his head high, and perseveres through it all as he experiences the ups and downs of being in a concentration camp.

Quotes	Commentary
“There’s a long road of suffering ahead of you. But don’t lose courage… so now muster your strength, and don’t lose heart… have faith in life. Above all else, have faith.” (pages 38-9)	The prisoner in charge said these words, to encourage the new prisoners to not lose hope. It means that if you have faith in everything you do, you’ll be able to get anywhere and everywhere as long as you work hard for it.
“ “Lie down on it! On your stomach!” I obeyed. Then I was aware of nothing but the strokes of the whip… It was over. But I did not realize it, for I had fainted.” (page 55)	Eliezer was punished, as he caught an officer with a girl, “invading their privacy” and therefore he had to endure the consequences. But this just mean that there may be obstacles in life that’ll make the process a little harder, but once we pass those, we can truly say that we successfully passed a stepping stone.
“In any case, he couldn’t have written you down, you were running too fast….” (pages 68-9)	Eliezer pushed through during selection, even if he was very tired. It let him have a good mindset, as he wanted to stay alive. Selection can tell if you’ll live or die, and in his case, he wanted to live. This goes to show that if we work hard, we’ll be able to overcome anything.
“ “Well? So you passed?” “Yes. And you?” “Me too.” I saw my father running toward me. I became frightened all of a sudden. “What’s the matter?” “Me… me, too… ! They told me to stay behind in the camp.” ” (pages 69-71)	Eliezer and his friends were talking about how they all passed selection, while the father almost had a close call, but still passed along with them. We may have close calls in life, but just as long as we catch them before they happen, we’ll be fine.
“I must have an operation! If we waited, the toes and perhaps the whole leg, would have to be amputated.” (page 74)	Eliezer right foot started to swell because of the cold, so he took it to the doctor, thinking that if he left alone it would get even worse, and would result in amputating. This goes to show how we may be knocked down in life from time to time, but we’ll always try to find a way to get back up again.
“I repeated to myself: “Don’t think. Don’t stop. Run.” Near me, men were collapsing in the dirty snow. Shots.” (page 81)	This quote talks about how he was around many men dying, as he fought for his life, running. He thought that if he kept going, they wouldn’t do anything to him, showing them that he’s working hard to be where he is right now. In reality, we may have to prove ourselves, about how useful we can actually be, so we can keep doing what we’re doing as of now. This is useful in jobs, so work hard, and you’ll never have to worry about losing a job.
“Men to the left! Women to the right! … I saw them disappear into the distance” (page 27)	Eliezer had to witness being separated from his sisters and mother at an age where everything goes downhill. He never really heard back from any of them.
“Shall I still be able to use my leg?” (page 76)	Eliezer’s leg was numb, as he couldn’t feel his leg. It got really cold to the point where he couldn’t feel it, but the doctor did everything that he needed to do to fix his leg almost back to normal.
“I do not know how long he played. I was overcome by sleep. When I awoke, in the daylight, I could see Juliek… dead” (page 90-1)	Eliezer had to experience the death of his friend right next to him, while he was asleep. He at least got to listen to him play his violin before he went to sleep forever.
“I awoke on January 29 at dawn. In my father’s place lay another invalid.” (page 106)	He also had to experience the death of his own father, and he was only on the top bunk, where Eliezer was on the bottom bunk. He then woke up and noticed that another invalid was sleeping there instead of his father. He figured that he was taken to the crematory.
“Come on Father, it’s better over there. We can lie down a bit, one after the other. I’ll watch over you, and then you can watch over me.” (page 85)	Alongside Eliezer fighting for himself to be alive, he was also fighting for his father to stay with him as well. Ever since the first day of being in camps, he’s always wanted to stay with his father, since his mother and sisters were taken away from them. So his father meant a lot to him. This quote really helps in showing that we ourselves, like to bring others with us, because they mean that much to us.
“ “Keep going! We are getting there!” “Courage! Only a few more hours!” “We’re reaching Gleiwitz.” … even though they came from the mouths of our assassins, did us a great deal of good. No one wanted to give up now, just before the end, so near to the goal.” (page 88)	SS officers encouraged the prisoners to keep going, even if they were “assassins” to them. But it helped encourage them to keep going. It shows that whoever gives us advice, or encourages us to do anything, it’ll help us. Regardless if we know them or not. Us humans just like to be encouraged, since it’s normal for us.

2-paragraph reflection on importance of book in terms of learning and society application.

Consider the following questions:

What are the positive lessons of the Holocaust that Wiesel hints at in the story?

Is there purpose of having faith even without the existence or justice of God? (Jewish people believed in their faith even during all of the horrid events)

Is redemption possible for man possible, after committing actions like or similar to the Holocaust?

“Night” by Elie Wiesel is a great book to learn many life lessons, as well as lessons about society. It shows how there are many people who suffered much more than we did, before us, as we continue to think about our first world problems. It teaches others that our parents are worth more, rather than asking them for materialistic things all the time, as we need to show affection to them more often than we do right now. They deserve a lot more, because one day we may wake up, and realize that they’re gone. So we need to take every chance that we can get, to show how much they mean to us. The book also teaches us about how it wasn’t easy to be accepted into society back then. There were many requirements that needed to be met, in order for them to stay alive. It wasn’t the right thing to do, but at the moment, they thought that it felt right. But most of all, the whole story encourages us readers that we need to persevere and work hard, so we can get to anywhere and everywhere that we want. This is essential, because if you’re anything other than hard working, it’ll be harder for you to meet your goals in life.

The Jewish prisoners believed in God very strongly before they were put into concentration camps. They would pray every night and would always think that everything that they’re involved in is positive. But it helps having faith, even without the existence or justice of God, so that you’ll be able to have a good mindset. Having a good mindset helps with everyday things, as thinking positive can increase your chances at getting where you want to be in life. Even if you’ve committed actions like or similar to something like the Holocaust, it’s possible for redemption, in terms of religion. But if it didn’t come down to religion, there wouldn’t exactly be any redemption if you’ve ever done anything related to the Holocaust, as it’s a sin, or in other words, it disgraces the human race. But we can always ask for forgiveness.