Background of the book night by elie wiesel

This teacher resource is based on the following edition. Elie wiesel is a jewish writer who has authored more than fifty books including, the bestknown night. Elie wiesel, holocaust survivor and bestselling author, is born. Oct 21, 2014 truth and fiction in elie wiesels night. Historical context for night facing history and ourselves. Elie wiesel lived through a time in world history that is so sinister many people refuse to believe it could have even happened. Night 1960 is a work by elie wiesel about his experience with his father in the nazi german concentration camps at auschwitz and buchenwald in 19441945, at the height of the holocaust toward the end of the second world war. Of course the reality of the holocaust is horrifying no matter the context, but what elie wiesels novel night does is illustrate this genocide in the gritty, realistic. Elie wiesels memoir and how it preserved the jewish identity. It is the basis for all the other books, the foundation. These night themes will help you discuss the novel intelligently.

Brief biographical background about author elie wiesel. Night is elie wiesel s masterpiece, a candid, horrific, and deeply poignant autobiographical account of his survival as a teenager in the nazi death camps. Following its publication, elie wiesel wrote more than 55 books, including novels, plays, books of essays, biblical commentary and works on jewish folklore and mysticism. His mother and younger sister perished, his two older sisters survived. In 2006, tv talk show host oprah winfrey selected night for her famed onair book club, and traveled with wiesel to auschwitz for an episode of her show. This story is similar to a memoir since wiesel uses the character of eliezer as a representative for himself in many ways. Wiesel s writings bear witness to his yearlong ordeal and to the jewish tragedy. Elizer wiesel grew up in sighet, a small town in translyvania. Elie wiesel is a nobelprize winning writer, teacher and activist known for his memoir night, in which he recounted his experiences surviving the holocaust.

In preparation for this reading, it is extremely important that you gain the necessary background information in order to understand what mr. In many ways, night tells the story of elies changing relationship. Background information elie wiesel was born in sighet, transylvania, now part of romania in 1928 at 15, elie and his family were deported by the nazis to auschwitz because they were jewish. You will soon begin reading the memoir night by elie wiesel. Nov 25, 2007 elie wiesel, at age 15, just before being deported to auschwitz. In just over 100 pages of sparse and fragmented narrative, wiesel writes about the death of god and his own. During world war ii, he, with his family and other jews from the area, were deported to the german concentration and extermination camps, where his parents and little sister perished.

Wiesel was the only son of four children of shlomo, a grocer, and his wife, sarah feig wiesel. A short elie wiesel biography describes elie wiesels life, times, and work. Some of the themes in night by elie wiesel include the struggle to maintain faith through suffering, the evil of humanity, the dangers of silence, and the importance of fatherson relationships. Wiesels father, mother, and little sister all died in the holocaust. Told from the perspective of an adolescent, wiesel shares his story of the time that he spent under nazi. After the war, elie wiesel determined to relate his story to the world. Elie wiesel, byname of eliezer wiesel, born september 30, 1928, sighet, romaniadied july 2, 2016, new york, new york, u. Despite warnings about german intentions towards jews, eliezers family and the other jews in the small transylvanian town of sighet now in modernday romania fail to flee the country when they have a chance. Wiesel shares his experiences in a nazi concentration camp during world war ii.

Night by elie wiesel background information the book is the authors firstperson account of his experiences as a prisoner in the nazi concentration camps. Read a plot overview of the entire book or a chapter by chapter summary and analysis. In 1956 wiesels first book, a yiddish memoir entitled and the world was silent, was published in argentina. This new translation by marion wiesel, elie s wife and frequent translator, presents this seminal memoir in the language and spirit truest to the authors original intent. This was a feeling where wiesel lost a part of himself. Jul 03, 2017 brief biographical background about author elie wiesel. Night is the true story written by elie wiesel about when he a fifteenyearold, his family and many jewish people of sighet were sent to the auschwitz concentration camp in poland. Elie wiesel, at age 15, just before being deported to auschwitz. The greatest tragedy of our time, told through the eyes of a 15. Had it not been for night, i would not have written anything.

The jews of sighet, hungary are rounded up and driven into nazi concentration camps. Wiesel based the book at least in parton his own experiences during world war ii. Ive read this book multiple times and every time, i pick up different new details that i previously missed. In preparation, it is extremely important that you gain the necessary background information in order to understand certain situations and events. The novel, night by elie wiesel, is his book about the destruction of the jews by the nazis written twenty years after he was set free from auschwitz at the age of 16. Wiesel entered as a naive boy steeped in jewish lore who had never left the small romanian village of sighet, where he was born. Auschwitz kiranprabha talk show on the book night by elie wiesel kiranprabha narrates the background and interesting details about night 1960, a work by elie wiesel about his experience with. Night begins with an account of how elie wiesel came to study jewish mysticism with his teacher moshe the beadle.

Night this work by elie wiesel reveals his experience with his father in the nazi german concentration camps at auschwitz and buchenwald in 194445, at the height of the holocaust. Tv talk show host oprah winfrey selected night for her famed onair book club, and traveled with wiesel to auschwitz for. Wiesels writings bear witness to his yearlong ordeal and to the jewish tragedy. Every book on your english syllabus summed up in a quote from the office. Night, by elie wiesel, is a work of holocaust literature with a decidedly autobiographical slant. Background for night elie wiesel flashcards quizlet. This article speaks about the examples of dehumanization in this book. While night is elie wiesels testimony about his experiences in the holocaust, wiesel is not, precisely speaking, the storys protagonist. Elie wiesel s memoir and how it preserved the jewish identity elie wiesel was just 15yearsold when he was sent to auschwitz, facing a daily struggle to preserve his identity in inhumane. Night is narrated by a boy named eliezer who represents wiesel, but details differentiate the character eliezer from the reallife wiesel. When wiesel arrived at the concentration camps, the males and the females were separated. One of my alltime favorite books, night explains in depth though in a short book the struggles that elie wiesel went through during the holocaust from being home with his family to being interned in a concentration camp with his father. See a complete list of the characters in night and indepth analyses of eliezer, eliezers father, and moishe the beadle.

He was fifteen years old when he and his family were deported by the nazis to auschwitz. At home, wiesels family spoke yiddish most of the time, but also german, hungarian, and romanian. This was the last time wiesel saw his mother and tzipora. Summary read a plot overview of the entire book or a chapter by chapter summary and analysis. The setting of night is various locations in nazioccupied europe, including concentration camps in poland and germany. You will soon begin reading the book night by elie wiesel. Born on september 30, 1928, in sighet, romania, elie wiesel pursued jewish religious studies before his family was forced into nazi death camps during wwii. This article will give you a summary of the book night by elie wiesel. This fall, elie wiesels night was removed from the new york times. However, even when antisemitic measures force the sighet jews into supervised ghettos, elie s family remains calm and compliant. This work by elie wiesel reveals his experience with his father in the nazi german concentration camps at auschwitz and buchenwald in 194445, at. Elie wiesels memoir and how it preserved the jewish.

This clip begins with an introduction to the holocaust, and then directly relates elies experience to the students, while also. Night author and holocaust survivor elie wiesel ponders the evils the oprah winfrey. In the book night elie wiesel describes his harsh, devastating. Wiesel based the bookat least in parton his own experiences during world war ii. For the next terrible year, young elie wiesel experiences the loss of everything he loves home, friends, family in an agonizing journey through birkenau, auschwitz, buna, and buchenwald. In 1956 wiesel s first book, a yiddish memoir entitled and the world was silent, was published in argentina. This new translation by marion wiesel, elies wife and frequent translator, presents this seminal memoir in the language and. One of historys most terrible moments of human suffering was world war iis holocaust. Though just a brief 116 pages, the book has received considerable acclaim, and the author won the nobel prize in 1986. After the 1960 english language publication of night, wiesel. Auschwitz was the site of more than 1,300,000 jewish deaths. Also explains the historical and literary context that influenced night. Elie wiesel biography childhood, life achievements.

Night by elie wiesel is about a man named eliezer and his experiences during the holocaust. These papers were written primarily by students and provide critical analysis of night by elie wiesel. Elie short for eliezer wiesel was born on september 30, 1928, in sighet, transylvania a town in northern modernday romania near the meeting of the hungarian and ukrainian borders. Elie wiesel was a nobelprize winning writer, teacher and activist known for his memoir night, in which he recounted his experiences surviving. Background information elie wiesel was born in sighet, transylvania, now part of romania in 1928 at 15, elie and his family were deported by the nazis to auschwitz because they were. Like, you know something horrible is going to happen this is a book about the holocaust. Book summary his instructor, moshe the beadle, returns from a neardeath experience and warns that nazi aggressors will soon threaten the serenity of their lives. Night this song connects with the motif night because the lyrics are about darkness, the night, and suffering. Elie wiesel was born in 1928 in sighet, a small village in northern transylvania, romania, an area that was part of hungary from 1941 to 1945. Elie wiesel video, about 4 12 minutes, of wiesel s interview with sally quinn. Introduction human suffering anywhere concerns men and women everywhere. Wiesels book night is his story of struggle and, ultimately, survival as part of the small percentage who made it through to liberation.

It is because i have written night that i felt more had to come, not to allow the reader or myself to stay with its. He mentions losing everything to bernard madoff and the metaphor of cain and. As a result, the entire jewish population is sent to concentration camps. Background vocabulary for elie wiesels night jewish terminology. Elie wiesel was a jewish romanianamerican writer, professor and the author of the bestselling book night as. Night is elie wiesels masterpiece, a candid, horrific, and deeply poignant autobiographical account of his survival as a teenager in the nazi death camps. Elie wiesel was born in 1928 in sighet, transylvania, which is now part of romania. Elie wiesels memoir and how it preserved the jewish identity elie wiesel was just 15yearsold when he was sent to auschwitz, facing a daily struggle to preserve his identity in. Night, eliezer elie wiesels account of his experiences as a 15 year old boy during the. The books narrator is eliezer, an orthodox jewish teenager who studies the talmud by day, and by night weeps over the destruction of the temple. Elie wiesel biography life, family, childhood, children.

Elie wiesel was just 15yearsold when he was sent to auschwitz, facing a daily. The holocaust was the careless and brutal massacre of six million jews by the nazis, who were under the rule of adolf hitler, during world war ii. Eliezer elie wiesel won the nobel prize peace prize in 1986 for spreading his message of peace after his horrific experiences as a holocaust survivor. He was 15 years old when he and his family were deported by the gestapo to auschwitz and separated. To provide students with a context for the book, you may wish to. Night is a memoir by elie wiesel that was first published in 1960. His book night is one of the classic accounts of the holocaust. Night study guide contains a biography of elie wiesel, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and. To know more about the childhood, life and timeline of elie wiesel, read the brief biography and profile of elie wiesel. Background never shall i forget that night, the first night in the camp, which has turned my life into one long night, seven times cursed and seven times sealed. The book night details elie wiesels experiences during the holocaust in four separate camps between the time he entered when he was 14 years old in 1941 and the time he left as the only survivor of his family of 7 in 1945 at the age of 16. Elie and his father were later transported to buchenwald, where his father died shortly before the.

Night by elie wiesel audiobook audio reading a new translation by marion wiesel chapter 1. Night by elie wiesel animal imagery and the function of. Sep 26, 2019 elie wiesel, holocaust survivor and bestselling author, is born. The title suggests a clear setting of the nighttime and in a symbolic way the setting is during a time as dark and long as the night. April 11, 1945 background information regarding the liberation of buchenwald concentration camp from s this day in history site. Elie wiesel biographical e lie wiesel was born in 1928 in the town of sighet, now part of romania. In night, elie wiesel uses foreshadowing to increase tension but also to give the reader a sense of dread. The story begins with eliezer, the narrator, studying jewish books in his hungarian hometown. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. Eliezer, other wise known as elie, is the main character in the novel night. Night by elie wiesel audiobook audio reading a new translation by marion wiesel chapter 1 duration. Imagery can be defined as the ability to form mental images of things or events. Night 1960 is a work by elie wiesel about his experience with his father in the nazi german concentration camps at auschwitz and. The holocaust, world war ii, nazi germany invasion of eastern europe countries, all are the setting and background story for elie wiesel firsthand account of surviving it all written in his booknight.