pp. 1-27 4/13/15
In “Night” by Elie Wiesel, a boy watches as his family and friends are all forced from their homes because they are Jewish. One of Elie’s friends/prayer partners, Moishe the Beadle, asks him why he prays. Elie doesn’t know, comparing prayer to breathing. You need to breathe in order to live, which shows us how important prayer is to Elie. Prayer is a natural thing for Elie. He is deeply faithful and wants to study the Kabbala when he grows up. When Moishe is taken away from Elie’s community, he experiences terrible things. Moishe was the only survivor of his group, and when Elie see’s him next, Moishe isn’t happy anymore. All of the awful things he went through changed him, taking away his happiness and faith. “The joy in his eyes was gone. He no longer sang. He no longer mentioned either God or Kabbalah. He spoke only of what he had seen.” (pg. 7) This quote shows us that traumatic events can change your faith and beliefs. Even if you think that prayer and religion come as naturally to you as breathing, there are things that can change you.
The reason the Elie and his family didn’t flee the Ghettos was because Elie’s father was an important man in his community. When Elie warns his father about their impending doom, his father is reluctant to leave because he was an old man, and his entire life was with the community. Many people also didn’t believe Moishe the Beadle’s warnings because they were unaware of the secret pact between Germany and the Soviet Union. The people in Elie’s community thought that the Soviet Union was on their side, when in reality, Germany and Russia had been collaborating. The Jews thought it was unnecessary to leave, since Russia had been slowly pushing toward their area, and they still thought the Soviet Union was on their side. Both Stalin and Hitler, rulers of their respective countries, were underestimating each other and planning on stabbing each other in the back.
In “Night” by Elie Wiesel, a boy watches as his family and friends are all forced from their homes because they are Jewish. One of Elie’s friends/prayer partners, Moishe the Beadle, asks him why he prays. Elie doesn’t know, comparing prayer to breathing. You need to breathe in order to live, which shows us how important prayer is to Elie. Prayer is a natural thing for Elie. He is deeply faithful and wants to study the Kabbala when he grows up. When Moishe is taken away from Elie’s community, he experiences terrible things. Moishe was the only survivor of his group, and when Elie see’s him next, Moishe isn’t happy anymore. All of the awful things he went through changed him, taking away his happiness and faith. “The joy in his eyes was gone. He no longer sang. He no longer mentioned either God or Kabbalah. He spoke only of what he had seen.” (pg. 7) This quote shows us that traumatic events can change your faith and beliefs. Even if you think that prayer and religion come as naturally to you as breathing, there are things that can change you.
The reason the Elie and his family didn’t flee the Ghettos was because Elie’s father was an important man in his community. When Elie warns his father about their impending doom, his father is reluctant to leave because he was an old man, and his entire life was with the community. Many people also didn’t believe Moishe the Beadle’s warnings because they were unaware of the secret pact between Germany and the Soviet Union. The people in Elie’s community thought that the Soviet Union was on their side, when in reality, Germany and Russia had been collaborating. The Jews thought it was unnecessary to leave, since Russia had been slowly pushing toward their area, and they still thought the Soviet Union was on their side. Both Stalin and Hitler, rulers of their respective countries, were underestimating each other and planning on stabbing each other in the back.