HallahanS Third Reader Responce

This was the last section we had to read and I was able to read though this section the fastest.  It was the most dramatic and painted some of the worst images in my head. I think that there was definitely a lot more death in this section. I was actually feeling cold in this section while I was reading it because they talk about having to run through the cold snow and it made me picture it in my head and it made me cold. They were so cold and tied and emancipated that they could barely even feel the cold. Elie says, “to no longer feel anything, neither fatigue nor cold, nothing” (86). I couldn’t imagine being so cold that you can’t feel anything. I know how it feels in the cold when you’re outside and it’s so cold it’s hard to text. There are also times like when they first get to that last camp that looks like an empty village that all they want to do is stop and rest but they can’t or they will die in the cold snow.

I think one of the most influential parts is when they are in the cattle cart. He says, “The spectators observed these emaciated creatures ready to kill for a crust of bread” (101). Did they think it was a game? That’s so messed up to me. It’s not like throwing fish in a fish tank and watching the fish swam it to get a piece. These are actual human beings! Our own kind. People just like us. I don’t know why they weren’t disgusted with the way these people were treated. Instead they played along and antagonized the people. Sons were killing fathers and everyone was beating each other up and climbing over each other for crumbs. This entire book really makes you think about mankind. Is life really everyone for themselves? Or are we suppose to reach out and want to help each other?

Another part that I found astonishing was the liberation day. He is finally freed! For the past year or so Elie has been tortured, beaten, fed as little as possible, watched everyone round him die; and on the day that it will finally all be over and he will be free to live his life the way he wants to from now on he acts like it’s no big deal? I know that I would be bawling my eyes out with joy! The second I left those gates as a free child I would be jumping around crying and hugging everyone around me! How do you not celebrate? He just looks at himself in a mirror and is like, yeah, I changed. That’s it? I know he went through a lot and all but I still feel like he deserves to be happy now that he is free. I hope I will never have to know what it feels like, but I think it would be a little more exciting than what he makes it to be.

JFonseca, Blog 3

There must be some human instinct that everyone has to push their bodies to impossible limits. For example, Elie wrote, “I was putting one foot in front of the other, like a machine.” (Wiesel 85). This young boy was forced to run for a lengthy amount of time, with a recently operated foot, or he would be killed. Unfortunately, if I was in his position, would it have just been easier to die? It would end all his pain and agony; that’s how I felt as I read this text. I don’t know if I would have had the drive to keep pushing myself forward, I probably would have given up much longer. Both Elie and his father were staring at death every moment of every day.

                Throughout this entire journey, it has transformed Elie into a whole different person. For example, he questions, often, whether or not he should abandon his father. How could he do such a thing? He father has stayed by him, helped him and comforted him in his times of need. Now, he just wants to get rid of his father, to better himself? One day, a man says to the young prisoner, “In this place, there is no such thing as a father, brother, friend. Each of us lives and dies alone.” (110). Was this man right? Should Elie assist his father even if he is nearing death or abandon him in his time of need? I don’t know if I’d be able to turn my back on the ones I love, but this whole experience has recreated everyone. Also, he lost a lot of his faith in God. He couldn’t understand why the God he has prayed and worshiped all his life could allow these horrible acts to occur. He questioned his faith often and also denied some of his teachings. I would do the same thing, if the God I had been praying to for all my life decided to his back on his followers. This whole novel just proves how awful and unfair the world can be. Everyone is forced to be alone, and to survive alone. This whole experience transformed everyone who enters the gates of this tragic world.

JFonseca Blog 2

                As I continue to read the text, I can start to accept or get use to the way of life they have now adapted to. For example, the “showers” and when and how much food they receive, it all becomes “normal”. Fortunately, I believe that, or how I feel as a reader, that every time they have to relocated, both fear and hope engulfs them. When they move to another location, it opens up a whole range of wonders and hopes for them. Is this place going to be like the one before? What are we going to have to do? What’s it going to be like? Is the end coming near? Once Elie and his father get transferred to their new Kommando I question, just like Elie, why is there a Kommando for music? I don’t understand a lot of motives for why events happen in these horrible places.

                Overall, Elie has been surviving because of luck. He and his father haven’t been separated, why, when almost everyone else has been separated from their love ones throughout their journeys? Then, they both get sent to the orchestra block? That was one of the best places they could have gotten sent to, under the conditions they were in. Next, because Elie had a gold crown on one of his teeth he was ordered to have it removed. He lied and said he was ill, so the dentist would postpone the removal; he was able to delay the surgery, until the dentist was arrest and was no longer capable of removing it. How is that not lucky? The young boy weaseled his way out of this situation, allowing him to save his crown for a later date. Later on, the camp was being bombed; anyone could have been killed in that explosion but they were able to survive. Which that brings up a question, why would an American plane bombed a concentration camp, when we were there trying to save these people? A daily occurrence on these camps was selection, anytime officers were ordered to call a selection; anyone found too weak or sick by a doctor was to be sent to the crematorium. During one of those times Elie’s father’s number was written down, he had not passed the selection. Fortunately, his father was able to pass the selection, how? Now came winter, the worst time of the year, how were they able to survive that time? Around January of that year, Elie had a problem with his foot. Luckily his leg did not need to be amputated and he was able to leave the hospital to be evacuated with his father. Which, he learned much later, that if he had only stayed in the infirmary, he would have been liberated within two days.

                Overall, not that I agree with this, but if the point of these camps were to terminate these people, why did they have hospitals? Why didn’t the officers just let them die instead of trying to cure these inmates? Elie and his father were lucky to make it as far as they did. They were able to conquer every obstacle and elude death at every corner. I believe it was strictly out of chance and good fortune.

Concentration Camp Hospital

BPangborn: Response Three 3/9

     While reading the last section of Night by Elie Wiesel, I felt freedom coming nearer. Something I did not expect, though, was the sacrifice of Elie's father for freedom in turn. In the last few chapters, the dehumanization didn't cease. One of the first few words written within the beginning of the section were the commands of the SS officers yelling "faster you filthy dogs," (85). ...So now the remaining prisoners, at this point only a week or two from freedom had been reduced to the living standards of animals? 
     Everyone's strength had been tested daily. Elie recounts that, "we were stronger than cold and hunger, stronger than the guns and the desire to die, doomed and rootless, nothing but numbers, and we were the only men on the earth" (87). Excuse my french, but damn right they were the only men on the earth! No "man" today would be able to endure an event even close to this. I feel as though the definition of a man has changed. In the past, a man was someone who brought food on the table and endured events like this one. Now, a man is considered to be a male who has large muscles and has a way with the ladies. I was truly inspired by this statement because it shows Elie's reflection about his experience during the Holocaust. I admire his strength, both physically, mentally, and emotionally.
     The death of Elie's father is what really touched me. He was days from walking through the gates of the concentration camp, out from under the cruel ruling of another, never having to look back. I feel as though when many people read this, they wonder why Elie didn't do everything in his power to save his father. Even the most loving person in the world would probably react to this situation the same way Elie did. Put under such a strain just to survive would change anyone's views on life. For example, when a fellow mentioned to Elie that, "each of us lives and dies alone" (110). This brought the truth to Elie's actions - for each person dies alone. When his father died, Elie was relieved of the responsibility to take on two lives close to death.
     Therefore, I enjoyed this book, but was a little taken back by the heaviness of the Holocaust. Although Wiesel is a well spoken writer, I believe that I should've read this book that a later age, and not have read it in school. I believe that this is a very personal book that I may have been able to relate to more if I were more experienced in life. I have not been exposed to many hardships in my life that would be able to make me reflect on my own life experiences. In conclusion, even though i thoroughly enjoyed this book, it would've been in my best interest to read this book at a later age. Nonetheless, this book shows the foundation of humanity, and just how much a human can be pushed to the limit. Elie Wiesel is a true survivor.


This is a photograph showing Wiesel in one of his concentration camps. Notice the number of people forced to lie in just one bunk. Also take not of how emancipated the man standing is, and it wasn't just him either. Everyone suffered the same effects of living in the concentration camps.

EAndrikopoulos Reader Response 3

     In the final chapters of Night, I felt a great deal of sympathy for both Elie's father and Elie like I had throughout most of the book. When the SS officers did the selection at Gleiwitz, I became very nervous that Elie's father would be shot because he was weak. Elie writes, "The SS officers were doing the selection: the weak, to the left; those who walked well, to the right. My father was sent to the left. I ran after him," (96). When I read this I soon began to feel as if that was the end for his father. However, as I read on, I had a little bit of hope that both Elie and his father would survive this also event. When I got close to the end of the book, I was saddened when I read that Elie's father had not made it. It was heartbreaking to read this novel and learn the tight bond that the father and son had throughout this horrific experience. After all they had been through, it didn't seem fair that his father died. However, this entire experience for the Jewish was not fair at all. This novel is a prime example of how life isn't always fair and you have to overcome obstacles in life. The Holocaust took this lesson to the extreme.

      When I neared the end of the novel, I was somewhat disappointed with the ending. Of course, I was upset Elie had lost his father after everything that had gone through together for all those years, but I was especially disappointed that that is basically how Elie ended the novel. It's understandable that Elie was horrified and left numb when his father died, however, I wish he had said more about how he survived this terrible, historic event. Elie says, "I remained in Buchenwald until April 11. I shall not describe my life during that period. It no longer mattered. Since my father's death, nothing mattered to me anymore... I no longer thought of my father, or my mother. From time to time, I would dream. But only about soup, an extra ration of soup," (113). He goes on to say that they freed all the Jews and he became ill two weeks later and went to a hospital. This is all he says. It leaves me wondering, if Elie's father had died at the very first selection when they were first brought into the concentration camp 3 years prior, would he have survived? If he did survive, would he have still written this novel? I think that Elie had such a strong bond with his father that he was the main reason that he wrote this novel. If he had lost his entire family within the first week of entering the concentration camp, I do not believe he would have written this novel or even survived the Holocaust.

Abbott K: Third Response

          The final section of Night is definitely the hardest to read.  The most tragic scenes happen in the final chapters, and at times it is difficult to turn the page and keep reading.  The way the Jewish people are treated is absolutely repulsive.  They aren't even treated as human beings anymore.  The Germans treat the Jewish people more like animals.  They herd them up like cattle, and let them beat each other up for food like predators.  The Jewish people are even put in cattle cars when the group must travel by train.  Elie describes, "An indefinitely long train, composed of roofless cattle cars.  The SS shoved us inside, a hundred per car: we were so skinny!" (97)  Traveling on the train takes a while and many people die while they are on it.  The train stops every once and a while and the dead are simply thrown off.  They aren't buried and no prayers are said for them.  The bodies are chucked like they are nothing more than a piece of wood.  This news is completely devastating to me.  How could you simply treat a body like it is almost nothing?
           It is also greatly disturbing at how the Jewish people fight one another when bread is thrown into the car by citizens.  Some kill others in the desperate struggle to get the bread, and the person who gets the bread is not safe once it is in their hands.  The people all swarm in like a pack of piranhas trying to get the ration, and the citizens watch with interest as if they are watching an animal show.  It couldn't be any more horrible to read. One father gets a ration or two of bread and eats one piece, and his son comes over and kills him to get the other piece as if he has gone insane and doesn't realize that he is attacking his own father.  It must have been terribly gruesome to be on that train for any of the prisoners.  When Elie's father dies, it is really depressing.  He just gave up on his life knowing that he was dying.  Elie kept caring for him until his death, and he didn't even get to see the body removed.  He just came back one day, and his father was gone.  Elie states, "I woke up at dawn on January 29.  On my father's cot there lay another sick person.  They must have taken him away before daybreak and taken him to the crematorium." (112)  How dreadful is that?  Elie can't even see his father's body one last time to say prayers.  Once Elie is free again though, my spirit rises again because I'm glad his suffering is over.  Knowing that Elie makes it out alive gives me a great feeling.  The novel is extremely well written and I recommend that any person must read this novel for it truly gives the reader an insight to the life of a Jewish person during the Holocaust.  

HallahanS Second Reader Responce

Now that we have started to read more, we are in the middle of the story. I kind of hate to say it, but I think it’s easier to read this book because you want to keep reading o find out what happens next. A lot of books that we read in school are hard to stay focused on and you don’t want to read them, but this one is actually pretty interesting. One thing that is hard to listen to though is to keep reminding yourself that this isn’t just a story. It actually happened. Am I the only one wondering why that act like it is normal to be naked a lot? He says, “I undressed leaving my clothes on my cot. Tonight, there was no danger that they would be stolen… All the block inmates stood naked between the rows of the bunks” (71). They had to be naked for selection; everyone did. No one made a fuss and the just stood there. They were altogether for shower too. I think that would be awkward and embarrassing but apparently not to them. But I think that they are all too afraid to complain because they don’t really have a choice because if they don’t listen then they are killed. Even still, I think that would be very uncomfortable. Is it different for guys and girls though? Either way, I think that would be something very hard for all of us to have to adjust to.

There are still a lot of extreme punishments that are spoken about in this section. For example, a younger male is found guilty of messing around with the wiring system of the electric barbed wire fences. The leaders of their camp saw this as an opportunity to teach the rest of the inmates a lesson. Along with the younger male, two other men were also found guilty too. They decided to hang all three of the men, yet some of the SS leaders thought it might be dangerous to hang a child in front of everyone. This was one of the saddest parts for me. It says, “But the third rope was still moving: the child, too light, was still breathing…” (65). This part was so sad to me because I feel like if someone is going to be killed for crime, they should not have to suffer through it. That poor boy had to suffer through that pain and everyone was forced to watch. I can’t imagine having to watch someone suffer right there in front of me and knowing that I couldn’t help at all. How would you handle it? I don’t think it’s right at all.

Another thing we see is Wiesel’s dedication to not leaving his father. When there was a possibility that his father did not pass selection, we see how close he is to him. When that is the only person you have left, I don’t blame him. My dad and I are very close and I could not see myself being separated from him too. When that is all you have, how could you give them up? I would feel too lonely and everything would seem so scary and hopeless. I don’t know how Elie will survive if his father leaves him.