Blog Post #1 - Marco

While reading the memoir, Night, by Elie Wiesel, I have felt stunned that this could ever have happened, but it has also shown me how far we have come in just 80 years. The parts where the guards toss babies into the fire, and even make people put their own fathers into the cremator, is simply unbelievable to me. He seemed to be telling the truth. Not far from us, flames, huge flames, were rising from a ditch. Something was being burned there. A truck drew close and unloaded its hold: small children. Babies! Yes, I did see this, with my own eyes . . . children thrown into the flames (Wiesel, 32) This throws me off guard- the cruelty that the Auschwitz officers had was insane. Throwing babies into a fire without a second thought is unbelievable. I also find it interesting that no news reached them for over two years. The guards at Auschwitz were stunned that the Jews had no clue on what was going to happen to them. I would think that there was some way of getting messages to Sighet, but maybe the Germans stopped the mail carriers or did a very good job at keeping the camps secret. In fact, it does mention that the Wiesels had not received a message from their distant relatives since 1940. “I knew nothing about them . . . Since 1940, my mother had not received a single letter from them (44). It does not imply that no mail came, but it is eerie that the war started at the end of 1939 and all messages from their relatives ceased. Elie Wiesel’s writing style has interesting vocabulary, and some sentences are odd. For example, on page 36, he states that “I no longer was afraid.” Normally, we would say ‘I was no longer afraid’. Maybe this was a translation error? Also, I think that his vocabulary transports the reader back to the era. It seems to draw you into the book. One reason he might do this is to make you feel like this is in the past, and to drive in his point of never forget.

Comments

  1. AnonymousOctober 8, 2019 at 1:56 PM

    Marco,

    The book also made me realize how much our world has changed in this short amount of time. When I came across the section where children and adults were being burned to death it almost seemed unreal. For someone to be able to do this they had to be psychotic. I believe that the news of what was happening in the concentration camps was kept secret and if anyone found out I am sure that they were too afraid to say anything. I don't think that the way the sentences were structured was a mistake, but that it was a stylistic choice that as you said would transport the reader back in time.

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  2. AnonymousOctober 8, 2019 at 2:44 PM

    Hey Marco,

    Your blog post really made me take a perspective on this entire ordeal. It makes me think wow the Jews (and mostly everyone) had no idea what was happening in these camps. My only edit would be to include how people today would react to this if this was happening or shown in the news. Its your choice but the post was great good job.

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