Blog Post #1 - Ava Filipek

“My father suddenly had a colic attack. He got up and asked politely, in German, ‘Excuse me . . . Could you tell me where the toilets are located?’ The Gypsy stared at him for a long time, from head to toe . . . he slapped my father with such force that he fell down and then crawled back to his place on all fours” (Wiesel 39). I knew, as soon as I read that passage, that there would be trouble. I was reading through my fingers and hoping that Elie's father would be ok. Thankfully, he was fine, but things could have gone a lot worse. “In the afternoon, they made us line up . . . The three ‘veteran’ prisoners, needles in hand, tattooed numbers in out left arms. I became A-7713. From then on, I had no other name” (42). This, among an extensive amount of things, is dehumanizing on so many levels. They are taking away their names and replacing them with numbers. They are treating them like animals and it is heartbreaking to me. At this point, the animals are probably getting treated better than the Jews (Cool fact: Hitler loved animals). The main reason this paragraph stood out to me was that I read a book called The Tattooist of Auschwitz that is about one of the tattooists in Auschwitz. It reminded me a lot of the book, and I am very moved that he included this huge moment in his memoir. Most books that I read fail to capitate me due to the fact that they start off slow. I understand that this is a memoir so it doesn't really have a “goal” for the main character to achieve. Actually, it does. Elie's goal is to stay alive. Can you imagine that? Having your main goal to be staying alive is heartbreaking. His writing style is perfect for me. No chapters, not too much detail, quick to the point and not too long. He was able to capture so well what he was feeling at the time, that I almost feel like I am there with him. I think that it is important to note the literal way he structured the words on the pages. On page 40 at the end of the page, he indented and started a new paragraph for one simple word: Auschwitz. That is so amazing as a reader to see that happen. I know a lot of people wouldn't notice this, but I noticed it. The main thing that I really love about Elie Wiesel’s writing is that he is quick to the point. This is the first book I have read without skipping a line or a paragraph every now and then. He expresses the people’s feelings so clearly that it is hard to not get emotional. “Another inmate appeared unleashing a stream of invectives: ‘Sons of bitches, why have you come here? Tell me why?” (30). “ My soul had been invaded- and devoured- by a black flame” (37). His choice of vocabulary is genius. He didn't have to describe the flame that had destroyed his soul, but of all of the words that he could have used, he used the word black to describe how he had changed after a short time in the camp. These are the men who told Elie and his father to lie about their age. I know what happens to the children and elderly people who find themselves in Auschwitz, but Elie and his father do not, so it is a miracle that they listened to the inmates who prevented Elie and his father’s deaths, at least for a little while.