Night by Elie Wiesel: Vocabulary and Context

• Pious means deeply religious or devoted to a particular religion
• Billeted means to put someone in a private home to live temporarily
• Edict means a proclamation having the force of law, an order or command
• Oppressive means unjustly harsh, tyrannical, cruel and unfair
• Convoy means a group of vehicles traveling together
• Sage means wise
• Hemetically means completely sealed
• Anecdote means a short story of an interesting, amusing, or biographical incident
• Veritable means not false, unreal, or imaginary
• Convalescent means to recover health and strength gradually after sickness or weakness

Part II Questions

• The memoir's setting needs to be described, including where and when it takes place

• Reasons why the Jews of Sighet were unconcerned before the arrival of the German Army vehicles needs to be explained

• Besides Moishe the Beadle's warning, some other warnings that were possibly ignored, explain two

• The significance of the quote “The Ghetto was ruled by neither German nor Jew; it was ruled by delusion” needs to be described

• Need to identify who Maria is

• Examples of edicts issued to the Jews of Sighet need to be given, with at least two examples

• Madame Schachter needs to be identified

• Mengele's role at the camp needs to be identified

• The processing of the new prisoners at Auschwitz, including at least three things, needs to be described

• Significance of the quote: “Where He is? This is where—hanging here from this gallows...” “That night, the soup tasted of corpses," needs to be described

• What takes place at this point of the memoir needs to be described

• Why the quote is significant, needs to be explained

• After Elie Wiesel is badly beaten by Franek, who helps him needs to be mentioned

• What Elie finds out about this person later when meeting by chance needs to be stated

• What Franek wants from Elie and how he goes after Mr. Wiesel needs to be said

• The reasons why Elie wrote: “Every bomb that hit filled us with joy, gave us renewed confidence" during the air raid on the camp need to be explained

Part III: Figurative Language/Literary Elements

• "Physically, he was awkward as a clown” (Wiesel 3) needs to be identified
• “The shadows around me roused themselves as if from a deep sleep and left silently in every direction” (Wiesel 14) needs to be identified
• “I tried to protect myself from the blows by hiding behind others. I it was spring, The sun was shining” (Wiesel 40) needs to be identified
• “The word had become a hermetically sealed cattle car” (Wiesel 24) needs to be identified
• “At last, the door opened and he appeared. His face was drained of color. He was quickly surrounded” (Wiesel 13) needs to be identified