Blog Post #1 - Eliza

Elie Wiesel’s Night is a moving story about the tragedy and loss that was taken place during the Holocaust: “A German officer lodges in the Khans’ house across the street from us. We were told he was a charming man, calm, likable, and polite. Three days after we moved in, he brought Mrs. Kahn a box of chocolates. The optimist's were jubilant: ‘Well? What did we tell you? You wouldn't believe us. There they are, your germans’.” (10) At first, this quote confused me because I did not know why the Germans were being kind and generous to the Jews. I later realized that the Germans wanted to gain the Jews trust so when the Germans were ready, they could turn on the Jews and nobody would expect it. This was smart of the Germans, but this made me feel bad for the Jews because they were so vulnerable at that time: “At the start of the third week, our Blockalteste was removed; he was judged too humane, The new one was ferocious aides were veritable monsters.” (44) I think this is so shocking that they had to switch out the one person who was not being completely terrible to the people in the camps, to another person who was just as horrible as everyone else. Wiesel’s writing is very descriptive, detailed and almost makes me feel like I am there. I think he is most descriptive when he talks about leaving ghettos or concentration camps and moving on the the next one. There is just so much action that happens when they travel that it seems like I am experiencing it while I read it. Wiesel writing in this book is quick because over a couple of pages a large amount of time could go by, but he gives just enough information that it is not confusing and very interesting, although it is difficult to read in an emotional aspect.