Erin Coker

December 10, 2008

ENGL 112B‑Warner

Night by Blie Wiesel:

The History of the Holocaust and its Relevance to American Youth

Rationale:

This unit of study is on Holocaust literature because it is a major piece of world history which affected many countries and many people. One reason that the Holocaust is so interesting is because it was so recent, it only happened 65 years ago, and that is easily forgotten. The intention of this unity of study is to break teens out of their comfort zone and show them a world outside of their day to day lives of going to school and participating in extracurricular sports and their social lives. Hopefully this glimpse of the Holocaust will show them that the world is not perfect and inspire them to prevent anything like this from happening again. With any luck students will be able to connect to Eliezer, the main character in the novel Night by Eli Wiesel, and take some meaning from his story. The best case scenario for this lesson would be to have it coincide with the student's world history class' unit on the Holocaust and possibly even making a joint project with their world history teacher

This unit's center piece is Night by Elie Wiesel is the center piece to this unit of study on Holocaust literature. Wiesel' s piece on the Holocaust is central because it is a very real interpretation of the historical event that can be taken as it is written but can also be applied to a person's life in the present day. Night is the story of a young boy's questioning of his faith in God and human compassion when his world is turned upside down by the Nazi occupation of Romania. At the beginning of the book, Eliezer (the protagonist) believes steadfastly in his faith and a loving, caring God. When he and his family are ripped from their home to a concentration camp he is astounded that God is not protecting His people atrocities they are affronted with every day. Eliezer's struggle with God and his existence throughout the book become a central theme. During the period of adolescence, teens being to question what they have taken for fact all of their lives and decide, upon further investigation, if they will accept those beliefs or find new ones. It is important that teens feel that they are not alone in this quest for truth and can see the experiences of others to guide them. Another important theme throughout the novel is Eliezer's distress at the inhumanness people treat each other with, not only the Nazis toward the prisoners but also among the prisoners themselves. Eliezer assumes that during difficult times people will help each other but he sees others, and himself, turning on other people and is horrified. Some teenagers may also see this in their daily lives the conflict with their peers and this book can give them some much needed reasoning.

Symbolism is also very prevalent in this novel in the form of fire and night or darkness. The symbolism tends to amplify the knowledge that Eliezer is being pressed to his limits as his world is peaceful world is being torn to shreds. Fire is seen around innocence in many situations in Night When Eliezer arrives at Auschwitz he sees babies being burned, as well as the burning of Jews in the crematoriums. The common symbolism of fire is of hell and evil but in Night the fire burns the innocence which shows that the world is not what Eliezer thought it was. The falling of night and darkness also has a foreboding quality in this novel. When Eliezer's family first finds out that Nazi's are taking Jewish people from their homes the sun is setting and it becomes dark. When they first arrive at the concentration camp Auschwitz, it is in the dead of night and when they begin their death march to Gleiwitz during the night. Normally night brings a break from a hectic day, but for Eliezer, night and darkness only bring more trials and tribulations. Launching the Unit:

Before students are assigned the reading of Night there is an assessment of where their current knowledge of the Holocaust stands in their "Journaling Across the Holocaust" journal.

1) Students are to write everything they know about the Holocaust up to this point. If they do not know anything about the Holocaust they are free to write what the think it may be about and that they do not have any concrete information at this point. If students have family or friends that have shared their Holocaust stories with them and they feel comfortable journaling them, that is encouraged

2) The free write is followed by a reading of "The Victim", a poem by Francis Duggan.

� The class will gather into small groups to discuss the poem, its significance and the mystery and why they believe the man in story can not share his experiences.

� After the small group discussions have taken place one person from each group will share with the class the overall feelings of their group.

3) Information about the Holocaust will then be discussed, with any luck, in the student's World History class as well as in this unit of study.

4) Introduce Night by Elie Wiesel will then be introduced by reading the forward with the class using the "popcorn" system.

5) Assign further reading with them looking for ways that they can relate Eliezer's experiences with theirs, although hopefully on a much smaller scale.

Main Text:

Night is written in sections so that is how it will be assigned.

1) Students will write a one page summary in their journals of each section of Night as it is completed keeping in mind how it mirrors situations in their own lives.

2) When Section 4 has been read students will turn in their books and continue the story in a three page paper on what they think should happen in Section 5, written in the Eliezer's voice.

3) Return books and read Section 5 as a class followed by a discussion about what students wrote in their papers and if they liked their version of the next section better than or not as much as the sections written by Elie Wiesel.

4) As the novel draws to a close have students make an artistic representation of the novel, a favorite scene in the novel, how they felt at a certain part, or just a part that evokes emotion. This can be done using any media ranging from a drawing or painting, to clay figures, Popsicle sticks, whatever they want. This is to be accompanied by a brief explanation of their art and the scene or emotion it portrays.

Extending the Unit:

Young adult literature can enrich this study of the Holocaust in many ways. Due to the little time for each unit of study in the classroom much of the extending must be done outside of the classroom and on an individual basis.

1) Students can be assigned to find a poem which is to be brought to class and read aloud. Students should take notes on the presentations and be aware that a few of them may be featured on the final test for this unit.

2) Students will be presented with a list of books such as Milkweed by Jerry Spinelli, ICI Should Die Before I Wake by Han Nolan, Anne Frank and Me by Cherie Bennett, The Cage by Ruth Minsky Sender, The Book Thief by Markus Zusak and A Song for Summer by Eva Ibbotson. They will choose one of these fun books about various perspectives of the Holocaust with a group and make a presentation about it together.

Young Adult Literature Selections:

Anne Frank and Me by Cherie Bennett Idea from an ALAN newsletter

Anne Frank and Me is about Nicole Burns, an American tenth grader who is transported back into time while visiting a museum exhibit about Anne Frank. Nicole finds herself placed in a well off Jewish family in 1940's Paris, France. During her journey she meets the notorious Anne Frank and the limits of her morality during the Nazi occupation.

This book is very interesting because it is a girl that is modern and thus relatable, giving insight on the Holocaust time period. This is unlike Night in that the protagonist is a modern teen looking back and therefore another valuable insight into the happenings of the Holocaust.

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak Idea from the book pass

The Book Thief is a novel about a young girl who is torn from her family at the beginning of Hitler's regime. The book is narrated by Death who met the protagonist Liesel at her younger brothers funeral. At the funeral, Liesel steals a book, even though she cannot yet read, which becomes a habit for her. Throughout the novel Liesel acquires books that help her pull through the difficult times of World War One.

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak stresses the importance and strength that words have. Words help Liesel's village friends stand up in small ways to the Nazis. Although Death, the narrator, does not use many words he uses them purposefully which students should be aware of when reading this novel.

The Boy in The Striped Pajamas by John Boyne Idea from an ALAN newsletter

The Boy in the Striped Pajamas is a novel about a young German boy whose father is a Nazi. At the beginning of the story the family moves to a place called "Out With" (known as Auschwitz to anyone without a lisp), and Bruno (the protagonist) is worried that he will not have anyone to play with. Near his home there is a tall barbed wire fence and Bruno sees people wearing striped pajamas on the other side and tries to find out who they are.

This novel is a very delicate portrayal of the Second World War, an excellent book for the younger reader or a person who does not know much about the Nazi's concentration camps. Details in this novel are quite vague and childlike possibly making it more frustrating for an experienced reader or someone who wants a lot of information. This book is unique because it is written by a German child which offers yet another perspective on the Holocaust.

The Cage by Ruth Minsky Sender Idea from Borders.com

The Cage is a novel about a 16 year old orphan girl and how the Holocaust affecter her life. In the beginning of the novel Riva's mother is arrested and taken from her and her younger brothers. Riva struggles not only to survive herself but also to keep her brothers with her throughout the novel.

This novel gives you a peak not only in the concentration camps but also the ghettos and also life outside these two, Nazi resident areas. The distinctive part of The Cage by Ruth Minsky Sender is the look at the Nazi residential life while Riva is treated at a hospital outside of the concentration camp. The novel also presents the idea that not all of the Nazi's were completely evil when some showed Riva consideration.

The Complete Maus A Survival Tale by Art Spiegelman Idea from Borders.com

The Complete Maus A Survival Tale is a father's recollection of the Holocaust to his son who was born in America after the end of World War Two. In the beginning, Vladek recalls the Nazi's placing more and more restrictions on the Jewish community. The story unfolds as Vladek struggles to save himself and his wife from the Nazi's final solution.

The Maus books are graphic novel interpretations of the Holocaust based on interviews done by Art Spiegelman with his father Vladek. In the novels Jewish people are depicted as Mice (the title Maus is German for mouse) while the Germans are drawn as Cats. Graphic novels are growing in popularity among teens today making this book more interesting for them because it is in their familiar genre.

If I Should Die Before I Wake by Han Nolan Idea from Adolescents in the Search for Meaning

In If I Should Die Before I Wake Hilary, a neo‑Nazi American teenager has some how traded consciousness with her hospital roommate Chana, an Auschwitz survivor. Before her coma Hilary hated everything and everyone that was Jewish but when she enters Chana's life she struggles to survive in the Nazi death camps.

This novel is a new perspective of the Holocaust in this unit. Nolan stresses the importance of role taking before making such dire and drastic generalizations.

Milkweed by Jerry Spinelli Idea from Adolescents in the Search for Meaning

Milkweed is about a young orphan boy who doesn't recall anything about himself during the Holocaust. In his naivet� Misha sees German solders and wants to be like them in their big tanks and shiny boots. Misha has an original view of the Jewish ghettos and an understanding of the things around him that only a child can posses.

Milkweed should be presented to students who have a difficulty reading because it is simple and clear to read. "Schindler' s List" Complementary film

"Schindler's List' 'is a film about a Catholic man trying to save Jewish people from their certain deaths during the Holocaust by employing them in his factory. The movie contrasts the compassion of Mr. Schindler and the lack of it by the German Nazis.

This film is quite violent, as is the time period and should only be shown to senior level classes with the permission of the student's parents or guardians. Discussion should be held following the movie to give students a chance to voice their opinions, concerns, parts that upset them and talk about the film if they need help to understand the time period.

A Song for Summer by Eva Ibbotson Complementary book

A Song For Summer is the story of a young woman, Ellen, who moves to Austria to work at a boarding school as a chef. Soon she meets and begins to like the mysterious Marek who is hiding out from the Nazi's. When the war begins Ellen moves back to England to create a safe haven for war refugees and friends. The novel perspective of the Second World War in A Song for Summer is that of the resistance and the people outside of the ghettos and death camps who give everything they have to make a difference in the war. This book is a powerful and motivating view of the Holocaust. "The Victim" by Francis Duggan Idea from a web search Francis Duggan's poem "The Victim" is a emotional piece of art that briefly looks at the feelings of Holocaust survivors today. The poem uses descriptors such as pointing out the blue number tattoo and the survivor's arm which drives home the lasting impression that the War has left on these people. The survivor in the poem says several times that he does not want anyone's sympathy which combats the belief that the Holocaust was a hoax used by the Jewish to get attention. Concluding Activities: After the book and supplements have been read the students may feel conflicted by the material and question the human capacity for compassion.

1) If students are upset by the material at all they are implored to journal out their feelings, or approach a teacher or school councilor. Because the Holocaust is such a difficult concept for some the student councilors will be notified of the unit of study and be asked to be prepared for any student questions or concerns.

2) The assignments and papers done throughout the unit will be used for assessment as well as a final in class essay response to the question

� What have you learned from our work on the Holocaust and how do you think the knowledge of the even will hinder or benefit future generations?

3) If the class has read Anne Frank and Me by Cherie Bennett it may be a pleasurable final project to have the students act the story out as it is also available in a screen play version. Students can be assigned roles and act out sections for the class in groups or a reader's theater workshop can be held with this piece.

References

"Amazon.com". Amazon. 12/7/2008 <www.amazon.com>.

Bennett, Cherie. Anne Frank and Me New York: G.P Putnum's Sons, 2001.

"Broders.com". Borders. 12/7/2008 <www.borders.com.>.

Boyne, John. The Boy in the Stripped Pajamas David Flicking Books, 2008.

Duggan, Francis. "The Victim". PoemHunter.com. 12/07/2008 <http://www.poemhunter.comlpoemlthe‑victim‑4/>.

Ibbotson, Eva. A Song For Summer. New York: Penguin Group, Inc., 1997.

Nolan, Han. If I Should Die Before I Wake Viking Penguin, 1994.

Minsky Sender, Ruth. The Cage Aladdin Paperbacks, 1997.

Spielberg, Steven. Schindler'sList. Universal Studios, 2004.

Spielelaman, Art. The Complete Maus A SurvivalTale (1) New York: Pantheon Books, 1986.

Spinelli, Jerry. Milkweed New York: Random House, Inc., 2005.

Warner, Mary. Adolescents in The Search for Meaning Tapping The Powerful Resource of Story. Lanham: Scarecrow Press, Inc., 2006.

Wiesel, Elie. Night New York: Hill and Wang, 2006.

Zusak, Markus. The Book Thief. New York: Knopf Books for Young Readers, 2007.