Night Questions

1. Describe Wiesel's community at the beginning of the story. How does young Elie view the world and his place in it?
2. What are some incidents that foreshadow the coming danger? Why doesn't the community believe it is in danger?
3. What if I told you that the current Canadian (federal) government manipulated the last election, lied to the public about billions of dollars of expenses, and muzzles scientists, insisting that they have "communication handlers"? What would you think? Is your democracy in danger? Shouldn't you inform yourself?
4. Even though it was 1944, and Nazi extermination of Jews had begun years earlier, the Sighet Jews had very few facts about it. Do you think it is possible today for a community to know so little? Explain.
5. When Elie arrives at Auschwitz and then at Buna, he describes things he will never forget. What scenes, ideas, feelings from the memoir do you  find unforgettable?
6. In the camps, Wiesel must struggle to remain alive and to remain human. In your opinion, how well does he succeed with his struggles?
7. Does Wiesel's one voice have more power to tell the story of the holocaust than any textbook, or list of statistics? Why?

Elie Wiesel and The Holocaust, The Horror - Discussion Questions

"Because of indifference, one dies before one actually dies."

~ Elie Wiesel

I think that everyone in the world should read this memoir.
Why? Do you agree? Is there any adult who should not read it?

What words does the original cover image make you think of?

(Excerpt)

Imagine life before the WW1... what did life centre around? After World War One?

Why did the whole world change after World War Two?
What does the holocaust represent?
Why does Elie still assert that indifference is more significant than evil?
Why is evil a problem?
Why should we never forget? Why is "memory where our redemption is?"
Watch: http://www.ushmm.org/remembrance/dor/video/?content=whyweremember

Born September 30, 1928, Eliezer Wiesel led a life representative of many Jewish children. Growing up in a small village in Romania, his world revolved around family, religious study, community and God. Yet his family, community and his innocent faith were destroyed upon the deportation of his village in 1944. Arguably the most powerful and renowned passage in Holocaust literature, his first book, Night, records the horrific experience of the Jews:

Never shall I forget that night, the first night in camp, which has turned my life into one long night, seven times cursed and seven times sealed.Never shall I forget that smoke. Never shall I forget the little faces of the children, whose bodies I saw turned into wreaths of smoke beneath a silent blue sky. Never shall I forget those flames which consumed my faith forever.Never shall I forget that nocturnal silence which deprived me, for all eternity, of the desire to live. Never shall I forget those moments which murdered my God and my soul and turned my dreams to dust.Never shall I forget these things, even if I am condemned to live as long as God Himself. Never.

How does Night relate to the Character Project? 
What traits did/does Elie possess?

Your composition topics. DUE: Monday, the 30th.

Got Grit? Beginning the Character Project.

1) Welcome Back! 
(How were the trips? Did you read? Are you ready for the push to graduation?)

2) The Character Project. Huh? Grade 8's and 12's together. What the? 

• The Article that sparked a conversation:  http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/18/magazine/what-if-the-secret-to-success-is-failure.html?pagewanted=all 
• What if school isn't supposed to be this way? p.78 "Flourish," by Martin Seligman.

"First, a quiz.

Question one: in one or two words, what do you most want for your children?

If you are like thousands of parents I've polled, you responded, "Happiness," "confidence," "contentment," "fulfillment," "balance," "good stuff," kindness," "health," "satisfaction," "love," "being civilized," "meaning," and the like. In short, well-being is your topmost priority for your children.

Question two: in one or two words, what do schools teach? .....
Notice that there is almost no overlap between the two lists.
The schooling of children has, for more than a century, paved the boulevard towards adult work.... I want you to imagine that schools could. without compromising either, teach both the skills of well-being and the skills of achievement..."

Sporadically over the next week (or so), you are going to be working with Ms. Mather's Grade 8 Humanities class to answer a really big question: 


Given that the world is a complicated, and often times, difficult place, what traits do we need to possess in order to have a strong character, one that will find happiness, love, and success?


3) Critical Questions to get you thinking again:

• When are the times that we learn the most about ourselves? 
• Do you know yourself?
• How do you know?

TO DO:

4) Starting Survey - Got Grit?

True Grit is about stick-to-it-iveness. It’s about tough-going. It’s about a goal. And, less obviously, it’s about fighting through and alongside in our relationships. Character matters in this movie.

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/HHMTG9C

5) Attendance - 10 marks per day! I'll deduct marks for being late.


6) What's your Sentence - you need this as an introduction for the first day...
http://vimeo.com/18347489
Make a sentence - type up and print.

7) Visit from Ms. Kotapski - your responsibilities as a mentor/leader to the grade 8's.

Do you remember Grade 8? Do you remember what a grade 12 looked like to you?