Section 5
"How could I say to Him: "Blessed art Thou, Eternal, Master of the Universe, Who chose us from among the races to be tortured day and night, to see our fathers, our mothers, our brothers, end in the crematory?" (Wiesel 74).
Elie expresses his confusion and how upset he is over the horrible situation best when he thinks about how God has not helped them. He knows there is no way God is fair if he lets them burn and suffer for worshiping him. The environment he is thrust into because of his religion is so evil that in his opinion there is no way God could allow them to continue existing. Because of this he loses his faith and relies more on himself and believes that he can be better than God.
Section 6
"I could feel myself as two entities - my body and me. I hated it" (Wiesel 92)
In this quote Elie tells how bad a condition he was in. The weeks in the concentration camps had made him weak and unfit to the point where existing is a burden. In the long run to Gleiwitz this kind of weakness is what killed off many of the Jews. Without his father as a reason to keep living, Elie would certainly have died with many of the others.
Friday, January 27, 2012
Friday, January 20, 2012
More Night quotes
Section 3
"What do you think? Do you suppose we've come here for our own pleasure? Do you think we asked to come?" (Wiesel 39).
I feel that this quote gets down to the essence of how the Jewish people felt during this time. They were so scared and confused but also angry at being put through this, and rightfully so. This particular prisoner expressed exactly how they felt more than the others and probably died for his actions. This really sets the tone for the Jewish peoples' reaction to their unfair treatment.
"Was I still alive?... I could not believe it. How could it be possible for them to burn people, children, and for the world to keep silent?" (Wiesel 41).
In this quote the author lets readers into his perspective. The issue seems more real, particularly when one realizes that the rest of the world stood by and watched these people get tormented to near extinction as a culture. It makes readers wonder why the world didn't do more and kept silent.
"What do you think? Do you suppose we've come here for our own pleasure? Do you think we asked to come?" (Wiesel 39).
I feel that this quote gets down to the essence of how the Jewish people felt during this time. They were so scared and confused but also angry at being put through this, and rightfully so. This particular prisoner expressed exactly how they felt more than the others and probably died for his actions. This really sets the tone for the Jewish peoples' reaction to their unfair treatment.
"Was I still alive?... I could not believe it. How could it be possible for them to burn people, children, and for the world to keep silent?" (Wiesel 41).
In this quote the author lets readers into his perspective. The issue seems more real, particularly when one realizes that the rest of the world stood by and watched these people get tormented to near extinction as a culture. It makes readers wonder why the world didn't do more and kept silent.
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
Night quotes
Section 1
"People said... Hitler won't be able to do us any harm, even if he wants to... What methods could he use?" (Wiesel 18).
As Elie explains, the people of Sighet were very oblivious to their danger. They felt that Hitler couldn't hurt them, that because nothing had happened yet, nothing would. If they had listened to Moche and been more cautious they would have seen just how much danger they really were in. I believe that the idea of being wiped out terrified them so much they simply blocked it from their thoughts, as if that helped.
Section 2
"It was as though she were possessed by an evil spirit which spoke from the depths of her being" (Wiesel 34)
These words, more than any other in the story show exactly how disturbed Madame Schachter was behaving. The way she predicts the near future is interestingly similar to Elie's mother's premonition in the first chapter. They predict it so easily in part due to how obvious the Nazi movements were, but the Jewish people wanted it to be untrue so badly they were blinded to what was actually happening. It could be considered foreshadowing as it is a glimpse at what the evil of the Holocaust did to people.
"People said... Hitler won't be able to do us any harm, even if he wants to... What methods could he use?" (Wiesel 18).
As Elie explains, the people of Sighet were very oblivious to their danger. They felt that Hitler couldn't hurt them, that because nothing had happened yet, nothing would. If they had listened to Moche and been more cautious they would have seen just how much danger they really were in. I believe that the idea of being wiped out terrified them so much they simply blocked it from their thoughts, as if that helped.
Section 2
"It was as though she were possessed by an evil spirit which spoke from the depths of her being" (Wiesel 34)
These words, more than any other in the story show exactly how disturbed Madame Schachter was behaving. The way she predicts the near future is interestingly similar to Elie's mother's premonition in the first chapter. They predict it so easily in part due to how obvious the Nazi movements were, but the Jewish people wanted it to be untrue so badly they were blinded to what was actually happening. It could be considered foreshadowing as it is a glimpse at what the evil of the Holocaust did to people.
Saturday, November 5, 2011
Snapshot of the Game
As I stared at the depressing image, eyes wide with horror and disbelief, I felt a sinking feeling in my gut. As hard as I tried, I couldn't tear my eyes from the words that determined my immediate fate. I would have given anything to rid my mind of the plague that resided within. It seemed to scour my brain, erasing all thoughts of everything except one line, circling around and around like a morbid carousel of death.
A tear unconciously began to form in the corner of my eye, but that didn't matter. Nothing mattered now. All that was left was the sour taste and the horrible feeling as I knew that I had lost the Game. My whole life I had known that it would sneak up on me, but never assumed it would be this soon. I was so careful, I had known it could never happen. Yet, nothing is permanent. This was exemplified so very well now. I couldn't hold on to any of these thoughts for more than a moment though, for they would inevitably vanish only to be filled with one line, repeating for all eternity. I lost the game. I lost the game. I lost the game.
My face dropped slowly into my hands in an epic facepalm, and would remain there for quite a long time. I couldn't stop thinking about the game. I lost the game. How could I let this happen? I lost the game. Why me? What does it mean? I lost the game. My thoughts continued in this depressing manner for what seemed to be weeks, but was in reality several hours. I didn't eat, do homework, or even move at all. Time slipped by and slowly my focus began to fade. I began to get a little sleepy, and my eyes slid shut. My muscles relaxed and then my head fell from my hands in the facepalm position and banged off the table.
I woke up in the hospital an hour later with my concerned parents looking at me. They told me it was a minor concussion and might have some memory problems. That was obvious. I didn't remember how I got here. As hard as I tried, I couldn't find any elusive memories from right before I woke up. Strange...
We went home the next day, and I went upstairs to my room. My mom pointed at the table the computer rested on and explained that that was where they had found me. I decided to examine the area to see if I could regain any of my memory. I shook the mouse to wake up the computer screen.
Monday, October 3, 2011
Of Mice and Men: Dreams
We all have dreams. Our dreams are our goals, our purpose. We have a reason behind all of these dreams, even if it isn't clear at first. Sometimes they exist because of something we enjoy. Sometimes they are something we've always wanted, and our dream is the path to achieving this. A person's dreams are their purpose and meaning in life.
George and Lennie's dream was very typical for the time. They wanted to own a plot of land, raise animals on it, run a farm and be prosperous. This dream was the American Dream of their time period. However, they had their own twists on it that accounted for Lennie's condition. Having rabbits was a big part of it, especially to Lennie because he likes to pet things.
Yes, I'd say their dream was realistic. However, they may have had to make some compromises to better reach their dream. Unfortunately, Lennie did not make it long enough to be a part of their dream. Him not being there undoubtedly changed what happened after the story and how George would reach their dream without him.
It is very important for people to have dreams for the future. If no one thinks towards the future, there will be nothing left and nothing will have been accomplished. If people are too far from reaching their dream for too long, they become depressed and sad because they cannot fulfill their desires and purpose. However, holding on to an impossible dream may be better than facing reality, especially for people like Lennie. If he had not had the dream, he would have been sad, maybe bored, and he and George would have gotten into much more trouble. That is why dreams are important.
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
Harrison Bergeron 9/15/11
I don't think that as long as humanity exists, there can be such a thing as a perfect world. Even other animals would not be alive in a perfect world. A truly "perfect" world would be an absolutely smooth ball of matter in space. "Perfect" in that sense wouldn't be perfect at all, at least for humanity. It really would depend on the individual's opinion of perfect. Instead, I will describe my view of the roles of society and government in a near perfect world.
The attempt to make a perfect society in Harrison was a very flawed attempt. In an attempt to make everyone equal, the Handicapper General more or less destroyed everything America had become over the years. In a perfect society, everyone would be allowed to be their best with no restrictions. No one would be controlled to be something they're not. One problem with Communist countries is how they choose people's jobs for them as if they are all equal like in Harrison Bergeron. The reason it doesn't work is because people are far from equal.
People have many differences that may not be their choice at all and are the reason why the Handicapper General had to make such a drastic change to their lives in an attempt to make people equal. However, there will always be people who try their hardest and excel and are talented and become great, and there will always be people who are at a lower level, whether it is by choice and lack of determination or by mental or physical disabilities that put them at an uncontrollable disadvantage. In a perfect society, nature would be allowed to take its natural course in allowing the fortunate and gifted to be their best, because otherwise, nothing would change, and nothing would ever happen.
The attempt to make a perfect society in Harrison was a very flawed attempt. In an attempt to make everyone equal, the Handicapper General more or less destroyed everything America had become over the years. In a perfect society, everyone would be allowed to be their best with no restrictions. No one would be controlled to be something they're not. One problem with Communist countries is how they choose people's jobs for them as if they are all equal like in Harrison Bergeron. The reason it doesn't work is because people are far from equal.
People have many differences that may not be their choice at all and are the reason why the Handicapper General had to make such a drastic change to their lives in an attempt to make people equal. However, there will always be people who try their hardest and excel and are talented and become great, and there will always be people who are at a lower level, whether it is by choice and lack of determination or by mental or physical disabilities that put them at an uncontrollable disadvantage. In a perfect society, nature would be allowed to take its natural course in allowing the fortunate and gifted to be their best, because otherwise, nothing would change, and nothing would ever happen.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)