Night Figurative Language Essay

Expressing horrific events is painful for authors, but the unspeakable, such as the holocaust needs to be displayed to show the inhumane ways people are treated. Authors have trouble conveying these events on paper and struggle to communicate with us, however, need to display these events in order to express what has happened to a large group of people in society. The holocaust is a specific example of why the unspeakable needs to be shown. The holocaust is one of the worst events in history and caused many deaths to a religious group. In order to make sure no race or religion ever is discriminated such as this, the holocaust has to be understood. Conveying the unspeakable is possible through repetition for emphasis, inadequate language to

better explain and visuals/imagery to show the devastation caused.

Using anaphora or repetition to signify a major idea or the importance of a word will help to display the unspeakable.In document A the excerpt from Night contains many examples of repetition in order to display the importance of certain words. Each phrase or word has a deeper, more underlying meaning that makes the reader think and question. Just one of the phrases repeated in the short excerpt are words never shall I forget. Over and over again this phrase is shown in order to emphasize what Elie, the main character is feeling. He explains his first night at camp, witnessing the burning of children and the feeling of his religion being stripped away. These events that he talks about and the experiences he had, were impacting enough to be etched into his mind forever. Explaining the feelings that he gained from his experiences in the camps, Elie helps the reader understand his horrific time during the holocaust through those few words. One more word meant to assist the reader in

understanding Elie's experiences is the word night. The sentence,"Never shall I forget that night, the first night in camp, that turned my life into one long night seven times sealed" emphasizes the word night by stating it three times. Every night that passes Elie, seems to have an impact on him. Whether it be the first night that changed him forever or a night farther in the future that brings new hope and despair. Elie wants to know when his last night will be, what night will change his life in a positive way. The reader gets the sense of longing and dreadfulness Elie feels as each night passes. Yet another example of repetition clarifying the emotions that sprang from the holocaust. To sum it up emphasizing words and phrases in a story creates a longer lasting impression and understanding for the reader.

When an event is exceptionally horrific words alone cannot describe it, as they are simply too inadequate.

Everyday words used by us often cannot convey the true horrors of certain events. In document C the author demonstrates how certain words will never have the same meaning to him after being in the camps.Words such as winter or pain have meanings undescribable by a dictionary to him. The word, "“winter” means yet another thing" that is much harsher. Winter is grave times working outside. Outside with little clothing in the freezing temperatures for hours on end. Regular language is simply inadequate to people who have gone through the holocaust and other terrible events.Everyday words used by us often cannot convey the true horrors of certain events. In document C the author demonstrates how certain words will never have the same meaning to him after being in the camps.Words such as winter or pain have meanings undescribable by a dictionary to him. The word, "“winter” means yet another thing" that is much harsher. Winter is grave times working outside. Outside with little clothing in the freezing temperatures for hours on end. Regular language is simply inadequate to people who have gone through the holocaust and other terrible events. However, by explaining what situations and words mean to him, the author successfully conveyed the holocaust. The author also explains words such as “pain” toward his readers. While getting a paper cut or stubbing a toe is considered

painful to us, holocaust survivors would consider that insignificant. Pain to them is being tortured, whipped or being hung. Being starving to the point of dying or worked so hard dying is a better option. The word pain is not apt enough to explain true horrors.All in all the use of inadequate language to explain the holocaust can help to draw a better understanding for the reader.

Visuals and imagery can help create a better picture for the reader and more of an understanding of the topic. In both documents B and D the authors use images and visuals to better explain to the reader. Some people are visual learners and images can help to create a well-rounded explanation. For instance in document B the word, "Jew" is repeated six million times throughout the book, and about two thousand times per page. Showing each and every person that has died in the holocaust, creates a deeper understanding and feel from the reader. To most people six million is just a number, however when the devastation is shown on a page people begin to truly understand how many people were affected. It serves more as a reminder and a wake up call to how many lives were taken in the holocaust aiding to a better understanding. Also in document d the author creates a comic strip comparing the holocaust to a real life experience. In the comic strip the author states how the murder of a dog when he was younger is similar to the holocaust. What he means by this is that humans were treated such as animals, almost with no respect. They had little to no power compared to the Germans, and were treated extremely poorly. This is apparent as the mice, or Jews are in prison outfits whilst the Germans are cats. Thus putting on display the horrible way the Jews were treated and the poor conditions of the camps.In conclusion the use of imagery and visuals help the reader to understand the unbearable events that took place during the holocaust.

“Every generation has someone who steps outside the norm and offers a voice for the unspeakable attitudes of that time. I represent everything that's supposed to be wrong, everything that's forbidden.”, Sam Kinison. As demonstrated by Sam, humans sometimes take ideas way too far, often harming different groups and people throughout society. The so called unspeakable needs to be displayed, and can be through repetition for emphasis, proper use of visuals/imagery and inadequate language in order to understand each other's past better. Stories and experiences, such as the holocaust need to be shared. History often repeats itself, thus speaking out about the holocaust and other events can stop similar events from ever occurring. In fact, by not speaking out, more harm may be potentially caused. Don’t be scared to speak out, and help spread an understanding and impact to those around you.