Books impact lives and some are regarded as personal favorites but what classifies a novel as a classic? In the novels The Book Thief by Markus Zusak and Night by Elie Wiesel are considered classics for literature. Classic books are those in which are timeless in their ability to be reinterpreted for generations, one that impacts the reader's ideology, and provides an insight on society. Both novels provide an inspiration of change as well as an example of what a classic novel should represent.
The first aspect that of a classical book is its timelessness and ability to be interpreted for generations. Both novels occur during the Holocaust which took place during a dark era of genocide in order to exterminate all Jews. The idea of genocide
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and the evil expressed through the actions of Hitler can be applied to current event occuring around the world. Genocide is a continuity and those who are informed tend to inhabit a negative opinion of such topic. Over generations the Holocaust will remain an event that should never be repeated and will forever remain in history as one of the most tragic homicides committed. One reason is that “ Human suffering anywhere concerns men and women everywhere” (Weisel 54). Human suffering is seen throughout the globe as it is one this all humans have in common no matter the severity. That connection throughout the world makes the novel applicable to any situation. A classic is both “ constantly overestimating and underestimating the human race” and is constantly questioning on how “the same could be so ugly and so glorious, and its words and stories so damning and brilliant” (Zusak 550). Various events are gruesome while others are not and what makes it timeless is that there are lessons to be learned as lessons are repeated until they are learned. The second aspect that classifies a book as a classic is its effect on the reader's opinion and ideology.
A classic makes one question what is already known as the book leaves the reader to interpret the meaning. One example is that the novels adds an insight in the evil acts of Hitler which can make the reader question their actions and may also allow them to put themselves in the character place. Words have the strongest power and can inflict emotion as they contain both sadness and happiness along with the relationship between the reader and the character. In Zusak’s novel the main character has grasped the concept of words ,but has “hated words and I have [had] loved them, and I hope I have made them right” (Zusak 528). Liesel wants to use her words for the better in order to encourage good acts other than the propaganda of racism brought by Hitler. In the novel by Wiesel, “...I believe it important to emphasize how strongly I feel that books, just like people, have a destiny. Some invite sorrow, others joy, some both” (Wiesel 4). A classic although known to provide different emotions depending on the person has on ultimate goal. One example is shown is the novel Night which has the ultimate goal of informing the reader about the suffering of a Jew during the holocaust providing a first person picture of the sadness. Also could be the effort of Wiesel so that people know the true cruelty of the
Germans. The final classification that would make a novel a classic would be that it provides insight on society. Both novels provide examples on the positive and the negative aspects of society such as comprehension compared to racism. There is constant comparison but also justification for those on the opposing side as they have been influenced or forced to believe that racism and discrimination is correct. During the Holocaust, many Germans were unable to fend for themselves and rather be commanded than think for oneself. The citizens “had no qualms about stealing, but they needed to be told. They liked to be told, and Viktor Chemmel liked to be the teller” (Zucker 274). The notion of desiring to be controlled is allegorical to the German people under Hitler's dictatorship, and it suggests the existence of a certain weakness and complacency that leads humans to obey to the worst commands merely for the sake of order. The other is that society in dictatorships are driven by fear and in this case the fear of death is evident. Many who were accused of being Jewish sympathizers were either murdered or sent to concentration camps which may be considered a worse punishment. Others lost hope as some had “more faith in Hitler than in anyone else. He alone has kept his promises, all his promises, to the Jewish people” (Wiesel 148). It is comprehensible that prisoners would give up due to the cruel and drastic conditions in the concentration camps. Society at the time was a living death ground in which those who wanted to make society become lively were either murdered or shunned by local Nazi groups. Not to mention that there are also attempts to understand the positive side of society. In the novels there are signs of remorse for not being able to change their fate and that of others. The guilt that the narrator of The Book Thief , Death, shows that he is “ haunted by humans” (Zucker 550). This shows that even Death sees the unfair and unequal actions that take place and that what the likes of those murdered could have been. Many victims affected by the bombing were young children who never had the chance to grow up and one will never know what achievements and advancement they could have discovered. In conclusion the two novels are considered classics because they contain certain aspects that make them memorable. Classics never become outdated, produce an impact on a reader, and make a claim about society. These classics are what keep literature alive and also what shape future generations of scholars.
In Elie Wiesel’s Night, he recounts his horrifying experiences as a Jewish boy under Nazi control. His words are strong and his message clear. Wiesel uses themes such as hunger and death to vividly display his days during World War II. Wiesel’s main purpose is to describe to the reader the horrifying scenes and feelings he suffered through as a repressed Jew. His tone and diction are powerful for this subject and envelope the reader. Young readers today find the actions of Nazis almost unimaginable. This book more than sufficiently portrays the era in the words of a victim himself.
The Holocaust was the mass murder of Jews during the period of 1941 to 1945 under the German Nazi regime. More than six million European Jews were murdered out of a nine million Jewish population. Out of those who had survived was Elie Wiesel, who is the author of a literary memoir called Night. Night was written in the mid 1950’s after Wiesel had promised himself ten years before the making of this book to stay silent about his suffering and undergoing of the Holocaust. The story begins in Transylvania and then follows his journey through a number of concentration camps in Europe. The protagonist, Eliezer or Elie, battles with Nazi persecution and his faith in God and humanity. Wiesel’s devotion in writing Night was to not stay quiet and bear witness; on the contrary, it was too aware and to enlighten others of this tragedy in hopes of preventing an event like this from ever happening again.
So as the morning Sun rose. The light beamed on Christopher's face. The warmth of the sun welcomed him to a new day and woke up in a small house in Los Angeles. Christopher is a tall, male, that loves technology and video games. He stretched and went to the restroom it was 9 o'clock and he was thankful it was spring break and didn’t have to go to school. Christopher made his way to the kitchen trying not wake up his parents and made himself breakfast. He served himself cereal Honey Bunches of Oats to be exact with almond milk. Then he took a shower and watched some YouTube videos before doing his homework.
In this world, people go through the process of dealing with both empathy and malice. As a matter of fact, almost everyone has been through times where maybe they feel understood by some and misunderstood by others. Specifically, in the book “Night”, by Elie Wiesel, a character named Madame Schachter goes through the experience of fellow Jews displaying empathy and malice during in result to her behavior. Along with this, the reactions reveal just how inconsiderate we can act when in uncomfortable situations. One example of the malice and lack of sympathy they provided her was during the cattle car ride to Auschwitz. During this ride, she went a bit insane due to the devastating separation of her family. Elie explains, “She received several blows to the head, blows that could have been
When an evil leader comes to power you would think it would be easy to overrun this leader and stop him in his tracks, but this is not always true. Elie Wiesel, a young teenager during the Holocaust is sent to many concentration camps. He sees the horror of what an evil power can do. As Elie Wiesel writes Night, he shows that in difficult times people stay silent and do not fight back, staying obedient to a powerful leader.
The significance of night throughout the novel Night by Elie Wiesel shows a poignant view into the daily life of Jews throughout the concentration camps. Eliezer describes each day as if there was not any sunshine to give them hope of a new day. He used the night to symbolize the darkness and eeriness that were brought upon every Jew who continued to survive each day in the concentration camps. However, night was used as an escape from the torture Eliezer and his father had to endure from the Kapos who controlled their barracks. Nevertheless, night plays a developmental role of Elie throughout he novel.
Adriana Throughout the narrative Night, the author Elie Wiesel, a young teen who was very confident in his faith, experiences multiple hardships that cause him to question what he once believed to be true. His religion stayed strong until it became obvious to him that God was causing his people to suffer. When Eliezer was just a young boy at fifteen years old, he was extremely interested in Judaism, he wanted to learn everything he possibly could. However, his father did not want him to study the Cabbala until he was thirty years old. Eliezer could not wait this long, so he sought wisdom from a man named Moshe Beadle.
Inked on the pages of Elie Wiesel’s Night is the recounting of him, a young Jewish boy, living through the mass genocide that was the Holocaust. The words written so eloquently are full of raw emotions depict his journey from a simple Jewish boy to a man who was forced to see the horrors of the world. Within this time period, between beatings and deaths, Wiesel finds himself questioning his all loving and powerful God. If his God loved His people, then why would He allow such a terrible thing to happen? Perhaps Wiesel felt abandoned by his God, helpless against the will of the Nazis as they took everything from him.
In Night, by Elie Wiesel, there is an underlying theme of anger. Anger not directed where it seems most appropriate- at the Nazis- but rather a deeper, inbred anger directed towards God. Having once been a role model of everything a “good Jew” should be, Wiesel slowly transforms into a faithless human being. He cannot comprehend why the God who is supposed to love and care for His people would refuse to protect them from the Germans. This anger grows as Wiesel does and is a constant theme throughout the book.
When looking at the holocaust, it is widely known the devastation and pain that was caused by the Nazis; however when inspecting the holocaust on a deeper level, it is evident that the Jews were exposed to unimaginable treatment and experimentation often overlooked in history discussions. When looking at “Night”, Elie Wiesel was helped by the doctors in the camp when his foot was severely infected; although this is not the experience he had, many Jews were mistreated and even killed by the doctors. Many Nazi doctors that were assigned to Jewish patients were later found to have exposed the patients to horrific medical experiments and unnecessary treatments that commonly led to their death.
The book Night is a true story by Elie Wiesel, he survived the Holocaust, and it was very hard for him to share his story to the world but it was a good thing that he did because it teaches the world something and not many Jews survived during the Holocaust. We do understand that during the Holocaust 6 million innocent Jews died and some people don’t even know about the holocaust as a matter of fact they don’t even know what it is. I think every person in this world should read the book “Night” because you learn a lot of things from it and it gives you an idea of how the world was a mess when Hitler wanted all Jews dead and how the world did nothing about it. How can somebody have the mentality and the audacity to think like Hitler, they didn’t even tried to stop and realize that what he was doing was very wrong.
What is a classic? One definition given by the dictionary is: having lasting significance or worth; enduring. When examined closely we can discover what makes the novel unique and memorable. There are many important messages in Harper Lee's To Kill A Mockingbird, which make it memorable to the reader. The main message in this novel is about racism, how people around you, not just parents have a strong influence on you when you are growing up, and how rumors and misjudging can make a person look bad. Judging other people without knowledge of the facts is also a common occurrence.
Book Report on Elie Wiesel's Night. Elie tells of his hometown, Sighet, and of Moshe the Beadle. He tells of his family and his three sisters, Hilda, Béa, and the baby of the family, Tzipora. Elie is taught the cabala by Moshe the Beadle.
As humans, we require basic necessities, such as food, water, and shelter to survive. But we also need a reason to live. The reason could be the thought of a person, achieving some goal, or a connection with a higher being. Humans need something that drives them to stay alive. This becomes more evident when people are placed in horrific situations. In Elie Wiesel's memoir Night, he reminisces about his experiences in a Nazi concentration camp during the Holocaust. There the men witness horrific scenes of violence and death. As time goes on they begin to lose hope in the very things that keep them alive: their faith in God, each other, and above all, themselves.
classic, a novel must have one or more qualities that place it above the rest.