1. Quick Review…
1. Why did the doctor lie to Elie about amputating his foot?
2. What decision did Elie and his father make that was a terrible mistake?

2. Today’s Guiding Question…
How does Wiesel use literary devices to help him describe the indescribable?

3. Chapter 6 of Elie Wiesel’s Night
Read…
Chapter 6 of Elie Wiesel’s Night

4. Literary Notes
1. Motif is an idea, or theme that is repeated in a literary work.
2. Hyperbole: Extreme exaggeration
3. Personification: Giving inanimate objects human qualities

5. Purpose of Motif
In a literary work, a motif is a recurrent image, idea, or a symbol that develops or explains a theme while a theme is a central idea or message.
Motif in Night: Death
How so?

6. Purpose of Hyperbole Examples
Hyperbole makes an overstatement to help explain an intense feeling or situation.
My grandmother is as old as the hills.
Your suitcase weighs a ton!
She is as heavy as an elephant!
I am dying of shame.
I am trying to solve a million issues these days.

7. Purpose of Personification
Examples
The wind whispered through dry grass.
The flowers danced in the gentle breeze.
Time and tide waits for none.
The fire swallowed the entire forest.
Personification helps us relate actions of inanimate objects to our own emotions.

8. Divide into groups of 4: Remember the Group Rules-
Group Work
Divide into groups of 4: Remember the Group Rules-
Move quickly
Move quietly
Stay on Task
You have 13 seconds
Move!

9. “We were masters of nature, masters of the world
“We were masters of nature, masters of the world. We had forgotten everything––death, fatigue, our natural needs. Stronger than cold or hunger, stronger than the shots and the desire to die, condemned and wandering, mere numbers, we were the only men on earth” (83).
What does this quote mean for Elie?
How is this phrase an example of hyperbole?
Write a paragraph explaining how the use of this literary device helps Elie to effectively describe the experience of marching the “Death March?”
Group 1

10. Group 2 In this chapter, death is described using personification.
For each phrase below: Explain the meaning.
“Death wrapped itself around me till I was stifled. It stuck to me. I felt that I could touch it. The idea of dying, of no longer being, began to fascinate me” (82).
“Around me everything was dancing a dance of death. It made my head reel” (84).
“…deep down, I felt that to sleep would mean to die. And something within me revolted against this death. All round me death was moving in, silently, without evidence” (85).
Write a paragraph explaining the significance of “death” in this chapter and why Elie keeps referring to it.

11. Group 3 & 4
Locate three examples each for the 3 types of death described in Wiesel’s Night.
Physical Death:
Emotional Death:
Spiritual Death:
In at least 3-4 sentences, explain “death” as a significant motif in Wiesel’s memoir. What impact does this have on Wiesel?

12. Group Presentations
As each group shares their answers, summarize their answers using the handout provided.
This will be turned in for a grade!

13. Response # 8
Choose one of the following literary terms: motif, personification, and hyperbole to answer the next question. How was Elie able to effectively explain what happened to him using this device? Why is figurative language so helpful in explaining different situations?