In addition to being written at a college level:
Your thesis support essay must be 500 - 750words, typed, double spaced.
Your essay must have an introduction, at least three body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Do not retell the story!
Use at least three correctly documented quotes, summaries, or paraphrases from Night. Note: Remember to enclose the exact words of your sources in "quotation marks."
Cite by author and page number in parentheses following each quote. Example (Wiesel 32).
Include a work cited entry for Night.
If you use additional sources, cite according to MLA rules. If you are using SparkNotes, for example, be sure to include the proper citation information.
Remember to:
Get organized before you begin to write!
Check for plagiarism!
Topics:
Select one of the following topics for your essay:
Topic #1: Eliezer's Struggle to Keep his Faith in God
Eliezer expresses sympathy for Job, the biblical figure who experienced horrendous loss and illness as Satan and God engaged in a debate over Job's faithfulness. After watching the lynching and slow death of a young boy, Eliezer tells himself that God is hanging from the gallows as well. In his Nobel lecture, Wiesel describes the Holocaust as "a universe where God, betrayed by His creatures, covered His face in order not to see."
Explain how Wiesel's understanding of God changes throughout the book.
Topic #2: The Relationship between Eliezer and his Father
Explain how Eliezer's relations with his father changes throughout the novel.
Topic #3: Eliezer's Lost Childhood and the Image in the Mirror
What is the significance of the book's final image of Eliezer's face reflected in a mirror? He says that "a corpse gazed back" at him. What did he see? Explain. What aspects of him died during his ordeal? What aspects were born in their place?
Topic #4: Nazi Deception and the Demoralization and Dehumanization of Eliezer and his Fellow Prisoners
From deportation from Sighet to murder at Birkenau, deception was often used to confuse and demoralize the prisoners. Eliezer observes the now-infamous inscription above the entrance to Auschwitz, equating work with liberty. How does that inscription come to embody the deceit and bitter irony of the Nazi camps? What was the inscription? What was "work" of the prisoners? How does deception dehumanize? (Think about what all the lies do to the human spirit)
In addition to proofreading for spelling, grammar, and usage and making sure you use clear and simple language, ask yourself the following:
Have I included the correct MLA Identifying information? (sample image)
Have I included my last name and page number on the top right side of each page?
Is the title of my essay moderately informative?
Do I have an interesting introduction?
Is my thesis statement clearly stated at the end of the introduction?
Does each body paragraph begin with a topic sentence that directly relates to the thesis statement?
Does each body paragraph have specific supporting details?
Are all generalizations supported by specific details?
When I have used source material, have I introduced the quotations I am using - that is, will the reader know why the quote is significant?
Have I enclosed the exact words of my source in "quotation marks"?
Have I included an in-text citation each time I use a source?
Does my in-text citation lead the reader directly to the first few words of the complete work cited entry on my list?
Are my quotations too long; am I including irrelevant information? (Don't do this!)
Have I checked my originality report on Turnitin and corrected any instances of unintentional plagiarism?
Is my conclusion redundant? (Don't simply repeat your thesis; that's boring!)
Have I included a correctly documented Works Cited list (sample image) for all the sources cited in my paper?