Assignment: Documented Literary Analysis
Your literary analysis essay will be on the memoir Night by Elie Wiesel. You can choose from any of the topics listed.
Your literary analysis should be between 2 ½ and 3 pages (600 to 750 words), not including the Works Cited page, should be double spaced in Times New Roman 12-point font and must meet the following criteria:
- A clearly articulated thesis that states the assertion (position, argument, interpretation) that your paper will prove. Recommended placement for your thesis (for clarity purposes) is the last sentence of your introduction.
- An introduction, a minimum of 3 body paragraphs, and a conclusion
- At least three quotes from the memoir that is integrated into your analysis. Your text (Wiesel's memoir) is your PRIMARY source for support, so choose your quotes wisely to back up your arguments.
- At least two citations of outside sources beyond the memoir (such as literary criticism on the memoir/and or you may choose to use sources from other academic areas such as psychology journals). At least one source should come from the MDC databases. All sources must be academic (Do Not Use Cliffsnotes, Sparknotes, Litcharts, Or Any Other Non-Academic Source as you will not receive credit for them and will be missing required sources).
- Topic sentences that focus the discussion of the body paragraphs
- Examples, details, explanations in the body paragraphs that clearly support your thesis.
- Clear connections between ideas from paragraph to paragraph and within paragraphs.
- Proper MLA style format in the heading, in the in-text citations, and in the Works Cited page (see the template for the heading and margins in this lesson)
- Works Cited page includes articles from two sources and from the memoir for a minimum of three total listed sources
- Standard usage, grammar, and mechanics
Important Information:
- You will submit your final draft through the Turn-it-in drop box designated for this purpose in the course. Please be aware, that although Turn-it-in does allow for similarities for quotations up to 24% of your paper, any similarity above 24% is considered too high for an original paper and will be flagged as plagiarism.
- Software has an AI detector. Papers that show AI use cannot earn a grade.
You can get help with your paper at any of the campus writing centers (see the link in the course with this information), and you can also receive online help.
Topics for Essay 1: Literary Analysis
1. Analyze the relationship between Eliezer and his father in "Night." How does it change from the childhood relationship he describes in Sighet throughout his experiences in the camps with his father? Need Assignment Help?
2. Explore the concept of witnessing and testimony in the book. Wiesel said, "For the dead and the living, we must bear witness." Why does he feel this is important? What can this witnessing do once the brutality is finished? What witnessing and testimony occur in the memoir? How does his memoir serve the concept of witnessing? Analyze the theme of witnessing and form an argument about the message (s) the memoir gives in terms of obligation to those who lived through the Holocaust.
3. Explore the transformation of Eliezer's personality throughout the memoir.
Think ofEliezer's personality at the beginning of the book. How did he perceive the world while living in Sighet? Explore how the concentration camp changed Eliezer's attitude towards life. In your thesis, argue that Eliezer's personality changed from X to Y after his experiences during the Holocaust. You may want to use interviews with Wiesel to help you with your analysis.
4. Analyze Eliezer's changing view of God and faith throughout Night. Consider Eliezer's devout childhood in Sighet to life in the concentration camps after the Jews are deported from Hungary. How does Eliezer's relationship to God and his commitment to his faith change over the course of the memoir? Write an analysis that argues the nature of this transformation.
5. Consider the role of evil in Night.Examine how Wiesel portrays inhumanity, not just from the Nazis, but among the Jews in the camps and ghettos as well. What message is the author trying to convey about human capacity for evil? Argue your position.
6. Explore the theme of dehumanization in the memoir. What are some examples of how people are treated like objects? How is this objectification related to the ability of Nazi to commit atrocities against Jewish people?You may wish to incorporate research from a psychology database which discusses how "normal" people can commit atrocities during genocides.
7. Explore the symbolism in the book (night, fire, silence).What do these three symbols signify, and how does Wiesel develop those meanings throughout the course of the book? Alternately, you may choose to write your entire analysis with the symbol of night as your only focus.
8. Explore the concept of identity and belonging in the memoir. How did Eliezer's sense of identity change throughout the course of the memoir? What parts of himself did he lose? Who did he become? Form an argument about the effects of trauma on identity as demonstrated in the text.
9. Discuss the ethics of survival in "Night." Wiesel describes prisoners who turn brutish in their quest to survive. For example, children turn against parents, and Jewish Kapos are cruel to Jewish camp inmates. Can someone in that circumstance be blamed if survival is the only goal? Did Wiesel retain his humanity (compassion) in the memoir? Did the trauma he suffered wipe away some of his humanity during that time? Argue your position.
10. Explore the concept of guilt and responsibility in Night.Did guilt help or hurt those trying to survive? Did guilt make people more compassionate? What message does the text have about guilt and responsibility?
11. Analyze the use of imagery in the memoir. What is the purpose of using graphic imagery? How does it affect the message of the memoir?
12. Explore the theme of hope and despair in the book. What does hope look like in dire life and death moments? Can hope be used as a tool for survival? What happens to those who give in to despair? Form an argument about the message the book offers regarding hope and despair.
13. Analyze the significance of Eliezer's dreams and nightmares.
14. Explore the theme of betrayal in the book. Use specific examples from the memoir to develop your ideas.
15. How does Eliezer's experience with death change his worldview? Use specific scenes from the book to support your thesis.
16. Explore the theme of humanity and inhumanity in Night. Look for scenes in the book that demonstrate each side (compassion/brutality). Form an argument about human nature as expressed in the book.
17. Analyze the significance of the final scene in the book. Wiesel's final lines are: "From the depths of the mirror, a corpse gazed back at me. The look in his eyes, as they stared into mine, has never left me." Think about the death he has seen and experienced prior to this and consider what seeing himself as a "corpse" means: physically, emotionally, spiritually. Argue the meaning of this description of himself as a corpose in relation to the events that have occurred.
18. Discuss the theme of forgiveness and reconciliation in Night. In describing his father's death, Wiesel says he will never forgive himself, but he also says he will not forgive the world for putting him in such a horrible position. Form an argument about the memoir's message regarding forgiveness and reconciliation.