Night by Elie Wiesel

          Throughout the book, Eliezer loses faith in God and is treated inhumanely. In the beginning of the book, Elie was very pious and was connected to God. On page one it states, “One day I asked my father to find me a master to guide me in my studies of the cabbala” (Wiesel 1).  This shows that Eliezer is going further and seeks a mentor to get closer to God and his religion. Another quote on page one states, “During the day I studied the Talmud, and at night I ran to the synagogue to weep over the destruction of the Temple” (Wiesel 1). This quote explains that Eliezer is passionate and emotional about praying. His relationship with God is very touching and important to him.
          Towards the end of the book, he loses faith in God and questions him. Wiesel states, “Why should I bless His name? The Eternal, Lord of the Universe, the All-Powerful and Terrible, was silent. What had I to thank Him for?” (31). This quote explains that Eliezer is questioning God and refuses to praise his name because God isn't taking action. Another quote that shows that Eliezer loses faith in God states, “What are You, my God? What does Your grandeur mean, Master of the Universe, in the face of all this cowardice, this decay, and this misery? Why do you go on troubling these poor people’s wounded minds, their ailing bodies?” (Wiesel 63). This quote shows Eliezer's hostility towards God. God is letting all these people die and get hurt and isn't doing anything about it. Eliezer at the moment is angry at God and yet again, questions him.
          While in the concentration camp, Elie and all the other Jews were treated inhumane and lower than a human. They weren’t called by their names, they wouldn’t give them food and the necessities needed to live, and they were treated as if they were animals. “...a workman took a piece of bread out of his bag and threw it onto a wagon. There was a stampede. Dozens of starving men fought each other to the death for a few crumbs. The German workmen took a lively interest in this spectacle” (Wiesel 95). The German workmen think it’s very amusing that these starving Jews are fighting over food as if they were animals. Clearly, they aren't giving these starving men the basic needs to live/survive. Also, Eliezer and other Jews weren't called by their names. They were given tattoos instead. “I became A-7713. After that I had no other name” (Wiesel 39). This was a way to dehumanize Elie.
          Eliezer has gone through many transformations and changes throughout the book. He transforms in a negative way impacting his faith in God and his life in general. Eliezer can never take back what he's gone through and what he's seen. Eliezer is clever and courageous and I adore that about him.

Wiesel, Elie. Night. New York: Bantam Books, 1958. Print. 

"Pain Strikes Sparks On Me, The Pain Of Terezin"

Fifteen beds. Fifteen charts with names,
Fifteen people without a family tree.
Fifteen bodies for whom torture is medicine and pills.
Beds over which the crimson blood of ages spills.
Fifteen bodies that want to live here.
Thirty eyes seeking quietness.
Bald heads that gape from out of the prison.
The holiness of the suffering, which is none of my business.

The loveliness of the air, which day after day
Smells of strangeness and carbolic.
The nurses that carry thermometers
Mothers who grope after a smile.
Food is such a luxury here.
A long, long night, and a brief day.

But anyway, I don't want to leave
The lighted rooms and the burning checks,
Nurses who leave behind them only a shadow
To help the little sufferers.

I'd like to stay here, a small patient,
Waiting the doctor's daily round,
Until, after a long, long time, I'd be well again.

Then I'd like to live
And go back home again.

I commented on Jaqlyn's, Sophia's, Andrew O's, Mario's and Kiana's blog.

Berlin Memorial

        I learned so much about the Holocaust and World War II today. I learned that there were over 400 laws against Jews restricting them from essentially everything. The Nazis took away everything from the Jews. Their jobs, their education, their pets, their freedom, communitcation, entertainment, specific foods, and many more. Hitler was very strategic and only created these laws time after time. No one has spoke up and rebelled against Hitler. No one cared till it was them who lost their job or the law included them. I also learned that during the Olympics, Anti-Jewish signs were removed. Hitler didn't want his country to look bad in front of the world. Hitler was just trying to save himself.
        I think this monument was built so people won't forget this important time in history. The Holocaust was a very important time in history and we should learn about the Holocaust. This monument was built to show respect for the Jews that were killed during the Holocaust. Visiting the memorial or any other place that relates to the Holocaust (like visiting a Holocaust museum) gives you a much better experience rather than just sitting in a classroom learning about the Holocaust. I would enjoy visiting a Holocaust museum or even visiting the Annex in Amsterdam. It would be eye-opening and would give me a greater experience.
        I noticed that the laws kept getting stricter and much more narrower. In the beginning, Hitler started off with only a couple of laws that only dealt with a couple of people. People who weren't included in the laws didn't really show concern because those laws don't affect them. People just went along with the laws and did nothing.
        I would have the most trouble dealing with the law that states, "Jewish doctors not to be reimbursed for treating patients." I would the most trouble with dealing with this because I've always wanted to become a doctor because doctors make a lot of money and learning about the human body is very fascinating. I can't wait to become a doctor and make money. I would be heartbroken and angered if I were a Jewish doctor living during the Holocaust.

Second Quarter Reflection

       I think I've made my biggest improvement on citing evidence and using the TIQA format for the AOW's. I've improved since the beginning of the year. I've also noticed that I've been using better word choice for my writing. Looking back on my old AOW's, I noticed that I always missed something so I needed to revise. The most recent AOW, in my opinion, is the best one I've done. I made sure I added the essential question and made sure that I chose the best pieces of evidence.
       Something that I've accomplished since the new year that I am proud of is my recent investigative journalism piece. I think I did the best that I could've. I worked on that piece for a while and I'm pretty proud of what I've written. I tried my hardest to make it as best as possible. It was a great topic for me to work on since I knew some background information and also I've always been interested in wars in middle eastern countries.
       The most challenging part of 2nd quarter was annotating articles. I'm not used to annotating books and articles as I read. It's a good learning tool and I should do it more often. I've gotten more used to it since in science we always has to annotate Newsela articles for homework and in ELA class.
       Out of the books I've read this quarter, my favorite was Small as an Elephant by Jennifer Jacobson. This was my favorite book this quarter because this book is different and it captured my attention. So far, this book has been really good. At the same time, this book is confusing. I can't wait to find out what happens at the end.

Book Talk

        The book I am currently reading is Small As An Elephant by Jennifer Jacobson. The genre of the book is realistic fiction. Small As An Elephant is about an 11-year-old boy named Jack and his mother. Jack and his mother are on a camping trip in Acadia National Park in Maine. Jack wakes up one morning and realizes his mother is gone. Jack refuses to tell anyone, he'd rather solve this case himself. He has no company but a plastic elephant by his side.
        So far this book is very exciting but also confusing. It's exciting because Jack is on mission to find his mother. It's also very confusing because I don't understand why would a mother do this to her 11-year-old child. I've made some assumptions and guesses. I can't wait to find out why and what happens towards the end of the book.
        I liked this book because the summary of the book in back caught my attention and the title is unique. What I remember most about the book was that Jack has no one but this small plastic elephant that he adores so much. I would recommend this book to middle schoolers because this book isn't as challenging, but it's still very interesting and attention grabbing. I recommend this book to you guys because I feel that you'll enjoy it as much as I have been so far. This book has a lot of plot twists that you wouldn't expect.

"Will The War End?"

        A young girl named Bana Alabed currently lives in Syria on the eastern side of Aleppo with her family. She and her mother tweet to the world about the bombings in Aleppo. One tweet says, “My name is Bana, I’m 7 years old. I am talking to the world now live from East #Aleppo. This is my last moment to either live or die. - Bana.” A tweet from her mother says, “Dear world, there’s an intense bombing right now. Why are you silent? Why? Why? Why? Fear is killing me and my kids. - Fatemah #Aleppo.”
The people of Aleppo are in trouble.
        Aleppo, the largest city in Syria, is under attack. Aleppo has been under attack for four years. Aleppo has a population of 2.3 million people and Aleppo was famous for its 13th Century Citadel and its 12th Century Great Mosque. Aleppo was once a tourist destination with its cultural history, is now a seething war zone. This Syrian city has changed drastically over the course of four years.
        This whole problem started as the Syrian people protested peacefully in the streets asking for more freedom, democracy, and free press. The government of Bashar al-Assad, the president of Syria, promised that they would look into the matter. He started to give his people more access to the internet and a bit of free speech.
       The Syrian people weren't convinced and demanded more democracy, transparency, and freely elected government officials. The protests continued everywhere in Syria and the country was on the verge of collapsing. At this moment, the Syrian president ordered his army to shoot at the protesters to end the civilian unrest. Protesters then organized themselves as rebel groups and opposition leaders. They began to arm themselves so that they can defend their cause. Violence started to spread in Syria which then divided Aleppo into two sections. The western side of Aleppo is owned by the Syrian government, while the eastern side of Aleppo is owned by the rebel forces. Russia supports the Syrian government, but the U.S. supports the rebel forces.
Many Syrians homes have been destroyed during this ongoing war. This caused many families to leave Syria to find a safer place to stay. Many hospitals in Aleppo have been bombed killing many, many people.
        “Over the last six days, about 350 people have been killed, over 1,110 injured.” said Aref al-Aref, an eyewitness who describes the outcome of a hospital attack in Aleppo. “The catastrophe is huge. I saw a whole family die, except for two children. I saw a mother crying after the death of all her family. I saw another mother searching for her family under the rubble. People needed surgeries but there are no rooms to operate in. Only one hospital is functional now.”
        Next, Gary Johnson, the former governor of New Mexico, is interviewed at MSNBC and is asked how would he handle Aleppo as president. He responds with, “...that has to be the solution is joining hands with Russia to bring the civil war to an end.” Would you agree or disagree and what would you do?
        More than 4 million Syrian citizens have fled Syria to go to many other countries like Germany, the U.S., the U.K., etc to find another place to stay. More than 400,000 people were injured and more than 200,000 were killed, including children. At this point, ending the conflict between the government and the rebel forces would be the best option whether the Syrian government wins or the rebels forces wins.

Nonfiction Book

      The book I'm currently reading is Maya Angelou Greeting In The Morning by Sarah E. King. This is a biography about Maya Angelou. Marguerite Johnson, also know as, Maya Angelou, is one of America's most famous writers/poets. Growing up, Maya has been through tough experiences in her life, like racism, but that hasn't stopped her from becoming a writer. As a child, Maya was a very bright girl who loved many different writers. She's moved several different times to her mother and her grandmother. Maya grew up with her brother Bailey. They have a very strong relationship and they look out for one another. Maya loved writing and was a smart student in school.

      One passage that I found in the book that was interesting and stuck out to me was that, Maya, who had always been a good student, was given a scholarship to attend the California Labor School when she was 14 years old. She also took evening classes in drama and dance. This passage stuck out to me because when I read it, I felt really happy for her as if she was one of my friends. This also really stuck out to me because I'm also 14 and I haven't even accomplished something that big. I hope that I do. I also have always wanted to receive a scholarship, but that's a one in a million chance. All in all, Maya is a hardworking student and she really deserves that scholarship.

      Some things that I have learned that I will remember in the near future is how much of a great person Maya Angelou is and how creative her work is. I never really knew much about Maya Angelou till I read this book. I always thought she was just a great writer and she's known for her poems. Maya has a very interesting backstory that made me really interested in this book. She writes about self peace and love which I think is really interesting. I hope to read some of her pieces in the future. I also learned that she met Martin Luther King Jr. which I thought was really amazing. She's made it very far in life despite her past. Maya has also created a book called I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings. I hope to read this book in the future and learn more about herself and more about her past.

I commented on Andrew's blog. 

I commented on Kiana's blog.
I commented on Lesly's blog.