Night
is a very strong and engaging book that shares the story of a Jewish prisoner
in a concentration camp. While the story
is very graphic, the themes and values which breakthrough have a very real
impact on its readers. The Holocaust seemed
to happen so long ago that many high school students would have only studied it
through Anne Frank’s diary; possibly in middle school. Night provides teachers with an
opportunity to teach a bit of history along with English reading and
composition.
What John Boyne’s book does is also
open the eyes of its audience to compare what happened to the Jews during the
Holocaust to what is happening to refugees today also. What can be learned from this book and what
connections can be drawn from today’s world events are a prime example of how
one would be able to teach this book. Night would offer a chance to transfer
our student’s concern from a text in the classroom to real world issues outside
the classroom. Boyne’s book offers
teachers the chance to educate students on the questionable morality of human nature,
the Holocaust, how dictators come into power, what values do we care for, and
how our actions impact the world around us.
The scene of news traveling to Eleizer’s
community via radio of Hitler’s rise to power was an interesting part for me to
analyze. Everyone questioned it, asking
how one man could “wipe out an entire people[? ]” To which Moishe says, “The
Germans were already in town, the Fascists were already in power, the verdict was
already out and the Jews of Sighet were still smiling.” Today, people might be able to notice
significant changes in our own country and students may draw similarities
between one dictator and another.
I would recommend this novel to be read by
juniors or seniors; however, because of the graphic descriptions of what
happened in the various concentration camps it might be able to be taught to sophomores. The detail would attract the attention of
some reluctant readers.
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