Mary "Night" Post #3-Final

      I am going to try and do something with this post that I seemed to have been unable to do with my previous posts for some reason. I am going to try and describe all the raw emotion I felt coursing through myself at the end of this book. I feel as if Wiesel drags you into his innermost core and forces you through these memories with him, and in the end, you do come out a better, more compassionate person. I started the book just as confused as Wiesel was, not knowing exactly what to do or what to expect. Then I was overcome by the things that he saw and went through; terror washed over me like waves crashing through an ocean of shattered hopes, dreams, and love. I was sickened and forced to turn cold at some of the things that I encountered. And then there were moments, the kind Frenchwoman, the brave men being hung, the moment Wiesel chose not to desert his father, that sparked hope in me, hope that is ever-forgiving and ever-given. A hope that will sprout and grow no matter what the conditions, as long as it's allowed to hit the ground.
     I think Elie Wiesel may be one of the bravest people I've ever had the honor to get to know, if even just a little. He could have done what so many others did, forget family and friends and become what his surroundings wanting, a creature to use and abuse. Instead he kept his humanity from destroying him through all the pain by finding his center in his father, his only family, and detaching himself from everything else as long as he could afford. He willingly made the choice never to leave his father even though it could mean death for himself. He never took out his anger on those around him, instead he became a totally unbiased human being who could not die by mortal hands because he walked arm-in-arm with Death, and they were friends who never doubted each others' company.

Viki Response 3 (85-120)

I literally just finished the book minutes ago on my drive home and I have to mention right away my thoughts on the end before my first reactions slip my mind.

First of all (and it will be out of order) I want to mention one of the things he said in his Nobel Prize acceptance speech; "I remember he asked his father, 'Can this be true? This is the twentieth century, not the middle ages. Who would allow such crimes to be committed?'" (p. 118) For some reason, I feel like these things will always happen, not always so drastically, but I think there will always be at least a little bit of hate between people who are inevitably different from other people. For example, a few months ago I saw an article (I follow LGBT news very closely) about transgender issues I will post a link below including examples of torture, killings (often described as hate crimes, but I classify them as a form of genocide) and even arrests simply for being different, for being transgendered. Is that fair in any form of the word?

Also the last lines of the memoir, "From the depths of the mirror a corpse was contemplating me. The look in his eyes as he gazed at me has never left." (p. 115) These words are haunting me. He described himself as a corpse and in the third person, and for some reason him referring to himself that way concerns me-it makes me feel like he doesn't feel like he knows himself anymore at all.

The only other point I'd like to make tonight is how he explained the death of his father. After reading the preface I don't think he does the event justice by putting it so simply, I seriously almost missed it. I was reading through half distracted by the music playing and almost missed the fact that this was when his father died. He spoke of it so vaguely, as if it was something painful. If I didn't already know why his father's death isn't spoken of explicitly I would confuse his lack of detail for sadness, maybe it was too hard for him to speak of this. This however isn't the case. In the original Yiddish, he speaks in great detail of his father's death. He goes on for a page and a half describing his father's cries and how he was so afraid of being beaten himself that he ignored his father's last wishes and stood feet away blind deaf and dumb. Before editing in the new translations, these thoughts and details of his fathers death, things that were so powerful at least to me, were cut from the text perhaps to guard the readers from the pain they cause-Isn't the power in the pain and the harshness? Isn't one of the purposes here to never let this happen again? How can we do that if we don't have the darkest details, the most painful bits? The tragic details are what makes the stories so powerful, without them someone reading wouldn't get nearly as much of the impact.

Anyways, how can we expect these things to happen again. I mean it's the twenty-first century. Noone would let this happen again.

Yeah, right.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/pete-subkoviak/lgbt-leadership-splitting_b_1093522.html

Alicia Albuquerque Response #3

After finishing Night, I can better understand the constant struggle to stay alive Wiesel and his father had to face. It was shocking to me how bad the conditions became and how terrible the Jews were being treated. They were shown no mercy, no matter how tired they were or how cold it was outside. I find the Germans extremely hypocritical. They push the Jews until their breaking point; until they physically and mentally cannot go on. The Germans force the Jew to run to their next camp, over twenty kilometers. The Germans run with the Jews to make sure they don't stop but when the Germans get tired, they switch out with another person. The Jews have to keep running the entire way and cannot take any breaks or they will risk being shot. The Germans do not feed the Jews for days at time and expect no one to complain while they are getting meals everyday. The Jews go through so much pain and suffering. Wiesel truly amazes me. He is incredibly strong to be able to survive the Holocaust and be able to tell about his struggles afterward. He never gave up no matter what, not even when his father died or when he thought he had no reason to live. Wiesel is an inspiration to the world. His story teaches us never to give up no matter what the conditions. Wiesel never gave up and he ended up surviving. Surviving the Holocaust is something to be extremely proud of. Wiesel deserves every award he has ever received and all the credit he can get.

Lindsay's Third Reader Response (Page 85-120)

After I finished Night and set it down once more, I reflected upon the contents of this most heartwrenching story. The insufferable horrors seem so unreal, and I still cannot seem to fathom how any of it could have ever actually happened. It seems as if the story was simply a truly riveting fictional piece, though I know this is certainly not the case, no matter how much I wish it could be. As the story progressed, I had hoped Elie's situation had finally improved. However, it only seemed to be getting worse, and my heart raced and ached along with his. I became very angry when, at the beginning of this third section of the text, the SS officers were treating the Jews so inhumanely. Their march, or run, seems so unreal to me. Elie recalls, "From time to time, a shot exploded in the darkness. They had orders to shoot anyone who could not sustain the pace. Their fingers on the triggers, they did not deprive themselves of the pleasure. If one of us stopped for a second, a quick shot eliminated the filthy dog" (85). The simple comparison to a dog really struck me. It illustrates how the officers viewed the prisoners as no more than animals, helpless creatures who could easily be disposed of and replaced at the drop of a hat. I was also appalled at the mention of the pleasure felt by the officers upon killing an Jew. How could one feel joy at another's expense? How could one feel happy about killing another human being? The idea simply baffles me, and this is why I was so surprised as well as angry whilst reading this portion of the text.

Another part of the text that really bothered me was the whole issue of the father and son relationships. It seems that this was mentioned over and over again during the later part of the story, and each time it seems that a son gave up on a father. For example, when the deceased lay upon the snow, Elie says, "Sons abonded the remains of their fathers without a tear" (92). Another example of this heartbreaking scenario arose when bread was thrown into one of the cars holding the Jews. An old man tried to eat a piece, but his son beat his own father to death in order to attain it himself. The son was killed as well. However, the most profound example of this resided with Elie and his own father. When his father fell gravely ill, Elie detached himself from his father emotionally in order to survive. He stopped answering his father's cries, and he looked on as the officers attack him. He acknowledged his guilt upon wishing his father was gone so that his life would be easier, yet he longed for the extra soup and bread he could have if he stopped giving it to his dying father (111). I was greatly disturbed by this. I cannot imagine being in this situation with my family, and giving up on their survival so that I could live myself. I really don't think I could ever do that to my own mother, father, or siblings. I would want them to live as badly, or more badly, than I wanted to live myself. He also did not cry when his father died, and I can't imagine why. I certainly would have if I had gone through such an ordeal and had lost the only thing that was holding me together, albeit by even a single thread. However, how could I judge Elie? He survived a horrendous ordeal, something I would never wish upon anyone. As much as I try to put myself in his shoes, I know I could never accurately picture it unless I had gone through it myself. As horrific as the story was, I'm glad I had the opportunity to read Night; it truly made me appreciate what I have, and I know that, even when things seem bleakest, they could always be a lot worse.

Megan Hayward

Reader Response #3 (P.85-120)

    These final few chapters Knight were heartbreaking. It seemed as if before things could get better, they became much worse. Eliezer and his father had to endure the rough journey of vacating one camp and moving to another. Many people had very little food and were not able to keep up with the group. Once they finally arrived at a vacant town, they still couldn't rest. Elie recalls what his father told him about sleeping. He warns, "It's dangerous to fall asleep in snow. One falls asleep forever. Come, my son, come...Get up" (88). It is terrible how after many hours of physical activity in the frigid weather, they could not even sleep for a few hours. Elie's father is very wise. Sometimes falling asleep seems harmless, but in the snow it is deadly. This reminds me of Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer because those who were able to resist falling asleep in the snow and ice had a much higher survival rate. Both Eliezer and his father were desperate for rest, but they had enough willpower to resist the temptation. I find their determination remarkable.

    Unfortunately, just a short time after arriving at the new camp, Elie's father became deathly ill and was unable to survive with his son. Even though he did die, he and his son were fighters. Even through all of their struggles, these two individuals are able to surpass the amount of time in which most people survived in these concentration camps. He describes the condition that many people were in. He explains, "I tried to distinguish between the living and those who were no more. But there was barely a difference" (98). Imagine how it must feel to look around and everyone looks as if they are on the verge of death. This can't be very motivating. However, Elie and his father somehow found the strength to continue. One quote that touched me was when he explains how far they had come. He says, "We had been a hundred or so in this wagon. Twelve of us left in it. Among them, my father and myself" (103). Wow! That is really my only reaction. It is incredible. How did they manage to survive even though they hadn't eaten in days? Would either of these two have survived if they had to endure this journey alone?

Mary's "Night" Post #2

         One of these many details is how easy it is for Elie Wiesel to lie to the dentist and not have to deal with any immediate consequences. For instance, when the dentist tells him he's going to remove Wiesel's gold crown, Elie blatantly lies saying, "Couldn't you wait a few days sir? I don't feel well, I have a fever" (52). And before the dentist can call him back to remove his crown, he is hung and Wiesel is allowed to keep his crown for a while, even though he ends up having it taken from him eventually.
         The two hangings that I read about in this section shocked me because I had never even realized that two events, carried out the exact same way, could turn out so differently. The first hanging, the one in which a man had been condemned to die for stealing a ration of soup left unattended, was almost inspiring. The way he defied everything around him for a bowl of soup! And his last words, they almost remind me of the Declaration of Independence in the way that they must have sounded that day, "Long live liberty!" (62). It must have given the other prisoners something to hope for because that night, "...the soup tasted better than ever" (63), on that night, I'm sure the soup tasted like the hope for a second chance at surviving. Sadly, this was quickly buffeted by the storms of a death that should never be, the long, slow, agonizing, and cruel death of a child who does not even way enough to end his own suffering or cry out his defiance before his people, his faith, and himself. The soup was right to taste like corpses that night because what those people witnessed was something dearly akin to God hanging on the gallows, struggling to end the suffering.
         I can only hope that Wiesel does not kick himself over the decision to leave the camp with the evacuation. He had know way of knowing how close liberation was and like the others around him, he was expecting only the worst, which is completely logical and reasonable.

Alicia Albuquerque Post #2

As I have continued reading Night, I have found myself more and more interested. Wiesel has been through so much, and is an increadibly strong person to overcome these tough times. One situation that particulary distured me was when Wiesel, a teenage boy at the time, had to watch adults and young children die. He was forced to watch the cerimonies of people being hanged and then had to walk by and make eye contact with the dead bodies. It got so bad that he started to question his faith. He wondered how God could such terrible things. He didn't understand how God could create terrible places like the concentration camps. Eventually he started to loose his faith. At one point, he even rebelled against God by not fasting when he was supposed to. Before the concentration camps Elie depended on his faith. He studied religion on a daily basis and prayed reagularly. He also follwed all the rules his religion believed in. Things must have been at their worst for a faithful man like Wiesel to give up on his religion. How could God do such terrible things? or create such terrible people? It was shocking to me how cruel people can really be. Before reading Night my knowledge on the Holocaust was very limited, but now my eyes are opened to the terrible times people had to suffer through.

Lindsay's Second Reader Response (Pages 47-84)

As I have continued reading Night, I find myself equally disturbed as well as thoroughly interested and intrigued. As horrendous as the Holocaust was, it's a fascinating subject. I found it very difficult to release the book from my clutches and force myself to stop reading. However, I feel as if the first portion of the novel was more eventful than the second. While the Jews were still treated terribly, I think Buna was a better environment than Auschwitz. As far as concentration camps go, it was probably one of the better ones. I was confused as to why some of the officers were German Jews. Sure, they were German, but they were Jewish nonetheless. Why did Hitler and his Nazis allow other Jews, the very group they were trying to exterminate, dominate high positions in rank? Why were they not thrown into the crematoria like so many others? It was also puzzling because the Jeish Blockalteste was German as well as Jewish. Weisel states that, "It was good to have a Jew as your leader. He was totally devoted to defending 'his' block. Whenever he could, he would 'organize' a cauldron of soup for the youg, for the weak" (51).  Why did the other officers allow these Jewish officers to treat their prisoners more humanely? The issue is never explained, but the issue confused me as I was reading.

When Wiesel was residing in the infirmary, his bedside neighbor uttered two sentences that took a long time for me to wrap my head around. He said, "I have more faith in Hitler than in anyone else. He alone has kept his promises, all his promises, to the Jewish people" (81). At first, I was absolutely stunned and appalled. How could this seriously persecuted man have faith in the monster that is Adolf Hitler, after everything he did to the Jewish people? How could he say such a thing, especially in the company of other Jews? However, I now understand what he was truly saying, and I believe he has a valid point in one sense or another. I don't think it is right that he has faith in Hitler necessarily, but he is right in saying that Hitler has kept his word. He followed through on everything he said and promised to do. If one could count on someone to follow through on their words and actions, one could count on Hitler to get the job done, no matter how heinous it may truly be. Therefore, I don't believe the man meant to use "faith" in a positive manner; rather, he was showing how certain he was of Hitler's accountability. Overall, I didn't think this section was necessarily as enthralling as the last, but I cannot wait to continue reading it nonetheless.

Megan Hayward
Reader Response #2 (P.47-84)

      Although the second portion of the text is still gruesome, it is definitely seems as if life has improved since last camp that Elie and his father were living at. The leaders at this work camp seem to be much more civilized. I was quickly reminded of the dangers that these Jews still had to endure. Most of the time these poor “prisoners” didn’t do anything wrong, but had to face severe punishment. Something that completely shocked me was when his father was beaten for not being a sufficient worker. Wiesel was forced to watch his father be abused in front of his very eyes. He was actually upset at his father. He expresses his opinion, "if I felt anger at that moment, it was not directed at the Kapo but at my father. Why couldn't he have avoided Idek's wrath? That was what life in concentration camp had made of me..." (45). This is impossible; how can he be angry at his innocent father? Clearly he is so out of touch with ordinary life and society that he isn't thinking straight. These feelings are not normal; they have been forced upon him during his time at the concentration camps. If he feels like this now, how will real tragedy strike him? I think that when he has to hear about deaths of his friends, he will be heartbroken. This wall must be a defense mechanism. It makes sense because he would probably be a terrible mental state if he cringed every time that he saw a fellow Jew being mistreated. However, it is his father. How is he so calm?

     While reading on, one quote reminded me of an opinion that I had mentioned in my first response. I had talked about how there had to be some optimism present in these Jews. They had to have some motivation in order to live every day. If I had heard explosions, I would be terrified. These booming sounds are cries of hope to the Jews. Wiesel explains, "Every bomb that hit filled us with joy, gave us renewed confidence" (60). With the attacks, it made everything seem possible. Maybe they would be saved. This quote is so strong and at the time of the Holocaust shows that this would end. Even though there was a risk of some of the Jews getting injured during the bombings, it was the closest chance that they had to escaping the misery. It was one of the few times where many were overcome with happiness.

Viki Response 2 (47-84)

At the opening of this section, the Jews have just arrived in a new camp, Buna. While there, Elizer (in the story his father calls him Elizer so I find it a bit easier to connect by using his given name) and his father were beaten terribly, Elizer was beaten for no reason and his father was abused far more often for not marching in step with the rest of the men. After Elizer was beaten, the French woman who sat next to him in the warehouse he was working in spoke to him for the first time. In speaking to him, she risked exposing the fact that she was in fact Jewish (she was a forced labour worker from France, Aryan) just to give him a ration of bread and say to him, "Bite your lips... Don't cry. Keep your anger, your hate, for another day, for later. The day will come but not now... Wait. Clench your teeth and wait." (53)

I feel like this example shows some of the most positive and negative aspects of human nature. Elizer was beaten for no reason and his father was beaten for marching out of step to a job he wouldn't be doing if people accepted his heritage and that he would have gotten to weather he was marching in time or not. This shows the worst side of the human mind. Actually, if I recall correctly the officer who beat Elizer's father did so to get revenge on Elizer for not giving up the gold crown on his tooth. The man, Franek, actually says to Elizer, "If you don't give me your crown, it will cost you much more!" (55) But that is besides the point, before that man is in charge, there was a man named Idek in command and he is the one who beats Elizer. After Elie is beaten, the French woman risks her safety to console him, wiping the blood from his face, giving him some bread she had been saving, speaking to him in German even though it was a risk. If one of the Nazi men had heard her speaking to him, she could have been found out and killed, so I find her effort to console him amazing considering the risk it took.

Mary  "Night" Reader Response #1

              “Night” has an interesting effect on me. I really appreciate what Elie Wiesel is doing and how it difficult it is for his to find a reason for his writing. Personally, I like the book, not because I find it enjoyable, but because it helps repay a great debt. However, the events that occur in the book are difficult and almost heartbreaking to hear, which makes it very difficult for me to write about this book and not feel terrible. I find it difficult to put to words what goes through my mind when I read “Night”. Why? How? What could make someone want to do something like this to others? And how could so many not see the terrible treatment of those around them? People have the power to do marvelous things and influence the world in remarkable ways. And yet, they can also do the opposite. But why would we want to? I feel so torn about diving back into the horrors that those first couple of day in Auschwitz must have been. How is it possible to allow such degradation of yourself so completely that you don’t even care to reflect on your family or past life? It’s like you become…animalistic.

Alicia post 1

First off, I cannot believe the pain that the Jewish population went through during these times. It was terrible what the Hitler did to them, and I was amazed at all the terrible things that were done. The one thing that really shocked me was the Jewish's initial reaction to the bad news. One of the first times the Jews were taken away from their homes was the situation in which Moishe the Beadle was one of the prisoners. It was a normal day in Sighet, and no one was expecting anything like this to happen. All foreign Jews, including Moishe, were packed into cattle cars and shipped to Galicia. I was shocked at the communities response. No one really made a big deal about, it seemed like no one cared. One person in the crowed even said, "What do you expect? That's war..." (6). I think that they took the situation too lightly, maybe if they had realized the danger of the situation the could have prepared themselves for the bigger events to come. This wasn't the only thing they took lightly. When Moishe came back and told people what had happened to him, some people didn't believe him. Moishe was brought to the woods were himself and the other Jews dug a trench and then were all shot one by one. Fortunately for Moishe he escaped, and he took his escape as a way to warn his fellow Jews back home. When he got home and told his story, no one believed him. I don't understand why people didn't believe him. Why would he make something like that up? People knew what kind of person he was but they still doubted him. I think the people were in denial. They must have somewhat known what was going on but wanted to be wrong and pretend like everything was okay. In spring of 1944, Germany would be defeated. The radio had announced that the Fascist party had seized power, but yet no one was worried. The Jewish people weren't worried about what was going to happen. If I were in that situation I would automatically bring myself to assume the worst. I would have been worried for my family and for myself. The people remained optimist, telling themselves that the Germans wouldn't go as far as they lived, but unfortunately they were wrong. When the Germans arrived it no one knew what to do, it was chaotic. They didn't know what they were in for but if they have payed attention more they may have gotten an idea.

Megan Hayward
Reader response #1 (Preface- P.46)

         From the first page of this text, I found myself very interested. However, as much as I wanted to continue reading, the farther that I fell into the text, the more I wanted to close my eyes and reach for a pleasant fiction book. Thus far, Night is very similar to my independent reading book Room in the Heart by Sonia Levitin. The locations slightly vary, but occur around the same year. Something that I was shocked about in the first book was the element of surprise that the Jewish families faced. In both cases the German armies came to their homeland and claimed that they were not a threat. Just a short time later they were taken from their homes and were to be shipped off to a mysterious location. Julie's family in my independent reading book was able to escape because they had a fair amount of warning. I wonder if the Wiesel family could have safely avoided being taken to Auschwitz. It seems as if they were given so many opportunities to leave and not have to look back. If the Hungarian police officer had helped them sooner, they may have been able to leave with him (14). Also, the ghetto where they were moved to wasn't monitored very closely. He even states, "One could enter and leave as one pleased" (20). They were offered a home by Maria, their friend that worked for them at one time (20). I just don't understand why his father refused to take the offer. Reading the preface, it is obvious that these individuals saw many deaths. Could taking this offer have saved them? Was the risk that was holding them back or was it that they couldn't leave their fellow Jews to suffer alone?
         Before even entering the camp, the Jews had to face agony. This was an indication as to what would come. As if leaving their homes and families wasn't terrible enough, what was to come would be grueling. Something that was particularly terrible was the mindset of these individuals after having to live in the camps for mere days. Wiesel explains how they were basically brainwashed. He elaborates, "Our senses were numbed, everything was faded into a fog. We no longer clung to anything. The instincts of self-preservation, of self-defense, of pride, had all deserted us" (36). The fact that these brave people were able to force themselves to live their lives is incredible. The new "homes" of these Jews were so miserable and they were treated so awfully that they seemed to lose all hope very quickly. Without hope there is no motivation. If these men and woman are able to survive through these struggles, they must have had the slightest sense of optimism that they could one day be free.
       

Lindsay's First Reader Response (Preface-Page 46)

I don't believe the expression of shock was erased from my face for one minute while reading this memoir. In fact, my face reflected the utter disbelief and disgust that I felt long after I had stopped reading. I have read several accounts of the Holocaust, but none have been as truly haunting as Night. How could something this appalling have occurred in our history, especially so recent? How is it possible that a human being could treat other human beings so atrociously? Wiesel's story is truly disturbing, but I am grateful that he has survived and passed on his experiences to the rest of the world. We, as humans, need to be exposed to this material. Some feel the need to turn away, to hide their eyes from events such as this. But to do this would be an insult to the victims, and, as Wiesel states, a victory for the criminals. We cannot turn a blind eye and pretend that the Holocaust never happened. Rather, we must regard it with respect and remorse, and learn from this heinous occurence.

What really struck me while reading was how inhumanely the Jews were truly treated. It was astonishing how the officers would truly dehumanize these people, and make it as if they were mere animals or objects. My heart pained when I read about how the men were forced to remove all of their clothing, and how Wiesel noted how they were all becoming the same, without separate identities. All of their hair was cut off. Wiesel recalls being tattooed, saying, "We were told to roll up our left sleeves and file past the table. The three "veteran" prisoners, needles in hand, tattooed numbers on our left arms. I became A-7713. From then on, I had no other name" (42). I couldn't believe it; they were being stripped of everything they were, taken away from their identities. The officers made them all the same. They would look the same and would be labeled with numbers, not names. Did this make it easier on the Germans? Did they do this so it would be easier to pretend that they were not killing innocent humans, but objects? It is so wrong on so many levels. How could anyone assess the situation and honestly believe what they were doing in the concentration camps was right? Wiesel recalls, "Was I still alive? Was I awake? How was it possible that men, women, and children were being burned and that the world kept silent? No. All this could not be real" (32). This quote stuck with me as I continued reading. How could people allow this to happen right under their noses? Before arriving at Auschwitz, the Jews had never even heard of the camp. This shows how little the world, especially the would-be victims, were informed of these events, at least at this time. This is why this book needs to be read; this is why this information needs to be spread.

Viki's response 1 (Preface-46)

The best place to begin is in the preface, where Wiesel reflects on his imprisonment at Auschwitz and why he was driven to write Night,  previously titled in the original Yiddish, And The World Remained Silent. In my opinion, the first title should have stuck. I think this simply because when Wiesel translated and sent the manuscript all over the world wherever he could, it was rejected every time, and the world remained silent. When his story was finally published it was after numerous revisions, but Wiesel took it because he feared that if he didn't the stories would never really be known to anyone but him. He also mentions later on in the preface (rather, he quotes a section of the original Yiddish that had been cut from the final print) the anti-Semites who preached that the Holocaust was a lie. I understand that it's hard to admit that mankind can be so unkind, but isn't it better to recognize it so it doesn't happen again?

Next comes the actual text, chapter one. Wiesel reflects on his childhood and life before the German Army began to appear in their town. Moishe the Beadle, a man from Sighet (Wiesel's home town) who had been captured by Hitler's men and escaped, warned everyone when he returned that the German Army would be back for the rest of them and no one believed him. Within days the Germans were walking the streets and being friendly, perhaps trying to gain the people's trust before ruining their Passover celebration. Before long the Jews were forced out of their homes and sent to Auschwitz where their identities were stripped away and replaced by numbers, that is if they weren't killed first. From then on they were constantly beaten and only received small rations of food, bread and soup. The chapter ends when the remaining men (the ones who hadn't been taken to other camps for special skills) were sent to Buna.

As I was reading this, I couldn't help but pay attention to every little detail-tattooing numbers on the Jews instead of recognizing their names, stripping them and giving them identical clothes, shaving them, treating them all as if they were prisoners and not giving them any form of individuality. Also, even before going to the camps, the people of Sighet refused to believe that Germany was coming for them or that there was any threat in the German Army, even after one of their own warned them that these men were not to be trusted. I don't understand how any person can feel so much hate for a particular group of people if we are all human. I suppose that if I lived through Hitler's life I might understand where he was coming from, but there has been nothing in my life so far that would make me hate anyone so much, and I can't fathom anything the Jews did being so bad as to make someone want to erase their people. I can't help but wonder if Hitler had a personal reason or if his motives were purely selfish. If he was simply eradicating Jews for his own selfish reasons, I don't think he would have had so many followers. Then again, I've never fully understood racism or discrimination because I was raised with an open mind to most things, and I was raised to be kind to everyone I encounter. My biggest questions are what drove Hitler to these extremes? How could someone hate a race so much as to strip them of their identities and kill them so carelessly?