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"Eight words spoken quietly, indifferently, without emotion. Eight short, simple words. Yet that was the moment when I parted from my mother." Chapter 3, pg. 27

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Explain in a paragraph how you can take what you learned in the text and apply it to life today!

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Explain in a paragraph how Elie's identity has shifted from the end of the book to now!

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How can experiencing death shape you?

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Elie Wiesel on What Happens When We Die | SuperSoul Sunday | Oprah Winfrey Network

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Having and losing faith can do a great deal to help you form your identity.

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"Never shall I forget that night, the first night in camp, that turned my life into one long night seven times sealed. Never shall I forget that smoke. Never shall I forget the small faces of the children whose bodies I saw transformed into smoke under a silent sky. Never shall I forget thos flames that consumd my faith forever... Never."

Response: This passage, possibly the most poignant of the whole book, shows what happened when young and innocent people were faced with all the brutality and evil in the world. Eliezer's soul seems to crumple in this excerpt from the serious, but motivated young boy to a weary, battle-hardened man forced to confront the harshness of life before his time. The passage perfectly encapsulates the insanity that ran unchecked in Auschwitz, which was so unbelievable that it made an observant young boy reconsider all his assumptions about a loving, righteous God.

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"In a few seconds, we had ceased to be men...

I glanced over at my father. How changed he looked! His eyes were veiled...

The night had passed completely. The morning star shone in the sky. I too had become a different person. The student of Talmud, the child I was, had been consumed by the flames. All that was left was a shape that resembled me. My soul had been invaded – and devoured – by a black flame."

Response: This passages uses extremely strong imagery and word choice to present the person that Elie use to be, compared to the person that he is now. He uses words like 'consumed, devoured and invaded' to show that he was taken over, not just that he lost himself. At the same time though, Elie mentions the stars in the sky. Typically, stars are meant to represent the hope of the unknown. They are the guiding light that helps people who are lost find their way to where they are meant to be. This is just one more example of how Wiesel manages to both wallow in despair, but also includes a small glimmer of hope, similar to his favorite phrase "and yet."

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What is the relationship between our stories and our identity? To what extent are we all witnesses to history and messengers to humanity?

Though identity is sometimes considered simple, it is made up of multiple facets. As we know, each life experience helps to create who we are as a person. Though one cannot fully feel the experience of the Holocaust, this does provide us with a chance to reflect on the poor choices we as humans can make, especially when no one stands up for those in need.

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"Why do you pray?" he asked after a moment. Why did I pray? Strange question. Why did I live? Why did I breathe? "I don't know," I told him, even more troubled and ill at ease. "I don't know."

Response: This first passage shows the reader that prayer is a huge part of Elie's identity, like breathing. It also shows us though, that he doesn't really understand why he does it. This reminds me of the different aspects of life that people pick up, either from family or friends. We do a lot of the things just because others around us do it. This is the case here for Elie, which makes me think it's not that unthinkable that his faith is called into question. He also seeks to understand more about his faith, which shows me he has a much larger journey ahead of him before he can actually understand what he believes in.

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"Abruptly, our doors opened. Strange-looking creatures, dressed in striped jackets and black pants, jumped into the wagon. Holding flashlights and sticks, they began to strike at us left and right"

Response: At this point we can see that people in general are starting to lose their identity for Elie. He doesn't know how to interpret what is happening and the shock has affected his ability to see beyond clothes and items. You could also see this as an example of foreshadowing what is to come for Elie and the rest of the people he is with. The purpose of this process is to erase identities and he will experience this first hand.