Night Response 3

            Faith – what motivates a person to persevere through any tragic event. Without faith, there is no hope. Everyone wants to believe in something, something larger than life. But without anything to believe in, one’s world might fall apart. Throughout the course of the book, Night, Elie faces the greatest struggle to maintain a strong faith in God.

             What kept most of the Jews hopeful during WWII was their firm faith in God, and their belief they would eventually reach salvation. After Elie starts to realize there is no way out of death’s grasp, he starts to doubt God. What used to be his most valued moral is now the very moral he corrupts. Without faith in God, he feels there is no way out, no hope, no future. Because of all the horrific tragedies that occur right before his eyes, he sees no reason to believe in God, let alone worship him. “Why, but why would I bless Him? Every fiber in me rebelled” (67). Elie let down his guard, and lost all belief in the one thing that could keep him motivated to not give up – a firm faith in God. Just because God isn’t responding to Elie’s prayers the way he wants him to doesn’t mean that God isn’t listening. If Elie would just continue his hope that God performs miracles, his time in the concentration camp would be a little easier to experience. Everyone wants to believe in something larger than life, but Elie is struggling to hold onto that faith.

Night Response 1

Joan Starich
Mrs. Woods
Honor's English 10
3 April 2012

Habitual Actions
Confusion, shock, terror, endurance, adaptation, normalcy. These are the steps in which one becomes acclimated to a stressful situation, and no longer sees the reality of how terrible their environment actually is. Ironically after adaptation, normalcy always follows shortly after. Elie writes, "Silence fell again..We could begin to doze again, to rest, to dream" (26). After breaking the shock and settling into peaceful silence, people would continue their normal routines. Like the message of the sentence, it's structure ties in with as well by making these routines sound bland. Through his sentence structure and word repetition; Elie Wiese, author of Night, explains how passion fades to effortless because of habit.
After repeatedly facing immense struggles, the struggles now turn from nightmares to expected reality - nothing new, normal, acceptable. As a Jew during WWII times, Elie has a confused feeling about his unknown future. Growing up learning to praise God and put full effort into worship was an expectation, and Elie is obedient and understanding in this sense. Stripped of his old environment and everything he had ever known, the very morals he values most are also falling into the hands of the Nazis. When describing a typical Jewish gathering, Elie writes, "We drank, we ate, we sang" (10). Based on the repeating clause format, the reader's response is that these actions are boring and lack in substance - just like the sentence. Elie wrote this way on purpose, to convey this effect. Running through the motions instead of putting one's entire heart into a traditional praise proves how after habit of suffering, pain seemingly no longer exists. The sound of their song tasted bittersweet - heard but not listened to.

War Is not Beautiful

War is courageous, brave, and shows a sign of dedication. Putting the image of war being a beautiful thing towards the beginning of the book, All Quiet on the Western Front, shows an expectation in the earliest form. Before all the actual stresses war causes, these young boys make assumptions. The most important theme Remarque is trying to portray is the false expectation of war through his diction.

            Along with the positive factors that being a soldier brings, there are also many struggles that they must overcome. Paul Baumer was ignorant understanding that every rose has its thorn. War is not a beautiful act, but it’s as if this is how Paul sees it. Through the heavenly imagery, Remarque sets the peaceful expectation, “Around us stretches the flowery meadow. The grasses sway their tall spears, the white butterflies flutter around and float on the soft warm wind of the late summer” (9). The description of the beautiful scene portrays the expectation that the rest of the war will be this beautiful in the big picture. War is anything but perfect and good. Paul’s expectations do not line up with reality.

The Unknown - Motif

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Over the course of the story Jekyll and Hyde, the reoccurring motif of unknown answers led me to want to explain how and why somethings were left unsaid. The reasons were because knowing everything can sometimes be dangerous, and how we're addicting to trying to know  it all. This is my response on the topic. 
Curiosity killed the cat, which further proves the dangers of curiosity.. Mysteries are bound to become resolved, along with every little detail. What motivates one to find answers is in one simple explanation - curiosity. Humans are destined to want to know everything, but sometimes knowing it all could result in regret. Some say, "What you don't know won't hurt you," and the quote is completely relate able to the odd case of Jekyll & Hyde.
Once everything is known, there's nothing left to search for. Jekyll leaves Dr. Lanyon a letter explaining some of the mysteries and weird behaviors, propelling Lanyon to reach further into the case. Stevenson writes "The contents increased my wonder" (94). By knowing part of the story just made him more curious to understand the entire story. The more information Lanyon learned, the more he wanted to know. His constant addiction to seek answers is overtaking. When finally having the entire story revealed, Lanyon is so disturbed. Almost regretting having anything to do with what was once his entire goal, he was better off not knowing the strange features of Dr. Jekyll. It was surely a statement better left unsaid. But because of his constant curiosity, he was destined all along to discover the truth.
Comparing to Jekyll & Hyde's case, what people didn't know never hurt them; leaving the mystery better left unsolved. Because of the natural strive to know everything, the truth always eventually leaks out. Whether or not it was better to know or not know, everyone just wants to know for their own satisfaction.Very often are questions left unanswered.

Jekyll's Jealousy of Hyde - Point of View

AUTHOR'S NOTE: I was trying to portray Jekyll's reasonings as to why he wanted to become Hyde full time. At first he thought Hyde was limitless and could get away with anything, so Jekyll desperately wanted to be him. Then after he actually does become Hyde, he realizes he hates Hyde and does not want to be him anymore, even when it's too late. This poem shoes how the grass isn't always greener on the other side.

He is free.
He is lucky.
He is the happiest side of myself.
He is carefree.
He is fun.
He is adventurous.
He is confident.
He is  limitless.
He is alive.
He is at an advantage.
He is sneaky.
He is right.
He is everything I want to be.

I am jealous.
I am disabled.
I am blocked.
I am limited.
I am fake.
I am loosing.
I am unable to be myself.
I am unsatisfyed.
I am craving his ability.
I am confused.
I am longing for freedom.
I am starting to think I want to be him.

He is evil.
He is dangerous.
He is wrong.
He is the worst image of myself.
He is a liar.
He is dangerous.
He is in danger as well.
He is terrible.
He is winning.
He is the devil.
He is everything I never want to be anymore.
But now, He is me.

I Speak In Silence - Mr. Hyde

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Throughout the story Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, a reoccurring motif was different sound noises. The most common was silence in either Mr. Hyde's expressions, or the silence someone has when they see him. I wanted to know why Mr. Hyde didn't talk much, so I wrote this poem (or whatever it's called because it doesn't rhyme) about his reasons for choosing not to talk.

I speak in silence.
Language is a symbol of reasoning.
I make my desicions based on instinct, without reason.
Therefore, I speak in silence.

I chose to have this quiet lifestyle.
Just because words are absent, doesn't mean my thoughts are.
The times I have the most to say are the times I don't talk.
Confession will be the end of me.
Therefore, I chose to stay quiet.

Society hears me as irrational, because I can't talk.
I do not fail at speaking, I refuse to let my words out.
They gossip about my unexplained mystery as if they know the answers.
Words are meaningless when simply put in use to repress the truth.
Therefore, it is society with irrationality.

My actions are my voice.
Reputation is determined through the things I do.
I'm a terrible savage with dangerous temper.
I don't talk because my spoken words can't change that about me.
Therefore, my actions are my voice.

They don't understand my outspoken silence.
Maybe it's because they don't understand me.

Charactor Foils - Jekyll & Hyde

Author's Note: In the story Jekyll and Hyde, the two characters oddly enough are exact opposites, which made me wonder why they were complete character foils of each other. I wrote about the differences between the two, and how rather than canceling the other out, they complimented each other. Both needed the other in some weird way to survive. I thought it was either they both die, or they both live. One cannot kill the other, and this is why. 

Some say opposites attract, because one factor needs the other to make up for the qualites they lack. In a math equation, +X and -X cancel eachother out; contradicting, in this case the two emphasise eachother. Comparing two completely different people causes concentration on the obvious reverse characteristics. Because Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde are exact opposites, they compliment one another rather than contradict the other out.
Resembling an angel upon one shoulder and a devil on the other, both Jekyll and Hyde demonstrate mysteriously extreme opposite qualities that embellish their identities. Hyde's entire world is disturbing and cruel, proving therefore his connection with the devil. Stevenson writes, "Mr. Hyde was pale and dwarfish, he gave an impression of deformity without any nameable malformation, he had a displeasing smile.."(52). His lack of height, attractiveness, personality, and liveliness label him a monster. In a complete different direction, Jekyll appears as a bright and sincere man. He was described as "a large, well-made, smooth-faced man of fifty with something of a slyish cast perhaps, but every mark of capacity and kindness- you could see by this looks that he cherished for Mr. Utterson a sincere and warm affection"(56). Relating to an angel, Dr. Jekyll is an exact character foil of Mr. Hyde. Creating a dual bond, the two's opposite qualities compliment the other. This isn't just a coincidence, it's simply because opposites attract.