11 March 2015
"Night" Section 4 Reaction
- - - - Why did Eliezer’s father give him the spoon
and the knife as his inheritance? What
is the significance of such a gift in Auschwitz?
- - - -
What choices are open to Eliezer and his
father when the camp is evacuated? How
is the decision to leave made? Who makes
the decision? Is it the “right”
choice? Or is it an example of a
“choiceless choice?”
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His father giving him the spoon and knife is significant because of How poorly they were treated at Auschwitz it shows How valued such simple things were
ReplyDeleteThey are the only possessions he still has and he wants to give the most precious things to him. He also believes that his death is imminent. It is also a Jewish custom. They pass down there estate down to the oldest son. The knife and the spoon are all he has so he gives those possessions up to him. The significance of these items are the knife is an instrument of death and the spoon is to eat. You have to defend your self and eat it equals survival.
ReplyDeleteSome choices for them are stay at Auschwitz and hope for liberation or evacuate with the other Jews. Safety in numbers and they are close to the red army. There will has been broken and they do what they are told. They can't fight back they don't know to fight back anymore. Physically they can't defend them self so might as well head off. I think this is a choice less choice because its what they have been told.
I believe that he gives Eliezer the spoon and knife as inheritance in a protective way. He is giving these to him in case anything would happen that Eliezer would need to protect himself. His father wants him to be safe because he believes he is about to be killed. The significance of these gifts is shown as a symbol of survival in Auschwitz. You need these tools in order to work for your survival.
ReplyDeleteThe choices that are open to Eliezer and his father were to go on the road with the Germans because they were evacuating the camps because it was said that the Russians were coming. The other option was to stay in the infirmary at the camp. Eliezer had heard from people though that they thought they would die staying in the infirmary. Eliezer goes to his father but his father is silent. This is why Eliezer makes the decision for the both of them to go with the Germans. I think this was a choice less choice because if they would have stayed at the camp they would have been freed and would have been safe. Eliezer was doubtful of this though which is why he made the decision for him and father to go on the road seeking hope.
--- The spoon and knife if all his father had to give him. It was his fathers way of showing he cared about Eliezer. The significance of this is that his father could of used the knife as a weapon but never did. The shows the self control his father has in this terrible situation.
ReplyDelete--- Eliezer could of left the camp or stayed in the infirmary. The went with what his father believed was best. It was not the right choice but at the time the had no idea that the Russians would shown up. This is a choiceless choice because they went with what they knew which was they would be killed if they stayed. So to them the choice was to live or die.
His dad gave him the spoon and knife because it was the only thing that he had left. The signifigance of this is that in Auschwitz it is considered a privilege to had and and its the only thing they had besides each other.
ReplyDeleteHe is scared to leave because he fears they will be killed but it comes down to his fathers decision to leave with the others it was the right choice but later leads to death for his father and most likely they would have been killed if they stayed.
I believe the significance of Eliezers inheritance from his father represents how little they had in Aushwitz. I believe Eliezers father only had a spoon and knife in Hus possession and hoping that they could go to some beneficial use, he gives them to Eliezer. Eliezers father thought for sure he was going to die and as a way of saying "this is all I have, but remember me by it," he gave his son the spoon and knife.
ReplyDeleteEliezer and his father had the choice to stay in the infermary during the evacuation of the camp due to the Russian Army, in which they thought they would surely be executes by the Geemans, or to evacuate with the others. Unfortunately, Eliezer and his father made the wrong choice since the infermary workers were not executed and freed by the Russians.
--- I think Eliezers father gave him the knife and spoon because in a concentration camp, there would be little to nothing to give to someone openly. Eliezers dad told him not to sell anything, so the items may have been valuable. If need be, a knife could be an ideal weapon if Eliezer was in a bad situation. The significance is that those items would be the only things Eliezer would be able to remember his father by. Possibly the knife could represent hope, while the spoon could represent survival.
ReplyDelete--- Eliezer and his dad could have evacuated with the rest of the Jews, or they could have stayed on the infirmary and potentially be saved, or killed. Eliezer makes the choice since his father was silent, only to comment on his son's foot. I'm not too sure if it was the "right" choice or not, considering the chances of dying from choosing either choice was probably high. I think it could have been a "choiceless choice" because the heat of the moment helped persuade his decision. Eliezer just wanted to be with his dad and they could have went back to the infirmary but at least Eliezer probably thought moving on would be safer than staying, since he thought the Germans would kill everyone staying at the infirmary.
1. His father gave him the utensils because having eating utensils in a concentration camp is very rare and a privilege. Also these are the last things his father has to pass down to him and the last form of humanity they have. It is a "piece of home" that they no longer have and long for.
ReplyDelete2. They make the choice to stay in the infirmary as either a patient or medic or to leave with everyone else. Eliezer asks his father but his father can't seem to make us his mind so Eliezer just makes the decision for them since they don't have the time. In this situation there isn't necessarily a "right" choice but simply a choice. They make the choice they feel is right at the time. Any choice they made at the time they probably would have wished they made the other decision.
1. Eliezer's father thought he was going die because he was picked by the SS men at selection so he wanted to give him the last thing he owned . It could have been because he wanted him to remember something of him and it would be useful in the camps. The knife would be used for protection if needed and the spoon is also useful to eat because they only got fed soup.
ReplyDelete2. Eliezer and his father can either go to the infirmary or go with the SS men to an unknown destination. Him and his father chose to go with the SS men and hoped for the best outcome , come to find out it wasn't. If they would have went to the infirmary they would have been liberated by the Russians only two days later. The choice to go to with the SS men was a mutual agreement between Eliezer and his Dad.
1. The spoon and knife are given to Eliezer as his inheritance because of the meaning behind them. These two items are the only things that his father can call his own at this point. He has had everything taken from him, so the knife and spoon are very important to him. He wanted to pass them on to his son if he was going to die so Eliezer had something to remember him by. It is tradition that he gives his inheritance to his son. It is small, but he is still passing something on. These small gifts are important in Auschwitz because they symbolize survival. These things have given life to Eliezer's father for the months in the camp. The camp has deprived everyone of everything, even their humanity. The spoon and knife help his father with surviving and it is important that he passes this down.
ReplyDelete2. The choices that Eliezer and his father have can either give them life or death. They have the choice to stay in the infirmary or evacuate with the rest of the prisoners. Eliexer continues to ask his father repeatedly what they should do. Eliezer ultimately makes the decision himself and takes on the "man" role. He doesn't ask, he simply tells his father what they are doing. Looking back after the Holocaust, Eliezer realizes he should have stayed with the sick because they were liberated 2 short days later. He now has to endure the cold and walking with his injured foot. It was not a choiceless decision because at the time Eliezer thought it was the better option. He thought the infirmary would just be put in the fire. That is a very real fear for him since he was on the way to the camp in the train. He will do anything to a avoid it.
1) Eliezer's father gives him his spoon and knife because he is afraid that he will be selected for death in the next selection. This is significant because a spoon and knife might be a good bargaining chip for Eliezer's survival: perhaps he could trade the spoon and knife for extra food or supplies.
ReplyDelete2)
I believe that Eliezer's dad gave him those two items, because that is all Eleizer's father has to give Eliezer. His dad has nothing else. He has no other possessions. Everything valuable or useful was taken from him. The knife and spoon is the only thing left in his life. It is the greatest thing he can give Eliezer at this point in their lives. A knife and a spoon can actually help Eliezer eat his food, which will keep Eliezer alive longer, hopefully.
ReplyDeleteThe two options available to Eliezer and his father are either leave with the others or stay in the infirmary. They made the wrong choice and left with the others. Eliezer makes this decision because, to him, it is the only logical decision. He feels the swollen foot is a minor setback but he needs to do what he feels is best. Either leave and maybe survive, or stay and most likely die is the thought Eliezer probably had. By definition, Eliezer did make a choiceless decision. He thought he could have died if he stayed, but now he is still a prisoner. There was not an actual better choice. Both choices are terrible, but the one he chose, was thought to be the lesser of two evils.
The spoon and knife both represent something significant in Auschwitz. His father gives him those because it shows that his father knows he is dying. It brings back the father son role, as well as hoping his son has a prosperous future even in such a terrible situation. The spoon could represent nourishment. The knife represents protection. The spoon and knife both show something that they do not have in the camp. In Auschwitz there is no nourishment causing severe health risks, and there is no protection for the Jews. They could have provided Elizer with a sense of hope for the future as well as a preparation sign that he will be on his own soon.
ReplyDeleteElizer has the choice of staying in the hospital or leaving with the rest of the camp. He makes his decision to leave because of the man in the hospital who had said that those who do stay will be in for a certain death. Leaving his father was also another reason that he decided to go. He could not allow his father to go through the rest of their short lives alone. There is no real choice to leave or stay. Either way Elizer is faced with the possibility of death. It was a matter of deciding when they would die.
Eliezer's father gave him a knife and a spoon because he wanted to give him something to remember him with. This is significant because it is showing their relationship was growing closer. They actually care about each other. His father at the beginning of the book probably would not have gave Eliezer anything.
ReplyDeleteThey can choose to stay in the infirmary or leave with the rest of the camp. They chose to leave with the rest of the camp. They made this decision because Eliezer thought that the people in the infirmary would be killed. This was the wrong decision because the Russians ended up invading and liberating the people still there.
1.) Eliezer's father gave him those two items because it was all he had. He knew that in Auschwitz, those things almost resembled money, or a form of trade. Although it may not seem that way to us, in the camps, the knife and the spoon were valuables. The significance of this is to show how Eliezer's relationship with his father has changed and grown. They've become close and he didn't feel "obligated" to take the knife and the spoon. He knew he had too if it meant it would make his father happy.
ReplyDelete2.) They could stay with infantry and hope that the Nazi's wouldn't just kill them off. Or they could risk Eliezer's foot and leave with the rest of the camp. The decision is made by Eliezer. This just shows how he played the father role in this situation. After they make the choice, Eliezer notes that they found the infantry was liberated. So in the end, it was the wrong choice. But I believe in a life or death situation such as this, there is no right answer. He makes the "right" decision solely to stay with his father and not separate.
When under the guise of safety and protection, people tend to forget the value of even the most compromisable faculties of life. In a concentration camp, even the smallest crumb of bread is looked upon as rich morsales for the taking, to satiate the starving and fasting so that they, then, can satisfy the war machine that perpetually monitors them. The seemingly petty items and utensils that his father gave to Eliezer became much more within that camp - it presented the last piece of his father that was truly his. Just as with Eliezers shoes before that, as well as his gold tooth, it is an item not to be parted with when all sanctity is riding on it. Those two items hold the memories they shared while they were together, and all that they survived to get to this point. They lived. It is a symbol of who his father was and how miraculously he has maintained his character and identity, to aid his son despite all the odds that hang over him. Just the same, the spoon and knife remained the same in and out of the prison, and did not change its shape. They are two items that were torn with them from their prior world. Passing on those items gives the resolve to his son that he needs to go on and survive, even if he should succumb to the nature of the camp.
ReplyDeleteDuring the evacuation, it was essentially a gambol for them to escape because they could have stayed out of harms way. This was the first time they truly had a choice within the camp, either one altering their lives in their own hands (I believe even Eliezer says that before they make their decision). Eliezer was the one that ended up making the decision, finally breaking his father's silence that suspended him. He, the father figure, did not know how to handle having his free will, for it had been gone for so long. The decision is made haphazardly and based on the consideration of the faceless man within the infirmary with Eliezer (to avoid selection and being tossed into a furnace). It was not the "right" decision, per say, seeing as the Soviets' Red Army liberated the prisoner not more than 2 days later. It seemed to be a choiceless choice, however, because they had survived so long thus far by playing the Nazi's game. How could they allow the pressure to gambol with their lives when they had made it so far already trusting in themselves?
2) Eliezer's father chooses that the two are going to leave the camp with the others. Their 2 options included leaving the camp with the others or staying on the camp infirmary and waiting for liberation. Eliezer's father chose to leave because he thought that to stay would be too risky: would the Russians kill the patients? The Russians liberated the patients in the end, so it would have been better fir the 2 to stay in Buna, but instead they chose to leave.
ReplyDeleteMary Crissman Pd.5
ReplyDelete1 Elizer’s father gave him the spoon and knife as his inheritance because it’s the only things that he has left to call his own. His father has had everything taken from him, so the knife and spoon are very important to him. Even though it’s only something small, he still is passing something on. The spoon and knife help his father survive so its important that he passes them down to Elizer.
2 The choices Elizer and his father have can either give them life or death. They have the choice to evacuate with all of the prisoners or stay in the infirmary. Elizer asked his father many of times what they should do, but Elizer mainly made the decision. He basically told his father what they were going to do and his father was fine with it. Elizer realized that they should have stayed in the infirmary later on because the people in there were liberated two days after they left. He now has to work in the cold with his injured foot. It wasn’t a “choiceless choice” because at the time Elizer thought that leaving the camp was the better choice.
1.) Eliezer's father gave him the spoon and the knife as inheritance, because it was all that he had and Eliezer was all that he could give it to. Remember that his father refused to leave in pursuit of the promised land, because he did not want to leave all that he had just to start over again. This is evidence that he believes in saving what he earns to pass it on to his loved ones. In Auschwitz, these gifts are similar to giving someone a prized car or all of your money. Its what the person values most, and it is a gateway to a better life, but not to life itself. If it were food, he would be giving him life, but because it is a mere way of consuming the food, it is not quite to that level. It is however a gift of high significance.
ReplyDelete2.) When the camp is evacuated, Eliezer and his father are given the choice to stay at the infirmary or to go to another camp. Eliezer made the decision to walk to the other camp despite his injured foot. He thought he would have a better chance of living if he went to the other camp so that he would not be simply executed. It was the wrong choice however as he learned later since those who stayed were simply liberated two days after the camp was evacuated. If he had stayed his father may not have developed dysentary. This is not an example of a choiceless choice, since he clearly could have done either and he had no idea of knowing whether either choice would lead to immediate liberation or extermination. It was as simple as flipping a coin for him, and he simply had some bad luck.
In concentration camps. the prisoners were stripped of nearly everything they had except the clothes on their backs. These too could also be taken from them at any time. His father believed he was going to be taken to the crematoriums and killed. He was helpless and could do nothing to reverse his fortune at this point. Man had once again shown to them that their evil overpowered the will of God. As a father, he was to provide food and protection for his son. These items would have been left behind if he were killed so he gave his son the last things he could. The spoon was for food, and the knife for protection. These items could be sold in trade for more time for life if need be. Either would be of great help to any prisoner in the camp and the fact his father even had possession of them was significant in itself. In his last effort to protect his son, he begs that Eliezer take the gifts. They were hanging on to their past by gifting his remains to his son.
ReplyDeleteEliezer and his father could either stay in the infirmary and wait to be killed off, or march on to the next camp with the rest of the prisoners. The decision is left to Eliezer to make because his father asks him what he would like to do. The decision was made all in one night to leave the camp once again referencing the title of the book. Eliezer states with bitter regret that they would have been liberated if they stayed in the infirmary. It haunts him to this day, clearly because he breaks the story to presently state his regret.
His father gives him the spoon and knife because he believes there is a chance he will not see his son again. As a father, he is supposed to provide and protect. These tools that he receives are extremely important in a place like Auschwitz where your mind is filled with only two main thoughts: to eat and to stay alive. I believe that Eliezer's father had the mindset that these tools will allow Eliezer to accomplish these things a little easier even if he is not around to help him. I think the spoon and knife are symbolic; the spoon is Eliezer's provider and the knife is his protector. Also, within the Jewish culture, the eldest son is supposed to receive the estate from the parents after they pass, so it is possible he wants to make sure he did not leave his son alone with nothing to inherit either.
ReplyDeleteThey had the choice to either stay in the camp at the infirmary of leave with the rest of the camp and march. Eliezer wanted his father to decide but when Eliezer asked his father what they should do he hesitated and Eliezer said he wanted to go with everyone else. So, his father agreed since Eliezer said his foot would be fine. I do not believe either choice could be considered right since they both gave them an equal chance to either live or die. This was a choiceless choice.
Why did Eliezer’s father give him the spoon and the knife as his inheritance? What is the significance of such a gift in Auschwitz?
ReplyDeleteThe main reason that his father game him the spoon and kinife is because it is a Jewish custom to pass on your possessions to your oldest son. However, as a father, your job is to provide and protect for his son. The knife and the spoon are very symbolic of these two things. A spoon, which is used for feeding, represents providing. Although it is hard to find extra food or drink in the camps, Elie’s father sometimes gives a scrap of bread to his son. As a father, he would do anything to protect him, which is represented by the knife. Throughout the book, the role of the father and son is constantly changing. Sometimes Elie is the one providing and protecting and other times it is his father. When his father handed him these two items, he was passing on the role.
What choices are open to Eliezer and his father when the camp is evacuated? How is the decision to leave made? Who makes the decision? Is it the “right” choice? Or is it an example of a “choiceless choice?”
Their choices, in their minds, are to stay and probably die or leave and maybe live. Elie is the one that decides to go. This is yet another example of role reversal of father and son. They hope not to regret their decision, and go on to the next camp. If they would have stayed, they would have been liberated three days later.
1. Eliezer’s father cared about his son and wanted to help him any way that he could. He would have done anything for his son in or out of the camp. The spoon and knife were the only things left that his father possessed. This being said, his father believed that he was going to die and it symbolizes that he was stripped of all of his belongings and that, indeed was his inheritance. Eliezer will be helped by these items because he is able to use the knife and spoon for eating and protecting himself. The knife symbolizes protection and the spoon represents food. Those together equal survival.
ReplyDelete2. Eliezer and his father are open to staying and dying or leaving and possibly surviving. Eliezer decideds they should leave. He asks his father what they should do but Eliezer makes the call. They don’t really have a choice because only death is on their minds because they know it will happen. It is the right choice? There is no way of them truly knowing the right choice. That being said it was not a choiceless decision because at the time, it was definitely the right thing to do for all of the people that had left.
The spoon and the knife are all his father has left. In a more obvious way, his father wants to pass on his possessions to someone he feels could use them, so they are not wasted after his death. In addition, it was a Jewish tradition to pass down all possessions to the oldest son, indicating his father was certain of his own death. It also shows the bond between Eliezer and his father that they have formed, since he decides to give them to Eliezer. It is significant as a whole, because it shows that at these death camps, a sense of togetherness can be formed in the most desperate situations
ReplyDeleteIt is Eliezer's choice to go, and in the end, his father doesn't make a decision, and Eliezer decides to make the choice. Considering Eliezer's tragic experience with the Germans, he figured remaining anywhere near the camp would mean the eventual death of him and his father. A small chance of survival was all Eliezer was looking for, and to him, staying behind meant certain death. There was reason behind Eliezer's choice, making it more than a "choiceless choice".
1.) The knife and spoon symbolize that Shlomo is giving his inheritance to his son, all be it a few utensils. This is an important part in the Jewish culture and tradition. Fathers hand down their life to the eldest son. This is also why he tells Eliezer not to sell the utensils, because in the Jewish tradition, you do not sell the estate, you build on it and pass it off again. This also gives the reader a sense of mortality and foreshadowing that Eliezer's father will soon be faced with death.
ReplyDelete2.) Shlomo and Eliezer can either stay in the infirmary or march with everybody else into "deepest Germany." Staying in the infirmary will almost certainly mean death, but the odds of the march are not that great either. When Eliezer asks his father what to do, his father remains silent. Eliezer makes the decision to leave, and Shlomo only asks if he'll be able to make the march. At the time, it was the right choice. Rather than accepting death and giving up without a fight, Eliezer chooses to fight on, and march with everyone else. However, I do not believe it was a choiceless choice. Both could've just given up, especially Eliezer with his lame foot. They could have just stayed in the infirmary and been cremated and gambled that the Russians could've saved them in time. But they chose to fight.
1. I believe that Eliezer's dad gave him those two items, because that is all Eleizer's father has to give Eliezer. His dad has nothing else. He has no other possessions. Everything valuable or useful was taken from him. A knife and a spoon can actually help Eliezer eat his food, which will keep Eliezer alive longer, hopefully.
ReplyDelete2. The two options available to Eliezer and his father are either leave with the others or stay in the infirmary. They made the wrong choice and left with the others. Eliezer makes this decision because, to him, it is the only logical decision. He feels the swollen foot is a minor setback but he needs to do what he feels is best. Either leave and maybe survive, or stay and most likely die is the thought Eliezer probably had. He thought he could have died if he stayed, but now he is still a prisoner. Both choices are terrible, but the one he chose, was thought to be the lesser of two evils.
-- Eliezer's father gave him the spoon and knife because it is tradition that a jewish father gives his oldest son his belongings. At this point in time this is all he had to give his oldest son and he was unsure if he was going to die so just to be careful he figured he would give him what he had while he could. I also believe this is symbolism for protection because you need to be able to feed yourself and defend yourself, although he can not actually fight anyone off with the knife it still shows the symbolism.
ReplyDelete-- The choices Eliezer and his father had was to either go with the SS officer and not know where they are going or stay in the infirmary where rumors were spread that anyone who stayed there would be terminated. The choice was actually left up to Eliezer and his father went where ever he was going. Eliezer thought it was the safer choice because he felt as though they had more of a fighting chance on surviving if they took the odds. Another big reason he picked to go with the officer because he was technically weaker than the rest with his foot injury and the Nazis were known to kill the weak. Looking at his odds the infirmary seemed like the safest choice even though they were both doubtful. Sadly though he did not pick the right choice because they found out that the Jews who went to the infirmary were shortly liberated and finally free from the evil Nazis.