Night Literary Analysis Paper
What is literary analysis? A literary analysis presents your thoughtful interpretation or understanding of an aspect of a literary work. Not only does it include your individual interpretation, but it also incorporates literary proof (direct quotes and examples) to back up your argument. Literary analysis is both the most challenging and most interesting form of writing about literature.
Directions: Answer the following prompt for your literary analysis paper for Night:
What is the most important theme of Night, and what aspects of Elie Wiesel’s style as an author support this theme?
Your theme could answer or be a response to one of the following (circle or highlight ones that interest you):
• How are families – whether biological or otherwise – formed, destroyed, or changed? How do different characters define family?
• Analyze a symbol in Night (fire, night, Juliek’s violin, Elie being a “corpse,” etc.). Briefly explain what the symbol literally means – but, more importantly, explain what it symbolizes/represents? (Most symbols have more than one meaning.) To what theme does the symbol relate, and how?
• How and why do characters’ religious beliefs change in Night?
• How do characters transition from childhood to adulthood and/or from adulthood to childhood in Night? Why?
• How and why do some characters use or misuse/abuse power in the concentration camp?
• Why do people accept or reject change in Night?
• How does Wiesel personify “night” in Night? Why is the book called Night?
• The Holocaust is a direct result of prejudice, and “the dangers of prejudice” is a major topic in Night. How is prejudice portrayed in Night? In what ways is Night a warning to humanity about the dangers of prejudice?
• Under extreme circumstances, how do humans treat each other in Night? Are there circumstances in which it is acceptable to behave inhumanely towards other human beings?
• Delusion provided many Jews with the will to live during the Holocaust. When and how do we see this in Night? Is it okay to be ruled by delusion or is it better to face life for what it is? Why?
• “Groupthink,” a way of thinking/making decisions in a group that discourages creativity or individual responsibility, can have detrimental effects. How did “groupthink” influence the Holocaust? Provide evidence from Night. Link the idea of “groupthink” and the Holocaust to a contemporary issue.
Students should also meet the paper’s requirements:
• Your theme must be an original claim and not be something that we discussed in class.
• What makes Wiesel’s writing different from other authors’ writing? What did Wiesel include besides characterization and plot that you inferred was the most important theme of Night? What literary devices or textual features does Wiesel include? This is the evidence that you should include to support your thesis.
• Write a 1500-word paper that fully analyzes something of academic merit and personal interest from Night. The paper must follow all MLA requirements (i.e. 1-inch margins, font size 12, and Times New Roman/Arial fonts) and feature proper in-text citations.
• The paper does not necessitate outside research, and all the opinions should come solely from the author. Students should avoid plot summary as much as possible, as all students are expected to know the plot by this point. Students are expected to reinforce their assertions with evidence from the text, and they must properly cite them according to MLA formatting conventions. All evidence must be smoothly integrated to an assertion or analysis; no quotes should be by themselves as their own sentences.
• Answer the following question, using the “chunking” method (i.e. thesis statement, claim/assertion/topic sentence, supporting points, conclusion, etc.) we discussed in class.
• Be creative, minimize plot summary, and have fun analyzing whatever interests you in Night.
Formatting: Your paper should conform to all MLA formatting conventions. Please refer to the handout that you received earlier this year to ensure your paper meets these requirements.
Grading: Your paper will be worth 100 points and will be graded via the GCM English 9 Writing Rubric. For the Appreciation of Writer’s Choices tier, all of the evidence that students include should support their analyzed theme. Here are the two most challenging tiers of the rubric that students should focus on:
Due Date: The outline for this essay will be due on ________________________________________.
The rough draft for peer editing will be due on __________________________________.
The final draft (also uploaded to Turnitin) will be due on __________________________.
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Directions: Write what tentative theme you wish to analyze for your literary analysis essay here.
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