“Oblivion” is an appropriate name for the first chapter of Night by Elie Wiesel because throughout most of the chapter, various signs or warnings of trouble were given to the Jews of Sighet, but they chose to stay optimistic and paid no attention to the advice. One word to describe them was oblivious or unaware of the peril they were about to enter within a few days. I chose this title because it describes the Jews and what they expected from the Nazis, and therefore, they were unaware of the immoral acts that the Nazis did, such as throwing babies into the air and the machine gunners shooting them for practice. I believe that because of their oblivion, they were vulnerable and seized by the Nazis .It works according to the chapter’s events, especially Moshe the Beadle. The Jews were warned by Moshe the Beadle, and even though he was speaking the truth, they were blind to the fact that they were destined to undergo these facts of agony.
“There they are your Germans!…Where is their famous cruelty?” (7) This quote shows that upon first look, the Germans do not appear wicked from the Jews’ point of view. However, as they slowly take over their lives, establish decrees, shut them in ghettos, and then stuff them into cattle cars, the Germans were exposed to be truly immoral. The Jews of Sighet were oblivious and overlooked this, in which cost them their lives. The significance of the chapter is that if the Jews did know of their cruelty, fate could have altered, and had the chance to flee from the concentration camps. Optimism was the Jews’ downfall and the unawareness they had served them a life of torture.
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When I read your title, I knew exactly what chapter it was. Your title is very fitting for this chapter because although the Jews received so many warnings of the terrible things that were in store for them, they chose to ignore them and remain optimistic. If they were not so oblivious, they could have listened to the warnings, and saved themselves while there was still time. Good job, Seika!
ReplyDeleteI definitely agree with Jaimee; this title suits this chapter very well. The Jews of Sighet refused to believe all of the warnings they received because they could not wrap their minds around the idea of these horrible immoralities actually happening in real life. They instead chose to overlook them, as you said, and it proved to be the worst thing that they could have done. I never thought of the Jews as being oblivious and completely unaware because they did have their fair share of warnings; they just chose to ignore them and stay positive. However, you had numerous examples from throughout the chapter that supported your title. Great work!
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