Top Fives - Night.

Scenes
1. Moshe's Prayer
-"I pray to the God within me for the stregnth to ask the real questions"
-a moving quote that illustrates the fear of God that these people do have and that they do sometimes question their faith

2. Never Shall I Forget..
-this passage is so free flowing and moving. the repitition helps the reader to clearly feel the narrators pain. it is an excellent portrayal of all the emotions running through his head when he first experienced this tragedy and those same feelings he has when remembering it.

3. Young French Woman in Factory
-this young girl helps Elie after he is beaten by the Kapo, saying, "Just hold on"
-Elie encounters the girl later in life on the streets of Paris, thanks her and spends the day with her
-the girls help was a small shred of humanity amoungst so much darkness and the rejoice felt by Elie in finding another survivor, who knows exactly what the time was like for him is inexpicable.

4. Young 'Angel' Boy is Hung from the Gallows
-this scene is resoundingly heartbreaking. readers can feel the silence of ten thousand men standing in mournful awe at the sight of such an incredible tragedy. the fact that the boy hangs for hours, just to be given the freedom of death shines a light on the disgusting ways prisoners were treated.

5. Elies First Glance in the Mirror
-Elie looks into a mirror for the first time since the ghetto. The change he sees in himself leaves him unrecognizable. This scence illustrates how such a horrible experience can change a persons perspective on life and simply on himself.

Themes
1. Effect an Individuals Perspective has on a Persons Beliefs
-Elie begins to question his faith almost right when the Holocaust begins
-Elie refuses to recite a prayer before eating

2. Reconciliation of Desire to Act Independantly and the Need for Security
-Elie fights with the decision to either stay by his fathers side even though he may slow him down or to leave him behind and fight for his own survival
-Elie might have had an easier time in the camps without having to look after his father, but he would not have the security of that one shred of his former life

3. Impact of Significant Experience on the Individual
-Elies faith is completely faded by the end of his experience in the Holocaust. Previously his faith was a very large part of his life.
-Elie looks at himself in the mirror after the whole ordeal is officially over and does not recognize himself in the mirror. The face he sees is empty and expressionless.

4. Hope
-Elie constantly mentions throughout the story that he always had hope he would be liberated by the Russian or American troops
-Elie sometimes had thoughts of things that he would do after this situation was over, thus revealing small pieces of hope he had of getting through the Holocaust