Question

Journal writing and the experience of the Jewish people and in World War II are forever linked to the memory of people such as Anne Frank. However, unlike Anne Frank, the reader of Night learns little of Eliezer's sisters Hilda and Bea and is not able to experience their female perspective of the internment camps. Based on what you can gather from the book, your imagination, and other sources, write a diary of the experiences of Hilda or Bea after arriving at Birkenau.

Answer 1

An imagined diary of Hilda or Bea, sisters of Eliezer from 'Night', would describe their dire circumstances at Birkenau, their daily struggles, resilience, and intertwined acts of resistance and humanity. It would illustrate the unique experiences and perspectives of women during the Holocaust and the difficulty of survivors to recount these harrowing experiences post-liberation.

Step-by-step explanation:

The perspective of Hilda or Bea, sisters of Eliezer from the book Night, is not extensively covered within the text itself. If one were to imagine a diary written by Hilda or Bea after their arrival at Birkenau, it would likely contain harrowing details of their struggle for survival and their witness to the indescribable cruelty of the Nazi regime. Their entries would include the initial shock of the deportation, the horrific journey to the camp, the brutal selection process upon arrival, and the subsequent struggle to maintain hope and humanity in a place designed to strip them of both.

Such a diary would also shed light on the unique experiences of women in the camps, from the loss of family and the day-to-day miseries to acts of courage and solidarity among prisoners. Inspired by diaries like those of Anne Frank and the accounts of Holocaust survivors preserved by institutions like the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, these imagined entries would contribute to the memory of the Holocaust and serve as a testament to the strength and resilience of those who suffered through one of history's darkest periods.

Resistance against the Nazis was not limited to armed uprisings; it existed in the form of survival, as every day lived was a form of defiance. Women like Hilda or Bea would have been witnesses not only to brutality but also to fleeting moments of humanity and bravery that punctuated the otherwise overwhelming inhumanity of the camps. Their imagined diary entries would also speak to the aftermath of survival, the difficulty of reconciling their experiences with life after liberation, and the long silence that many survivors maintained before they could find the words to describe what they had endured.