ANNOTATING Night
By Elie Wiesel
I.Read Night-including the Preface, Foreward and The Nobel Peace Prize Speech at
the end of the book.
To annotate means to write a note of explanation about the text-not paraphrase the text.
Use small Post-It-Notes on tol write annotations. Place these in your novel, just underneath the
portion the annotation is noting.
 Title and underline each annotation like Dehumanization.
 Please note: Do not write questions for an annotation. If you do have a question, think
about your possible response and write your response on the note instead of the
question.
 Do not write plot summaries.
 Annotate Preface and Foreword but not The Nobel Peace Prize Speech.
II.Annotations: 4 Important Concepts to identify and explain *Do NOT annotate above examples
A.Dehumanization- the gradual and complete loss of one’s identity
Dehumanization means to deprive a person of human qualities or attributes or
to reduce a person to less than human.
Annotate-identify 7 acts of dehumanization and explain how each act destroys
one’s identity.
Ex: Separation from family or in essence separated from familial connection
with the world.
B.Gradual loss of a faith in a higher power
Annotate-identify 3 key passages where Wiesel struggles with his faith and
explain how he is losing his faith and the results of this loss.
Ex: P.65 Sad-eyed angel “For God’s sake, where is God?” And from within me, Example annotation
I heard a voice answer:
Dehumanization
Where He is? This is where-hanging here from the gallows…”
C.Purpose
“I became A-7714.” Elie is
Annotate-How does this passage convey the author’s purpose?
no longer a human but
Identify 2 passages, which Wiesel indirectly states his purpose for writing
reduced only to a number.
Night. Ex: P.34 “Never shall I forget”
D.Symbols/Motifs
Identify and explain the significance of 7 symbols including Night and eyes.
What do these symbols really mean?
Ex: A tattoo means that a person is no longer a human being but a number.
E.Vocabulary-write meaning on sticky notes for 20 words, which are unfamiliar to you.
III.Grading
For students wanting an “A,” grading is based upon the following:
1.All aspects of the above list to be noted. Quality means to not only write the element but also offer
insight or explain how or why significant.
Annotations should be relevant or carefully selected choice of quotes/passages and insightful; in
other words, student should not just repeat “text evidence” but explain the significance.
2.Students will be expected use annotations to write responses about the significance of
the above concepts/elements.
DUE Date: The first day of school!!! NO late work accepted.