Ava G. Mendez
Mr. Strack
English 9
February 5th, 2023 In the book, “Night” Jewish people in concentration camps were treated with unfathomable cruelty. It shows the true story and sad reality of young Elie and his struggles in the concentration camps. Prisoners were often beaten for no reason, deprived of food, and treated in the most inhumane ways possible. Throughout the book, Dehumanization was displayed when the prisoners were assigned numbers, humiliated, and treated like animals.
One way dehumanization was shown was they were assigned numbers instead of names. “The three ‘veteran’ prisoners, needles in hand, tattooed numbers on our left arms. I became A-7713. From then on, I had no other name.” This quote shows how at the camp, everyone was viewed as an object rather than a human being. Elie states that he had no other name besides his number. Elie doesn’t express that he is necessarily affected by being assigned a number, but this simple thing that took place really shows how prisoners were not viewed as human. “A-7713?... After your meal, you’ll go to see the dentist.” This is the first time the book shows Elie being called by his number. After actually being called this number it's
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“Bread, soup - these were my whole life. I was a body. Perhaps less than that even: a starved stomach. The stomach alone was aware of the passage of time.” They were fed bread and soup every day. The Jews would not get fair rations of soup, and eating the same thing every day and having very little portions is not good for your health. “We had forgotten everything--death, fatigue, our natural needs. Stronger than cold or hunger, stronger than the shots and the desire to die, condemned and wandering, mere numbers, we were the only men on earth.” They weren’t treated as human beings so they forgot their basic needs to live. In their mind, this was bigger than starvation or death, they were the only men on