Night Reflective Essay A passage in Night, written by Elie Wiesel, contains a horrific incident that took the lives of many, known as a death march. Innocent people such as Elie, Elie’s father, and a young man by the name of Zalman were forced into the march to escape the liberating army, leaving Buna, their camp in Auschwitz, far behind. Not only did they run over forty miles, but they ran beyond their weariness, past the principle of pain, and much further than their physical capability through the dark night and relentless snow. This gruesome trial relates to the orchestra piece of Beethoven’s 5th Symphony, as each rise in the notes expresses sorrow and grief, while the slight fall in the notes convey momentary relief that …show more content…
They were all completely exhausted after the first mile, yet they were forced to run over forty more. The SS officers were able to take breaks, but no rest was given to the numerous who endured that treacherous march. Beethoven’s 5th Symphony connects with the intolerable march as the volume, pitch, and rate of speed induces emotions that correlate with the parts of suffering and the few portions of relief in the passage. As the volume rises, the audience can hear the heartbeat of all the marchers gasping for air while their lives are put on the line. As the speed of the music increases, and the intensity of their run picks up the pace as well. Everything from the sky to the blinding white blanket of snow becomes a blur. While the notes of the song begin to slow down, so does time. Elie drifts off into a dream that unfolds a new world, and though half asleep, his legs attach to a relentlessly churning gear that keeps him operating. The reader may visualize the pictures of many lives flashing by so quickly yet moving so slowly. A long line of emaciated victims slowly drifting away with every passing note, diminishing into the cushioning sheet of icy