Excerpt from Night By Ellie Wiesel

This excerpt from Night by Ellie Wiesel is about a person who has been taken from their home during the holocaust. The person seems to know what the holocaust is due to the phrase, "There was a labor camp on the site." The main character says this so the person must know what a labor camp is, therefore knowing what the holocaust is. This person must also be of middle age, maybe 20-30 because he refers to the children he is confined with as 'the young ones'. He could be older but it is unclear. They were probably taken abruptly and by great numbers because the story states that the quarters were cramped and that a woman was separated from her husband. The main idea is unclear but there are still some things you can learn be inferring like it is about the holocaust because they mention Jews being kept prisoner under the German Army.

Though you can infer a lot, it is still very unclear. Like how was he taken? Was it a mass invasion or a simple kidnapping? It says that this is page 23. What happened before that? Why are they being taken to a labor camp with quote 'good conditions' instead of a concentration camp? And why were the conditions so good when Hitler was known for his harsh savagery? Also, what about the person's background? Where was the person from? And one more question. Why have they, at the end, been taken to an execution camp? It says, "In front of us those flames. In the air, the smell of burning flesh. It must have been around midnight. We had arrived in Birkenau." Is this a execution camp and are they burning Jews? But early in the passage, it said they were taken to a labor camp to work, not die. It is hard to fully grasp the story and its plot with only a few pages from the text. The only ways these questions can be answered is by reading the whole book. But you can infer from this small passage what the rest of the book will most likely be about. This is the beauty of inference and using for much larger texts has always and always will be very helpful to me.

The Boy in the Striped Pajamas Part 1

The Boy in the Striped Pajamas is about a 9 year old boy named Bruno. In the beginning, there isn't a lot of information but what I know is that Bruno and his family are forced to move out of their house in Berlin. It says that they are moving because of Bruno's Father's job but I doubt that is why. Bruno's mother says that they must move quickly so it might have to do with something bad happening. Bruno comes home one day to find his mother very upset and stressed and she tells him to pack his things. Their family is very rich and has multiple servants and he packs his things with the maid, Maria. We have not heard of his father but we know that he has one for the book mentions 'Father' living with them on multiple occasions. They arrive at a house somewhere (not sure where) and Bruno hates it. It is horrible and unfamiliar. Also, outside his window, he can see 'children' from what he calls it. When Gretel, his sister, looks out the window, we can see who they really are. They are not children but a group of people varying in age from young to old. That is the end of the portion of the book I have read so far.

There are many characters in the book that we have heard of so far. The main character is Bruno with his sister, Gretel, and his 'Mother' and 'Father'. He has three best friends for life that have been mentioned but not been fully explained by the author. These people are Karl, Daniel, and Martin. There is also the maid, Maria, and the butler and waiter and all the servants. These are all the characters that have been revealed in the story so far.

The beginning, before they move, takes place in Berlin. We do not know where they have moved but it will probably be revealed shortly enough. The problem is that Bruno is only 9 years old and that his family is moving without an explanation. His mother becomes particularly harsh and he has no idea why. The problem for the reader is that they don't really know the problem. Sure Bruno is confused about the move but there is probably an underlying problem that has not been exposed. I am a little confused and can't wait to read the next part to help with my confusion on the book.