Night Essay—300 points HONORS Name: _________________________________________________________________

Writers use pathos to evoke empathy in their audience. Pathos is any use of language that makes readers feel something for the
characters, situation, or narrator. Pathos comes in the form of specific words, images, scenes, or even the way a sentence or
paragraph is written.

Guiding Question: How does Elie Wiesel use pathos to achieve his purpose?

Begin your essay with some background on the Holocaust and a clear statement of what Wiesel wants to accomplish in his
memoire Night. Then, choose any 4 passages and analyze how Wiesel stirs emotion in the reader. Use direct quotes that best
illustrate what is occurring in each passage and analyze how each passage overall creates emotion. You may wish to focus on
specific word choice, images, sentence structure, or tone. Ultimately, what does Wiesel want his audience to feel during and after
reading Night, and why?
Your essay should:
 Contain background on the Holocaust.
 Contain a strong thesis.
 Provide 3 (4 Honors) textual examples from throughout the memoire to support your thesis.
 Fully analyze each example’s relation to your thesis (how and why emotion is created).
 Provide concluding remarks (how do these examples connect back to Wiesel’s purpose/ what’s the bigger picture?)
 Follow the rules of grammar, spelling, and punctuation for the English language, and proper MLA formatting.
 Be well organized and easy to read.
Use the following outline to organize your ideas (50 points)
I. Introduction (Each capital letter represents one to two sentences [for paragraphs of 4-8 sentences each.])
A. Historical Background (the Holocaust) (2 detailed sentences)

B. Background: Text Summary (Night) (2 detailed sentences) Include Title, Author, Genre.

C. Thesis: What exactly does Wiesel want to achieve in his memoire and what types of emotions (in order that you’ll discuss them)
does he evoke in his story)?

II. Body 1—The first most powerful example. (This should be toward the beginning of the story.)
A. Context of the example: (What is happening at this point in the story? Who is talking? What are they talking about?)

B. Quote that illustrates this example (always include a lead-in (before quote) and page number (after quote)):

C. Significance of example (2 sentences minimum): Analyze how this example evokes emotion and relates to the author’s purpose

III. Body 2—The second most powerful example. (This should be toward the middle of the story.)
A. Context of the example: (What is happening at this point in the story? Who is talking? What are they talking about?)
B. Quote that illustrates this example (always include a lead-in (before quote) and page number (after quote)):

C. Significance of example (2 sentences minimum): Analyze how this example evokes emotion and relates to the author’s purpose

IV. Body 3—The third most powerful example. (This should be toward the end of the story.)
A. Context of the example: (What is happening at this point in the story? Who is talking? What are they talking about?)

B. Quote that illustrates this example (always include a lead-in (before quote) and page number (after quote)):

C. Significance of example (2 sentences minimum): Analyze how this example evokes emotion and relates to the author’s purpose

V. Body 4—The fourth most powerful example. (This should be the end of the story.)
A. Context of the example: (What is happening at this point in the story? Who is talking? What are they talking about?)

B. Quote that illustrates this example (always include a lead-in (before quote) and page number (after quote)):

C. Significance of example (2 sentences minimum): Analyze how this example evokes emotion and relates to the author’s purpose

VI. Conclusion
A. Restate what exactly Wiesel wants to achieve in writing this memoire:

B. Concluding thoughts. Discuss the impact of the story upon the reader. Be specific.

C. Concluding thoughts, continued.

a

D. Final statement (So what? What’s the bigger picture? (Leave your reader with something profound!))

*Essay must be typed and submitted on time for full credit. Give yourself enough time for all aspects of the task! Essays that are
late run the risk of earning a zero on this assignment.