THE PROMPT #1
We will be using the following questions in our Socratic Seminar. The Socratic Seminar is one of your summative assignments for this reading unit. Come up with assertions (“verbal topic sentences”/claims) that directly answer the question. Write notes with evidence to support your claim. The evidence is REQUIRED because it will help back up your assertion and it will help keep the conversation centered around the novel. The talking points are equally important. They allow you to elaborate on the “so what” of your assertion and evidence. Without this “verbal matters”, your conversations will seem flat and boring. Not all of the questions will be used but you need assertions, evidence, and talking points for each one.
SOCRATIC SEMINAR NOTES
Assertion
When in extreme conditions, the body reverts back to simple commands and ideals to survive
Evidence
Julie Moss Incident: “Get up”
Night
“Tibi was silent and very pale” (71)
“Yossi was mumbling something. He probably was praying” (71)
“We were able to breathe again” (73)
“His speech became confused, his voice was choked” (75)
“All day I plodded around like a sleepwalker” (75)
“Lately, he had been wandering among us, his eyes glazed, telling everyone how weak he was: "I can't go on... It's over..." We tried to raise his spirits, but he wouldn't listen to anything we said. He just kept repeating that it was all over for him, that he could no longer fight, he had no more strength, no more faith. His eyes would suddenly go blank, leaving two gaping wounds, two wells of terror” (76)
“He was old and bent, his lips constantly trembling” (76)
Talking Points
Assertion
To survive a person must overcome both physical and mental exertion
Evidence
Julie Moss Incident
“Get up”
Night:
My head was spinning: you are too skinny...you are too weak...you are too skinny, you are good for the ovens … The race seemed endless; I felt as though I had been running for years...You are too skinny, you are too weak …” (72)
Talking Points
Assertion
The fight for survival is never really over
Evidence
Julie Moss Incident
“There is no limit”
Night
“Today, this is paradise compared to what the camp was two years ago. The Kapos back then had orders kill a certain number of prisoners every day. And every week, selection. A merciless selection…” (Wiesel 70)
“We knew what it meant. An SS would examine us. Whenever he found someone extremely frail... he would write down his number: good for the crematorium” (Wiesel 70)
The End and the Beginning
“But already there are those nearby starting to mill about who will find it dull” (Szymborska 32-34)
Talking Points
When in extreme conditions, the body reverts back to simple commands and ideals to survive
Evidence
Julie Moss Incident: “Get up”
Night
“Tibi was silent and very pale” (71)
“Yossi was mumbling something. He probably was praying” (71)
“We were able to breathe again” (73)
“His speech became confused, his voice was choked” (75)
“All day I plodded around like a sleepwalker” (75)
“Lately, he had been wandering among us, his eyes glazed, telling everyone how weak he was: "I can't go on... It's over..." We tried to raise his spirits, but he wouldn't listen to anything we said. He just kept repeating that it was all over for him, that he could no longer fight, he had no more strength, no more faith. His eyes would suddenly go blank, leaving two gaping wounds, two wells of terror” (76)
“He was old and bent, his lips constantly trembling” (76)
Talking Points
- The body will go to extreme cases when in risk of dying or shutting down
- This could mean a result of shutting down physically or emotionally to stay sane or alive
- Julie Moss could only think one command, “Get up”
- This simple command was able to push herself to the end of her race when her entire body had failed her
- Prisoners had faced an immense decline in physical and mental health in their time spent at the concentration camps
- They were “silent”, “pale”, “praying” constantly, unable to speak and walking around hopelessly
- In fact, when Wiesel and his father heard they both passed the selection, they were “able to breathe again”, as if they had been so fixated on surviving the selection their bodies forgot about the simple technique of breathing.
Assertion
To survive a person must overcome both physical and mental exertion
Evidence
Julie Moss Incident
“Get up”
Night:
My head was spinning: you are too skinny...you are too weak...you are too skinny, you are good for the ovens … The race seemed endless; I felt as though I had been running for years...You are too skinny, you are too weak …” (72)
Talking Points
- The key to why many people survive tragic situations is because they refuse to accept the thought that they may be in a hopeless situation.
- Often in extreme conditions the body will change how it functions to keep itself alive. Our senses often get stronger when we have to survive.
- When Julie Moss’ body gave out, the only control she had left was her mental capabilities. This is what got her to crawl across the finish line and finish the race.
- Despite what doubt Wiesel had in himself during his selection, he physically overcame his thoughts and continued running. This saved his life.
Assertion
The fight for survival is never really over
Evidence
Julie Moss Incident
“There is no limit”
Night
“Today, this is paradise compared to what the camp was two years ago. The Kapos back then had orders kill a certain number of prisoners every day. And every week, selection. A merciless selection…” (Wiesel 70)
“We knew what it meant. An SS would examine us. Whenever he found someone extremely frail... he would write down his number: good for the crematorium” (Wiesel 70)
The End and the Beginning
“But already there are those nearby starting to mill about who will find it dull” (Szymborska 32-34)
Talking Points
- Julie Moss stated “there is no limit” when describing her reasoning for why she was able to finish the race. This indicates that despite the signs her body was giving her to stop, she continued to fight and cross the finish line. “There is no limit” indicates her fight is never over, and she will keep working through her struggles.
- In Night, the veterans stated how the camps in the past were worse than how they are now. This shows how they needed to learn how to continue their fight for survival to get through every day in the camps, eventually becoming numb to the pain that it had originally caused them. Also in Night, the prisoners had to get used to the selections and fight harder and harder every time to survive.
- In The End and the Beginning, this piece of text indicates that even though the war delivered terrible consequences,, pain and suffering, when the war ended, there are already people who forget about it, or find it meaningless. This shows that learning from mistakes of war does not happen a lot of the time, so the fight to survive is never over.
THE PROMPT #2
Write your own open ended question for Socratic Seminar. This should not be something everyone will agree on and should be connected to the play or the themes/ideas the play brings up. It should not be the same as your peers, so think of this on your OWN.
SOCRATIC SEMINAR NOTES
Original Question:
When fighting for survival, does the body shut down areas to fixate on the significant parts of yourself to survive, or kick the adrenaline up inside you and go wild?
Assertion
When in extreme conditions, the body reverts back to simple commands and ideals to survive
Evidence
Julie Moss Incident
“Get up”
Night
“Tibi was silent and very pale” (71)
“Yossi was mumbling something. He probably was praying” (71)
“We were able to breathe again” (73)
“His speech became confused, his voice was choked” (75)
“All day I plodded around like a sleepwalker” (75)
“Lately, he had been wandering among us, his eyes glazed, telling everyone how weak he was: "I can't go on... It's over..." We tried to raise his spirits, but he wouldn't listen to anything we said. He just kept repeating that it was all over for him, that he could no longer fight, he had no more strength, no more faith. His eyes would suddenly go blank, leaving two gaping wounds, two wells of terror” (76)
“He was old and bent, his lips constantly trembling” (76)
Talking Points
Original Question:
To survive, does a person need to overcome both physical and mental exertion?
Assertion
To survive a person must overcome both physical and mental exertion
Evidence
Julie Moss Incident
“Get up”
Night
“My head was spinning: you are too skinny...you are too weak...you are too skinny, you are good for the ovens … The race seemed endless; I felt as though I had been running for years...You are too skinny, you are too weak …” (72)
Talking Points
Original Question:
Should it be right to praise those who put themselves in harm’s way to help others survive?
Assertion
Praising those for being selfless to a healthy degree should be taught, but always use a reminder to take care of your own needs
Evidence
Is Survival Selfish?
“I remember she said she battled a lot of guilt for saving herself instead of trying to save the others.. If she'd tried, she probably would have perished with them” (317)
“It sounds nice, but oddly enough, most of the people who perform such impulsive rescues say that they didn't really think before acting” (319)
Talking Points
Original Question:
Is survival entirely instinct based or can it be inherited in different ways?
Assertion
People use different techniques to survive based on their own situations and preferences
Evidence
“Tibi was silent and very pale” (71)
“Yossi was mumbling something. He probably was praying” (71)
“We were able to breathe again” (73
“His speech became confused, his voice was choked” (75)
“All day I plodded around like a sleepwalker” (75)
“Lately, he had been wandering among us, his eyes glazed, telling everyone how weak he was: "I can't go on... It's over..." We tried to raise his spirits, but he wouldn't listen to anything we said. He just kept repeating that it was all over for him, that he could no longer fight, he had no more strength, no more faith. His eyes would suddenly go blank, leaving two gaping wounds, two wells of terror” (76)
“He was old and bent, his lips constantly trembling” (76)
Talking Points
When fighting for survival, does the body shut down areas to fixate on the significant parts of yourself to survive, or kick the adrenaline up inside you and go wild?
Assertion
When in extreme conditions, the body reverts back to simple commands and ideals to survive
Evidence
Julie Moss Incident
“Get up”
Night
“Tibi was silent and very pale” (71)
“Yossi was mumbling something. He probably was praying” (71)
“We were able to breathe again” (73)
“His speech became confused, his voice was choked” (75)
“All day I plodded around like a sleepwalker” (75)
“Lately, he had been wandering among us, his eyes glazed, telling everyone how weak he was: "I can't go on... It's over..." We tried to raise his spirits, but he wouldn't listen to anything we said. He just kept repeating that it was all over for him, that he could no longer fight, he had no more strength, no more faith. His eyes would suddenly go blank, leaving two gaping wounds, two wells of terror” (76)
“He was old and bent, his lips constantly trembling” (76)
Talking Points
- The body will go to extreme cases when in risk of dying or shutting down
- This could mean a result of shutting down physically or emotionally to stay sane or alive
- Julie Moss could only think one command, “Get up”
- This simple command was able to push herself to the end of her race when her entire body had failed her
- Prisoners had faced an immense decline in physical and mental health in their time spent at the concentration camps
- They were “silent”, “pale”, “praying” constantly, unable to speak and walking around hopelessly
- In fact, when Wiesel and his father heard they both passed the selection, they were “able to breathe again”, as if they had been so fixated on surviving the selection their bodies forgot about the simple technique of breathing
Original Question:
To survive, does a person need to overcome both physical and mental exertion?
Assertion
To survive a person must overcome both physical and mental exertion
Evidence
Julie Moss Incident
“Get up”
Night
“My head was spinning: you are too skinny...you are too weak...you are too skinny, you are good for the ovens … The race seemed endless; I felt as though I had been running for years...You are too skinny, you are too weak …” (72)
Talking Points
- The key to why many people survive tragic situations is because they refuse to accept the thought that they may be in a hopeless situation.
- Often in extreme conditions the body will change how it functions to keep itself alive. Our senses often get stronger when we have to survive.
- When Julie Moss’ body gave out, the only control she had left was her mental capabilities. This is what got her to crawl across the finish line and finish the race.
- Despite what doubt Wiesel had in himself during his selection, he physically overcame his thoughts and continued running. This saved his life.
Original Question:
Should it be right to praise those who put themselves in harm’s way to help others survive?
Assertion
Praising those for being selfless to a healthy degree should be taught, but always use a reminder to take care of your own needs
Evidence
Is Survival Selfish?
“I remember she said she battled a lot of guilt for saving herself instead of trying to save the others.. If she'd tried, she probably would have perished with them” (317)
“It sounds nice, but oddly enough, most of the people who perform such impulsive rescues say that they didn't really think before acting” (319)
Talking Points
- Guilt is normal and even healthy if in moderation
- Her feeling guilt shows that she is not “uncivilized” (317)
- Heroes do not think before acting, which is impulsive and not a healthy trait to attain
Original Question:
Is survival entirely instinct based or can it be inherited in different ways?
Assertion
People use different techniques to survive based on their own situations and preferences
Evidence
“Tibi was silent and very pale” (71)
“Yossi was mumbling something. He probably was praying” (71)
“We were able to breathe again” (73
“His speech became confused, his voice was choked” (75)
“All day I plodded around like a sleepwalker” (75)
“Lately, he had been wandering among us, his eyes glazed, telling everyone how weak he was: "I can't go on... It's over..." We tried to raise his spirits, but he wouldn't listen to anything we said. He just kept repeating that it was all over for him, that he could no longer fight, he had no more strength, no more faith. His eyes would suddenly go blank, leaving two gaping wounds, two wells of terror” (76)
“He was old and bent, his lips constantly trembling” (76)
Talking Points
- For some, staying silent and unmoving is most useful because you feel numb and away from the world, thus away from your current issues
- Some pray, for they depend on their faith and personal beliefs to help them
- Some break down and lose hope, as they are unable to communicate or walk around in a death-like trance
SELF REFLECTION
The socratic seminar assessment was a difficult assignment, for not only did I have to come up with my own intellectual talking points, but I had to present them to the class and discuss them as a group. This was challenging, but I felt I performed well and made all the points I wanted to make to my class.