Dialectical Journal

      Critical Stance: Discuss the contrast between the panic of the Jews with EACH NEW decree or action of the government and their attempts to reassure themselves and to adjust to each new infringement on their freedom.When Moshe the Beadle came back after being sent off for being a foreign Jew, he tried to warn everybody about the Gestapo slaughtering people and using babies as targeting practice, but all the Jews just considered him to be a mad man. They just couldn't understand how people could do that kind of acts to other human beings. When the government first put their plans in action to relocate all of the Jews, many of them just assumed that they were being sent off to work for factories. Also, when everybody was give the gold star to wear, their thoughts were that it doesn't kill you, so it's not that big of a deal. They even considered themselves pretty well off when they were fenced in with barbed wire. They liked the idea of living among fellow Jews, like their own little community. When nobody would tell them where they were being deported to, they made up optimistic stories to help pass time and keep them from thinking about what else could possibly happen. Dialectical Journal Entries: 1) "There are a thousand and one gates leading into the orchard of mystical truth. Ewilvery human being has his own gate. We must never make the mistake of wanting to enter the orchard by any gate but our own. To do this is dangerous for the one who entered and also for those who are already there." - Moshe the Beadle (page 3 paragraph 4)
This quote shows the Moshe the Beadle has very strong values and is a religious man. It means that some people in your life will be of big help, but others can be an obstacle. You should be careful about who you trust. 

2)"Without passion, without haste, they slaughtered their prisoners. Each one had to go up to the hole and present his neck. Babies were thrown up in the air and the machine gunners used them as targets." (page 4 lines 20-23)Moshe the Beadle tried to warn the Jews about the actions that were being done to the foreign Jews, but nobody believed him. This was the beginning of the nightmare for anyone of the Jewish race. 

3) "My father was crying. It was the first time I saw him cry. I had never thought it possible. As for my mother, she was walking, her face a mask, without a word, deep in thought. I looked at my little sister, Tzipora, her blond hair neatly combed, her red coat over her arm: a little girl of seven. On her back a bag too heavy for her. She was clenching her teeth; she already knew it was useless to complain. Here and there, the police were lashing out with their clubs. "Faster!" I had no strength left. The journey had just begun and I already felt so weak. 
During this  time period, people had a hard time understanding why this was happening to them. They didn't do anything wrong, yet they were forced to leave everything behind and relocate to an unknown place. It was hard on everyone, and one by one people were slowly breaking. 

4)"- "There was no floor. a roof and four walls. Our feet sank into the mud." (page 35)
This quote gives a brief description of what life was like in  the concentration camps. It was pretty much worse than a prison, and their living conditions were harsh. 

5) "What a shame, a shame that you did not go with your mother … I saw many children your age go with their mothers …"
Elie's father didn't want to see his son suffer and go through the things that he knew could happen. If Elie went with his mother, he'd probably be safer, and his father wouldn't have to see his pain.