Writing Prompts - Henrietta Diament

Prompt 1

“I do not have words to express the despair and horror of those years in the ghetto, but I remember so well how wonderful it was to be there at the uprising of the Jewish people,” recalls Henrietta Diament. “We finally came to life.” Write an essay that both summarizes and analyzes Henrietta’s experience living in the ghetto related to the idea of resistance during the Holocaust. Be sure to cite specific evidence to support your analysis.

Prompt 2

Henrietta noted in 1945 at the end of her captivity at Bergen-Belsen: “This was the moment we realized was the end of our form of life of anything. We were just alone by ourselves.”

Elie Wiesel who was a survivor of Auchwitz-Birkeneau was later moved to Buchenwald for his last days as a prisoner. In his classic book Night, Wiesel wrote of his experience:

“I had to stay at Buchenwald until April eleventh. I have nothing to say of my life during this period. It no longer mattered. After my father’s death, no one could touch me anymore.”

Write an essay that compares and contrasts one theme revealed in the quotes by Diament and Wiesel noted above. Include an analysis of how the testimonies present similar and different tones and emotions. Be sure to cite strong and thorough evidence from both sources to support your argument.

Wiesel, Elie. Night. St. Paul, Minnesota: EMC/Paradigm, 1998. Print.