Taryn Strawser
Literature and Writing Seminar
Dr. Duda/Dr. Julier
15 September 2013
Rough Outline
New premise (working towards a thesis): Comparing Jane Yolen’s The Devil’s Arithmetic to Elie
Wiesel’s Night by examining how and why fictional accounts are often the first Holocaust novels
read in middle school verses how nonfiction is used in high school. Comparison highlights that
the two texts although one is a fictional account and one is a real account have many common
points thus making fiction as valid as non-fiction.
Introduction: Establish the basic plot summary of each book, at what grade level each is
primarily taught to and establish a thesis/theory as to why fiction is used with a younger age
whereas non-fiction is used with late adolescents.
First point of comparison: Faith and the Holocaust: Wiesel transitions from a religious zealot
before he enters the camps to a skeptic in the camps to and eventual non believer. Hannah does
the opposite. She starts out resenting her religion then is skeptical before finally being a proud
Jew.
Second Point of Comparison: Both novels discuss denial. Wiesel discusses the Jews of Sighet
and their denial of imminent doom. Yolen discusses how the wedding party and Rabi do the
same.
Third point of comparison: Moshe the Beadle and the Badchan-both serve as soothsayers to warn
of the evil yet to come.
Fourth point of comparison: The trip to the Camps-Wiesel’s frightening experience with the
screaming woman versus Yolen mainly focusing albeit symbolically on the deterioration of the
white wedding dress.
Fifth point- Wiesel’s heart wrenching separation from his mother and Tzipora versus Yolen’s
forgettable separation that mainly focuses on the hair trimming and clothes finding
Sixth Point- Why Wiesel leaves out mentioning his two older sisters while Yolen mentions all
ages repeatedly.
Seventh Point- The focus of women vs. men in both novels
Eighth point- Lies told in the camps-Wiesel’s lie to protect his family vs. Hannah’s continuous
lie about her identity.
Ninth point- Physical abuse in the camps—both novels
Tenth point- Mentions of violence—Wiesel mentions three hangings including the Pipel (a child)
while Yolen mentions a hanging plus the death of Rueven (a child). Focus on why both use
children’s deaths to make an impact.
Eleventh point- Sickening Irony—Wiesel and choosing to travel verses the “not working” scene.
Twelfth Point—Parents in the Holocaust in both novels. Wiesel’s constant father verses
Hannah’s absent parents but present guardians.
Overall emotional appeals
Conclusion
Post-Write Reflections
1. Summarize the piece in 2-4 sentences.
My paper will compare and contrast two popular AYA novels to highlight why fiction is
often used in middle schools when learning about the Holocaust but non-fiction is used in
high school. Also, I plan to incorporate some outside sources that help to explain the
emotional appeal of the different books for the different ages.
2. What is my point/thesis? Write down the thesis/point here, so readers can determine if
you miss or hit?
Comparing Jane Yolen’s The Devil’s Arithmetic to Elie Wiesel’s Night by examining
how and why fictional accounts are often the first Holocaust novels read in middle school
verses how nonfiction is used in high school. Comparison highlights that the two texts
although one is a fictional account and one is a real account have many common points
thus making fiction as valid as non-fiction
3. What do you hope to do with this paper? Where will it end up? Who is the
audience? Publication venue?
I hope to do well on this paper. It will end up in my portfolio which will help me
(hopefully) on job interviews. The audience is future employers. I am not sure yet about
any publication venues.
4. My weakest moment is __________.
I feel like this whole paper is my weakest moment. I am still not 100% satisfied with my
topic. I really want it to represent me and am afraid it will not. I hope to have an original
idea and stick to it. I really wish I could write on a new topic to show growth or even
write a creative piece.
5. I really love ___________.
Holocaust literature and these are two of my favorite books!
Questions for Response
(When responding, feel free to copy/paste these questions into the writer's draft. That way, you can offer
marginal feedback throughout the draft, and, at the end, address these Questions for Response.)
1. I am wondering if _______ section is clear. Which ideas could be more clear? How would you
suggest I make this revision?
2. What should I add to make things longer? Where do you need more details to understand my
meaning? Where are you lost?
3. Look at _________ moment. I am having difficulty being clear here. Can you write down what
you hear me saying?
4. Which moments don't you understand? Which moments are my thoughts incomplete? How can I
complete them? What do you need to understand these moments?
5. Are my examples supporting my thesis (project)? Where & when do I stop discussing my major
point? What could I add to connect these examples to that thesis? (Highlight the moments where
you see me developing my thesis).
Right now your points are comparing the two texts. While it is great to single out
moments in each text that correspond, you need to go further with your comparison.
It is very useful to look at how two authors both address a similar experience but
why is that experience important in the first place? This “why” question is really
where your essay will get interesting.
6. Do I have a thesis/project statement? Highlight my thesis, so I know where you think it is. If you
can't find it, what do YOU think it might be?
You have chosen two good texts for your comparison and I really like the angle of
“fiction” vs. “non-fiction.” However, be wary of those terms. In fact, instead of
comparing the stories of the two novels, you may want to move in a direction that
discusses the complicated terms of “fiction” and “non-fiction.” For example, many
people consider Wiesel’s Night to be an autobiographical, and thus non-fiction,
account of his time in Auschwitz. You reference Night as fiction. The very naming of
the genres is complicated and could provide you with a more in-depth examination of
the two texts.
7. Is my thesis too broad? If so, how would you narrow it down?
Your thesis is not too broad but it needs a “hook.”
8. What is unnecessary in this draft? Where do I ramble? What can I cut out?
9. Conclusions.... So what? So what did all of this paper have to do with life/liberty/pursuit of
happiness/teaching/learning/reading/writing/you?
10. What future work do you see me doing with this project? What happens next with this
project/research?
This essay will make an excellent addition to your teaching portfolio, especially since
you will be teaching Holocaust literature.
11. How should I open this paper? Does my introduction catch your attention? How could I do this
better?
12. As a reader, where are you most interested? Where do you fall asleep?
13. What piece should be placed as an opening piece? What image/idea should I open with? How
should I sequence my sources/stories? Should things move around? What should move to
where?