What is Elie's tone when he writes, "The SS offered us a beautiful present for the new year"(69)? What was the
present?
Elie's tone when he writes, "The SS offered us a beautiful present for the new year" is sarcastic and grim. The present he is referring to is the evacuation and transfer of prisoners from Auschwitz, a site known for its horrifying conditions and atrocities. The sarcastic tone suggests the irony of being presented with something seemingly positive in such a bleak and brutal environment.
To determine Elie's tone when he writes the line "The SS offered us a beautiful present for the new year" on page 69, it is important to consider the context and the overall theme of the book.
"The SS offered us a beautiful present for the new year" is a quote from the book "Night" by Elie Wiesel. In this memoir, Elie recounts his experiences as a teenage Jewish boy during the Holocaust, specifically his time in concentration camps. The quote you provided suggests that the SS, the Nazi paramilitary organization, gave the prisoners some sort of gift for the new year.
Given the horrific circumstances of the Holocaust and the tone of the rest of the book, it is likely that Elie's tone in this line is ironic or sarcastic. He may be using dark humor to point out the absurdity of the situation. It is important to note that Wiesel often uses irony and sarcasm as literary devices to convey the painful realities of the Holocaust.
To fully grasp the tone and understand the nature of the "beautiful present," it would be necessary to continue reading and explore the surrounding text. The answer to the question about the specific nature of the present can be found by further reading the passage or analyzing the context provided in the book.