Starter questions

How did you feel about the ending of the text and in what ways does
the narrator change over the course of the narrative?

What do you feel is the most memorable moment in the text? Explain
your choice.

Many people, from all walks of life, have found this a moving text. Why
do you think this is? Consider:
Subject matter
Style
Theme
Political/historical context
Or anything else you feel is relevant

Key moments

What do you feel is the most important moment in the text. Explain your response in
detail.

Levi's discussion of sleep and the music of the Lager is particularly significant in the
text. Explain why this is the case.
The chapter The Drowned and the Saved is often sited as key to understanding Levis
experiences in the camp. Why do you think it is so engaging and significant in the text as a
whole.
How does the poem that prefaces the text prepare us for what is to come?

Character
Levi offers the portrayal of a number of characters. Choose one/two and describe their
significance in Primo's experience and their importance in the text as a whole.

Genre
This text is autobiographical. In what ways is it similar and dissimilar to other autobiographies you
have read. Give a few specific examples to support your answer.
Style

How reliable and effective is Levi as a first person narrator? Consider the need for trust
between reader and narrator in successful autobiographical writing, and show how Levi
achieves this, or not.
Levis style has been described as spare and lean. Do you agree? Give a reason for your
answer.
Levis writing is clear and precise, with no embellishment. However, he does reference one
of the greatest poets of the Western world Dante. Where does he do this and why does he
do this?
Theme
What do you consider to be the central theme in the text?

Identity is important in this text. In what ways is its significance revealed by the
narrator?
The central theme in the text is humanity in particular the idea of what it means to
be human. How does Levi explore this theme?

Additional

Why does the American publishers decision to rename the text Survival in Auschwitz
completely miss the point of Levis choice of title?
One of the guards in the camp says to Levi there is no why here. Discuss the significance
of this comment to Levi and how it relates to his style of writing.
It has been said that Levis style of writing is spare and precise, typical of rationalist scientist
seeking objective answers. To what extent is this true?
Autobiographical rather than fictional; honest and truthful rather than embellished and
fabricated, the narrative of If This is a Man still draws parallels with, and is influenced by,
key literary works of the western European canon. Where do these emerge and how
effective are they in describing aspects of Levis experience?
In the face of inhumanity Levi presents some aspects of the human (civilised norms) that
survive. Where do you see this most effectively presented to the reader?
Is there any significance in the structure of Levis text?