Reath Roth Stefan Wasylyk ENG2DE-02 1923 April 32 Book Thief Essay. How were you taught to see people? With kindness or with prejudice? In Markus Zusak's The Book Thief, the author argues despite the citizens of Germany during World War Two being taught to have prejudice against the Jews, the novel illustrates that who the citizens associate with ultimately determines one's views. Through characters like Liesel Meminger and Rudy Steiner, Zusak shows how the power of a proper environment can change from a positive bias to a negative one, highlighting the important role of a proper influence in shaping perceptions of the world. Zusak demonstrates this with how Hans’ had a positive effect on those around him. With the parental guidance of Rosa …show more content…
Walter, a German boy, meets Max in a fight against him. Even though when Walter and Max met, they met as enemies, they still had “grudging respect” (191) and then it turned “to genuine friendship”(191). Despite their differences, due to Max’s personality, Walter couldn’t help but respect him. In Mein Kampf, all Jews are described as bad people, yet Walter was lucky to know Max, a Jew who he respected and defied the stereotype in Mein Kampf. If Walter had met a Jew who happened to fit the stereotype in Mein Kampf, that could have changed completely the way Walter would see Jews forever. “For the next few years, they saw each other sporadically at best”(192). Even though they did not see each other much, the impact of Max as a person was so impactful that Walter was still willing to risk his life for Max despite not seeing each other much. Meaning that Max had a huge impact personally on Walter. Which demonstrates the impact of how personal experiences can change the biases of people and influence their decisions. Another case of Max’s personality influencing Walter to see Jews in a different light than as depicted in Mein Kampf is the normal talk between them. Max’s fun and light personality showed Walter how Max was a person, not by his race. He would crack jokes like, “Yes, we
During this dark time in history, people like Miss. Breed from Dear Miss Breed took initial action on what she thought was right, and gave hope to Japanese Internment Camp children by supplying books and writing letters. What these heroes of the past have in common is that they took action for what they truly believe is right. The best way to respond to conflict is based on a person’s general judgment on what they think is right or wrong, this will show how they take action during conflict. In the story, Hitler Youth: Growing Up in Hitler’s Shadow, the thoughts of independence and judgement were shown by German student, Sophie Scholl.
An individual's morals are rooted in their personal views which may be contradictory to the principles manifested by society. In The Book Thief by Markus Zusak, characters living on Himmel Street who neglect Nazi ideology experience love for each other and humanity, thereby living a contented life in harsh conditions. The different types of love which individuals on Himmel Street encounter from refusing to obey societal ideologies and expectations is formed by supporting those in need and developing relationships with those that society has degraded.
Society teaches that everyone is equal; however, between 1933 and 1945, the Nazi party deemed Jews inferior. Some people agreed with the party, other silently rebelled. Either way, in 12 years around 6 million Jews were systematically murdered. One person who silently rebelled was Hans Huberman. In “The Book Thief” by Markus Zusak, Hans Huberman’s compassionate actions and beliefs are influenced by the Nazi party’s treatment of Jews.
Belonging is being accepted by a group of community that relate together by a common factor. A sense of belonging is not just dictated by yourself and your own values and beliefs but also by the ideas and values held by others. I believe that people can choose not to belong to a certain community due to the fact that they may not agree to other people values and beliefs. The Book Thief follows a German girl named Liesel Meminger, abandoned by her mother, she is sent to live with foster parents. The text is set in Nazi Germany during the WWII era. Through the text we follow her living in war times and experience her realisation to the true nature of the German people. At Rainbows End follows an Aboriginal family living in racist times in Australia. We are shown the way of life these people have to endure and how it feels to have a government who doesn’t care about your existence. (Reword)
Guilt is a prevalent theme throughout The Book Thief. Liesel endures guilt multiple times, when she steals laundry money from Rosa, gets Max sick, verbally attacks Ilsa Hermann, and experiences the guilt of surviving. All of these acts caused Liesel to experience some sort of guilt which later causes her to perform questionable tasks.
Book Thief is in a ‘twisted world’, it’s about a young girl, Liesel is orphan who is given new
In modern times, it is assumed that a child with a proper upbringing and diligent parents will grow to become society’s epitome of a perfect citizen. In The Book Thief by Markus Zusak, the development of human nature is explored as well as how experiences, relationships, and environment affect them. Rudy Steiner, a main character in the novel, represents someone who is raised to adhere to Nazi propaganda yet does not because of his experiences. On the other end, Max Vandenburg demonstrates a character who is raised to believe he is a scourge on German society but remains good because of his relationships. Lastly, Hans Junior is an example of someone whose humanity is influenced by
In the novel The Book Thief, setting and point of view affect the theme and book a lot. The point of view of this novel is third person omniscient and a little bit of second and first person when the narrator talks about himself or to the reader. The setting of the story is Nazi Germany and it is based on a young girl named Liesel Meminger and what her life was like during this time. Her story is told by the narrator, death. Mark Zusak, the author, uses setting and point of view to express the theme of the novel because there was so much death happening, Liesel encountered him so many times, causing him to be able to tell her story; without this setting and the narrator, the theme story would have been different.
Fear is a theme that is illustrated in throughout both books, because both books are based on a time of war, fear is an emotion felt by everyone in both books, it can affect, how you act and how you think. Fear is also used as a tool of power. In the book thief, Max's life is ruled by fear. Fear of being found, fear of being the reason the Huberman's get caught, and the fear of being. “All my life I've been scared of men standing over me.”
"I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it."
Elie Wiesel once stated that “More dangerous than anger and hatred is indifference. Indifference is not a beginning; it is an end-and it is always the friend of the enemy.” Wiesel was a survivor of a German concentration camp called Buchenwald during the Holocaust and later dedicated his life to groups suffering from persecution for their beliefs and discrimination against their national origin. He had first hand experienced of the horrors that anger and hatred are capable of, yet still believed that indifference was worse. This is because indifference shows no emotion, fails to take action against existing anger and hatred, and cannot be used to promote growth within the world.
In The Book Thief, by Markus Zusak, beauty and brutality is seen in many of the characters. Rudy, Liesel, and Rosa display examples of beauty and brutality often without realizing what exactly they are doing, because it is a part of their human nature. Zusak not only uses his characters, but also the setting of the novel in Nazi Germany to allude to his theme of the beauty and brutality of human nature. The time in which the novel is set, during World War II, displays great examples of beauty and brutality, such as the mistreatment of the Jews. As a result of this time period, the characters have to go through troubling times, which reveals their beautiful and brutal nature in certain circumstances. Zusak uses his characters and their experiences to demonstrate the theme of the beauty and brutality of human nature in the novel.
What is love? Love is that thing that we all yearn for. Love is that deep connection that you have with someone. Love is a fundamental force that we all want to obtain but few of is every truly reach. What is marriage? Marriage is a promise between two people who has that deep love for one another make, stating that no matter the circumstance they will stick by each other side. Marriage is a union between two lovers who feel like they have founded their other half. Marriage is a partnership between two people, and no matter what events may occur they will find a way to work it out because they love each other. Sometimes love can be mixed up with lust. Sometimes people feel like they have that love and figure marriage is the next step, but if that true love isn't there the marriage won't last. Marriages are mainly business deals in these times, set up for the sole purpose of money, power, and prestige. Throughout Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen and The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde, the themes of love and marriage occur several times throughout each piece of literature.
Adolf Hitler (the Führer or leader of the Nazi party) “believed that a person's characteristics, attitudes, abilities, and behavior were determined by his or her so-called racial make-up.” He thought that those “inherited characteristics (did not only affect) outward appearance and physical structure”, but also determined a person’s physical, emotional/social, and mental state. Besides these ideas, the Nazi’s believed tha...
Markus Zusak's The Book Thief is a Fictional story of a young girl, Liesel, growing up in Nazi Germany. The book is geared towards Young-Adults with the goal of convincing the reader that not all Germans during World War II were bad. Using a unique narrative we are guided through the story line by Death, who will often tell us his opinion of the going-ons of the story as well as giving us further context so as to allow a better understanding of the situations we are presented with. From a young age I was taught that the Germans were bad people, much like Muslims today we generalize an entire population based off of the actions of a relatively small group of the whole. After reading The Book Thief, although a fictional story, it has brought me to understand that most Germans during WWII were merely trying to get by, they were living ordinary, or as