Daniel Trujillo Mrs. Crabtree GT ELA Honors 3rd period 05/14/24. Critical Lense Essay Death is the only certainty in life. The extensive and convoluted maze called Life has a single exit, and the times in which people reach this exit vary dramatically. Death is akin to a ribbon on a present—despite not being able to indicate the contents of the present, the ribbon is a critical aspect of it, and without it, the distinction between a gift and a wrapped box becomes clouded. Edgar Allan Poe once iterated, “The boundaries which divide life from death are at best shadowy and vague. Who shall say where the one ends, and where the other begins”. Death should not be viewed as an end; rather, it should be viewed as motivation to ensure that one lives …show more content…
The Book Thief is narrated from the perspective of Death, and follows the life of a young woman named Liesel, who shelters a Jewish man, Max, in her basement. Repeatedly throughout the novel, Death frequently comments on the atrocities that humans inflict upon each other: “I’ve seen so many young men over the years who think they’re running at other young men. They are not a snare. They’re running at me” (174). The period in which The Book Thief occurs witnesses a large sense of nationalism amongst civilians of Germany, in large part due to the persuasive and torturous tactics employed by Hitler and the Nazi Party. The sense of nationalism present amongst many of the youth in Nazi Germany during this time period facilitated the deaths of many undeserving individuals. In this quote, the narrator, death, connects to the theme of the story by implying that one should value their lives rather than rushing to their end. Furthermore, throughout the span of The Book Thief, Liesel is accompanied by her best friend, Rudy Steiner, and nearing the end of the story, Liesel’s town of Molching is bombed due to the horrifying effects of WWII, resulting in the unfortunate demise of Rudy. Following his death, Liesel imparts upon Rudy the kiss he had always asked of her “[leaning] down and [looking] at his lifeless face and. …show more content…
As Beah’s exposure to violence during the Sierra Leone war gradually increases as the war progresses, his perspective on death also changes. During the story, Beah is taught by his father that “If you are alive, there is hope for a better day and something good to happen. If there is nothing good left in the destiny of a person, he or she will die” (54). To Ishmael, death isn’t marked by a change in physical state, such as your heart beating or your brain halting its functions; rather, death is marked by a lack of purpose in one’s life. The historical context of the Sierra Leone war illustrates the splitting of many families as a result of the brutalities exerted by both sides during the war. Ishmael survived during the Sierra Leone war solely due to his motivation to reunite with his parents and family members. Amidst the violence of the war, Ishmael also became desensitized to death, stating the following: “Even though I am still alive, I feel like each time I accept death, part of me dies. Very soon I will completely die and all that will be left is my empty body walking with you” (70). This quote illustrates how repeated exposure to death can strip a person of their humanity, leaving behind only a fragment of a person. The novel explains in great depth and detail the atrocities
THE BOOK OF THE THING. In Markus Zusak’s The Book Thief, the protagonist, Liesel Meminger, is trying to outlive the harsh reality that’s produced by the war. Liesel Meminger and several other characters attempt to cope with the stress around them, and aid each other along the way. In this novel, the power of words is an important element.
Books have the power to both save and destroy. It depends on how the words are used in the book. If they are used in a positive matter they can save many things. However if they are in negative matter (brain-washing) then they have the power to destroy. The Book Thief has the power to save, because it makes us remember how it feels to be picked on and how it feels to have nothing or to suffer. It could save people, for example if a bully reads this he might have a change in heart and stop bulling other kids. People are power less without words, for example in The Book Thief page 446, “The best word shakers were the ones who understand the true power of words. They were the ones who could climb the highest. One such word shaker was a small, skinny girl. She was renowned as the best word shaker of her region because she knew how powerless a person could be without words." People can use words to convince others to do want they want them to do. For example in The Book Thief, Hitler used words to convince and make the Germans to do what he wanted them to do (world domination). In my essa...
Markus Zusak conveys the message that although putting others before one’s self is a very difficult task, it will always benefit more than it will regress in his novel, The Book Thief. In the beginning of the book, Liesel is separated from her only family in an instant, and the narrator explains, “There was the chaos of goodbye. It was a goodbye that was wet, with the girl’s head buried in the woolly, worn shallows of her mother’s coat. There had been some more dragging” (Zusak 25-26). It is clear that Liesel 's mother did not want to part with her, especially after losing her son moments before, but she knew it was the best option for Liesel’s security throughout the war. She was willing to sacrifice her children in order for the reassurance
“The Book Thief,” by Zusak, Markus is a story set during World War II. Liesel Meminger, the protagonist of this book, is a foster girl living outside of Munich who just can’t resist books. With the help of her accordion-playing father, she learns how to read and eventually shares her stolen books with her neighbors as well as with Max Vandenburg during bombing raids. Max is a Jewish man hidden in her basement. Max was marched to Dachau, with Liesel. Rudy stops Liesel from following Max any further, and possibly saved her life. Liesel decides to give up books and Ilsa Hermann 's library. She begins writing the story of her life in her basement, called The Book Thief. Himmel Street was bombed and she drops her book. Liesel had nobody left in
Imagine a world where people live in oppression because of their beliefs. That is true about the Holocaust which also took place in this book, “The Book Thief. This book is about a little girl who lives in Nazi Germany during World War 2, during the Holocaust. In the book Thief; Rudy Steiner is a dynamic character; in contrast to Hans Hubermann who is a static character. The main character,liesel is a little girl on a train with her mom and brother, her brother dies on a train on the way to them being dropped off to a house to stay with another family, there is where we learn death is the narrator, once she gets dropped off at her new parents house she meets her kind father “Hans” and her angry mother “Rosa”.
The Book Thief is an outstanding book by Markus Zusak. It follows the adventures of Liesel Meminger, a girl who must be given up by her only parent, her mother(Her dad left her), and who witnessed the death of her brother on the way to be given to foster parents in Nazi Germany. She is fostered by Hans and Rosa Hubermann, the former of which is a painter and accordionist and the latter of which is a person who can’t seem to stop swearing. Rosa and Hans live on a town on the outskirts of Munich called Molching, on Himmel Street. Hans and Rosa then take in a Jew by the name of Max Vandenburg, who is the son of Hans’ good friend who died in World War 1. They then must hide
Nazi Germany was a time of great suffering and cruelty and the only way to overcome these injustices was with help from friends and family. Marz Zusak’s The Book Thief depicts Nazi Germany as a time of great pain and struggle to survive in life in the characters daily lives. Hans Hubermann and Liesel Meminger are especially affected by these struggles, but they cope with struggles and help other people cope with their struggles by showing sympathy, offering a sense of safety and security and by showing affection. Ultimately, these characters teach us ways to cope with overwhelming grief and suffering.
In The Book Thief, by Markus Zusak, the author portrays the theme, those who have suffered in the past have a great deal of courage because of it. Liesel Meminger was a young girl in Germany during World War 2. In the beginning of the book, Liesel watches her own brother die and her own mother gives her up to foster parents, the Hubermanns. She learns to read and write there and has so many ups and downs throughout. As Germany was in the midst of WW2 there began to be air raids, where Germany’s citizens had to begin to take cover. Air raid sirens were heard all throughout Liesel’s city of Molching and all residents of Himmel Street were to take cover in the Fiedler’s basement (one of the residents on Himmel Street) because they had the deepest basement.
Mikayla King Ms. Minter American Lit, Period 1 Due 25 April, 2024 The Extreme Value Presented in The Book Thief The book, The Book Thief written by Markus Zusak has extreme value, and should be read by everyone. The Book Thief takes place in Nazi Germany during World War II. This time was difficult for everyone as there were major shortages in jobs, money, and food. Many Germans lived in constant fear of saying the wrong thing and being killed.
Words are used in order to communicate with others. They might leave the other person influenced or even staggered as words can be that powerful. In the novel, The Book Thief, the author, Markus Zusak, uses words that are used to create comfort and sometimes irony. Using strong vocabulary has the chance to exploit anybody’s mind completely.
In literature, authors typically use the theme of how friendships are born and significant to connect the characters in the story. In the story, The Book Thief, the author uses the theme of how friendships are born and significant to connect characters such as Liesel, Max, Rudy, etc. Friendships are born in many different ways. In The Book Thief, many important friendships are born due to situations such as trauma, happy situations, and trust. Whether it be trauma, happy situations, or trust, certain friendships can be very significant and life-altering to the characters.
In Markus Zusak’s The Book Thief, Liesel Meminger was nine when her brother died, then less than twenty-four hours later her mother was gone. Liesel has gone through more hardships in her youth than most people have gone through in their entire life. Throughout her life she has had an ever changing personality and is a very dynamic person. She has stolen books and the heart of a neighbor boy. Liesel is a memorable character and has a important story to tell about Germany and the life of her and her family.
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak was published in 2005. Zusak dedicated his book to his parents, Helmut and Lisa Zusak, who witnessed the treatment of the Jews and them marching to Dachau in WWII. The book follows a German girl on her journey during WWII. That girls name is Liesel, commonly known by me as The Book Thief. Who am I you may ask? I am the narrator of the novel, Death. While I focus on Liesel, I also focus on the other people in her life, especially the people who live on Himmel Street. By doing this, I allow the audience to see an overview of all the characters and their feelings, rather than having the book seen through Liesel’s eyes, in which limits this.
The Book Thief, by Markus Zusak tells a story of a girl who goes through many struggles to find happiness in reading. On this journey, Liesel meets many characters that will play a huge part in her life. Without these characters Liesel finds that she would not be who she is now, a strong educated young woman. Liesel gives a lot of praise to her new found father as he has given her the gift of reading books. As WWII starts to take a toll on Germany, Liesel and her many friends seek shelter during the bombings on Molching street.
Death introduces himself as the narrator of the story. He summarizes the three times he has met “the book thief,” and the story begins when he tells her entire story in in-depth detail. He tells the story of their very first encounter, on the train where Liesel’s brother suffers an unfortunate and untimely death. Liesel is then transported to the Hubermann’s, where she’ll be living. Liesel is extremely closed off, that is until Hans teaches her how to roll cigarettes, and she begins to trust him. Liesel starts getting used to her new situation, even though she is having terrible nightmares about her brother's death. Liesel then meets Rudy, a boy in her neighborhood who has a crush on her, and idolizes Jesse