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Ramfos 1 Tori Ramfos Mrs. Coe 7th Hour August 7, 2015 The Book Thief Short Answer Questions Prologue: On page 4 the narrator says, “Personally, I like a chocolate- colored sky. Dark, Dark chocolate. People say it suits me.”(Zusak 4) This led me to believe the narrator is death. He sees life in color because he appreciates color more because his life is so dark and filled with death, color is in our lives and our souls will soon be filled with darkness and him and not have a colorful life. Part One: The first book that Liesel “stole” was The Grave Digger's Handbook. This is ironic because it was the day that her brother died and it was the last time she saw her mother. Himmel Street is ironic because Himmel= Heaven and Himmel Street did …show more content…
not appear like heaven. “Whoever named Himmel Street certainly had a healthy sense of irony. Not that it was a living hell. It wasn’t. But it sure as hell wasn't heaven, either.” (Zusak 26) Part Two: When the narrator says that World War II was the result of the Germans love of burning things, The narrator wasn't being literal. What the narrator means by that means is burning things made them think this was a way to free from guilt, but really they were just bad people.”The Germans loved to burn things. Shops, synagogues, Reichstags, houses, personal items, slain people, and of course books. They enjoyed a good book burning.” (Zusak 84) This quote explains that the German Ramfos 2 nazis weren't good people, they loved to burn things. Most of the men who fought in the war were forced, They didn't volunteer to go blow up and shoot other soldiers. Part Three: At the end of part three the narrator leaves a cliffhanger. The narrator ends this chapter by having a Jewish boy, Max come to the Hubermanns house. “ Slowly, then, the struggler leaned forward, his cheek against the wood, and he removed the key from his fist.” (Zusak 170) This quote is explaining Max’s arrival to the Hubermanns door. This was very effective because it leaves the reader hanging and want to continue to keep reading to see if Max will be safe there. Part Four: Erik Vandenburg saved Hans Hubermann's life in the first world war when the sergeant asked for a soldier to write letters for him and none of the soldiers volunteered. Erik Vandenberg nominated Hans Hubermann to write the letters, so Hans was in charge of writing the letters. “He survived like this, he didn't go into battle that day.”(Zusask 176)All of the other men had to go fight in the war and all of them died. Hans was safe with the sergeant writing the letters. The accordion symbolizes comfort, courage, and bravery that Hans shares with other people. Erik played the accordion all throughout the battle. This accordion was so special to him and it was a good memory from his home when he would play it when he was at war. The day the sergeant ask a soldier to write letters, Erik nominated Hans. “At least one of you useless bastards must be able to write properly” (Zusak 177). While Hans was nominated and was in charge of writing the letters Erik was off in the war. Erik Vandenberg died in the war, His wife gave Hans his accordion because they were best friends and he had taught Hans all these years how to play. Now Hans plays all of the time at home and Liesel sits aside and watches and listen to him play. Ramfos 3 The metaphor “the conversation of bullets” is comparing two things. When the narrator says “the conversation of bullets”, he isn't being literal. Bullets can't talk but what the narrator is trying to say is death. “It was like a Serial. Day after day after day. After day: The conversation of bullets.” (Zusak 175) After processing this quote from the novel, It makes best sense that the narrator is trying to show the bullets as a meaning of death. Part Five: The book The Whistler had something so significant to it.
The book had so much power to it. One day, on Himmel street, the town had to get out and go to the shelter. All of the people who lived on Himmel Street were scared because there was a chance their street could get blown up by a bomb. Courageous Liesel pulled out the book, The Whistler. Liesel was sitting in the shelter and started to read the book out loud. “By page three, everyone was silent but Liesel” (Zusask 381) Liesel trapped all of the people's nervous and scared selfs to herself calm voice. The book was a power of silence. The common theme that connects the book Liesel has stolen is that the each book tell a chunk of her …show more content…
life. Part Six: In the year of 1942, World War II was happening. Tons of bombs, Tons of dead humans. Jewish flesh and spirits were steaming its way out the burning chimney, Russian soldiers were dead lying on the battlefield, and then their was also the soaked bodies of a French coast, beached on the sand. Its very ironic death narrates this novel because in the year of 1942 World War II was occurring and so many people were dying. “So many humans, so many colors” (Zusak 309). The narrator is explaining that our human lives are filled with color, but there is death making its way through all of the colors. I feel like the narrator explains the holocaust in a way that's not very serious, I actually feel like the narrator is detracting from some of the more serious themes in the novel. Ramfos 4 Part Seven: The metaphor is comparing two things in part seven. The metaphor, “what had happened was an ocean sky, with white cap clouds” (Zusak 389). The white caps are the clouds and beauty in the sky and everything was beautiful and peaceful. When the Jews were marching down the street then came the storm. After processing this metaphor and understanding what is being compared, it seems to me as if the day was peaceful and then when the Jews came it turned into a bad storm. Part Eight: An Allegory is a work in which characters, events, or settings symbolize, or represent, something else. The words and symbols that sprout from these trees relate to the political situation in Hitler's Germany. Hitler wanted to control the world. He would speak with his words and the words planted in people's minds, making Hitler control what they do. Adolf Hitler knew if he didn't use his words, he wouldn't control people, he would be powerless. “She was the best word shaker in her region because she knew how powerless a person could be WITHOUT words” (Zusak 446). Thinking over this quote that Max Vandenberg wrote in his sketchbook called the word shaker, it has a very special symbolic importance to it. Part Nine: My reaction to “The Snows of Stalingrad” was devastating.
It was very sad to read about Frau Holtzapfel’s sons. First, Michael Holtzapfel, He fought in the battle of Stalingrad. “Stalingrad happened to my hand. I was shot in the ribs and I had three of my fingers blown off” (Zusak 466). This was an awful time for Michael Holtzapfel. Getting shot in the ribs and three fingers blown off, must have been extremely painful! Next, there was Robert Holtzapfel, he also experienced a tragic explosion. “His legs were blown off at his shins and he died with his brother watching in a cold, stench- filled hospital” (Zusak 469). This is so devastating, I could only imagine the emotions Michael felt that day, so sad. This adds characterization of the narrator because I remember the narrator saying in the beginning how
much Ramfos 5 he hated survivors. Death took Robert Holtapfel’s soul and swooped him away from pain. The effect of showing how the narrator and the people experience the same death is the narrator speaks for himself, he speaks death. Us humans, once we die, we die, we don't have an afterlife where we come back and share our experience with death. Part Ten: Liesel said goodbye to each of the people she cared about the most in a manner fitting way, those people were Rudy Steiner, Rosa, and Hans Hubermann. The first body Liesel saw was Rudy Steiner, his lemon yellow hair caught her eyes. “He leaned down and looked at his lifeless face and Liesel kissed her best friend, Rudy Steiner, soft and true on his lips” (Zusak 536). Liesel sure shows her passion and love for Rudy Steiner because she would never ever have kissed his dirty lips if she hadn't felt the love and passion for him. The second body Liesel saw was Rosa Hubermann's. “She tightened her grip on the hardening hand. “I came and watched you were so beautiful. Goddamn it, you were so beautiful” (Zusak 537). Even though Rosa called Liesel a saumensch and saukerl, Liesel still loved her and never disrespected her. The third body Liesel saw was Hans Hubermann. “Goodbye, Papa, you saved me. You taught me to read. No one can play like you. Ill never drink champagne. No on can play like you.”Liesel had a very special bond with Hans and he had a lot of respect for him and she's most crushed that papa died.” Epilogue: There was only one person that survived on Himmel street during the airstrike bombing, Liesel Meminger. It took three hours in the police station for the mayor and a fluffy- haired women to show their faces. “Everyone says there’s a girl,” the lady said, “who survived on Himmel street” A police man pointed. Liesel respected Max even though a lot of Germans did not because he was a Jew. Its very ironic how the author has a German girl support a Jew. Diesel had a special bond with Max and Ramfos 6 seems to always will. I think the author was trying to say if the entire society works together and gets along, they can work with each other to survive. Liesel and Max did it, its possible, thats what I think the author is trying to say about war and humanity.