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The relationship between language and culture
The relationship between language and cultures
The relationship between language and culture
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It is quite astonishing how varying combinations of letters and characters have such power. They have moved and shaped the course of history and touched our lives in every aspect. Words can hurt us, they can make us feel love, hate, and any emotion in between. These tiny units of language breathe life into the people and things around us and shall do so for eternity.
The Book Thief is a charming tale that follows the life of a girl named Liesel who discovers the beauty and power of words. Living in a war-torn Germany during WWII, Liesel turns to books as a means of escaping from the harsh reality to a haven of ink and paper. In a rather unconventional comparison, there is a surprising similarity between the thieving German girl and The Bard of Avon, William Shakespeare. The renowned poet knew better than most that words can withstand the test of time and give life in a fer cleverly arranged syllables.
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As Liesel is learning to navigate through life during the war, she fosters an inseparable bond with Max, a Jewish boy living in her parent’s basement.
Liesel acts as Max’s link to the outside world as he remains hidden in the darkness of the basement. During one of their many late night exchanges, Max enlightens Liesel on the power of words in Judaism, “In my religion we're taught that every living thing, every leaf, every bird, is only alive because it contains the secret word for life. That's the only difference between us and a lump of clay. A word. Words are life, Liesel.” This quote expresses language as a source of power to make a positive difference in the world. The Book Thief also conveys a powerful message of the beauty of words and the affect of words on a person. Similarly to Max, Shakespeare knew the power that words possess. The writer expresses this in Sonnet 55, in which asserts the immortality of the poet's sonnets to withstand the forces of decay over
time. Sonnet 55 is a confident paean in which the narrator assures his beloved that no r memorial, however lovely or lasting, can withstand this sonnet, which will live longer and shine brighter with his words. While this sonnet is in every way a stereotypical love poem, the theme that love is about the perseverance of memory and the narrator’s beloved achieving eternal life runs through the sonnet like a ribbon. “So, till the judgment that yourself arise, /You live in this, and dwell in lovers' eyes.” The narrator is giving his muse eternal life by encompassing his feelings for her through words. Just like Max, Shakespeare understands that words are life. They are the things that will outlast people, monuments, wars, and everything in between. The difference between a lump of clay and a human being is a word and the difference between a marble monument and and eternal life is a word. As time inches forward people will pass, new ones will be born, civilizations will fall, and new ones will rise. Despite these inevitabilities, nothing is ever oblivious or forgotten—as long as word exists, they will continue to give 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
Throughout the novel Liesel reaches new highs and new lows, overcoming her fears and succumbing to her anger. Liesel's sudden outburst at Ilsa Hermann after Ilsa asking to stop the laundry services caused her to finally accept her brother's death and even helped Ilsa accept her son's death as well. Ilsa's guilt consumed her and caused her to become a house ridden woman overcome by her grief while Liesel overcame her guilt and grief by learning how to read and write not allowing them to overcome her. "“It’s about time,” she [Liesel] informed her, “that you do your own stinking washing anyway. It’s about time you faced the fact that your son is dead. He got killed! He got strangled and cut up more than twenty years ago! Or did he freeze to death? Either way, he’s dead! He’s dead and it’s pathetic that you sit here shivering in your own house to suffer for it. You think you’re the only one?” Immediately. Her brother was next to her. He whispered for her to stop, but he, too, was dead, and not worth listening to. He died in a train. They buried him in the snow. […] “This book,” she went on. She shoved the boy down the steps, making him fall. “I don’t want it.” The words were quieter now, but still just as hot. She threw The Whistler at the woman’s slippered feet, hearing the clack of it as it landed on the cement. “I don’t want your miserable book. ”[…] her brother holding his
In The Book Thief, author Markus Zusak tells the tragic story of Liesel Meminger and her experiences in 1939 Nazi Germany. Zuzak incorporates compelling literary devices such as toe curling foreshadowing, personification, and vivid imagery in the form of simile and metaphors to grasp the readers’ interest. Zusak’s use of various literary devices helps to deepen the text and morals of the story, and makes the dramatic historical novel nearly impossible to put down.
Liesel experiences abandonment throughout her life, and the novel during a suppressed time in World War II Germany. Through her experiences Liesel’s learns to equate abandonment with love knowing that circumstance have forced her loved ones to leave her.
2. What is ironic about Liesel’s obsession with stealing books? Discuss other uses of irony in the novel.
Loss can be a heartbreaking experience or just an inconvenience. It is significant in both books because of what the characters loss or what the characters loose. Whether it is a family member or an object, all the losses have some significance to the war or symbolism. In the novel, the book thief Liesel loses her mother. “ There was a chaos of goodbye”(Zusak 25). “The sudden realization that this would all be for nothing - that her mother would never write back and she would never see her again.” (Zusak 99). These two quotes explain Liesel's loss of her mother. When Liesel joined her new family and she never got a letter back, she realized that her old life is behind her and she can never go back to her mother. Her mother is thought to have
To begin, I personally don’t believe Liesel is wrong for stealing a book from the bonfire because it was going to be destroyed anyways. It shouldn’t harm or have a huge impact on someone else. The book could have been thrown out by someone who did not want it anymore. Her family cannot really afford books and Liesel is
The novel The Book Thief is a book about a young girl by the name of Liesel Meminger. Observing the life of this young girl is not easy as this is the time of Hitler’s reign in Germany. In a short period of time, this girl faces many difficulties. More than any child should ever have to encounter. She has to deal with being abandoned by her mother, the death of her younger brother, and relocation to another part of Germany. Immediately when Liesel arrives to Molching, her life is forever changed. She is forced to live with two strangers, now her new mama and papa. Liesel faces much abuse both at school and at home. At school she is made fun of for her illiteracy and at home, mama speaks very rudely to her calling her a swine and other insults.
In most children’s lives, there is a fierce relationship between a father and his son or daughter. Although Liesel didn’t know what this was until she stepped off the train in Molching, her relationship with her foster father may have turned out to be the most important relationship in her life. Hans was important to Liesel not only in the way he parented her, but also in the way he gave her hope for the future. In The Book Thief, Zusak utilizes the mentor/pupil archetype and literary devices such as symbolism and motif’s to enhance the readers understanding of the relationship between Hans and Liesel, and how this relationship changed both the mentor and pupil for the better by the end of the book. Hans helps Liesel get through the difficulty
Words have the power to affect people in many ways from empowerment or to taking upon action. Words are able to make huge changes in the lives of many and can make good or bad changes. In history, people used words in both good and bad function from making a promise to a nation or even manipulating multitudes of people within a nation. Words definitely have the ability to take situations a far distance but despite the fact that evil can manipulate the majority of people, individuals too can realize the true actions and evil buried inside the perpetrator. People can be both ugly and beautiful at sometimes with weapons along their sides. A novel called The Book Thief illustrates the power of words in a multitude of ways, showing the potential
Words hold great power and when used correctly can influence what people believe and how they act.
It was on a train with Liesel’s mother and brother where they were travelling when death made his first appearance in the book thief’s life. He took the soul of her brother and only glanced at the girl truly, not taking real note of her as he did his job. She knew that her brother was dead at that point, but the shock wouldn’t truly take her until she snatched a book from where it had fallen near her brother’s hastily made grave. After he was buried, Liesel and her mother continued on their way, arriving at the town of Molching, where she met Hans and Rosa Hubermann. In the first few months that she had arrived, nightmares plagued her mind, haunting her with images of Werner, her brother, and his cold dead eyes. Hans is the one to comfort her, and because of this she grows to trust in him and truly view him as her father. She enjoys his company as well, for he can play the accordion and is always smiling and winking at her in a joyous way. He also begins to teach her how to read the book that she picked up on the day d...
The main character Liesel, known as “the book thief” is who Death is looking over. Liesel, her mother, and brother are on a train to Munich. On the train ride her brother dies. She and her mother get off the train to bury him. The first book Liesel steals is from the gravediggers. They continue the journey to a town called Molching, where Liesel will be raised by foster parents, Hans and Rosa Hubermann. Liesel adjusts to her new home life. Hans teaches Liesel how to read. The war is escalating in Germany. The town holds a book-burning to celebrate Hitler’s birthday. That’s when Liesel steals another book from the flames. Liesel’s job is to deliver laundry to the Hermann family. The Hermanns’ have a library full of books. Liesel is allowed to read them in the study. Meanwhile, a German-Jew named Max needs help, so he seeks out the Hubermanns. Max hides in the basement, so he is safe from the Nazis. Liesel begins stealing books from the Hermanns. The Nazis parade the Jews through the town of Molching on their way to the concentration camp for everyone to see. Liesel is given a blank notebook to write her own story. One night the neighborhood is bombed. Hans, Rosa, and the rest of the neighborhood is killed. Rescue workers find Liesel under the rubble. She leaves behind her finished book, called The Book Thief. Death, who has been watching, rescues the book. Liesel ends up living with the mayor
Words are used in many different forms. Whether one realizes it or not, no matter what the form is, language influences everyone. It is a tool that can change one’s life for good and for bad. The novel The Book Thief by Markus Zusak uses language as a method to accurately depict the immense power that words possess. This is evident when words are used out of anger, to distract from issues and in times when words save lives.
Words are very powerful things, they are not simply just letters written on a sheet of paper; they can inspire, motivate, and evoke certain emotions. Think of your favorite songs and realize that the lyrics can bring joy, happiness, sadness, depression, loneliness, longing, or any emotion imaginable to others based on their own personal experiences. Dave Matthews’ song lyrics for “Funny The Way It Is” are able to capture this phenomenon when he says, “Funny the way it is, Whether right or wrong, Somebody's heart is broken, And it becomes your favorite song” (“Pandora” np). Examples of the pure power of words have been shown throughout mankind’s history. Many great leaders such as Jesus Christ, Martin Luther King Jr., Abraham Lincoln, and even our current president, President Obama, used words to influence, motivate, and encourage their followers in positive ways. Authors in literature have recognized this trend and use powerful sayings or words to intensify their plot and to evoke specific emotions from their audience. “Timshel” or “thou mayest” was a reoccurring word in John Steinbeck’s fictional novel East of Eden, their was a struggle or contemplation of the exact translation that was parallel to the theme of good vs. evil found throughout the three generations of brothers (Steinbeck np). This one word meant redemption, forgiveness, and liberation all at once. Another example of the power of words in literature is in Co...