The Accordion and Music in the Book Thief by Markus Zusak What's your favorite song, and what does it mean to you? We follow Death as he narrates the story of a young foster girl named Liesel Meminger living with her foster parents Hans and Rosa Hubermann during the Nazi German period as he finds her surrounded by death. The accordion originally belonged to Erik Vandenburg, who saved Hans during World War I. The accordion brings hope and comfort to Hans, Rose, Liesel, and Max in their time of need. We can see how music and words can become a source of power. “QUESTION TWO “Do you still play the accordion?” This is the second question Max asks Hans when he arrives at the Hubermann household. To Max, this was the hope he had when he arrived. …show more content…
This is a moment where we see the vulnerability of Rosa, someone who is meant to be stone-cold. In this scene, we see the love she truly has for him. For Rosa, the accordion symbolizes Hans and the love and security he holds with him. We also see the motif of music when Hans plays the accordion for Liesel after her nightmares. This is where we see the comfort Hans's music has, and we also see this relationship with Liesel. Liesel has her books and words. The moment we see the power of her words is when she reads to everyone in the basement during the bomb raid. She can comfort people. Hans sees this and tells Liesel to continue reading to everyone. We can see how strong of a representation of hope and comfort the accordion and the music it can play is as Liesel carries it, even when surrounded by the dread and chaos of the bombing. This shows the great impact it had on Liesel's life and also Max as we find out that he's able to survive the Nazi camp. Music is a great escape that people use to get away from problems. People use music in many ways, such as conveying certain emotions. Many aspects of music can mean a lot to someone, like the instrument/instrumental similar to the accordion or maybe the lyrics and the story the song has that people can connect
The piano is what sets the mood of the whole piece, the beginning starts off slow and gloomy sounding, then the vocalist begins to sing and confirms that this song is going to be unhappy. Although the song is gloomy sounding, I still like it, the piano has a pleasant melody and it is calming. It sounds like a song that should be played in a movie when a loved one dies and everyone’s moored at a funeral.
By “looking gravely at Liesel’s cheek”, he is extremely serious about the situation. However, he goes on to tell her that she “can say that in our house.” This essentially means Hans tolerates Liesel saying that, so long as Liesel never says it “on the street, at school, or at the BDM.” He does not want Liesel to get herself into trouble, so he decided to slap her to ultimately protect her, which is a thought-provoking moment. The two contrasts work together seamlessly to provide the idea that the destruction of Hans slapping Liesel is negated by the beauty in his willingness to protect her. Beauty intertwined with destruction is also present when the Himmel Street residents are in the bomb shelter, and Liesel begins to read to them. Death says, “The youngest kids were soothed by her voice, and everyone saw visions of the whistler running from the crime scene” (381). This quote shows the beauty of Liesel’s words alongside the ongoing air raid sirens. She was able to make the children
Furthermore, the literary devices of shift, metaphor, and imagery allude to the positive, hopeful attitude of the song within the warning and advice that the speaker gives his friend. The shift between the story (7-15, 22-31) and the conversation shows when the speaker switches from telling to story to the friend and actually talking to the friend. The story helps to put emphasis on the fact that it’s not too late for the “friend” to start over, or “put the past away”. By mentioning this sad story and suggesting for his friend to get help, the singer presents an overall idea of hope; that the “friend” that they are singing (to?) still has a chance at a normal, happy life.
Throughout time, children have read stories of brave knights, running into battle with their swords ready to defeat the invader. They have read tales of everyday girls turning into princesses by kissing a frog or wearing a glass slipper. Also, some of these stories contain accounts of historically poignant moments. For example, the novel The Book Thief written by Markus Zusak takes place during World War II. It gives a lasting impression on what this time was like for everyday people and the impacts the war had on them. The author does this through the many storytelling elements incorporated into the book. Also, Zusak displays how people respond to changes within their lives during these taxing times. For instance, the main character, Liesel
Throughout the book, Hans uses situations and ideas to teach Liesel what is right and wrong, and shows her how she has the ability to give hope and life to those around her. “He came in every night and sat with her. The first couple of times, he simply stayed-a stranger to kill the aloneness. A few nights after that, he whispered, “Shhh I’m here, it’s all right.” After three weeks, he held her. Trust was accumulated quickly, due primarily to the brute strength of the man’s gentleness, his thereness. “ (Zusak 36) When Hans appears every night to comfort Liesel, he is demonstrating how love and care for someone can change their view on a situation, and even influence the people around them. Hans and his “thereness” relieved the terror and pain Liesel felt every night while having nightmares about her brother. After her brother’s death, Liesel feels that she has no purpose with this new family, and feels like her life will be miserable without her mother and brother. However, Hans is willing to step in and provide an honest and truthful man for Liesel to confide in and love. By giving Liesel this backbone to lean on after such a loss, he is also showing her what it means to give others hope, and how she can make a difference in the world even as a small poor girl. “They read through the early hours of the morning, circling and writing the words she did not comprehend, and turning the pages toward daylight. A few times, Papa nearly slept, succumbing to the itchy fatigue in his eyes and the wilting of his head. Liesel caught him out on each occasion, but she had neither the selflessness to allow him to sleep nor the hide to be offended.” (Zusak 86) Reading is an act of love between Hans Hubermann and Liesel Meminger. By reading to Liesel every night, Hans is creating a real father-daughter relationship with Liesel. Hans wants the
Liesel’s mom leaves her with foster parents because she wishes to protect her from the fate she is enduring. The words Paula, Liesel’s mom, uses go against Hitler which resulted in her being taken away and Liesel to lose her mother and experience the loss of her. This shows Liesel experiences unhappiness because of the words her mother uses and Liesel’s misunderstanding of her mother's actions.
Words hold great power and when used correctly can influence what people believe and how they act.
In The Book Thief by Markus Zusak, the reader is brought back in time to Nazi Germany and the family that lives in 33 Himmel Street. Using the interactions between the characters Zusak exhibits how love can bring pain and grief, but ultimately healing and peace. Living in Germany during World War II was a time strife with heartbreak and pain. In opposition to the pain was the healing and peace that was brought forth by the love of the characters family and friends.
The power of words comfort and connect the characters. (Point) When Liesel is haunted by nightmares of her brother’s death, Hans delivers comfort by teaching her how to read, and playing his accordion to soothe her; this connects them. (Proof) ‘…she hauled the words in and breathed them out. A voice played the notes inside her. This, it said, is your accordion.’ (Pg. 381) (Comment) Death explains previously in the novel that Liesel also wants to learn how to play the accordion from Hans, but instead doesn’t ask because she thinks it’ll never sounds the way Hans plays it. Hans way of comforting people is by playing his accordion. This quote demonstrates how Liesel now ...
Music adds tension to the story “Where are you going, Where have you been?” It's powerful in the way that it influences Connie. Music creates tension between Connie's sense of reality and fantasy. She daydreams about boys based upon love songs, not her actual experiences with them. In fact, the encounters that she had with boys proved to be much less appealing than the romance she has seen on television, radio, films, etc. Music is also powerful for Friend. He uses it as a tool to seduce, control, and entice her. The power of music is overarching and has the power to influence us all. It has the ability to shape our understanding and help us communicate. Joyce Carol Oates' “Where are you going, Where have you been?” effectively demonstrates this concept as she shows music's impact on popular culture and adolescents.
This is because she stole a book at her brother 's funeral and desires to read it in honor of him. Her new foster family, the Hubermanns, and friends help Liesel on this quest. Death describes Liesel The Book Thief begins roughly around the time of Liesel 's brother 's funeral, she is only nine when this occurs, even the oldest and wisest souls find it difficult to cope with the loss of a loved one, think about the effects on someone so young and innocent. At the funeral, Death comments on the humans he does not take with him, "I witness the ones that are left behind, crumbled among the jigsaw puzzles of realization, despair, and surprise.
“Like most misery, it started with apparent happiness” (84). In the beginning, we are introduced to the narrator by the name of Death. He informs the readers that he has many stories, but only remembers the ones that interest him. The tale of Liesel Meminger is one such tale, as he was always fascinated by her will to live through the most horrible instances. It should be duly noted however, that this story does not have a happy ending. Death makes this clear before we even have a chance to get our hopes up. He tells us that everyone dies; the amount of time that they last is truly the only difference. After this sordid fact is in place, he mentions just Liesel first attracted his attention.
In the beginning, sad, orchestral violin music is used to express the depression of the people of the United States of America after the launch of Sputnik 1 by Russia during the space race. Immediently after, Roy Lee is shown playing funky rock music inside his car while waiting for Homer to get in, thus providing a joyful mood and exciting emotional atmosphere.
If words can grasp one's attention, they can be a calm aura in an otherwise time of stress and fear. Liesel's actions of what started as simply reading a book lead to a restful basement that would otherwise have been full of fear. Zusak's personification of the eyes of the people of the basement communicates how words have the ability and the power to release the tension and fear prescribed. Furthermore, while Liesel is reading, Zusak uses a metaphor to compare Liesel's book to an accordion to bring light on how words have the power to bring joy and comfort to others. As Liesel continues to read, Zusak describes how “a voice played the notes inside her.
Didier's band of musicians is always hovering, "singing the songs of life,...singing in the void for all they're worth, singing that somehow we will all get through it-unbroken" (Kulhawik). For example, when Elise is given the leathal injection after being pronounced clinically dead, the band stands faithfully by her bedside. In the silence following, Didier tells her goodbye, puts on his banjo, and launches into a suprisingly upbeat melody that seems to be celebrating Elise's "love, loss and--in the end--life, in all its bitter beauty" (Scott). "The Broken Circle Breakdown," like the bluegrass music encircling the story and characters, "has a way of evoking any number of emotions" (Scott) that resonate long after the initial