Power Of Words In The Book Thief

The Power That Lies Within Words “One must always be careful of books, and what is inside them, for words have the power to change us.” (Clare 4) The importance of words and the impact that words can have on people is often underestimated. The power of words is demonstrated in the film, The Book Thief, a screenplay written by Michael Petroni based on the novel by Markus Zusak, produced by Karen Rosenfelt, and Ken Blancato. Words hold great power over people regardless of whether it is found in books, movies, or said verbally. Words also have the power to make a positive or negative difference depending on how the words are used. The power of words can be used to either make or break you, depending on whether you use them as tools or as weapons.

The events of the Holocaust during WWII had the power to dehumanize Liesel, but instead it gave her the courage to live a meaningful life. “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… Words are life, Liesel. All those blank pages are for you to fill.” (The Book Thief) Even though this is a quote that Max said to Liesel, it helps show how words give life meaning. This sparked the heart of Liesel’s life because she is given a blank to fill with words; she has the power to use her words as tools or weapons, to either live a meaningful life or an insignificant one. Liesel chose to use her words to gain strength and courage to live a life worth living through the books that she read and wrote. In Throne of Glass, Celaena Sardothien helps show that even though people may face struggles, it is ultimately what gives our life meaning because we learn to never give up and to endure through them. “If you learn to endure pain, you can survive anything.” (Maas 2). Parts of our strength comes from the things that we are forced to endure. If we go through life giving up on everything, it would seem like the real potential in living life is wasted. The words in these books show how life is a struggle, but if you at least try to face it with a brave face, it will make life more worthwhile.

Liesel and Max build a strong friendship through their love for books even though they are from two different worlds. “I’m not lost to you, Liesel, You’ll always be able to find me in your words. That’s where I’ll live on.” (The Book Thief) Words exchanged between Liesel and Max hold special meaning, thus holding power within them. Liesel and Max are from two different worlds, but the power of words is what brings them together. Through their meaningful exchange of words, a strong friendship was built; one that was able to last a lifetime. In The Raven Cycle, Blue Sargent was able to maintain strong friendships with the raven boys because of the way they express themselves through their words. “… She was no less obsessed with them than they were with her, or one another, analyzing every conversation, and gesture, drawing out every joke into a longer and longer running gag, spending each moment either with one another or thinking about when they next would be with one another.” (Stiefvater 3). The words they use to express themselves created beautiful moments that strengthened the bonds that they had. It signifies how the words we speak are important because they have a huge influence in the relationships that we have. Words are powerful because they