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Book Thief Themes

605 Words3 Pages

In a world ruled by Nazi Germany, individuals with ideas deemed unacceptable were silenced and ignored. As a result, many people had to express their thoughts through written words on paper. The novel The Book Thief by Markus Zusak reflects on the experiences of living in Nazi Germany. Zusak explores the significance of books by portraying the various opportunities that come with them. For instance, books bring forward the opportunity to gain new perspectives, having the power to shape a character's mind. Moreover, books resemble the gain of privilege, as the ability to read and write provides privileges to some characters. Thus, the act of stealing books by Liesel symbolises the theft of knowledge, which is a crucial element in developing the key theme of how words hold power and privilege. …show more content…

In the novel, the Nazi Party and German citizens organize book burnings to destroy books containing knowledge deemed as "poisonous" to the German ideology. The citizens do this to demonstrate their loyalty to Hitler's beliefs. The act is exemplified in the text when it reads, " 'Not only is it our great leader's birthday—but we also stop our enemies once again. We stop them reaching into our minds' ” (Zusak 74). The quote indicates that the book burning took place on Hitler's birthday, displaying the extent of oppression in Germany during that period. Furthermore, by acknowledging the viewpoints presented in books as "enemies," it suggests that any ideologies that contradicted Hitler's beliefs were considered a threat to the German population. Additionally, the quote mentions stopping "them" from reaching into their minds, implying that the foreign information within the books could have an influence on the minds of the German citizens. Therefore, it is evident that the words within a book have the power to leave a lasting impression on one's

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394 Words | 2 Pages

The Book Thief, by Markus Zusak, is a story set in Nazi Germany, the protagonist, Liesel Meminger, gets taken to a because her mom cannot manage to take care of her. The central theme, the power of words, is demonstrated throughout the story by Lisel’s love for books, and ability to use words to relieve and connect with others. It also shows how words can be used to manipulate and control people. “When she came to write her story, she would wonder when the books and the words started to mean not just something, but everything.” (Zusak, page 30).

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167 Words | 1 Pages

In the source, “Nazi Book Burning and the American Response”, Professor Guy Stern addresses American thoughts concerning the Nazi Book Burning in 1933 and thoughts about modern day “book burning”, also known as censorship. Professor Stern presents the idea, “No man and no force can put thought into a concentration camp”. Stern explains in his lecture that try as we might, no one can totally eradicate books, because they are made up of thoughts. To assist in building his argument, Professor Stern cites many literary works some events, including Fahrenheit 451 by: Ray Bradbury and the Nazi Book Burning. Although this lecture is filled with passion, Professor Stern unbiasedly presents his arguments.

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466 Words | 2 Pages

He refers to the Nazi Book Burning that happened on May 10, 1933 that burned 25, 000 volumes of "un-German" books. The Book Burning happened because the Nazi Germen authorities wanted the community to read literature that preached Germen views so they made students burn their un-German books. Still like the novel there were people who had books that should've been gotten rid of and if caused

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734 Words | 3 Pages

Texts are an important tool used to communicate values arguments and ideas. ‘The Book Thief’, written by Markus Zusak, is a novel centralised on Liesel Meminger, who is a young girl who steals book during the Holocaust in World War 2. By following her journey, Zusak explores themes of man’s capacity for cruelty and kindness, and the power of words. Morals are shaped through an individual’s experiences with others, informing their capacity for cruelty and kindness. When Liesel Meminger and her friend, Rudy Steiner, begin stealing food, it introduces the idea that every human has the capacity for cruelty and kindness.

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1544 Words | 7 Pages

The novel, “The Book Thief”, written by Markus Zusak shows the nature of human beings and their actions during what was arguably the most catastrophic time in human history, the reign of Nazi Germany. He demonstrates the impact that words have had on the the nation, the world, and a young girl named Liesel Meminger. However, to portray this, he utilizes a narrator which can explain events in a way no other living being can- ‘Death’. Throughout the novel, Death describes the life-changing events that Liesel is forced to undergo, but he highlights how she is able to power through them and achieve an outcome so great. Most of all, he explains how is eventually able to understand the true meaning of words, and how they have the capacity to be so simple, yet unimaginably powerful.

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1593 Words | 7 Pages

One of the undermined but hurtful things that Hitler did to his own people was the burning of un-German books in universities all over Germany. This event became known as the Nazi Book Burning. Some of the different books that were deemed “un-German” and burned were books that were made by enemies of the state or talked against the state and the cause of the state. This event is eerily similar to what firemen do in Fahrenheit 451, burning books because they are anti-state and can lead up to anti-state ideas, such as the overthrow of the

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703 Words | 3 Pages

Over hundreds of thousands of books were burned by the Nazis. The books were burned because they were filled with knowledge and ideas that would spread to people causing the Nazis to lose their perfect society. In the novel, the government burned books because reading creates independent thinking and they wanted the citizens to be ignored, so they could control them without fear of a rebellion. In Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury symbolism is used to evoke strong meaning throughout the novel. Objects such as the phoenix, salamander, and fire are powerful symbols that occur throughout the novel.

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749 Words | 3 Pages

During wartime, books represent more than pages bound together, they represent the hope and culture of groups. Nazi Germany burned Jewish books as a symbol of eradicating Jewish culture, proving Heinrich Heine, a nineteenth-century German poet's belief that "Where one burns books, one will soon burn people.” The Nazi regime banned books to shape the history and culture of Germany by using the power of literature. The German Freedom Library and the American Library of Nazi-Banned Books are two libraries that achieved books and literature which were burned in Nazi Germany to preserve cultural memory and promote intellectual freedom. These libraries had the shared purpose of countering the ideological control imposed by the Nazis and ensuring

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703 Words | 3 Pages

You truly don’t know what you have until it’s gone. Everyday things are taken for granted. In “The Book Thief” It shows incredible examples of how loss transforms you for the better. “The Book Thief” Written by Markus Zusak is a novel based on Nazi-Germany during post World War 2. It Features the scary truth along with harsh humor, The story is told through the eyes of brave, Jewish girl named Liesel.

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483 Words | 2 Pages

The power of words in “The Book Thief” and the endless strength they carry is a prime topic throughout the book. “The Book Thief”, a novel narrated by Death about Liesel, a young German girl who is given up for adoption to live with the Hubermann’s shortly before World War II. Liesel discovers the power that words, written or spoken, have to transform people, relationships, and lives. In the novel, Mark Zusak uses the relationship between characters to signify the power of words. Within “The Book Thief” the author suggests that words hold much power and have a major role in crafting the relationships between the characters.

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791 Words | 4 Pages

Language is one of the most powerful ways to communicate with people in our life. This idea is also shown in The Book Thief by Markus Zusak, where a young girl named Liesel explores reading and writing, experiencing cruelty and suffering living in Nazi Germany. Ultimately, in the novel, it is conveyed that language can be used with much power, either to manipulate or help. He expresses this idea through the motifs of books and Hitler. To begin with, characters like Max and Liesel are able to develop their understanding of language and writing and realize how much of an impact it can make on themselves.

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586 Words | 3 Pages

It takes guts to steal books, to defy leaders, to take in the criminally wanted. In the dark times such as 1939-1945, such acts of courage are mandatory in a way, perhaps. The author of The Book Thief, Markus Zusak, finds many ways to display development and courage in his characters’ personalities. The first example of this theme would be Liesel.

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880 Words | 4 Pages

Markus Zusak has assembled ‘The Book Thief’ using a variety of narrative conventions. These include a unique narrative viewpoint, plot structure and use of imagery, all of which provide meaning to the reader. (33 words) A narrative’s point of view refers to who is telling the story. In this case Zusak’s narrator identifies himself as Death.

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978 Words | 4 Pages

To Heal and to Hurt: The Importance of Words in The Book Thief by Markus Zusak “Words do two major things. They provide food for the mind and create light for understanding and awareness.” This quote by Jim Rohn highlights the two major things words do, indicating they have a power, an important role in everyday lives. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak is an outstanding representation of many topics including the most crucial one, the importance of words. It is the late 1930s to early 1940s in Germany during the World War II, and the main character, Death, cannot help himself but to be intrigued by Liesel Meminger’s story, a girl that lives in Munich, Germany on Himmel Street.

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529 Words | 3 Pages

The Book Thief. MZ, 2005, p. 301. ). The author of The Book Thief , Markus Zusak demonstrates the idea that a person's survival or life may strongly depend on the power of words. In The Book Thief we learn that words have a lot of power, not only do we but throughout the story unfold Liesel also learns that also.

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