The book that I have chosen for this semester was “Life in motion”, an autobiography by Misty Copeland. I personally chose to read this book because it is about a dancer and I am a dancer. This book stood out to me because she is my inspiration and has been for a long time. I look up to her and I decided well, to read a book about my inspiration.
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).
Sebastian Mejia Mrs. Porter English 2 Pre-AP/GT – 5th Period 17 September 2015 Part 1 English 2 Pre-AP/GT Summer Reading Assessment – The Book Thief by Markus Zusak 5. Hans gains Liesel’s trust through patience and understanding. Whenever she would cry or wake up from a nightmare, he would be there for her and protect her. He would say “Shhh, I’m here, it’s alright” to console her and let her know that he won’t leave her. (Zusak 36)
The general ability of language to influence people has always been astounding. The number of lives changed every day by mere sentences. Even the lack thereof, silence, is a very powerful linguistic device which conveys some strange mythical strength. This power is harnessed and used to convey messages in speeches, books, songs, and even just commonplace conversation. Words having this much weight is a little strange for one to think about but all throughout history they have defined and separated humans from everything else.
In the novel, The Book Thief, a fictional story, author Markus Zusak demonstrates the power of words to save or destroy someone or something. The setting is WWII in Molching, Germany. Leisel is a foster child who went through a lot to get to where she is, Himmel Street. She is living with her foster parents, Rosa and Hans Hubermann. She also has a very good friend, Rudy, who is your typical Aryan boy with blonde hair and blue eyes.
In The Book Thief by Markus Zusak, words played a vital role to both heal and destroy in this time period of war. Words are used to either influence people and things in a positive or negative way. Liesel learns that she has the power of words on her side and that words can affect her life and what happens in it. On the other hand, words cause atrocious things to happen as well, like Hitler coming to power. Words also have the power to heal and create marvelous things in the bad world.
In Markon Zusak’s The Book Thief investment stands out as the element of Narrative Tension used the most. There are many examples of this throughout The Book Thief like when Liesel wakes up to discover her brother was dead. One of these examples is on page 20 when it says “With one eye open, one still in a dream, the book thief-also known as Liesel Meminger-could see without question that her younger brother, Werner, was now sideways and dead.” (Zusak 20) This shows investment, because it makes the reader want to know what had happened to Liesel’s brother, as a sort of mystery.
The use of detail allows the sensory reaction of a scene or event. Mark Zusak in the novel , The Book Thief , employs diction in a very artistic manner allowing the details to enhance the exquisite diction. In passage above, details are used in abundance to engage the reader's senses, allowing the reader to be in tune with event being described, In the scene above , Death illustrates the parade of Jews who were dragged through Himmel Street on their way to the concentration camps in Dachau. The details provided to illustrate is this scene provide a clear of image of the condition of these poor Jews. Details such as “eyes were enormous in their starving skulls” and “a few wayward steps of forced running before the slow return to a malnourished
What does it mean to take a risk? What are we willing to risk? Many people will take risks in their lives, but what were all willing to put on the line will vary widely. This is the case for many characters in Markus Zusak’s 2005 novel The Book Thief.
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.
Yehuda Berg, a best-selling author, once said, “If we were handling a bomb which could go off at any minute as a result of our actions, we would mind ourselves and be delicate. Our words have the same power, yet we wield them around as though they were powerless and insignificant.” Words are one of the most powerful means of influence on Earth. Some people choose not to acknowledge the effects that their words may have on others. The Book Thief, by Markus Zusak is a unique story that takes place in Nazi Germany.
In the novel, The Book Thief, Mark Zusak uses words to convey multiple meanings. This is especially seen when the words “saukerl” and “saumensch” are used in the book. However, readers can quickly grasp that those “vehement and prolific” are intended as terms of endearment. However, this is contrasted to the words “thank you” which Max believes are the “most pitiful words he could” say. Max believes that he is undeserving of kindness and so when he does say thank you it only goes to nurture his guilty conscience.
During this time 6,000,000 Jews were killed, not by war, but rather at the hands of Germany. Hitler believed that Jews were an inferior race and was a threat to German purity. After years of being mistreated Hitler had a plan called the Final Solution, which was the attempt to extinct the entire Jewish Population. Germany would accomplish this by concentration camps that were set up in Poland.
The Unavoidable Realities of Life In society, most people try to avoid their issues or hardships in life. In “The Masque of the Red Death,” by Edgar Allen Poe, the characters learn that it is impossible to avoid the realities of life. This short story is about a time when a deadly disease spread throughout the country, killing many people. A prince, named Prince Prospero, decided to host a masquerade or party in his castle filled with high-class people and without the red death. Somewhere in this party, the red death entered the castle.
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.
