Markus Zusak: The Power Of Words

Many people say that eyes are the window to the soul. However, one can think otherwise and say that words are. The reason behind this belief is that words are very powerful. The words one uses can have such power that they can affect people in either good ways or bad. This is especially common in the twentieth century, also known as the era of social media. The media’s power of words can produce antagonistic views about certain races and cultures, making kids and their families believe the wrong things about a person or certain group of people, and this is called racism. An example of negativity brought towards a certain race through the media is, “...any sane and logical person can clearly see that BLACK PEOPLE SUCK MAJORLY” (Incog Man). This line from the article “The Most Worthless Race on the Planet” specifically says that black people ‘suck.’ One can say that they are aware that this isn’t true because in this day and age, much hatred is being deflected onto black people. This can be shown through the Alton Sterling shooting. However, in the words of

“...once, words had rendered Liesel useless, but now… she felt an innate sense of power” (Zusak 147). The reason that Liesel is as smart as she is is because the power of words had been able to give her knowledge, and with that knowledge, Liesel had brought some light into the darkness of the war. Not only that but, with the comfort and loving feeling that they brought her, she had been able to create a bond with Hans Hubermann. Their relationship had grown stronger through their use of words and their routine basement reads. She had been able to comfort those in times of stress with her stories and brought herself happiness by doing