Outline For The Book Thief

The Book Thief Essay Outline

Creative Title

“Well, it kept our spirits lifted. We felt we wanted to go on. We were hungry, we were tired, we were sick. But we had something to live for” (“The Music Man of Terezin: The Story of Rafael Schaechter as Remembered by Edgar Krasa,” by Susie Davidson).

In Terezin, art gave the Jews hope; it gave them a form of resistance. In other books like White Bird and Markus Zusak’s The Book Thief, the ability and power to make art gave the people freedom; and to resist against the dehumanization coming from the Nazis. Zusak introduces Max Vandenburg, a Jew who shows the Hubbermans power of writing and art.

Thesis (Main Claim + Plan of Development): In Max Vandenburg’s “The Word Shaker”, Zusak uses apathetic

Zusak’s comparison of the clouds to “white monsters”, demonstrating the Nazi soldiers,“walking-by” reveals the Nazis’ clouded empathy . The clouds are personified as having legs that are marching away from the Jewish people in need of help. In this frightening situation, the right thing for a person to do is to try and help, but the clouds are “walking-by '' instead of assisting. They are acting selfish, and monstrous because of their lack of empathy to help other humans in need. Through Max’s drawings and words from “The Word Shaker”, he is able to communicate and warn Liesel, and anyone else who reads it to know the hazy sense of compassion the Nazi soldiers have for the Jews. A person’s views can be easily fogged so that what they are doing is seen as right. Apathy is caused by the lack of empathy, and blindness from what is moral. By acting immoral or as a by-stander, the connection made between people is lost; and the only thing from that relationship is apathy.When people are aware of the harm and danger they are causing, they are able to unite because of art. Art can be used to help others see and understand, and by Zusak comparing the Nazi to clouds and to monsters,

It could never destroy all of it, but if nothing else, a different-colored path was carved through it” (Zusak 450). Zusak is comparing the word tree being “laid out among the rest of the forest”. Even though the words have fallen, a “different-colored path” was carved. When trees fall or are carved, they change, either being gone completely or changing into something new. When this tree of words and influence is falling, the “different-colored path” may be a new change in ideas, or change in influence. Art can display a greater message by using metaphors.Through art, problems and dangers are able to be presented to others through simple drawings, or words. By comparing trees to words, Zusak illustrates both the danger and joy words can bring, so others can combat