ipl-logo

The Book Thief Power Of Words

775 Words4 Pages

The Spread of Immoral Ideas
Human corruption is not something that is unfamiliar with the world as national leaders, popular figures, and “friendly” neighborhood citizens have abused their power before. The Book Thief, by Markus Zusak is a historical fictional novel that is narrated by Death. The storyline follows the life of a young girl named Liesel Meminger who lives in Germany with her foster family during the era when the Nazis reigned by manipulating the German citizens. Ultimately, The Book Thief uses a combination of language and propaganda through the motifs of Adolf Hitler and his autobiography, Mein Kampf, to express how humans use words to spread immoral ideas.
To begin with, words have the power to sway how society views certain …show more content…

For instance, an Aryan shopkeeper’s mind has been implemented with the idea that everyone should worship Hitler and the Nazi party, “‘I’m waiting’ she said ‘Heil Hitler’ Rudy led… ‘And you?’ She glared at Liesel who promptly gave her a ‘heil Hitler’ of her own.” (155). This scene displays the lack of acceptance of others’ beliefs, caused by the biased information spread by Hitler and his Nazis. Disinformation is used to target those who are vulnerable to blindly complying with an order made by an idolized figure. Due to this, different groups of people are pitted against each other for having contrary views on particular topics, thus, changing the ways people see each other. Friends become enemies and families are broken apart, all because of a political or religious difference. In addition, the Nazi push to get people to read Hitler’s autobiography causes others to disapprove of a young girl learning how to read by using any other book than Mein Kampf, “‘And what trash is this girl reading? She should be reading Mein Kampf’” (105). Since Mein Kampf is full of immoral ideas, the Nazis use it to spread the word that everyone must join Hitler’s political party, which in effect, poisons the way people interact with one another. Instead of learning to tolerate others’ actions, those who praise Adolf Hiter would rather be ignorant to the fact that not everyone agrees with one certain idea. Ignorance along with the spread of false information, many are under pressure to change their natural habits such as reading different books or adapting to different lifestyles. All in all, propaganda changes people in a way that they become a new person and brainwash others into doing the

Show More
Related
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).

Read More
705 Words | 3 Pages

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak is an award-winning novel surrounding the main character Liesel, and her experience in Germany throughout World War II. As Liesel grows up as the novel progresses, she discovers various things about herself and her home of Nazi Germany. Throughout the novel, Zusak uses juxtaposition to emphasize the differences between sides. Zusak most clearly demonstrates his use of juxtaposition in the duality of Nazi Germany and how hate is not everywhere, and how the power of words can be used to either save or destroy. One example of juxtaposition in the novel is the duality of Nazi Germany.

Read More
1592 Words | 7 Pages

Critically Analyze an Excerpt from Main Kampf (Volume 1, Chapter 11) by Adolph Hitler In (Volume 1, Chapter 11) of Main Kampf, Adolf Hitler discusses “Nation and Race” in attempts to distinguish the Aryan race from the inferior race, the Jewish. He presents his claim by using anti-Semitic imagery, which is a form of discrimination against Jewish people (anti-Semitic, 2016). He also uses propaganda to convince the masses to follow his sophism. This paper will review (Volume 1, Chapter 11) titled “Nation and Race”, and will evaluate the persuasive techniques used by Adolf Hitler while applying rhetorical analysis.

Read More
823 Words | 4 Pages

A single book was able to convince an entire country to support and love a tyrannical dictator who became responsible for one of the most deadly genocides in history. This book was Meín Kampf and it is the autobiography of Adolf Hitler. In order to influence the immense number of people that he did, the author employed several rhetorical devices to convey his message. The author successfully delivered his ideals by mainly using ethos and pathos both supported with minor logos.

Read More
789 Words | 4 Pages

For instance, Anne Frank overheard on the English radio that friends were being taken away. In Source A, she asked herself, “If it 's that bad in Holland, what must it be like in those faraway and uncivilized places where the Germans are sending them? We assume that most of them are being murdered.” In other words, Jewish people who listened to the English radio felt threatened and apprehensive, because the government was leading them to make assumptions of horrible conditions friends and family may be in. Similarly, the eight steps of genocide illustrate how the government’s actions affect the Nazis view of the Jewish people, by making them seem different and out of place.

Read More
601 Words | 3 Pages

Consequently, she observes all of the propaganda raining down on her. As Nazi Germany unfolded, the Nazis used strategies such as propaganda and fear to control millions of Germans and Jews. Adolf Hitler used propaganda which had struck terror amongst Jewish people, and hope within the “Pure Germans,” known as the Aryan

Read More
589 Words | 3 Pages

Karla Galindo Michelle Stewart Summer English 14 July 2023 Night: Elie Wiesel Dehumanization means to deprive a person of their basic rights and to treat them as inferior and less-than human. Throughout his memoir Night, Elie Wiesel, illustrates how Hitler and his Nazis dehumanize the Jews in their quest to annihilate them. Due to the horrific and inhumane ways in which the Nazis seek to torture and exterminate the Jews, the Jews lose both faith in their God and compassion for one another. The Jews begin to lose faith in their God, their religion, due to the brutal and savage treatment of them in the hands of Hitler’s Nazis.

Read More
1855 Words | 8 Pages

Today, Adolf Hitler is known by many as the epitome of evil, but his followers saw him as equal to God himself. Hitler commandeered control of the suffering nation of Germany and then quietly convinced them that the Jews were to blame for their country’s distress. He spoke so passionately and so eloquently, nearly every German adored him. Even children were taught to pray, “‘Führer, my Führer, by God given to me, Defend and protect me as long as may be. Thou’st Germany rescued from her deepest need; I render thee thanks who dost daily me feed.

Read More
617 Words | 3 Pages

Kate Johnson Ms. Nikolai ELA English 10 Sophomore Academy 02-01-23 Dehumanization Night by Elie Wiesel is a memoir that recounts witnesses to his experiences in multiple concentration camps during the Holocaust. Many people were kept in concentration camps for years during World War II, and while they faced many hardships and fought many battles, possibly the hardest challenge to overcome was that of dehumanization. Dehumanization is the act of regarding, representing, or treating a person or group as less than human, (dictionary.com). During his experiences, Elie witnessed many instances where he, his family, or other Jews in the camps were treated so inhumanely that they felt reduced to little more than ‘things’. The Nazis were harsh, cruel,

Read More
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.

Read More
912 Words | 4 Pages

During World War I, Hitler’s ability to command his ideas led many, “refugees to be considered as victims of political persecution rather than race or religion” (Aish 1). The holocaust depicts the horrors that can occur if negative ideas are conveyed. Jewish citizens were forced to endure disturbing practices and inhumane treatment as a result of Adolf Hitler’s biased intentions. Elie Wiesel, a prisoner in the German concentration camps had his, “God, soul, and dreams turned into ashes” (Wiesel 221). As a result of one dictator’s negative viewpoint, Jewish people lived through a nightmare.

Read More
1471 Words | 6 Pages

The groupthink, or group mentality theory occurs when the majority of the group follows a certain ideal or idea, and causes individuals who might have thought otherwise to support the majority’s conclusions. This has never been more prevalent then in one of the most horrifying events in history: the Holocaust. The events of the Holocaust baffled the world – no one could understand how Hitler convinced thousands of German soldiers to murder millions of innocent Jewish citizens. The world could not understand how a sophisticated and refined European country could follow a mindset that systematically eradicated generations of people for the sole reason that they practiced a certain religion (Tindale, Munler, Wasserman & Smith, 2002). The largest contributor to the events that took place during the Holocaust are the effects of conformity.

Read More
645 Words | 3 Pages

It’s difficult to imagine the way humans brutally humiliate other humans based on their faith, looks, or mentality but somehow it happens. On the novel “Night” by Elie Wiesel, he gives the reader a tour of World War Two through his own eyes , from the start of the ghettos all the way through the liberation of the prisoners of the concentration camps. This book has several themes that develop throughout its pages. There are three themes that outstand from all the rest, these themes are brutality, humiliation, and faith. They’re the three that give sense to the reading.

Read More
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.

Read More
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.

Read More

More about The Book Thief Power Of Words

Related Topics

Open Document