...novel and the film The Book Thief. She uses words to develop relationships with her foster father, Hans Hubermann; Max Vandenburg, the illicit Jew in her basement; and her neighbours. In the novel The Book Thief by Markus Zusak there is much more relationship development compared to the film The Book Thief directed by Brian Percival. This consequently causes the theme of the power of words to be less prominent in the film. The novel The Book Thief develops the relationship between Liesel Meminger and her neighbours more than the film The Book Thief therefore minimizing the theme. First, Liesel and Rudy become best friends, “Insane or not, Rudy was always destined to be Liesel’s best friend.” (Zusak 48). Rudy introduced himself to Liesel as soon as she moved in, he developed a liking for her and they soon become best friends. Rudy used his charming, and sometimes insulting, words to win over Liesel. This develops the theme because it shows that even if one does not want to like someone, their words can change them into a likable person. Second, Liesel and Frau Hermann develop a relationship, “When she came and stood with an impossibly frail steadfastness, she was holding a tower of books against her stomach, from her navel to the beginning of her breasts. She looked so vulnerable in the monstrous doorway. Long, light eyelashes and just the slightest tinge of expression. A suggestion.” (Zusak 133). Frau Hermann, the mayor’s wife, had seen Liesel steal a book after a large burning...
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...Presentation Cheat Sheet Emmalee Smith Slide 1: Sarah’s Key & The Book Thief Slide 2: The Comparable Parts Both Sarah’s Key and The Book Thief take place in the 1940’s. Both Sarah and Liesel lost their brothers at a young age. Sarah lost her brother by locking him in a cupboard trying to protect him Liesel lost her brother on the train ride to their new home Both Sarah and Liesel's adopted families were very caring and against the Nazi party Both girls were caring. Sarah tried everything she could to save her brother from the cupboard Liesel cared very deeply for Max who she treated like her brother Slide 3: The Book Thief Slide 4: Why we should read The Book Thief The theme of the individual vs. society Sometimes being an individual is seen as a bad thing in today’s society. The Book Thief teaches us that it is okay to have your own opinions and it’s alright not to always follow what everyone else is doing. Slide 5: Why we should read the book thief How characters/people either agree to or rebel against societies expectations Today we are always looking to an outside source to receive approval of what we are doing. Rebelling against societies norms is seen an outrageous act and people are often punished for it The book thief shows us that is okay to sometimes swim against the currant and do or say what we feel needs to be done or said Slide 6: Sarah’s Key Slide 7: Why we should read Sarah’s Key Knowledge is power Today we have many ways to learn...
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...The Book Thief, written by Markus Zusak, is a remarkable novel that shines a new light on how death is perceived. The book tells the story of Liesl, a young girl in Germany, who loves to read. As her family keeps a Jew in their basement during World War II, she finds herself stealing books and reading them during the bombings on her home street. Death’s narration of the book is the best way to tell Liesel’s story because he is unbiased, knows everything, and connects with Liesel. Death’s narration shows the true story of a little girl on Himmel Street, without any exaggeration. Death is an unbiased narrator for The Book Thief. For starters Death is not narrating about himself, so he can be blunt and honest. Death is not human, he can’t completely relate to humans and...
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...Words can have a source of power for an individual. In The Book Thief, books become a source of power for Liesel. Liesel’s life changes as she picks up a book, The Grave Digger’s Handbook. She becomes interested in books and learns how to read with the help of her foster father, who plays a crucial role in her life. She then begins to steal multiple books wherever they are found. She overcomes many obstacles in her life and those obstacles shape her to who she has become. In the short story The Book Thief, Markus Zusak uses the books The Grave Digger’s Handbook, The Whistler, and The Book Thief to demonstrate Liesel’s understanding and development of how powerful words can be. The Grave Digger’s Handbook becomes the first ever book Liesel...
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...Different characters have different personalities. Whether in real life or in a fictional book, all people have their own feelings, personalities or emotions. All characters from The Book Thief are believable because they all have emotions and that is why they should be considered as believable characters because emotions and feelings are what make those characters realistic. For example, Max Vandenburg, Hans and Rosa Hubermann, are believable from The Book Thief. Max with his anger and Hans and Rosa’s love toward their family are what make them especially believable. First of all, Max Vandenburg is a Jewish fist-fighter who hides in the Hubermann’s house because of what Hans owe from his father. “You find a small black room, in sits a scum. He is starving. He is afraid.” (Page 138) This part of the book explained how before Max moved into the Hubermann’s house, he used to hide in a small room waiting for his friend. It definitely showed how lonely Max was while hiding and waiting. This loneliness is a very realistic human feeling that makes Max a believable character. “In the blue corner, we have the champion of the world, The Fubhrer… and in the red corner, we have the Jewish, rat-faced challenger –Max Vandenburg.” (Page 251) Loneliness is not the only feeling Max has in the story but also the anger towards Hitler. As a Jewish who was constantly being hunted for at that time, he had furious feelings toward Hitler, the Nazi leader, which made him fantasize about being in a...
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...Reading a bunch of books a month is a hobby, right? Writing books is a job, is this true? Learning to read books is a requirement in school to pass 1st grade, correct? And what about stealing books that are going to be burnt for some lunatic that leads an entire country, is that some sort of crime? Can you still be considered a protagonist? In the story of Liesel Meminger in The Book Thief, yes, you are still considered a hero, a person of amazement, and a protagonist. But why? Why are you still considered a good guy (or good girl) if you steal a book and you can’t even read? Well, it’s because in The Book Thief, the books are a symbol of knowledge, and here’s why. The main character; Liesel Meminger or the book thief as she is known as in...
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...novel The Book Thief by Markus Zusak, it is evident that books, reading, and words themselves represent power for different characters in different ways. Close analysis of Liesel Meminger and Max Vandenburg reveals that power can be achieved through literacy in a context where literacy is severely limited. Literacy plays a major role in Liesel’s adolescence. Liesel obtains power through literacy as it gives her a sense of comfort and control. The act of reading and writing gives Liesel the strength to cope with and heal from her emotional trauma. Reading and finishing the book The Gravedigger’s Handbook helps Liesel find the courage to move on from the loss of her brother. Although Liesel does not yet know how to read when she arrives at the Hubermann’s on Himmel Street, she keeps the book to comfort her, as it is the last object she has relating to her brother. When papa and Liesel finish reading the book, Liesel “trot[s] out, involuntarily” (Zusak 87) by explaining to Hans that her brother’s name “‘was Werner’” (87). The act of Liesel’s words being spoken involuntarily suggests that “she is finding some freedom in the effects of her disturbing experiences” (Lee 14). Liesel does not have to force herself to speak to Hans about her brother as she has gained emotional stability. Additionally, literacy helps Liesel recover from her distress as Hans reads to her nightly. Hans reads to Liesel “to soothe her, to love her” (Zusak 36). Hans’ spoken words from the books and his mollifying...
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...words are the most controlling force in the universe. They can be utilized in many ways, gracious or crude. Nevertheless, words can have a major effect on an individual level, in addition to on society as a whole. Throughout The Book Thief by Markus Zusak, he thoroughly explores this idea. The reader of The Book Thief gets to experience Liesel mature and flourish alongside literature. Words play a big role within the life of Liesel Meminger, also in the lives of all individuals and societies on earth. The Book Thief takes place in Nazi Germany during the Holocaust. The holocaust was made possible by words, mentioned in the book that Max wrote for Liesel “The Word Shaker”. “The Word Shaker” explores the idea that Hitler uses purely words to take control of Germany. Hitler used words to manipulate a large amount of people into hating the Jewish people for irrational reasons. This is a superb example of how words alone can control human beings and their...
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...The author of ‘The book thief’, Markus Zusak and the novel ‘Night’ by Elie Wiesel explore the theme of death. They explore the theme of death in different ways but explore it at the same time in history with Nazi Germany. The novel ‘Night’ is looking from a Jews perspective of a survivor of the holocaust. In ‘The book thief’ the narrator is Death and he follows Liesel and her German family. Both explore the theme of death, with the death of he bother being used as a turning point in ‘the book thief’ for Liesel. Death in ‘Night’ is explored where it became normal to see dead bodies but all it shows the limit people go to avoid death. Death becomes a reality and a normal occurrence in Night with thousands of dying daily in Auschwitz. The theme of death is first introduced in the beginning of ‘The book thief’ as Death narrates the story. The first turning point for Liesel, the German girl that Death follows, starts with her brother dying where she steals a book. This first book will be the start of many that she steals. “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...
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...The Book Thief Summary How It All Goes Down The Book Thief is narrated by Death, who tells us the story of Liesel Meminger. It's January 1939, and Liesel, who is about ten-years-old, is traveling by train with her mother and her little brother Werner. Liesel and Werner are being taken to the small town of Molching, just outside of Munich, Germany, to live with foster parents Hans and Rosa Hubermann. Werner dies on the train of mysterious causes having to do with poverty, hunger, cold, and lack of medical treatment. Before Liesel arrives in Molching, she attends her brother's burial in a snowy graveyard. She steals The Grave Digger's Handbook from the cemetery after it falls from a young grave digger's coat. The kicker is, Liesel can't read. Liesel is reluctant to enter the Hubermann house on Himmel Street, but is coaxed by her foster father, Hans, to whom she takes an immediate liking. She's not sure about Rosa, though. Liesel begins school, but suffers because she doesn't know how to read yet. She also meets Rudy Steiner, who is soon to be her best friend, not to mention her partner in book and food thievery. One night, Hans finds The Grave Digger's Handbook hidden in Liesel's mattress after her usual nightmare of seeing her brother dying on the train. This is what inspires him to begin teaching her to read. When Liesel learns to write, she begins composing letters to her mother, but these letters go unanswered. Finally, we find out that her mother has disappeared. ...
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...Essay: Loss Loss is a theme that is developed throughout the book. Everyone suffers loss in the book. At the beginning of the book, Liesel, her mother, and her brother are traveling to Munich. While her mother is sleeping, Liesel watches her brother die. Death takes her brother’s soul away in front of Liesel’s eyes. Her brother is buried and that is where Liesel steals her first book. After that, Liesel is given away to foster parents, Hans and Rosa. She also loses her mother during the situation. When Liesel starts school, she does not know how to read. When she stands up in front of the class to read, she can’t. That is why she remembers a section from The Grave Digger’s Handbook. She memorized and read that. However, her teacher did not fall for it so she gave Liesel a beating. After that, Ludwig Schmeikl taunts Liesel about how stupid she is. She loses her dignity at that point. However, she takes out her anger on Tommy because she loses her temper. Rosa made Liesel deliver laundry to Ilsa Hermann. While she is there, she finds out that Ilsa lost her son in World War I. He froze to death. In Max’s flashback, he loses many people. First, he loses his uncle and then he leaves his family. He finds out later that they are gone. When Hans gives bread to the older Jew, he regrets it. He put his family in danger and everyone loses Max. When Max leaves, Hans loses his optimism. He stopped playing the accordion and waits for his punishment. Eventually, Hans is drafted...
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...Words primary function is to convey a message or information. It can be characterized as the most powerful instrument . Markus Zusak in his novel The Book Thief illustrate differents aspect of the power of words during World War II. Although the power of words can affect human being negatively, it can also build a sense safety,kindness and empower them. On one hand, Adolph Hitler used words to control people. On the other hand, Hubermanns family utilised their words to safely hide and care for a jew in their basement. Meanwhile Lisel utilized it to be empower. Words can be spoken and unspoken. It is used throughout the day and depending on the person that used it , it can impact negatively. During his leadership in Germany, Adolph Hitler...
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...The novel The Book Thief is based on the life of Liesel Meminger, a nine year old girl, who lives in Nazi Germany during World War II. In the story, Death narrates the experiences of Liesel’s life. These experiences brought both magnificence and devastation that effected many lives that were in this era. After Liesel’s brother's death, she arrives in an upset state at the home of her new foster parents, Hans and Rosa Hubermann. While Liesel was there she saw many terrible things that the Nazi ruling has brought to Germany. As she sees these horrific things going on in Germany she struggles to find a way to defend her guilt in the disturbing surroundings. While the political situation in Germany gets worse Liesel’s foster parents decide to hide a man named max who is a Jew. While Max remains in the house it makes it dangerous for Liesel and her parents to stay in the home. Liesel’s foster dad, Hans, who has a close bond with Liesel, teaches her to read in...
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...The Book Thief Comparison Essay Liesel Meminger is a smart girl who nearly loses everything she ever loved. On her way to her foster parent’s house her brother dies. Her mother leaves her with people she hardly even knows, but Liesel soon finds something to keep her occupied. She steals books. The first book she stole was a t her brother’s funeral and she stole or “borrowed” books from the mayor’s library. Just as things were becoming better for Liesel, something happened that would change her life forever. She has to help hide Max, a Jew who would be dead if it wasn’t for the Hubermann’s. She learns to love and care for Max, but he leaves to keep the Hubermann’s safe. Liesel finds more abandonment when an air raid goes off on Himmel Street and Rosa, Hans, and Rudy are all dead. Liesel is the only one to survive because she was in the basement writing her book. Through all of the abandonment in her life there was only one thing that was always there for her; books. The book and the movie The Book Thief have many similarities. One similarity is that in the book and the movie Rudy gets in trouble for pretending to be Jesse Owens. He gets in trouble because he shouldn't want to be someone who is black and he never will be black. Another similarity between the book and the movie is that Liesel gets I trouble for saying that she hates Hitler. Hans doesn't care that she hates Hitler, but in Germany at this time everyone was supposed to be for Hitler. Lastly, in the book...
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...A majority of The Book Thief is set in the basement or under houses. Liesel spends a lot of time in the Huberman’s basement with Max and writing her book as well as reading to her fellow neighbors in the Fielders basement. The setting of the basement highlights the mood and atmosphere of the book. The basements are also under the houses which could represent her subconscious as it is the place where she is more creative and artistic. This is also the place where she has more expression and where she can be herself with Max. Although not thoroughly explained or in great detail, Liesel’s brothers death plays a major part in the development of the plot in The Book Thief. His death marks the start of Liesel’s obsession with books and learning to...
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