...The world we live in contains a lot of evil, such as World Wars, bombings, mass murders, and everyday discrimination; however, the world also contains a lot of good, such as adoption, helping the homeless, and even countries supporting each other during a war. In the novel The Book Thief by Markus Zusak, Death sees all the good that humans are capable of doing, but he also sees all the bad that they have. While Death is reading Liesel's book, he reads a lot about the good that humans have done, such as how the Hubermann family kept Max in their basement. He also reads the bad that has happened to them, such as how Hans was punished when he went to help the Jew in the Jew Parade. Due to of all these examples, Death is left unsure of how he feels...
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...Rosa Hubermann, a character in Markus Zusak’s The Book Thief, is a seemingly abrasive person who despite first appearances, is a brave mother that acts based on morals regardless of the consequences for herself and is often unable to show her love and appreciation for her family. Rosa is considerate of others in her actions, whether family or a stranger only offering danger to her life. Death states that what shocks Liesel the most after they hide Max for weeks is the change in Rosa, “[w]hether it was the calculated way in which she divided the food, or the considerable muzzling of her notorious mouth, or even the gentler expression on her cardboard face” (211). Her changes reveal her thoughtfulness for others despite it having no benefit for herself as if she did not divide the food so that Max gets...
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...of Words “The power of words, written or spoken, have life. They can change the world.” (search quotes). The power of words should not be underestimated. Liesel proves this to be true in the 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...
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...The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan, is about Percy and his friends, Annabeth and Grover, goi What is your definition of a champion (a.k.a. a hero and not the food hero ok.)? Who do you think is the real hero of The Lightning Thief? According to https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hero, “a hero is a mythological or legendary figure often of divine descent endowed with great strength or ability; a person of extreme admiration and devotion”. ng on a quest to return Zeus’s lightning bolt which will stop the Olympians from going to major war. Throughout the book, there were many minor and major gods that showed hero-like characteristics. Some of which are: Percy Jackson, Annabeth Chase, Grover Underwood, and Chiron. Percy’s mother may not have treated as a hero, Percy’s mother is the real hero of The Lightning Thief from the beginning of the book to her...
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...If it came down to it, would it make sense for one to steal something for their survival? What if it was only for the betterment of oneself? How about if one did not care or even fully realize what they were doing? Would all of these still be considered thievery? Questions like these have the power to shroud opinions about what is defined as right and wrong. These certain questions are able to challenge people on their take of the difference between stealing for survival and stealing for greed. Ideas like these, revolving around the rightness of thievery, present themselves many times throughout The Book Thief, written by Markus Zusak. This novel follows the life of the main character Liesel Meminger as she adapts to her new life while trying...
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...In the two books “night” by elie wiesel and “the book thief” by Markus Zusak there is lot of similarities and difference.One difference would be the overall theme, the book night’s theme would be man’s inhumanity toward other people,while the book thief’s theme is there are some people who are inhumane but the rest are not and does whats right.One similarity would be death in both book the protagaonist loses someone who they love the most.Another similarity would be that both book takes place during world war ll. The inhumanity in the night is stated on page 115,the last page “but still no trace of revenge.”This is referring to the prisoners not taking revenge because they don't want another human being to hurt like they way they were hurt.As for the book,the book thief ,the example for inhumanity is shown on page 512 ”The next time she spoke, the questions stumbled from her mouth. Hot tears fought for room in her eyes as she would not let them out. Better to stand resolute and proud. Let the words do all of it. 'Is it really you? the young man asked,' she said. 'Is it from your cheek that I took the seed?'’.This quote shows that do not...
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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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...Max Vandenburg’s Similarities Though they come from different families and they are different ages they are quite similar. Liesel Meminger and Max Vandenburg, from the novel The Book Thief, have a lot more in common than they may know. The two strangers grow a special bond allowing them to become closer every day. As Liesel and Max’s relationship develops and gets stronger the reader can conclude the two share nightmares. Liesel uses reading as an escape, where as Max uses crosswords as a distraction. She some what uses Max more than Hans, her papa, to help her gain courage for her nightmares. Max eventually realizes that Liesel is the one who helps him get over his own nightmares. Unlike some people Liesel and Max do not take things for granted. They love in a way you would not expect and put others before themselves. “He woke up Liesel. He’s awake.” “From her pocket, she pulled out the toy soldier...
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...I have never been so hard to myself for truly reading a book; therefore, when I knew I would have a reading project in Advanced Reading course, I had to go online, searched for some book titles and hoped to find out some which could meet my need. “The Book Thief” appeared to be my best choice at that time because it was a bestseller book, it was highly recommended by a lot of people; moreover, it was set in the time of Nazi Germany, the nightmare of all people in the world and even the German themselves, the time I wanted so much to get to know more. With all those reasons, I chose The Book Thief as the book for my reading project. Like everybody said the book is good, especially for the author’s language. Markus Zusak’s writing is haunting,...
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...“Eighty percent of adolescents in psychiatric hospitals come from broken homes” (Photius). This statistic shows how the conditions an individual has to endure can affect the outcome of that individual’s life. In Jesse Walters book, "We Live in Water" he gives readers examples of how an individual’s opportunity to progress or develop in life can be hindered by the surroundings they have to endure. The Title "We Live in Water" relates to a fish living in a fish tank, because no matter how many times that fish may swim to the glass of the tank it cannot change the outcome it has to suffer. In the collection, “We Live in Water”, two specific short stories, "Thief" and "We live in Water" shows readers how the environment and circumstances people...
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...healing therapy is friendship and love" (Hubert H. Humphrey). There is much evidence of this idea that love can make any situation better in The Book Thief. Written by Markus Zusak, The Book Thief is a fictional novel narrated by death that follows the intriguing, yet somber life of a young girl named Liesel Meminger, who lives in Nazi Germany. There are many types of love, the love shared between parent and child, the love shared between friends, and the love felt for a significant other. A major theme throughout the novel is love, including familial, friendship, and romantic love which all contribute to the 'therapy' the characters, especially Liesel, need to heal from past life experiences. Familial love played a huge...
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...“Be not afraid of greatness: some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them”-William Shakespeare. To me, Shakespeare’s books has been very enlightening, to others like highschool students they fine Shakespeare’s books are very very boring. The one question English spectators been asking is; “Should Shakespeare be taught in school”? Some might say yes, some might even say no. For the past 450 years Shakespeare books, plays, poems, etc has been read mostly to get people’s attention, Why is that you might ask? Well, most English teachers believe that Shakespeare’s books teaches us some life lessons.For example; In the story “Merchant of Venice” by William Shakespeare, on Act III Scene I, there is a quote...
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...In the world today, racism is a conflict experienced by nearly everyone regardless of age or race. Although it is properly addressed in modern society, racism is a subcategory of a bigger cultural conflict that is not talked about as often due to it being a social taboo… discrimination. Without proper information, people will never know about discrimination. By having readers perceive global cultural conflicts, such as discrimination, through fictional and real characters, books such as Things Fall Apart, Night, and The Book Thief allow readers to gain a deeper understanding of discrimination and how it affects others. In Achebe's Things Fall Apart, the reader is presented with how women in the Igbo clan are discriminated against due to their...
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...we see as we read the book the ongoing relevance for all readers due to its powerful themes which are clearly evident in the book such as Prejudice/ Racism , Love and Guilt vs innocence and insights into society which creates a realistic plot which we as readers can sometimes relate to. In Jasper Jones as we read we see the world through Jaspers point of view, being a half caste and poor treatment towards him from his father and the police. The major themes that create ongoing relevance for all readers are Prejudice / Racism and Betrayal / Trust. In the novel, prejudice and racism is seen through the exclusion and poor treatment of the Lu family because of their Vietnamese descent. Betrayal and trust is a very important theme...
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...CWL 320I 11/17/13 Mark Twain Vs. The Hypocrites Throughout history, racism and bigotry have been underlining problems in our society; problems in which I’m sure will almost certainly never go away. People find differences amongst each other and seem to enjoy using these differences to exploit or belittle others. Looking back a few centuries, racism and bigotry were qualities shared by almost all people, as long as you weren’t the one being ridiculed. Luckily as time passed by and America became industrialized and settled, more and more people began to realize that this hatred towards other people is wrong. Fortunately for humanity, there were some special souls that realized society was wrong way before everyone else did. One of these special souls is an author by the name of Mark Twain, who used satire and moral critique to make fun of race relations and new American culture hypocrisies. Mark Twain was a social critic who observed a society filled with bigotry and racism, even after the abolition of slavery. Twain lived in a time when there were two very separate and also very different belief systems. The first is a world where every man is equal and every person is entitled to his or her freedom. The second, and sadly more common, is the exact opposite of the first. In this system you were looked at as either a legit civilized member of society or on the contrary, a savage. This belief is what Mark Twain boldly opposed and attacks in his story, Adventures of Huckleberry...
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