A Way With Words
Words are very powerful and can be dangerous if they are used for the wrong reasons. Many people say hurtful comments that they wish they could take back. There are many instances throughout The Book Thief where words are used as a form of control over people. The story is centered around a girl, Liesel, and her foster family, the Hubermanns, in Nazi Germany. In an anguished loss of control, Liesel Meminger launches a tirade on her friend, Frau Hermann. Hans Hubermann Jr uses his words to prove a point to his father and in turn destroys their relationship. Hitler used his words as an attempt to destroy an entire race of people. Markus Zusak illustrates the theme of how words can be used for good or evil as Liesel Meminger comes to learn the importance of words in her own life and in the people’s around her. Although words can add many positive
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In The Book Thief, a Jewish man by the name of Max Vandenburg comes to live with Liesel and the Hubermanns in an attempt to escape Hitler and the Nazis. He writes a book about the differences between Hitler’s use of words and Liesel’s use of words. He writes, “Words were fed into them. Time disappeared and they now know everything they need to know. They were hypnotized” (Zusak 446). This quote expands on Hitler's purpose of his words. The metaphor of words being fed into the people explains how people were forced to listen and adhere to Hitler's goals and purposes. His words worked effectively at erasing everything the people knew to be moral prior to his lectures. This illustrates why people in Germany at the time would demolish their Jewish neighbors’ houses. Max understands Hitler’s control over words and has felt the severe effects of being Jewish in Nazi Germany. Hitler's words were so powerful and effective that people followed him blindly even into hurting people they've known for a long
The Book Thief is replete with instances showing how words can negatively affect a character or relationship. For instance, a Nazi soldier’s insults came close to influencing the character Max Vandenburg’s will to survive. Max was a jew who was forced to live in a concentration camp, and when he and his long-time friend Liesel were finally able to reunite and embrace, they were beaten down and verbally assaulted
In The Book Thief, author Markus Zusak tells the tragic story of Liesel Meminger and her experiences in 1939 Nazi Germany. Zuzak incorporates compelling literary devices such as toe curling foreshadowing, personification, and vivid imagery in the form of simile and metaphors to grasp the readers’ interest. Zusak’s use of various literary devices helps to deepen the text and morals of the story, and makes the dramatic historical novel nearly impossible to put down.
In the novel The Book Thief by Markus Zusak the narrator is Death, who shows itself as sympathetic and sensitive towards the suffering of the world and the cruel human nature, through its eyes, we can get to know the heartbreaking story of Liesel Meminger an ordinary, but very lucky nine-year old German girl; living in the midst of World War II in Germany. In this book the author provides a different insight and observation about humanity during this time period from a German view and not an Allied perspective, as we are used to.
The Book Thief and Nazi Germany The heavily proclaimed novel “The Book Thief” by Markus Zusak is a great story that can help you understand what living in Nazi Germany was like. Throughout the story, the main character, Liesel goes through many hardships to cope with a new life in a new town and to come to the recognition of what the Nazi party is. Liesel was given up for adoption after her mother gave her away to a new family, who seemed harsh at first, but ended up being the people who taught her all the things she needed to know. Life with the new family didn’t start off good, but the came to love them and her new friend, Rudy.
The setting was perfect as the people of Germany were primed and ready for any leader that would tickle their ears with what they were wanting to hear. World War I was over (#4) and the people of Germany were in an economic depression that crippled the country. The German mark had lost so much value that it took a wheelbarrow full of money to buy a loaf of bread. A good portion of the youth in Germany were raised in fatherless homes. In an article written by Dr. Alice Hamilton, she says this about Hitler's youth: "They were children during the years of the war when the food blockade kept them half starved, when fathers were away at the front and mothers distracted with the effort to keep their families fed. They came to manhood in a country which seemed to have no use for them. Even compulsory military training was no more and there was nothing to take its place" (Perry et. al 358). Hitler, being the sleazy opportunist that he was, capitalized on this state of affairs. In ways that were not politically correct, he was able to influence this segment of the population and hold them in allegiance to his agenda. "Hitler made each insignificant, poverty stricken, jobless youth of the slums feel himself as of the great of the earth, since the youth was a German, a Nordic, far superior to the successful Jew who was driven out of office and counting house to make place for the youth and his like" (Perry et. al 359). The following is an example of how Hitler coerced and manipulated people and how we as managers and leaders can learn from his mistakes. This essay will also address how we can effectively influence people and earn their loyalty. In order to effectively influence peopl...
Words have the power to affect people in many ways from empowerment or to taking upon action. Words are able to make huge changes in the lives of many and can make good or bad changes. In history, people used words in both good and bad function from making a promise to a nation or even manipulating multitudes of people within a nation. Words definitely have the ability to take situations a far distance but despite the fact that evil can manipulate the majority of people, individuals too can realize the true actions and evil buried inside the perpetrator. People can be both ugly and beautiful at sometimes with weapons along their sides. A novel called The Book Thief illustrates the power of words in a multitude of ways, showing the potential
Words hold great power and when used correctly can influence what people believe and how they act. In Markus Zusak’s The Book Thief, many characters develop an understanding of the power of words which results in many characters being negatively impacted by the theme. Characters that are negatively affected by the strength the theme of the power of words carry include Liesel, Hans and Rudy.
Blinding hate is more destructive to an individual than the act of being apathetic to their actions. A relationship is not affected by one's apathy unless you choose it to be, yet one that is bound by sheer hatred is oppressive. It is vital to not let mutual hate stem off hatred projected upon one, which in the end is more destructive. Markus Zusak sees a world revolves around the fact that outright dislike is more dangerous than one being indifferent to the unfortunate as shown in his book The Book Thief. Through the character Liesel, Zusak shows this through her relationship with her mum. Zusak also shows how being disliked is destructive through Max’s obsessive hatred towards his oppressed; the nazis. Zusak uses WW2 as the setting for his
Foreshadowing in The Book Thief is one literary device used that some readers love and some readers hate. There are more than a few instances when the narrator, death, uses foreshadowing to keep the reader interested in the story and to further on certain thematic ideas in the novel. For example, death says that “Hans Hubermann was not granted membership in the Nazi Party. Not yet, anyway” (183). Here, it is being foreshadowed that Hans Hubermann will be forced to join the Nazi Party at some point in his life. By giving us this piece of information, the narrator is causing the readers to be curious and wanting to know more. This foreshadowing blends in with the thematic idea of war because by joining the Nazi Party, Hans will have to go fi...
In modern times, it is assumed that a child with a proper upbringing and diligent parents will grow to become society’s epitome of a perfect citizen. In The Book Thief by Markus Zusak, the development of human nature is explored as well as how experiences, relationships, and environment affect them. Rudy Steiner, a main character in the novel, represents someone who is raised to adhere to Nazi propaganda yet does not because of his experiences. On the other end, Max Vandenburg demonstrates a character who is raised to believe he is a scourge on German society but remains good because of his relationships. Lastly, Hans Junior is an example of someone whose humanity is influenced by
...at the power of words entailed in the novel, The Book Thief, words really are very powerful. Three examples were given above as a few powers that the novel captured throughout the story. Words can manipulate and divide people, but at the same time connect people. Despite the fact that words have so many contradicting powers, one can use the words to their full extent when their intent is moral. In fact, words are meaningless if it doesn’t have an impact on an individual, society, or world. Words can do both good and bad, however, if one uses them in a proper way, it can result in a positive statement for our world. The novel gives the readers the lesson that we should comprehend the power of words and use words in a moral way. Just remember this: “I have hated the words and I have loved them, and I hope I have made them right.” (pg. 413)
It was solely through his unique use of language that Hitler was able to convince an entire country to ban together in hopes of eliminating the Jewish population. Adolf Hitler’s methods of persuasion were primarily formed around the basis of speaking to the German’s as a whole, rather than as individuals, essentially limiting their sense of individuality. Additionally, he utilized the technique of presenting and either-or misconception in his speeches. By presenting a fabricated problem to the people of Germany, he was able to persuade them that even though something was immoral, it was beneficial to their society. The people of Germany had become so mentally limited through Hitler’s language, that they were not able to understand that Hitler stating, “Either the German’s extinguish the Jewish religion, or the Jews will take over” was not a conceivably correct statement. In essence, Hitler’s language alone was the sole tool used to transform Germany into a dictatorship, and this is just testimony to the fact that the power of language can enact a change in a
The diversity of people and their feelings and opinions are what creates a well formed, civilized society. Through emotions that people pertain and the unconditional risks that they take, it is what identifies them to be a part of society. Markus Zusak uses Death’s point of view, symbolism, and characterization in The Book Thief to convey that people’s feelings and beliefs during the Nazi’s era are what ultimately reflects its society which in turn allows them to uphold their beliefs against the totalitarian government.
During the Holocaust, around six million Jews were murdered due to Hitler’s plan to rid Germany of “heterogeneous people” in Germany, as stated in the novel, Life and Death in the Third Reich by Peter Fritzsche. Shortly following a period of suffering, Hitler began leading Germany in 1930 to start the period of his rule, the Third Reich. Over time, his power and support from the country increased until he had full control over his people. Starting from saying “Heil Hitler!” the people of the German empire were cleverly forced into following Hitler through terror and threat. He had a group of leaders, the SS, who were Nazis that willingly took any task given, including the mass murder of millions of Jews due to his belief that they were enemies to Germany. German citizens were talked into participating or believing in the most extreme of things, like violent pogroms, deportations, attacks, and executions. Through the novel’s perspicacity of the Third Reich, readers can see how Hitler’s reign was a controversial time period summed up by courage, extremity, and most important of all, loyalty.
German citizens had to endure a challenging lifestyle, presented by Adolf Hitler, of fascism, the holocaust, Jewish laws and propaganda during World War II. From 1939-1942, Nazi Germany affected the lives of Jews, Gypsies, Slavic people, and other groups living in Germany by getting rid of the undesirables, known as the Holocaust. Only Germans with the look of blond hair and blue eyes were even considered to live, only if he or she had no defects or disabilities, anyone else was sent to and killed in concentration camps. The Book Thief takes place in a town near Munich, Germany during this time of the holocaust. The novel focuses on the lives of the people and how they cope and deal with the immediate effects of WWII. It emphasizes the danger of hiding a Jew in a family’s basement, and how they are constantly paranoid of being caught.