Throughout the course of history, words have been gifted the unique ability to change what people think, positively or negatively. This is highlighted in The Book Thief by Markus Zusak which discusses a young girl who lives through the times of Nazi Germany. Liesel goes through countless predicaments which range from her hiding a Jewish man to losing everyone she ever knew. In The Book Thief, Zusak explores the power of words by analyzing the ways in which words can be used to change the way people perceive different events. By exploring the duality of the power of words, one is able to see how perspective can change for better or worse.
The feelings that words evoke in people, prove to change the way people feel about different things. The
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For example, in The Book Thief, Max’s experience depicts this when he talks to Liesel about Mein Kampf. He speaks about the role Mein Kampf plays during his journey to arrive at the Hubermann household. Furthermore, it is elaborated on how a negative piece of text can play a positive role in someoneś life, even when used in contradiction to it´s original purpose. This is particularly clear when he states, “‘It’s the best book ever.’ Looking at Papa, then back at the girl. ‘It saved my life.’”(Zusak 217). The words in Mein Kampf help Max survive under the cruel circumstances. Mein Kampf proves to be an ally to Max which lets him break through the thresholds set for him and reach the Hubermann household safely. This changes Max’s perception of Mein Kampf because although its purpose is to eradicate him, it helps him instead. This evidently leads Max to appreciate Mein Kampf and think of Mein Kampf as a type of savior. This relates to how Zusak analyzes this particular event to use words to instill appreciation in Max because of the words used in Mein Kampf. Because of the new appreciation Max has for Mein Kampf, one can see how perspective comes into
Prologue: On page 4 the narrator says, “Personally, I like a chocolate- colored sky. Dark, Dark chocolate. People say it suits me.”(Zusak 4) This led me to believe the narrator is death. He sees life in color because he appreciates color more because his life is so dark and filled with death, color is in our lives and our souls will soon be filled with darkness and him and not have a colorful life.
The characters throughout the novel get impacted tremendously by negative comments. Most of the main characters in the book get torn down one way or another by a hurtful comment. However, words aren’t always used negatively. They have the power to teach new things which can increase one’s intellect. Liesel, throughout the book, was impacted the most by words because she started out knowing nothing and eventually she became very smart. The last positive thing words can do is make a person's dreams become reality. Max’s stories were beneficial to both him and his friend Liesel. They were an inspiration to them and allowed them to follow their aspirations. Words, and how we speak to one another can be very impactful. The Book Thief provides numerous examples as to how important it is to have a positive command of language, and we see how rhetoric has shaped the lives of many key characters throughout this
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.
Belonging is being accepted by a group of community that relate together by a common factor. A sense of belonging is not just dictated by yourself and your own values and beliefs but also by the ideas and values held by others. I believe that people can choose not to belong to a certain community due to the fact that they may not agree to other people values and beliefs. The Book Thief follows a German girl named Liesel Meminger, abandoned by her mother, she is sent to live with foster parents. The text is set in Nazi Germany during the WWII era. Through the text we follow her living in war times and experience her realisation to the true nature of the German people. At Rainbows End follows an Aboriginal family living in racist times in Australia. We are shown the way of life these people have to endure and how it feels to have a government who doesn’t care about your existence. (Reword)
The mighty river flows through the mountains with liquidity and nurture providing life for all those who wish to take a sip from it. Yet the river is powerful in its own force destroying even the largest rocks, crumbling them into small pieces. People may be able to stop the river for a short time or even dry it up but the water always comes back in one form or another, every dam is bound to fail. Some people have been able to harness the power of the river, redirecting the mighty water making it flow in constructive ways. Similar to the river, language is influential. Its true power is not seen by the naked eye but by those who study it, those who use it as their ally in a war of linguistics. In Martin Luther King Jr.’s letter, Birmingham City Jail he is able to use all three rhetorical appeals to prove that demonstrations lead to negotiations and benefit for both sides of an argument.
Book Thief is in a ‘twisted world’, it’s about a young girl, Liesel is orphan who is given new
Words have great power and when used correctly can influence what people believe and how they act.
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
It is the start of World War Two and a young girl has just witnessed Death for the first time, and Death has glimpsed her. Set against the bleakness of Nazi Germany, The Book Thief details the beautiful, gut wrenching story of ten year old Liesel Meminger as she tries to survive and make sense of the confusing and often cruel world that surrounds her. Through her story, and the relationships she builds, this terrible time in history takes on new depth and a true understanding of the struggles that came with living in war-torn Germany.
Words hold great power and when used correctly can influence what people believe and how they act.
Some people think words are just written letters, but unfortunately, for some, words are dark memories of a time filled with despair, remorse, and a gnawing uncertainty as one thinks of their future. Words can also teach us a lesson and educate us of the past. Literature can help us remember and honor the victims of the holocaust by preserving their stories and learning from their actions and feelings, including the Acceptance Speech, Anne Frank’s diary, and Levi.
The Holocaust is marked as one of the most horrifying events of the 20th century.The person who was responsible for the Holocaust was Adolf Hitler, the leader of the Nazi Party. The question is, how, and why was Hitler able to do this? The actual truth behind all this is that, Hitler could make the world his, just by using words. In The Book Thief by Markus Zusak, it tells a story about a young girl growing up when Nazi Germany was invincible. The author explores some very meaningful, yet, controversial themes for the most part of the novel. Out of all themes, he believes that words hold a remarkable power. He explores how words manipulate, divide, and connect people.
Corresponding with the fact that the novel is set in Germany during World War Two the negative effects of words is strongly felt while reading the book mostly due to Hitler's ability to use words as his weapon. Using this tremendously underestimated
Death states that, “I’m always finding humans at their best and worst. I see their ugly and their beauty, and I wonder how the same thing can be both” (Zusak 491). This book shows us human doing things that weren’t even imaginable before this point. Many people give into ideas that were lies. But, we also watch a few people go out of their way and sacrifice everything for a man they barely even know. They do everything they can to keep him safe and alive. They work harder, the get another job, and they even steal. In Markus Zusak’s The Book Thief, death examines the ugliness and the beauty of humans.