Markus Zusak’s aberrant decision to use the narration of Death gives a unique perspective on his novel. The Book Thief is set primarily on a street named after Heaven in Nazi Germany and spans from 1939 to 1943. Himmel Street is home to Zusak’s subject of the novel; orphaned Liesel Meminger and her associates. By using Death as the narrator, Zusak is able to use omniscient narration, foreshadowing and personification to portray his ideas and to deliver his message. These specific techniques portray his ideas on the destructive impact that war has on a small and large scale, human mortality and optimism in dark times. The reader is able understand the essence of the settings, follow the storyline in anticipation and be inspired rather than despondent.
Zusak characterises Death as omniscient which gives insight into Liesel’s viewpoint as well as revealing important details on World War II, Nazi Germany and other events occurring outside of Himmel Street. Zusak exemplifies his idea of the extensive damage the war had on a larger scale through the short comments of Death. The “forty-million people I [Death] picked up by the time the whole thing was finished” is a personal yet informative description of the extensive amount of casualties during WWII. Death also mentions how “no person was able to serve the Fuhrer as loyally as me.” These short insights of Death provide background information for the reader, aiding in their understanding of the impact of the holocaust and the war during Hitler’s reign. Zusak portrays his ideas of the impact on a smaller scale mainly towards the end of the novel when “the world ended for Liesel Meminger.” He uses the unique perspective of Death to depict how “the bombs came down” and the deaths of almo...
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...ersonification of Death during the time of World War II.
Zusak’s novel exemplifies his ideas on the destructive impact that war has on a small and broad scale, human mortality and optimism in dark times. He presents these through omniscient narration, allowing the reader to see the larger account of the war as well as the smaller events occurring in Himmel Street. The use of foreshadowing forges a special relationship between the reader and the characters and prepares them for the fateful ending that serves them in facing their own mortality. The personification of Death allows the reader to perceive him as compassionate and almost friendly, giving them a new understanding of death and leaving them with a sense of hope and optimism. Zusak’s cleverly written novel presents a range of ideas and draws out many emotions from his readers, making it notably successful.
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.
“What do you expect? That’s war…” Elie Wiesel, young teenage boy sent to work in a concentration camp with his family near the end of WW2. Author of his own autobiography, Night recounting his struggles during that time. This book is about a boy named Elie Wiesel who was captured by the Nazi’s and was put into a concentration camp, and got disconnected from God, and was very close to his mom, dad, and family. Throughout Night Elie Wiesel addresses the topic of genocide through the use of imagery, simile, and personification.
At first glance, Night, by Eliezer Wiesel does not seem to be an example of deep or emotionally complex literature. It is a tiny book, one hundred pages at the most with a lot of dialogue and short choppy sentences. But in this memoir, Wiesel strings along the events that took him through the Holocaust until they form one of the most riveting, shocking, and grimly realistic tales ever told of history’s most famous horror story. In Night, Wiesel reveals the intense impact that concentration camps had on his life, not through grisly details but in correlation with his lost faith in God and the human conscience.
Since the publication of, Night by Eliezer Wiesel, the holocaust has been deemed one of the darkest times in humanity, from the eradication of Jewish people to killing of innocents. Wiesel was one of the Jewish people to be in the holocaust and from his experience he gave us a memoir that manages to capture the dark side of human nature in the holocaust. He demonstrates the dark side of human nature through the cruelty the guards treat the Jews and how the Jews became cold hearted to each other. Wiesel uses foreshadowing and imagery, and metaphors to describe these events.
Elie and Liesel live and survive during the time of World War II. Both characters face the harsh reality of the terrible period of time they are living in. The memoir, Night and the movie, “The Book Thief” share similarities and dissimilarities that make Elie and Liesel both stand out. Due to the loss of family, determination to live, and fear helps both of them survive the war, but depends on the different reactions, mistreated for different reasons, and hope.
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak, tells the story of Liesel Meminger, a young German girl of about ten years of age, who is fostered by the Hubermanns’, in a small town in Germany between 1939 and 1943. In the prologue, the reader is informed that ‘It’s just a small story really, about among other things: a girl, some words, an accordionist, some fanatical Germans, a Jewish fist fighter, and quite a lot of thievery’. It is however, much more. Despite the immense sadness and heartache of the overarching context, Zusak employs powerful techniques including; Death’s distinctive narrative voice, the symbolism of words and the inclusion of graphic stories to encourage the reader to feel enlivened throughout the story.
The mood of Night is harder to interpret. Many different responses have occurred in readers after their perusal of this novel. Those that doubt the stories of the holocaust’s reality see Night as lies and propaganda designed to further the myth of the holocaust. Yet, for those people believing in the reality, the feelings proffered by the book are quite different. Many feel outrage at the extent of human maliciousness towards other humans. Others experience pity for the loss of family, friends, and self that is felt by the holocaust victims. Some encounter disgust as the realization occurs that if any one opportunity had been utilized the horror could of been avoided. Those missed moments such as fleeing when first warned by Moshe the Beadle, or unblocking the window when the Hungarian officer had come to warn them, would have saved lives and pain.
Elie is the main dynamic character throughout Night, leaving the story deeply changed by his horrendous experiences. As an author, Elie Wiesel refuses to let people forget about the Holocaust. His ultimate “dark time” caused his eyes to see one final truth: no matter how much agony it may entail, he must share his story with the world. Otherwise, history might repeat itself. It is safe to say that Elie Wiesel has surpassed his goal.
Art Spiegelman, the author of “Maus”, portrays the suffering and the survival that meant to be Jewish during the Holocaust by describing the experience of his own family as a graphic memoir. Vladek narrates moments of cruelty that he had to go through in the Nazi concentration camps where many Jewish people were targeted like him and his wife, Anja. However, he always had a survival instinct that made him found a way to overcome adversities. Even in the present time of the book, Vladek suffers when he remembers people that are not alive like his son Archieu, who was killed as a child, and Anja, who killed herself. These important events not only marked Vladek’s life but also Spiegelman’s. Somehow, by reviving the past, it seems that Spiegelman is also surviving some events that happened in his life
Words hold great power and when used correctly can influence what people believe and how they act.
...by American bombers and everyone but Liesel dies on the street. Liesel only survives because she was writing a book of her own, and was in the basement when the bombs struck. When she is rescued by the police, she rushes to find her parents and Rudy, but only finds them both dead. The story ends with her being adopted by Ilsa Hermann. Of course, this does not mean the story is over; there is an epilogue. Max survives the war and later finds his way back to Liesel, who rejoices when they finally meet. When Liesel finally dies, death takes her away from the others and shows her the book that she was writing when the bombs fell. She asks him if he understood the meaning of it, to which he responds with his own sage advice. When death takes her soul away for good this time, and takes one last look at the title of the book. The Book Thief by Liesel Meminger.
The tragedies of the holocaust forever altered history. One of the most detailed accounts of the horrific events from the Nazi regime comes from Elie Wiesel’s Night. He describes his traumatic experiences in German concentration camps, mainly Buchenwald, and engages his readers from a victim’s point of view. He bravely shares the grotesque visions that are permanently ingrained in his mind. His autobiography gives readers vivid, unforgettable, and shocking images of the past. It is beneficial that Wiesel published this, if he had not the world might not have known the extent of the Nazis reign. He exposes the cruelty of man, and the misuse of power. Through a lifetime of tragedy, Elie Wiesel struggled internally to resurrect his religious beliefs as well as his hatred for the human race. He shares these emotions to the world through Night.
A story of a young boy and his father as they are stolen from their home in Transylvania and taken through the most brutal event in human history describes the setting. This boy not only survived the tragedy, but went on to produce literature, in order to better educate society on the truth of the Holocaust. In Night, the author, Elie Wiesel, uses imagery, diction, and foreshadowing to describe and define the inhumanity he experienced during the Holocaust.
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.
As time evolves, so do the words that are essential for our everyday survival. The most obvious difference between humans and animals is our ability to master the art of speech. Often, people will say the “sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me”, a simple nursery rhyme that helps ease a bullied child from abusive words and taunts. But does that really help cure the emotional pain? Words can illuminate and motivate the minds of people but can also shadow their self-esteem through psychological trauma. In The Book Thief, we see how fundamental words were to shape the reality of millions of people caught in the fire of World War II.