Alphonse Elric from Full Metal Alchemist says, "humankind cannot gain anything without first giving something in return. To obtain, something of equal value must be lost." In the novel, The Book Thief, Markus Zusak portrays the multiple transactions humanity experiences but in return, they put their self at risk for defying others of higher power through some of those transactions. For example, the older character's transactions with people of lower stature, the young adults' dangerous interactions and the children's exchanges with the enemies all defy the Nazi party. Therefore, through their transactions, the characters of all ages show forms for resistance towards the Nazi regime.
First of all, the adults' exchanges with people of lower status shows defiance towards the Nazis. Hans Hubermann is an adult citizen who shows resistance through his acts of kindness towards the Jews. When a parade of Jews march down Himmel street, the surrounding crowd begins to torture and ridicule the Jews. Hans Hubermann suddenly gives walks up to one of the fallen Jews and shows an exchange of bread for a sense of peace and thanks in return. The narrator states,
“the Jew [stands] before him, expecting another handful of derision, but he [watches] with everyone else as Hans Hubermann [holds] his hand out and [presents] a piece of bread, like magic... he [buries] his face between them and thanks him” (Zusak 394). Hans helping the Jew is highly defiant of the Nazi's morals and regulations since Jews are the enemies of the Nazi regime. They are considered the lowest of the low and any form of aid towards them is an offense to the Nazis.
Correspondingly, Ilsa Hermann also demonstrates forms of resistance through her transactions with Liesel. Il...
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... In return, she explains what her own dreams [are] made of” (Zusak 333-334). Liesel exchanging conversations with Max over their dreams defies the Nazis' rules since Max is a Jew and having polite conversations with one is prohibited. Anyone caught having relations any relations to a Jew is a traitor to the Nazi regime. Thus, the kids are opposing the Nazis through their exchanges with the opposition.
In conclusion, the characters of all ages' transactions defy the Nazi party. Evidently, the transactions between the people of lower class and the adults, the young adults' exchanges and the children's transactions with the adversaries portray resistance of the Nazi regime. People can't gain without losing something of their own, whether that be their valuables or their safety. It is up to the people to decide what they are willing to give up in order to achieve.
Hans supports the Jewish community, who are viewed as ‘undesirables subhumans’ by society. The ethical values which Hans holds are apparent in the way he treats starving and helpless Jews traveling through Molching, “The Jew stood before him, expecting another handful of derision, but he watched with everyone else as Hans Hubermann held his hand out and presented a piece of bread” (Zusak 395). As a consequence of rejecting societal expectations and ideologies, the character Hans Hubermann solidifies the notion that every individual deserves basic human respect. Therefore, Hans develops a love for humanity and the individual he is helping through refusing to obey corrupt societal expectations. Aiding those who are injured is a gateway to love as it changes the world for the individual one is
The Book Thief and The Devil’s Arithmetic both focus on the prejudice Hitler had on different types of people during World War II. Liesel and Hannah both lost someone they had dearly loved. Liesel lost Rudy and Hannah lost many members of her family. In a time of fearfulness, both had told stories to the people surrounding them. Although both were not seen as equal in the eyes of many during their time, I see them as courageous and brave heroes after what they underwent.
Strong feelings towards another can lead to imprudent actions. Throughout The Book Thief Liesel, Rudy, and Hans make impetuous decisions due to their strong emotions towards another. From reading this novel one can conclude that there is a very fine line between irrationality and bravery. Most of the decisions and subsequent actions made in the story could be regarded as brave but in truth many of these decisions were impetuous and ill thought out. In fact many of the characters subsequently came to this conclusion as well. The characters could have achieved more by executing logically planed actions instead of acting on the spur of the moment and jeopardizing their lives or the lives of others. It is amazing that even polar opposites emotions like love and hate result in the same irrational consequences as exemplified by Rudy, Hans and Liesel.
Not that it was a living hell. It wasn't. But it sure wasn't heaven, either”. (5.87) Death tells us. She became really fond of Hans Hubermann; a painter and accordion player, but with Rosa things were more complicated; she was a rough woman who did the washing and ironing of Molching’s wealthy inhabitants. Liesel starts to have dreams of her brother dying and wets in bed which leads us to her first reading session; Papa finds the book hidden under Liesel’s mattress and after a while he notices that Liesel does not know how to read and doing his best with a fourth grade education he teaches her how to read and write. She also makes a friend that she would never forget Rudy Steiner or we can call it Jesse Owens too; they met on the street during a soccer game and since then they became
In Elie Wiesel’s Night, he recounts his horrifying experiences as a Jewish boy under Nazi control. His words are strong and his message clear. Wiesel uses themes such as hunger and death to vividly display his days during World War II. Wiesel’s main purpose is to describe to the reader the horrifying scenes and feelings he suffered through as a repressed Jew. His tone and diction are powerful for this subject and envelope the reader. Young readers today find the actions of Nazis almost unimaginable. This book more than sufficiently portrays the era in the words of a victim himself.
“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.
Some of the horrors of Nazi Germany are depicted through the eyes of Albert who lives in the Kovno ghetto. Before the ghetto his parents were well off, but once Nazi Germany began their rights as citizens and humans began to deteriorate. The Jewish were taken to the Kovno ghetto
Liesel’s mom leaves her with foster parents because she wishes to protect her from the fate she is enduring. The words Paula, Liesel’s mom, uses go against Hitler because she is a communist which resulted in her being taken away and Liesel to lose her mother and experience the loss of her. This shows Liesel experiences unhappiness because of her mother’s disappearance which is caused by the words she openly uses that contradicts Hitler.
In the Book Thief, both Liesel and Hans have very altruistic personalities. When the Jew’s march through Himmel Street to get to Dachau, everyone knows where they are going. They watch them march by, walking around them and staring. 75 percent of Hungary’s 600,000 Jews were killed by the Nazis, and only a few brave people tried to save just one Jew. (We Are All Bystanders page 4) These people risked their lives to shelter Jews, much like Rosa and Hans Hubermann. As the Jews march to Dachau, and the residents of Himmel Street stand and watch the Jews marching towards their death at the concentration camps, Death writes, “The book thief could do nothing but watch them back in a long, incurable moment before they were gone again. She could only hope they could read the depth of sorrow in her face, to recognize that it was true, and not fleeting.” ( ) Liesel feels helpless, like she can’t do anything. She longs to call out to them and help but knows that it would be worthless. A few minutes later, however, Papa takes action. Papa quickly grabs something from his paint cart and helps an old man who was struggling to walk and gives him some bread. Papa took action when no one else would. Papa pays the consequence, but in that moment, Papa displayed moral courage. Papa’s selfless personality let him reach out to help the man, even
“Like most misery, it started with apparent happiness” (84). In the beginning, we are introduced to the narrator by the name of Death. He informs the readers that he has many stories, but only remembers the ones that interest him. The tale of Liesel Meminger is one such tale, as he was always fascinated by her will to live through the most horrible instances. It should be duly noted however, that this story does not have a happy ending. Death makes this clear before we even have a chance to get our hopes up. He tells us that everyone dies; the amount of time that they last is truly the only difference. After this sordid fact is in place, he mentions just Liesel first attracted his attention.
In this everyday world seven billion people occupy, sacrifices are one object that can make or break ties to anything. Although sacrifices are not an actual human being, it is safe to say they should be treated like one. Every person in this non-cookie cutter universe has their own up close and personal experiences. In the The Book Thief by Markus Zusak, a world full of these so called sacrifices is unveiled. Each character has their own story and it is certainly told. Hans Hubermann is one of those characters that is impossible to forget. Throughout the duration of the book, the readers illustrate the values of Hans based off the sacrifices he makes. The values that are portrayed of Hans based off the sacrifices in the story are selfless, caring, and courageous.
In the Holocaust, the Jews resisted the Nazi party by using both active and passive resistance. Some victim of persecution used violence to combat the Nazis in order to avoid a helpless death in a concentration camp. On the other hand, many opposed the tyranny using passive methods to defy the cruel tyranny. In “The Diary of Anne Frank”, “Violins of Hope”, and “Resistance during the Holocaust”, the Jewish people used many ways of resistance in response to the Nazi tyranny; some of whom’s goal was to save their own skin, others to make a change in the world. People can best respond to conflict, like the Holocaust, through non-combative methods since it preserves evidence of victims’ sufferings, victims’ human dignity, and the victims’ culture.
World War II was a grave event in the twentieth century that affected millions. Two main concepts World War II is remembered for are the concentration camps and the marches. These marches and camps were deadly to many yet powerful to others. However, to most citizens near camps or marches, they were insignificant and often ignored. In The Book Thief, author Markus Zusak introduces marches and camps similar to Dachau to demonstrate how citizens of nearby communities were oblivious to the suffering in those camps during the Holocaust.
We watch death explore the beauty and ugliness of the human race in Markus Zusak’s book The Book Thief. We watch as Liesel, Hans, and Rosa do everything they can to help out a group of people who were treated with such disrespect during this time period. This group, the Jews, were beaten for taking food that was given to them, and when they died no one would even care. But, these few people gave them food, a place to hide, a sense of belonging, and and a reason to live. They have to work day and night, and do everything they can. Even though people aren’t so beautiful at all times, there is still hope. As we have learned in this book that even when 99 percent of humans aren’t so marvelous there is still that one percent that is to delightful that it would touch anyones heart.
A film bursting with visual and emotional stimuli, the in-depth character transformation of Oscar Schindler in Schindler’s List is a beautiful focal point of the film. Riddled with internal conflict and ethical despair, Schindler challenges his Nazi Party laws when he is faced with continuing his ambitious business ideas or throwing it all away for the lives of those he once saw as solely cheap labor. Confronted with leading a double life and hiding his motivations from those allegiant to Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party, Schindler undergoes numerous ethical dilemmas that ultimately shape his identity and challenge his humanity. As a descendent of a Jewish-American, Yiddish speaking World War II soldier who helped liberate concentration camps in Poland, this film allowed for an enhanced personal