Book Thief Quotes

“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…” (Zusak, pg. 5)

In December 1939, Poland was being torn apart by the savagery of the Holocaust. Oskar Schindler took his first faltering steps from the darkness of Nazism towards the light of heroism. “If you saw a dog going to be crushed under a car,” he said later of his wartime actions, “wouldn't you help him?”

Part 1 English 2 Pre-AP/GT Summer Reading Assessment – The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

The story begins with the narrator, Death, talking about his first encounter with Liesel Meminger only 9 years old at the time in Molching, Germany. He meets Liesel traveling on a train mid-winter with her mother and brother. She sees her brother who was coughing harshly take his last breath in front of her. Liesel and her mother then exited the train as soon as it stopped and had her brother buried in that town. Present at the burial was Liesel, her mother, and two gravediggers. Liesel was the last one to part from her brother’s grave and upon walking back to her mother she notice that there was a book laying in the snow. It belonged to one of the gravediggers but she didn 't know that at the time so she took it. It was the first book that she had “stolen.”

Hans being sent to war was important because it meant he couldn't work or make money for liesel and rosa.

John F. Kennedy, American politician and former 35th President of the United States once stated “Efforts and courage are not enough without purpose and direction.” JFK is absolutely correct in saying this because although effort and courage are important in various situations throughout life, they are meaningless without a purpose backing them up. Some of the most prominent examples of how we use courage and effort for a purpose is when we defend our certain beliefs and virtues. People around the world are using courage, whether it is a simple statement or an unexpected action to stand up for their true beliefs. Literature, movies, and the media also praise taking a stand against the enemy using the protagonist as an example. In the novel,

: This passage is significant to the novel because it reminds the reader that no matter how much pain and suffering Liesel feels, she lives in a safer “world” than characters like Max. But death migrates from Liesel’s pain and travels to Max’s. Max has lost his entire family and faces persecution, but his true pain lies within him. He left his family to die; he is risking another family’s life, and is constantly belittled for being Jewish. This is why this quote is important, it shows the reader not only the physical, but mental pain that the citizens of Germany

What is childish may be impulsive, but what is impulsive is not always childish. The term “childish” is often associated with foolishness and naivete, having a negative connotation. Children tend to act impulsively disregarding any danger or consequences. However, sometimes their actions can be seen as courageous and even wise, especially when their intentions are pure and righteous. On the contrary, many adults are disciplined to make wise decisions and not act impulsively, particularly when they have a family to take care of. The Book Thief takes place during World War II in Nazi Germany: a place led by Hitler where ethics is disregarded by the majority. Whether or not people agree with Nazi views, wise-decision making

Working thesis statement: Helping Jews was very dangerous in Nazi Germany during World War Two because of Hitler’s bigoted nationalism, yet numerous Germans civilians and soldiers assisted a Jew in some way during the time of war. In The Book Thief by Markus Zusak, Liesel’s fictitious family and friends help Jews in the same ways that real life Germans helped Jews to hide and escape during World War II.

Although humans may originally behave due to innate reasons, much of literature argues external forces shape character and possess the power to influence the way societies behave. Markus Zusak’s The Book Thief exhibits how individuals may react in times of discrimination, and demonstrates the love and hate accompanying war. Difficult times challenge morality, and tests one’s limits; Liesel Meminger perseveres through arduous events, namely due to her identity as a creative and brave adolescent. Liesel’s identity is shaped and ultimately strengthened by outside forces.

To Heal and to Hurt: The Importance of Words in The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

You truly don’t know what you have until it’s gone. Everyday things are taken for granted. In “The Book Thief” It shows incredible examples of how loss transforms you for the better. “The Book Thief” Written by Markus Zusak is a novel based on Nazi-Germany during post World War 2. It Features the scary truth along with harsh humor, The story is told through the eyes of brave, Jewish girl named Liesel. The story shows how you should always be thankful for what you have because it could be gone within a second. Growing up underprivileged definitely teaches you things that you would not have learned or viewed in that way if you were middle class/upper class. Growing up poor can have a huge effect upon yourself, but you learn, develop and become

The power of words in “The Book Thief” and the endless strength they carry is a prime topic throughout the book. “The Book Thief”, a novel narrated by Death about Liesel, a young German girl who is given up for adoption to live with the Hubermann’s shortly before World War II. Liesel discovers the power that words, written or spoken, have to transform people, relationships, and lives. In the novel, Mark Zusak uses the relationship between characters to signify the power of words. Within “The Book Thief” the author suggests that words hold much power and have a major role in crafting the relationships between the characters.

Change is an inevitable aspect of life; however the most significant changes occur when an individual develops a sought after skill or learns imperative information. In the novel The Book Thief the novel’s main protagonist Liesel Meminger encounters numerous moments which help define her characterization as she grows as a character. Firstly one of Liesel’s most poignant moments occurs once she pieces together her vague past and during the same process discovers her reason for loathing Hitler. When Liesel heard the word communist being mentioned in a negative connotation at the book burning, she became stricken with fear as this word was all she knew of her past life. Liesel’s desire for answers on her Mother’s disappearance leads to her asking Hans if Hitler was one

The Book Thief revolves around Hans and Rosa Hubermann, Rudy Steiner, Max Vandenburg, and the infamous ten-year-old book thief, Liesel Meminger. The setting is Himmel Street, Germany during World War II and the narrator is Death, who busily runs to and fro taking souls and stumbles upon the Book Thief’s very own handwritten book. Though Death might not be the narrator someone would think fit to be point of view for the book, he manages to catch and describe the beauty and destruction of war whilst telling the stories of the people living on Himmel Street. Along with Markus Zusak’s captivating writing, he will tell an unforgettable story set during the Holocaust from the views of a Jew on the run and four Germans while a war wages on. Whereas other authors would prefer writing from the victim’s perspective during the war, Markus Zusak gives insight on the Germans that had no choice but to grudgingly obey throughout Hitler’s rule. Though Markus Zusak has written many other good books, The Book Thief is his bestselling book for its outstandingly distinct writing, perspective, and story of love.