ipl-logo

Comparing Themes In Book Thief, The Odyssey, And Antigone

313 Words2 Pages

Three things in life go hand in hand: Fear, love, and inevitable death. We see these themes in today’s society, especially with the acts of terrorism happening all around the world. Fear of groups like the Islamic State and Al-Qaeda bring death to many, but those deaths unite a world in love, much like the terror attacks in Paris, France and San Bernardino, California. We also see these themes in modern and classic literature. The Book Thief, The Odyssey, and Antigone all deal with these themes in their own way. Nazi Germany isn’t the ideal place to raise a child, now is it? Liesel Meminger is just trying to survive, like most children are at the time. Money was tight and everything wasn’t the cleanest. When Liesel was brought to the Hubermann

Show More
Related

  • How Does Liesel Change In The Book Thief

    1235 Words  | 5 Pages

    Originally, she does not realize Nazis are actively persecuting people, but after she meets and grows close to Max, Liesel begins to comprehend the ugly truth of Nazi Germany. Though her closest family members, Hans, Rosa, and Max, do not support Nazi values, other people she grows close to do support the Nazis. For example, Ilsa Hermann, though extremely kind to Liesel, is the wife of a mayor in Nazi Germany and wears swastika-embroidered bathrobes, supporting the Nazi party. She does own books banned by the Nazi government, but never once speaks out against or even mentions their persecution of various peoples. A similar situation occurs with Frau Holtzapfel.

    Read More

  • Symbolism In Night By Elie Wiesel

    910 Words  | 4 Pages

    Death plays a bigger role in life than life itself. When people die, people cry, and while people cry, a clear moment of lucidity occurs. Death is what makes every moment worth living and is told through stories of books and movies with symbols both subtle and blunt. Night, for example, is an autobiographical novel recalling Eliezer’s experience through concentration camps while The Book Thief is a historical fiction film where Liesel is a bystander who participates in activities symbolizing war. History is intertwined death.

    Read More

  • Abandonment For Liesel In The Book Thief

    446 Words  | 2 Pages

    Although they all abandon her, they do it so Liesel could have a better life. The clearest reason is when her biological mother puts Liesel up for adoption because she wants her to have a better life. Her mother knew quite well that " She wasn't delivering her children to the higher echelons of Munich, but a foster home had apparently

    Read More

  • The Book Thief Book Report

    1347 Words  | 6 Pages

    Liesel suddenly couldn’t live with her mother anymore and she gets placed in a foster home in the fictional town of Molching, Germany. In the beginning of the book she is 9 years old and as the book goes on so does her new life. She lives together with Hans and Rosa

    Read More

  • Book Thief Death Quotes

    564 Words  | 3 Pages

    Another factor of the setting that adds to the mortality theme is the place where Liesel grew up, in Molching Germany. Had Liesel not grown up in Molching, her life most presumably would have been completely different. A specific description of Liesel’s foster family’s location can be found early in the text, where the author depicts, “Quite a way beyond the outskirts of Munich, there was a town called Molching,” (Page 26). In World War II, it is commonly known that there was a high concentration of Hitler supporters, which made things riskier for individuals and families that were against Hitler, such as Liesel’s foster family. Because of the risks of

    Read More

  • Book Thief Loss

    703 Words  | 3 Pages

    Liesel has realized she must respect the man who was the reason for her and her entire families suffering. She has realized she officially has lost her home, that she is completely isolated from the community. “It was quite a sight seeing an eleven year old girl try not to cry on church steps, saluting fuhrer”(Zusak 115). After losing all of these emotionally wrecking things Liesel learns and understands she needs to keep going forward. She refuses to give up she although times are rough manages to think, it could be worse.

    Read More

  • The Book Thief Conflict Analysis

    194 Words  | 1 Pages

    Liesel's family-Hans and Rosa- disagreed with Hitler's political stance, so Hans agreed to let Jewish refugee, Max Vandenburg live with them in secret. Being in Germany, that was quite hard, when everyone that you knew despised Jews. “Life had altered in the wildest

    Read More

  • Max Vandenburg Quotes

    975 Words  | 4 Pages

    He also left his family to hide, and got the Hubermanns help, putting them at risk, which left him with guilt. Liesel's background was also hard. She lost her father, brother, and her mother. She had to move into a new family,

    Read More

  • Thesis For The Book Thief Essay

    1144 Words  | 5 Pages

    Hans Hubermann, Liesel’s foster father, helped Jewish people in whatever way he could. When a Jewish shop named Kleinmann’s was vandalized, Hans asked the owner if he needed any help cleaning up, and promised to come back the next day and paint his door, which he did (Zusak 181-182). Hans delayed applying to the Nazi party because he didn’t agree with their beliefs, and by helping the owner he was put under more suspicion, however he felt that it was a proper action and didn’t allow danger to stop him. In addition to Hans act of kindness, the Hubermanns took a Jew named Max into their care, and allowed him to stay with them to be safe. In a book overview, Tabitha Hall observes, “Though not Jewish, Liesel and her foster parents struggle as they keep their Jewish friend hidden…” (“Overview: The Book Thief”).

    Read More

  • Similarities Between The Book Thief And Fahrenheit 451

    1101 Words  | 5 Pages

    As people grow up they learn to know what their moral values are. Liesel at such a young age experienced more tragedy than most people ever

    Read More

  • The Book Thief And The Help Essay

    605 Words  | 3 Pages

    Her story shows that not everyone comes out without a scratch. Liesel lost her whole family. While her family’s death was not the result of their personal opinion on Hitler and the Jews, it was the conclusion of her journey. It would be so hard for things to finally be getting better, and it all to be silenced with an unexpected bombing. Especially if you were the only one to survive.

    Read More

  • The Odyssey: A Comparison Of The Hero's Hero

    1072 Words  | 5 Pages

    The Odyssey is often cited as an epitome of the hero’s journey and the monomyth. The hero of the story, Odysseus is on a 10 year battle homeward from the Trojan War to see his wife and son again. With the help divine intervention, Odysseus is able to return home and save his wife from the evil suitors who have continuously tried to win her. One could easily argued that Odysseus is an exemplar of the hero, but there is another story: Odysseus is the opposite of a hero and is not worthy to be called such. He is the villain where the gods are the hero.

    Read More

  • Figurative Language In The Book Thief

    1003 Words  | 5 Pages

    Liesel is the protagonist of the book. She is a foster child that learns to love her new home and also learns to handle the loss of loved ones as seen by both the death of her brother and the leaving of her mother. As Death describes her, she is a “perpetual survivor” (22). She loses her mother, brother, Hans, Rosa, and Rudy, among others. Liesel is stubborn since she refused to take a bath for the first 2 weeks with the Hubermann’s.

    Read More

  • Character Analysis Of Hans Hubermann In The Book Thief

    767 Words  | 4 Pages

    Liesel trusted her papa even more after this encounter, Hans knew to keep this a secret to protect Liesel’s feelings. With all the negativity and poorness in Hans’ life, he would have been expected to respond negatively, but in reality, Hans did the complete opposite. Hans Hubermann showed his morals, a comforting essence, and trustworthiness despite living under horribly negative conditions. Under the tireless regime of Adolf Hitler, Hans clung to his personal beliefs. He did this in several ways, he helped two Jews, and helped Liesel develop into a better person.

    Read More

  • Theme Of Friendship In The Book Thief

    880 Words  | 4 Pages

    He even tried to push her away, but the girl was too strong.’” (511) The time of the Holocaust was hell-like for the Jews. Just because of their religion, they were harassed and and abused by the Germans in inhumane ways. However, Liesel was a girl who stood up for humanity and justice.

    Read More

More about Comparing Themes In Book Thief, The Odyssey, And Antigone

Open Document