Self Sacrifice In The Book Thief By Markus Zusak

Markus Zusak has assembled ‘The Book Thief’ using a variety of narrative conventions. These include a unique narrative viewpoint, plot structure and use of imagery, all of which provide meaning to the reader.

Examples of this in The Pianist included the ruthless and indiscriminate killing of all Jews by the Nazis. Taking the life of one sole person feels different compared to the systematic extermination of many Jews during the Holocaust, mainly because the systematic method lacks the personal touch to killing a man. This was shown in the scene where a small child attempting to take a package from the outside of the Warsaw ghetto gets stuck underneath the wall and beaten to death by a German officer. Another example of the indiscriminate killing was when a Jewish woman was shot in the head after simply asking the Nazi officer where they were going. Although they were probably ordered to kill any Jews that stepped out of line, including children and women, it was evident that these acts were more than just following orders. In normal circumstances, many would hesitate to kill a woman or child, making these acts feel even more ruthless and brutal. Despite this, not all of the perpetrators of the Holocaust were going in with entirely malicious

“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)

Dehumanization is the process by which the Nazis gradually reduced the Jews to little more than "things" which were a nuisance to them. The Jews in these concentration camps were greatly disrespected. They experienced several beatings, were undernourished, and overworked. Elie and the other Jews eventually lost faith in God, and witness unpleasant events never to be seen again.

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

Before this occurs, however, the Jews are stripped of all of their freedom, belongings, and much of their clothes. Instead, the Nazis view them only by their Jewish heritage. This removes every person’s individuality, as they are defined according to what they have.The manner that the people were transported was through cattle cars. This was a particularly harsh and unhealthy environment. Almost immediately, numerous people resort to using instinct and increasingly barbaric ways. An example of this can be found on page 32, when the author writes, “Free from all social constraint, the young people gave way openly to instinct, taking advantage of the darkness to copulate in our midst, without caring about anyone else, as though they were alone in the world.” (Weisel 32) This certain segment from the text demonstrates how quickly many people are willing to give up their identity and former characteristics in the occurrence of a crisis. This is merely the beginning of the effects that the theme has upon all of the Jews that experienced the

A sacrifice can happen in many different ways for your family or simply for a friend. Either way a sacrifice can show someone what they truly hold dearly to themselves. Markus Zusak shows that there are many examples of characters sacrificing objects for their family in The Book Thief. A character whose sacrifices stood out to me was Hans Hubermann when he gave up his cigarettes to buy Liesel books for Christmas.

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

When explaining the hardships of the jews, Death said,“Hans Hubermann held his hand out and presented a piece of bread,”(266). Hans Hubermann went against all Nazi ideals as he treated the jews like humans. While everyone in the crowd was able to ignore their pain, Hans went against Nazi ideals and tried to feed someone. Hans’ demonstrates his courage as he goes against the social norm to not interfere with the jews as he attempts to feed them, his actions in this selection advance the presence of the theme. Hans again is seen rebelling against societal expectations in Nazi

What does it mean to take a risk? What are we willing to risk? Many people will take risks in their lives, but what were all willing to put on the line will vary widely. This is the case for many characters in Markus Zusak’s 2005 novel The Book Thief. The characters all put different things on the line for the same soul purpose of helping others. In The Book Thief we learn through the development of different characters, that in order to help others you must take risks.

Markus Zusak the author of The Book Thief uses flashback throughout the story to explain and articulate the events that occur.

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.

When school teacher Erin Gruwell moves to Long Beach, California to teach at a school in a district that struggles with extreme racism, gang violence, and segregation, she is presented with extreme difficulties in circumstances where students are split in hatred by their race, have all been affected by gang violence, and fear for their lives every day. However, despite these dire circumstances, Gruwell helps the students understand each other and break down barriers of predisposed hate and discrimination in order to connect by writing their stories in diaries, participating in group activities and charitable events to bond with one another, and empathize with each other’s hardships. Likewise in the book, The Book Thief by Markus Zusak, although

The most prevalent theme throughout Schindler 's List is the fragility of life. Countless Jews are murdered throughout the film for minor offenses and most for no reason at all. The accurate representation of the liquidation of Krakow also demonstrates how little the Nazis cared for the Jews, people who had once been their neighbors. The interactions between the Nazi Lieutenant Goth and his maid represent the struggle some Nazis had with treating people as animals while their humane morals overpowered them at times. The value of life as determined by Schindler and Goth is diametrically opposed. Schindler risks his life and gives up fortune to save hundreds, while Goth sends thousands to their death and even casually snipes Jewish prisoners one morning for sport. These events all display just how easily life can be saved, traded, or taken away, and illustrate the value of remembering how the Holocaust happened. The film encompasses the idea that life only has as much value as those in control deem it to be. Through this focus on the fragility of life, the film acts as a reminder of what happens when good people stand idle in the wake

The book The Maze Runner by James Dashner is a dystopian/fantasy book about a large group of boys being trapped in a functioning society surrounded by a maze (with deadly monsters inside) which they’ve been scouring for two years, until Thomas came. Then Teresa followed him there two days later and changed everything. In this book, two very present themes are “Working together gets stuff done better and faster” and “Sacrifices for the greater good are always worth.” These themes are shown by the Gladers struggle to escape the Maze and the things they do to escape.