The Book Thief Analysis

Nevertheless, throughout it all, Arias was only able to recall minimal details from the event. Sources claim she suffered from the diagnosis post-traumatic stress disorder, but that would not make light of the state of affairs. (Pow) The presiding judge stated, “The crime was especially cruel. It involved substantial planning and preparation…

Whether memories are changed intentionally or not doesn’t matter; what matters is either way these memories are false and cannot be used as factual source material. Most people, unknowingly, remember things to be more favorable to their self-image and character. These “prestige-enhancing memories” (Wilson) can show up in memoirs and distort our understanding of the authors’ lives and experiences. Some will say that memoirs should be labeled as nonfiction as they are actual events from different points of view. What really needs to be considered in this situation that each different point of view on the event is opinionated to each person that experienced it.

A child may at some point in their life experience trauma, usually in the form of abuse and to handle it, the psyche splits, shatters, into alternate parts (Dissociative, 2017). The movie also does a good job portraying how DID isn’t behavior seeking attention,

In the novel The Secret History by Donna Tart, the characters lack significant character development. Although they do experience some change, all of the characters eventually deteriorate following the murders they commit. This lack of moral change, along with their one dimensionality makes the characters unrealistic and unlikable. It is clear, that the characters at the beginning of the novel are not exactly the same as those at the end. They’ve experienced the stress, guilt and anxiety of committing two murders and having to face the possible consequences.

They were terrifying events that no one dared to talk about for fear of bringing gruesome memories back. Those who did, however, couldn’t bring themselves to say these memories out loud. These were writers, who went to a whole other level to help their reader gain a better understanding of an event unimaginable. They were authors, such as Elie Wiesel, Primo Levi, and Spiegelman, who had faced the Holocaust or some extent of it. So, they used different ways to say the unspeakable.

The message of remembrance is more aptly portrayed in Jane Yolen’s novel than in Donna Deitch’s film version of The Devil’s Arithmetic. The movie version fails to express the importance of remembrance because it doesn’t illustrate the Holocaust as accurately as the novel. If society remembers and educates themselves on the issue, then they avoid the risk of having to face another genocide. However, if society chooses to forget and ignore, then another genocide could easily take place right under their noses without them suspecting a thing. Society must always remember these tragedies.

How much courage does it take to speak up? Elie Wiesel (a holocaust survivor) says that “…remaining silent encourages even more evil to happen”. Not speaking up in difficult times does nothing but make matters worse. There are two reasons that staying silent should be discouraged; speaking instead of being silent can change the outcome of an event, and prevent the doubts victims have about their abilities in life. In reality, speaking instead of staying silent can change the outcome of an event.

The ^ symbol appears in Fun Home as a manifestation of Alison’s obsessive compulsive disorder, representing the phrase “I think.” Alison’s diary appears at numerous points in the novel, acting as a source and showing Bechdel’s thoughts at times in her life. After describing her OCD symptoms and use of ^, Bechdel notes, “my feeble language skills could not bear the weight of such a laden experience” (143). This line can be seen as reasoning for the author to create a graphic novel rather than a work solely with text. The ^ symbol represents Bechdel’s realization that words could not convey the entire meaning of her experiences.

In the book Girl, Interrupted, by Susanna Kaysen, one of the biggest focal points is mental illness. Mental illness can be tough to talk about, simply because the phrase “mental illness” encompasses such a wide range of conditions and conjures up images of deranged people, but it is very important, especially in this book. There is a certain stigma that people who are put into mental hospitals because they have medical problems or are insane and a possible danger to society. While this is sometimes true, it is far more common for patients to need help for a disorder, but just don’t know where to go or what to do, and can end up putting themselves or someone else in danger.

The term “Mental Illness” can have a wide variety of what illness a person actually has, a mental illness can be depression, schizophrenia, PTSD, etc. Mental illness is a wide range of conditions that will affect one’s ability to think, their behavior, and their mood, yet there is no cure for one’s mental illness. With the help of hospitals, the right therapy, and of course, medicine mental illness can surely be treated. In society today, people view mental illness as having something wrong with someone, that they are psychotic and should be locked in a mental facility for the rest of their lives. We as humans view this due to the fact of everything we see on television and hear around our surroundings.

The script already offers Denisovich and Collins in the conspiracy. There’s no need for another conspirator. Also, the theme about the manipulation of the media distracts from the real goal. In addition, several conversations are not well focused when they discuss various conspiracy theories etc.

The Book Thief is narrated in first person from the perspectives of both Liesel and Death. Liesel is somewhat opinionated and biased in her views because she is human and has firsthand experience with many of the books major events. Death is unbiased because it is a personification and not human. Death appears to be older and more mature then Liesel, but has no emotion. The author gives both perspectives because he wants the reader to experience events from a realist and biased point of view.

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder is known by a failure to recover after experiencing or witnessing a horrifying event. There are triggers that affect people, causing them to re-live the memories of the trauma resulting in intense emotional and physical reactions. Distancing oneself from society is a common occurrence by those affected, as “Loneliness is typically defined as having a subjective sense of being emotionally or socially isolated or disconnected” (Psychology Today). People diagnosed with PTSD often feel they can no longer be apart of society. This feeling of isolation creates an obstacle of getting back involved in society and resuming personal life.

The gruesome images are pushed to the back of their mind while they deal with another situation. Most people don’t know why they are experiencing the feelings and thoughts they are having, much less know how to cope with them. As a means of coping they turn to drugs, alcohol, violence or extramarital affairs. This may seem to work for a while, but it combined with the PTSD makes for a volatile situation. If help is not obtained quickly it results in “burn out” and can lead to

Burnout and vicarious trauma are two hazards to be aware of in the counseling profession. Due to heavy workloads counselors can develop burnout due to heavy workloads and not taking adequate care of their own needs. After reading about vicarious trauma, which "refers to the cumulative effect of working with traumatized clients interference with the therapist 's feelings cognitive schemas, memories, self-esteem, and/or sense of safety" (Hernandez, Engstrom & Gangsei, 2010). I definitely understand that as a future counselor it is imperative for me to abstain from experiencing compassion fatigue, or secondary victimization. Furthermore, although I am not a counselor yet, I am a teacher that truly cares about her students who carry heavy burdens