The Book Thief Setting Analysis

Mark Zusak, in The Book Thief, uses similes, situational irony, and symbolism to demonstrate the human trait of standing up for what they believe in. Through his similes, Zusak exemplifies the tendency of humans to stand up for what they believe in. Amazing and thrilling describes the exact opposite of life in Munich, Germany. The streets consisted of slumped over people trying to get past the struggles of war, and hundreds of Jewish people making their way to the atrocious concentration camp, Dachau.

Sebastian Mejia Mrs. Porter English 2 Pre-AP/GT – 5th Period 17 September 2015 Part 1 English 2 Pre-AP/GT Summer Reading Assessment – The Book Thief by Markus Zusak 5. Hans gains Liesel’s trust through patience and understanding. Whenever she would cry or wake up from a nightmare, he would be there for her and protect her. He would say “Shhh, I’m here, it’s alright” to console her and let her know that he won’t leave her. (Zusak 36)

Words in The Book Thief demonstrates that words and language have immense power. Words can be used in a negative or positive ways. Hitler used words to spread propaganda in a fallacious way which led to deleterious human beings. The people (Germans) that lived during the war were credulous about what Hitler said therefore their life turned out to be debacle. Hitler used words to deceive and outsmart the others, he implanted words and images into the Jews heads to think a certain way(Zusak, Markus Frank. The Book Thief. MZ, 2005, p. 301. ). The author of The Book Thief , Markus Zusak demonstrates the idea that a person's survival or life may strongly depend on the power of words.

People do not know the numerous hardships a young German girl can encounter throughout her childhood. Throughout the novel Book Thief, by Markus Zusak, a young German girl named Liesel, encounters several hardships. She is separated from her father, her brother dies, and finally she is separated from her mother and given to foster parents who only want her for money. She struggles with being different from other children when she is sent to school where she reads in front of the class, even though she does not know how to read and embarasses herself. She then takes it upon herself to learn to read and write.

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.

“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 some cases he accepts a few cigarettes in exchange for his services and other times he gets nothing. Also in the novel, Hans tries to give a piece of bread to a dying Jew. By doing this he is putting himself in a very vulnerable position just to help a person who he does not know.

Humans lie and steal without hesitation to survive. That is how man is. However, human nature does not allow for cruelty to exist without the other end of the spectrum - kindness. In his novel, The Book Thief, Markus Zusak reveals the extreme malice possible in humans, along with the tenderness that stems from it. In times of hate and paranoia in Nazi Germany, ones who live morally are rare. The need to survive takes over most of the people, leading them to act cruelly. Even in desperation, there are those who rise above chaos to fight in countering the harshness of society. Zusak suggests that when man understands that they must carry out kindness in the midst of cruelty they are empowered as individuals to fight for the survival of humanity.

The Book Thief, written by Markus Zusak, is about Liesel Meminger, a young girl from Germany who faces the inevitable pains of growing up in a time of war, Holocaust and Nazism. The story is told in the first-person point. It is a view of Death as he narrates. “The Book Thief” has a great deal of tragedy in it but it also is a celebration of life. In fact, it’s full of opposites.

Most people say that blood runs thicker than water, but in this book that is not the case. In The Book Thief by Markus Zusak, family is shown in an extremely unique way. Generally, when people imagine the average model family, they see a family that has money, a family that is prim and proper and usually, a family that is biologically related. Though, family in this book is based on shared hardships and having faith in each other, not by blood relation.

For this reason, Liesel best illustrates courage in The Book Thief by befriending

People Who Helped in Hidden Ways Topic: Germans that helped Jews during World War II 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. Rolling Introduction Introduction Paragraph #1 Introduction Paragraph #2 Religious intolerance and persecution of Jewish people was common in Nazi Germany; however, there were some Germans that helped Jews despite the dangers. Some brave German soldiers and

The Book Thief, directed by Brian Percival, is a film adaptation of a book by Mark Zusak centred around adolescent girl Liesel Meminger (Sophie Nelisse). Set in Germany during the early-mid 1940’s, leading up to the war, Liesel is sent away from her family to live with foster parents since she is at risk of being killed due as her parents are communists. Percival uses skilfully chosen aural and visual elements as well as cinematic techniques such as lighting and camera angles to communicate and explore the central theme to the audience: the power of human spirit, especially when dealing with adversity.

One of the most important recurring themes throughout The Book Thief was Liesel’s relationships with all of the people in her life. She grows close with several different people, and trusts, loves, and cares for them all differently but equally. Three of those relationships will be explored more deeply; Liesel’s relationship with her foster father, Hans Hubermann, the Jewish man her family takes in, Max Vanderburg, and her best friend, Rudy Steiner. Liesel’s relationship with Hans is one of the most important, if not the most important, relationships in the novel. Hans is the first person Liesel trusts, and the person who stays with her and loves her until the end.

The beauty in Hans Hubermann is that he has a gentle soul and has courage to protect his family. It takes large amounts of bravery to go from one world war to another and still manage to fight for something that he doesn’t believe in at all risking his own family’s safety. When he was