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The Book Thief The Power Of Words

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The Power of Words
Words and language have great power and influence, they are in fact what makes people, people. The power of words is so immense that they can move people to new religions, practices, and change lives. But words also have a bad side, they can kill, hurt, and destroy people in many ways that go unnoticed. The Book Thief is a great example of this, it shows the power of words in Nazi Germany on a large scale and the effect on a small scale for a girl living in Germany.

The power of words is an extremely underestimated aspect of daily life. All humans use words to communicate with over 6,500 languages spoken all around the world. The power of words is easy to come by, but is very hard to master. Many world leaders have …show more content…

Words brought Max and Liesel together, Hans and Liesel together, and Rosa and Liesel together. When Liesel and Hans met, Hans soothed and calmed Liesel with his words and read to her, he would come in the middle of the night and stay by her side all night. Death asserts, “Not leaving: an act of trust and love, often deciphered by children.” (Zusak,37). When Liesel met Max, they bonded through similar backgrounds. They both came from families that were taken away by the Nazi army, and they used stories and words to bond and help each other through rough times. Rosa and Liesel had a different kind of relationship. The relationship they had was tough love. Rosa was tough on Liesel but they both knew they loved each other and became close. Death states, “In the beginning, it was the profanity that made an immediate impact. It was so vehement and prolific. Every second word was either Saumensch or Saukerl or Arschloch. For people who aren’t familiar with these words, I should explain. Sau, of course, refers to pigs. In the case of Saumensch, it serves to castigate, berate, or plain humiliate a female. Saukerl (pronounced “saukairl”) is for a male. Arschloch can be translated directly into “asshole.” That word, however, does not differentiate between the sexes. It simply is.” (Zusak, 32) This quotation shows the viscous language of Rosa, but even with her harsh words she conveyed

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