Preview

Markus Zusak's The Book Thief

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
382 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Markus Zusak's The Book Thief
Markus Zusak’s sanguine novel The Book Thief illustrates the austere story of a Jewish foster girl living amidst the cruelty and devastation of World War II. Liesel Meminger, an intelligent and kind-hearted youngster stricken by family tragedy, must contend with both physical and emotional conflict as she and her friends cope with the atrocities of life in Nazi Germany. In spite of the chaos encompassing their lives, Liesel and her allies manage to find peace and resilience through love and compassion.
In stark contrast to the omnipresent hatred and terror of Nazi, Germany, Zusak’s characters repeatedly demonstrate love through gestures of kindness and empathy. One such example takes place during an air raid, after a plane crash-lands near
Continue Reading
View Writing Issues

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Diction In The Book Thief
    • 652 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Diction In The Book Thief

    In The Book Thief, by Marcus Zusak, the narrator, Death, tells the life story of a young girl named Liesel Meminger during World War II. He explains the events and challenges Liesel experiences due to Hitler’s words and influence. In this passage, the author uses diction, imagery, and details to help the reader imagine and have a deeper understanding of the events taking place and the character’s thoughts and feelings.…

    • 652 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    The Book Thief By Markus Zusak
    • 521 Words
    • 3 Pages

    The Book Thief By Markus Zusak

    The Book Thief underline book title By: Markus Zusak Lauren Conforti’s Bajillion Project-¨A new experience that can be added to the book.¨ As Liesel Meminger, now parentless, was taken to the gestapo capitalize “Gestapo” station, all she could think about was where she would go. Who would even take her? Most definitely, it would be different than Mama’s swearing and Pea lowercase “pea” soup and Papa’s accordion playing and book teaching. ¨Why me?¨ she always thought.…

    • 521 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Theme Of Love In The Book Thief
    • 289 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Theme Of Love In The Book Thief

    The Book Thief is a novel by Markus Zusak about a girl during World War Two who becomes a foster child after her mother abandons her. In this novel, the basic theme is love. Love is everything. Love is in our minds and in our hearts. In this book there are two ways love happens, when it sneaks up on you like a due date for an essay or full frontal force like a threatening hurricane. Sometimes we do not realize that we love someone until its too late. Sadly we see this tragedy of losing the people we love in the novel.…

    • 289 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    The Book Thief Belonging Analysis
    • 2213 Words
    • 9 Pages

    The Book Thief Belonging Analysis

    Markus Zusak is an Australian author best known for writing The Book Thief. The Book Thief is narrated by Death and is the story of Liesel Meminger, a nine year old German girl who goes to live with her foster parents, Rosa and Hans Hubermann in Molching. The Book Thief takes place in 1939, right before the beginning of World War 2. One of the many themes shown in The Book Thief is the theme of identity and belonging. The book portrays the struggles the characters go through to find their sense of belonging. After Liesel loses her parents to “communism” and her brother to sickness, she finds herself in a foster home very lost and alone. Being a Jewish person during World War 2 meant that you were an outcast. Max Vandenburg, a Jewish man, had…

    • 2213 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    The Book Thief By Jan Brett
    • 863 Words
    • 4 Pages

    The Book Thief By Jan Brett

    Jan Brett is an impressive children’s book illustrator and author, shown in the popularity of her book’s among children and early childhood professionals alike. By taking her real life travel experiences and drawing them to life in her books, she creates a world far from our own that feels real enough to reach out and touch. In her many years creating these books, she has brought thoughtful stories from all over the world told through animals and humans that truly delight children and touch the professionals that get to share them. Jan Brett was born in Hingham, Massachusetts on December 1, 1949. As a child, she decided she wanted to be an illustrator and spent most of her time reading and drawing.…

    • 863 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Examples Of Foreshadowing In The Book Thief
    • 364 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Examples Of Foreshadowing In The Book Thief

    The Book Thief is novel written by Markus Zusak is a book about a little girl named Liesel, who loves to read book and also steals them. Throughout the story, the narrator “Death” spoils the information, leaving out certain parts of the information, making us question why and how. He spoils by saying that Rudy’s going to die, Himmel Street is going to be bombed, and that he saw the book thief three times. Zusak uses foreshadowing to make us, the readers more interested in why and how the events in the story.…

    • 364 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    The Book Thief Themes
    • 948 Words
    • 4 Pages

    The Book Thief Themes

    Millions of people died in the horrors and destruction of World War 2. Millions more experienced horrors they didn’t know existed. Children, young and innocent, were no longer the pure beings they once were. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak takes place during this dark time, and there were many bombings, deaths, and pain for everyone one living in this time. Many characters in the book are exposed to scarring events that will forever change them. The narrator of the book is death itself, and he goes through the story of a German girl in Nazi Germany. Her and her friends and family experiencing the realities of war and eventually all come to the narrator, death. The three characters Rudy, Max, and Liesel show that adverse events have the capability…

    • 948 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    The Book Thief Power Of Words
    • 801 Words
    • 4 Pages

    The Book Thief Power Of Words

    Our words are the most powerful and effective ways of communication. In “ The Book Thief, ” by Markus Zusak there is an immense power of words, the power of these words and the impact of the literature are felt throughout the novel. In distinction to the negative impact of Hitler’s anti- Semitic propaganda, present throughout Nazi Germany. Liesel’s reading provides a reassuring effect in the bomb shelter adding a more positive outlook. The words have both negative and positive influences on the characters. The novel also demonstrates how Zusak uses other literary devices, for example, foreshadowing and colour to communicate/ express ideas to the reader. With within the book, Markus promotes the outlook that words whether they’re present or absent have power.…

    • 801 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Childhood In Liesel's The Book Thief
    • 957 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Childhood In Liesel's The Book Thief

    In The Book Thief, readers follow through the childhood of Liesel Meminger, a young German girl growing up in Nazi Germany during World War II, all through the interesting perspective of Death. After losing her entire family, she is adopted into a new family, and gradually adapts to a new life in the town of Molching, on a street named Himmel. She learns how to live with her two adoptive parents: a stern, “small wardrobe-sized” mother who swears “Saumensch” on a daily basis, and a father who plays the accordion, with eyes made of warm melting silver, and is fond of rolling and smoking cigarettes. She meets her first friend, Rudy, through a game of soccer on the street. She attends school, and struggles to learn how to read and write. Gradually, with the help of her father, Hans Hubermann, she is able to achieve that goal, and thus begins her love of words and books.…

    • 957 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Alienation - “the Book Thief” by Markus Zusak, “Elephant Man” and “Othello”
    • 624 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Alienation - “the Book Thief” by Markus Zusak, “Elephant Man” and “Othello”

    The texts “The Book Thief” by Markus Zusak, “Elephant man” the film by David Lynch and “Othello” by William Shakespeare, can all be connected and contrasted by the central concept of alienation as presented by the composers of these texts through the use of various Literary, dramatic and cinematic techniques. Alienation and how effective the text has been in representing this concept can be identified and highlighted by the messages of alienation the composer has presented to their responders.…

    • 624 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    The Book Thief
    • 488 Words
    • 2 Pages

    The Book Thief

    Markus Zusak uses metaphors and some personification to paint a picture of Nazi Germany. With his powerful descriptions, the setting is easy to visualize. As an example, on p. 27, Death describes Himmel street as “buildings appear to be glued together, mostly small houses and apartment blocks that look nervous. There is murky snow spread out like carpet. There is concrete, empty hat-stand trees, and gray air”. With this description, the reader can infer that Himmel street's buildings are crowded in together, the trees are bare and leafless, and that the day is cold and gray. Using imagery, Markus Zusak has created a clear picture of Nazi Germany.…

    • 488 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Character Analysis Essay
    • 459 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Character Analysis Essay

    In The Book Thief by Markus Zusak, the author uses characterization to show how Liesel has a deeper understanding of people without realizing it and maintaining her innocence. For a young girl to live in hard times as these were in WWII Germany, Liesel seems to understand the big picture even from her quaint setting in Munich.…

    • 459 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    The Book Thief Setting
    • 804 Words
    • 4 Pages

    The Book Thief Setting

    When mentioning The Book Thief by Markus Zusak the first comment people make is how hard of a time it was in the setting of this book. A very dramatic impact of the book is a girl named Liesel who is living of the time of World War II, with the Jewish being discriminated. When living at her new home with her foster parents Hans and Rosa Hubberman, she finds herself more than a lonely girl. By the end of the story, she became courageous, persevering, and loyal to others.…

    • 804 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    The Book Thief Research Paper
    • 1506 Words
    • 7 Pages

    The Book Thief Research Paper

    Markus Zusak, an award winning novelist, showcases the power that words can have on the environment around the world. In his novel The Book Thief, he shows the reader that even in a time of forlornness that words will always be one of the most powerful weapons that the human race can ever hope to gain. In the book Liesel Meminger, a German girl, is on her way to the small town of Molching, Germany, near Munich, to meet her future foster parents, Hans and Rosa Hubermann. Liesel soon learns the true power of the written word; the power to destroy society, while at the same time, the power of having a calming influence on people. At the beginning of the book, Liesel cannot read or write. However, when she does learn to read, she is able to have a somewhat calming effect on the people around her, but on the other hand, Liesel uses the power of words as a way to strip away Hitler’s power over the people of Germany. She is able to utilize words in such a way that it abolishes the fear that is constantly looming over Germany during Hitler’s reign, if only for a brief moment.…

    • 1506 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    The Battle Against Injustice
    • 728 Words
    • 3 Pages

    The Battle Against Injustice

    Chaos. Love. Heartbreak. Loss. These were emotions many in Nazi Germany had to deal with, often at the same time. Markus Zusak’s novel The Book Thief perfectly illustrates the struggles and injustices these people had to deal with on a daily basis. The novel follows Liesel Meminger, a young girl living with foster parents, Hans and Rosa Hubermann, in fictional Molching, Germany during World War II. She became best friends with Rudy Steiner. One day a young, Jewish man named Max Vandenberg showed up at their home begging Hans and Rosa to hide him. They agreed because Max’s father was Hans’ old friend. Even though Liesel feared Max at first, she later becomes very close to him creating a special bond. One day, Hans gave a Jewish man bread and as a consequence, Max had to leave for both his and their safety. After this, Liesel began writing her life story. One night, while in her basement, the street the Hubermanns lived on was bombed, killing everyone except Liesel. Everyone living through those times had to endure many terrible injustices, however, while some sat down and let the injustices go untouched, others stood up and fought for change. The most effective of these fighters was Liesel Meminger.…

    • 728 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More

Related Topics