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Book Thief Dbq

Decent Essays

In The Book Thief written by Markus Zusak, it is evident that literacy is powerful in times of crisis, trauma, or development because the protagonist Liesel is able to use literacy to help cope during the difficult times she had to experience due to World War II. She uses it as a distraction to set her mind on the story the book reveals instead of the tragedies that are occurring simultaneously. One example of the power literacy has during tragic times is provided in Document E where David Ulin, the author of the piece, describes how reading can serve as something that can comfort you or as an illusion to help the reader get lost in another world. It states, “…allows us, however fleetingly, to inhabit, literally, his or her own eyes.” This …show more content…

For example, in Document F it describes a girl who always carries around a book no matter where she goes. She also describes how attached she is to this book because the poet says, “Stories without corners./ She will have two families./ They will eat at different hours.” This shows how literacy can be different from other alternatives because literacy allows the reader to absorb into the story and can provide a comfort that can only be found in books. The girl in this poem even considers this comfort another family, something she can enjoy just like the comfort her own family gives her. In The Book Thief Liesel uses her stolen books in a similar manner. Before she came to the Hubermanns, she had lost two family members, and soon after she lost her entire family. Although the Hubermanns did their best to take care of her at first, Liesel was still uncomfortable in her new surroundings. In addition, she also had frequent nightmares and was not able to sleep at night. In order to find comfort, she tried reading a book she found at her brother’s funeral, with the help of Hans Hubermann. Thus, Liesel has a special connection to her books, just like she has a special connection with her biological family, as well

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