Examples Of Compassion In The Book Thief

The author gives humanistic reasons on why people are compassionate. For example, a poor man was in the way of a mother and her baby so the mother scrambled around her purse to find change to give him. After the money was given to him, he stood there not knowing that taking the money and saying thank you was the end of that situation so he just stares at the baby, until the mother gets impatient and scrolls away. “Was it fear or compassion that motivated the gift?” In the passage she explains to the audience of a fresh bread shop and an old man. Entering

The example that affected me the most was when there was a homeless man walking across the street towards a mother and child. Due to instinct, the mother held the carriage closer and harder. To ensure the safety of her and her child, she gave him money. It was not that she felt compassion for him, but instead, she thought that this would keep him from harming herself and her child. It was not that the man acted in any unacceptable way, but that the woman and child were the ones at risk. The author shows compassion as more of a transaction as “the man stands and stares.” The fixed stare made her feel uneasy and nervous. It is as if time stopped. it was not a genuine act of kindness on the mother’s part or that she felt sympathetic for him. There is symbolism of protection “[when the mother] passes a folded dollar over her child’s head.” The man “does not know that acceptance of the gift and gratitude are what make this transaction complete.” It is visible that the woman only offers to help the man out of

Are people born with a complete quandary when it comes to compassion or is it something that has always been there? Barbara Lazear Ascher, born in 1946, writes, “On Compassion.” Having lived in New York City, Ascher is able to take first hand examples from the city to show the affection people have towards each other. Ascher is able to illustrate that compassion is something that has to be taught because of the adversity at people’s heels by including tone, persuasive appeals, and the mode of comparing and contrast in her essay, “On Compassion.”

Hope and courage are two feelings that are only powerful when used together. To be courageous and not hopeful is a suicide mission; on the other hand, having hope and no courage will never give one the urge to oppose the problem. In Markus Zusak’s novel The Book Thief, the whole story is the epitome of courage and hope. During the second world war, the young Liesel Meminger is adopted by the Hubermann family, Hans and Rosa Hubermann, who teach her the power of words, as well as the importance of kindness. Moreover, one of the themes of this novel is the creation of hope from courage, and it is shown through the author’s use of symbolism, allegory, as well as irony.

“And yet, it may be that these are the conditions that finally give birth to empathy, the mother of compression. We cannot deny the existence of the helpless as their presence grows. It is impossible to insulate ourselves against what is at our very doorstep. I don’t believe that one is born compassionate. Compassion is

When surviving, compassion is most certainly necessary; without compassion, one would not survive because there would be no reason to. If you are trying to survive in the wild your end is to goal to be alive, and what to do while you are alive is your choice. Whatever it is that keeps you going, that is you compassion which is also your survival. In the story Night by Elie Wiesel there are multiple examples of compassion being used for survival. We know that Elie Wiesel was a survivor of the Holocaust but how he did it is a mystery to us. What we do know is that heh survived with compassion helping him. Night by Elie Wiesel is a perfect example to show how compassion is necessary to survive.

“Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you courage,” Lao Tzu. Courage is the choice to confront agony, pain, danger, uncertainty, or intimidation. Physical is when you show bravery in the face of death, pain, or threats, while mental courage is when somebody makes a right decision while opposing someone or something else. Some people do not have a choice to be courageous, and are forced to be courageous, while others have a choice to be courageous.

“A kind gesture can reach a wound that only compassion can heal”. This quote by Steve Maraboli may be hard to understand, but the Holocaust texts: Night by Elie Wiesel, “A Three Year Old Saves His Mother” by Peter Gorog and “Jakob's Story” by Jakob Blankitny are great examples of where compassion is necessary to fight the despair in heartbreaking situations. In each work, compassion shows up from unexpected sources, helps motivate people to survive, and creates greater unification.

Ascher’s essay describes the ways she has seen compassion showed, through voluntary donations, food, shelter. She openly questions what drives humans to be compassionate to each other. As a successful author who

Throughout the novel, Hans Hubermann shows many examples of caring. He first shows his caring side when he stays with Liesel after her nightmares and reads to her: “Hans Hubermann sat sleepy-eyed on the bed and Liesel would cry into his sleeves and breathe him in. Every morning, just after two o’clock, she fell asleep again to the smell of him”(37). By staying with her when she wakes up from a nightmare, Hans shows that he cares for her even though he just met her. Furthermore, Hans shows his caring side when he trades in his cigarettes to get books for Liesel’s Christmas present:“‘You know what he did? He rolled up all of his filthy cigarettes, went to the market when it was in town, and traded them with some gypsy.’ ‘Eight cigarettes per book’”(89). By trading in his cigarette rations for a Christmas present for

According to Napoleon Bonaparte, courage isn’t having the strength to go on … it’s going on when you don’t have strength. Liesel, Max and Hans are the main characters in “The Book Thief” that have acts of courage entirely change their lives. This novel takes place during WWII in Germany. Countless Jews are desperately looking for the courage to endure the harsh rule of the Nazis. On the other hand there are some Germans who use their courage to stand against the Nazis in their own exceptional ways. The characters in “The Book Thief’ show acts of courage and this greatly affects the course of their life and relationships with other characters.

Throughout the novel the Narrator often shows compassion towards others – in his actions – eg. letting the German soldier grieve for his dead brother letting him take ‘a few letters and papers from his brother’s pockets’ and imagines how their mother would feel. He then helps the Germans to safety behind the lines & asks that ‘the prisoners be treated nicely.’

In novels and stories, it is an especially important emotion. Compassion shown by and to characters improves the general opinion of the characters and of the story from the reader because it allows the reader to connect with the novel. In Year of wonders, The Secret Life of Bees and The Hunger Games, this is especially evident as they show compassion on extremely difficult situations. Anna changes the life of a young orphan during an outbreak of the Plague. August Boatwright allows Lily and Rosaleen, two runaways, into her home, where they heal and find happiness.

Regretful, ashamed, and sorry. Feeling responsible for a specified wrongdoing. Guilt. Have you ever felt guilty? Do you ever blame yourself, or wish you could turn back time to change just the smallest of details, knowing that your life will be so much better because of it? Yes or no, or whatever your answer may be, many people, and many characters have. The Book Thief is a prime example in which many of its characters experience guilt. They blame themselves for the fact that someone died while they are still alive, yet they find many ways to deal with this guilt. Throughout The Book Thief, the author demonstrates how survivor’s guilt continues to provide motivation for the characters to alter their lives in many ways.

Compassion has little to no boundries. In almost every great story there is a specific character or a group of characters that help the protagonist because they feel bad for them. Compassion is the most important aspect of a functioning society; therefore, Elie Wiesel’s Night, 12 Angry Men by Reginald Rose, and the generosity of spirit shown by the average citizen after the recent shooting in Las Vegas are all perfect examples.