Power Of Words In The Book Thief By Markus Zusak

“The Book Thief” is a novel and film about a girl who survives death during WW2 and how words became very important to her life. Liesel Meminger was brought to her foster home unable to read. Her foster father, Hans, finds out she can’t read and helps teaches her German. Liesel then falls in love with words and uses them to write her story.The theme “power of words” is displayed in the novel and film equally. Three ways the power of words were shown was by making an emotional connection with the audience, influencing people to do something, and creating unlikely friendships.

Words have the power to change the lives of millions, people who take a stand speak for others and fight for what they want. Words have the power to provoke action, calm negative emotions and can inspire change as the following passages will elaborate that words have the power to change people. Events that go into history start with powerful speeches that persuade listeners to fight with them.

When Max moved into the Hubermann’s basement, it was a favor for the person that saved Hans’s life, “‘He saved my life’” (Zusak 179). This is where we need to understand the power of words and see that they are the difference between life and death. When Hans make this promise, not knowing that the power of his words was going to affect him in the future, it really was the difference between the life and death. Next, there was the situation with the bombing in Molching. When Death is collecting the souls in the Hubermann household, as said by Death, “But there was no Liesel in that house. Not for me, anyways” (Zusak 532). During this time, Liesel was writing her own book in the basement. The words were powerful, and in this lucky situation, they literally did save her life. Again, understanding that there is so much power within one person with words. They come from people and they are able to create amazing stories and say amazing things with them. It is amazing how powerful one book can be with all the words in it. By way of contrast, words still do have the power to ruin lives. During this time period, Hitler had so much power with his words. To further explain, “The words. Why did they have to exist? Without them, there wouldn’t be any of this. Without words, the Fuhrer was nothing. There would be no limping prisoners, no need for consolation or worldly tricks to make us feel better. What good were the words?”

Words are everywhere, words make up books, and the power of words make The Book Thief which will never be able to be improved upon. Words help us communicate with others, but mainly they have positive and negative sides to them. In the novel, The Book Thief by Markus Zusak, Death narrates the story while Liesel Meminger also tells her story of living in Nazi, Germany. We will discuss how there are many people such as Max Vandenburg and Liesel Meminger who choose to use to use their power of words in the positive way. We will also discuss how people also like to use their power of words in the negative way such as Adolf Hitler. The power of words are very effective especially in Markus Zusak’s writing, and we’ll discuss the main parts of the book which have been effected with the power of words.

In the book, Freak the Mighty, Kenny kane sets a tone for Max to respond to. Kenny Kane takes max with a hard and untrusted way of making him follow him where he wanted to go. The author made the tone and mood perfectly so that Max can describe what is happening. Kenny Kane blames and feels sorrowful about max and his grandparents, which makes Max feel nervous as he states” You can’t hear the sorrow in his voice even though you can see the tears on his face.” Which confuses Max.

Words: Words are something we use everyday to communicate. Words make up sentences and books. We use words to convey meanings, to show feelings, and to communicate. The problem is that most people take this for granted. Most people do not know the power their words have, and the effect they have on other people. The power of words holds a strong meaning in the novel, The Book Thief, by Markus Zusak. During the book, different characters acquire power through their words and language, in both positive and negative ways.

"Words have energy and power with the ability to help, to heal, to hinder, to hurt, to harm, to humiliate, and to humble." (Economy). Consequently, this quote exemplifies the illustrious meaning of words being so powerful that they will never be forgotten and only be remembered by those that they affect most. Words give us the power to communicate and explain our thoughts, which can affect change on others in the society. Therefore, they are not as influential and manipulative as they seem to be. In the novel, The Book Thief, power of words are used as emotion, influential, and building knowledge.

It makes one feel like they would rather die than live and nobody should feel like that. Max is dealing with guilt in his heart because he is putting the Hubermanns life in risk. Liesel knows that Max is putting their lives in risk because in the story she says, “How could he show up and ask people to risk their lives for him? How could he be so selfish?” (Zusak 169).

Conflict and calm have been characteristics of the human spirit throughout the ages and have been visible since time began. Examining history, the reader can find examples of both, evident in times of great destruction such as war. In the novel, The Book Thief, Marcus Zusak explores and compares the closeness between great atrocity and beauty in the human spirit apparent in the German town of Molching during WWII. The author shows how each of the characters, in their own ways, overcome barbarity and horror with acts of extraordinary kindness and compassion. This is shown in the novel through Max and Liesel’s friendship, and when Hans gives one of the Jewish camp prisoners a piece of bread. Another example would be when Rosa and Hans protect Max from the Nazis despite the penalty of death looming before them. Zusak shows that a person's will and their hope is difficult to destroy no matter the circumstances.

In the book The Book Thief by Markus Zusak, my favorite quote throughout the story was in the last few pages by Liesel Meminger where she stated, “I have hated the words and I have loved them, and I hope I have made them right” (Zusak 528). This is my personal favorite because it connects back to how powerful words are, and how they contribute to relationships of Liesel and others and life altering events. An example being the Holocaust and how Hitler's words influenced Germans to annihilate all Jews. I chose this part because the whole story is about recording Liesel’s life, and this quote perfectly explains the importance of words and the books throughout the entire story in relation to Liesel. Here

One was Irma Grese, known as the “Beautiful Beast”(Degob.org), she was a tall,blonde haired female guard that was feared by the prisoners. Part of the reason she was so cruel was possibly the way she grew up. At age 13 she lost her mother, after elementary school she immediately began work. She ended up in control of one of the concentration camps when she was the head of road construction and was promoted. Some of the things she did to the prisoners included; beating and killing prisoners for no reason, often for fun. She would also stomp on prisoners that were on the ground with her boots. Another cruel Nazi official was Herman Goering. He created the gestapo, as well as establishing one of the most feared secret police in Nazi Germany, he would steal millions of pounds(currency) from the Jewish victims. One of the other horrible Nazi officials was Paul Gobbels(Listverse). He was the administrator of propaganda. He was responsible for all of the awful hate messages sent through Germany meant to turn the public on the Jewish population. Those were the other side of the Nazi officials whom should be punished for the crimes they

“I have hated the words, and I have loved them, and I hope I have made them right.” In the story, “The Book Thief,” written by Markus Zusak, a young girl named Leisel Meminger finds that her life is being turned upside down during the Holocaust. She loses her entire family, this is when she discovers the power of words. Her foster family finds themselves in a situation involving taking in a Jewish man named Max, who also finds words and books to be magical. Although in the story Leisel steals books in the story, she is doing so for a valid reason.

I thought of you and your books and words, and this strange story came into my head. I hope you can find some good in it. ”(444)Max is handling his memories, conversations, and thoughts with or about Liesel to create something. Using words to leave something of him behind in view of that Liesel has done so much to make his hiding less of a prison

Words are more influential than thought. Words can have such a powerful impact on how you interpret things, how you feel, and how you can make others feel as well. The word choice used in The Book Thief demonstrates many themes throughout such as death, friendship, guilt, reason, and the struggle between ones inner self and the society in which he is surrounded. As complex as this may sound, the method was used in a simplistic fashion to construct the meaning and details of certain situations through the senses that ultimately capture how the characters take in the world around them. The power of words in the novel The Book Thief is used to control individuals and gain power if rooted from bad intentions; however, the power of words also

Words can influence the mind in many ways that thought may not be able to. They are carefully placed and shared in different ways by each and every individual. Words have powerful impacts and can majorly impact how one may think, feel, or even lead others to feel. Written by Markus Zusak, “The Book Thief” describes a story of an innocent foster girl, Liesel Meminger, who resides in Munich, Germany at one of the most troubling time periods in history, Nazi Germany. A tale narrated by the one and only Death himself, shows the perspective from his point of view, as well as others, describing how Liesel had been seized away from her birth mother at a young age, and put into a foster family. Her new family, the Hubermanns. As she matures and grows into a more critical thinker, understanding and analyzing everything that carefully happens around her. Her foster-father, Hans guides her and teaches her how to read, which little does she know sparks her journey, the art of stealing books. Liesel soon discovers that words aren 't simply lines on a page, they are strong emotions packed into a form that merely is held in her delicate hands. Not only did she hold the pages of emotion, she held a power, a dangerous weapon of words, a weapon of control, and every book that she had stolen was giving her unimaginable power that made her think in ways that she would’ve never thought she could have. As with Nazi propaganda, and a gift that enabled her to broaden her worldview. Liesel evolves