Power Of Words In The Book Thief By Markus Zusak

Philip K. Dick, a notable author, once said “There exists, for everyone, a sentence - a series of words - that has the power to destroy you. Another sentence exists, another series of words, that could heal you. If you're lucky you will get the second, but you can be certain of getting the first.” The Book Thief explores an array of themes but none more meaningful than the power of language to heal and destroy. The novel follows the life of Liesel Meminger, who learns how much words can influence her life in minuscule ways. Learning the alphabet and creating words was one the first ways that Hans and Liesel bonded. They would sit in the basement for long hours writing words on the wall. The power of words also brought Max and Liesel together. Liesel would describe the weather to him when was trapped in the basement. Hitler used the power words to spread propaganda of racism and hatred. Ultimately, it’s Liesel’s words in her journal she leaves behind after the bombing that institutes the emotional connection Death feels to her. The power of words is the most important theme in The Book Thief.

The youngest kids were soothed by her voice, and everyone else saw visions of the whistler running from the crime scene. Liesel did not. The book thief saw only the mechanics of the words—their bodies stranded on the paper, beaten down for her to walk on” (Zusak 381). With the power of her words, Liesel effectively gave the people who once was scrambled and scared something else to think about. She allowed them the ability to imagine, and feel the story, rather than focusing on their reality, grounding them to a sense of security. Even when as their problems continue to knock onto their fear, Liesel was able to overcome, and help other overcome the chaos of World War II, even in the most briefest

“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.

This is one quote that has words that positively impacted Liesel. It’s from the lecture that Hans gave to Liesel telling her about Max. On page 203, Hans says to Liesel, “‘If you tell anyone about that man..’ Her teacher. Rudy. It didn’t matter whom. What mattered was that they were all punishable. ‘For starters,’ he said, ‘I will take each and every one of your books-and I’ll burn them.’ It was callous. ‘I’ll throw them in the stove or the fireplace.’ The shock made a hole in her, very neat, very precise. Tears welled. ‘Yes, Papa’”(page 203-204). This quote positively impacted Liesel. Although it may look like this would have negatively impacted her, when she got her lecture, she ended up not telling anyone about the Jew in her basement. She kept her family, Max, and herself out of danger because she didn’t tell anyone. Max was kept safe and hidden for that period of time. The words in this quote negatively impacted Liesel. On page 115, Liesel is talking to her father. She states, “‘I knew it.’ The words were thrown at the steps and Liesel could feel the slush of anger stirring hotly in her stomach. ‘I hate the Führer,’ She said, ‘I hate him’ (page 115). When Liesel said that she hated the Führer, she put her family and Max, as well as herself, at risk. If anyone had heard her, they’d all probably be dead. It also resulted in her getting slapped by Hans. Hans then told her she could say that in the house

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?”

Max Vandenburg, who was a very supportive boy of Liesel, always helped her during her worst times and even her best times. Max had missed Liesel’s 12th birthday so he made her a little gift. He took a book called Mein Kampf by Adolf Hitler, but made it his own called The Standover Man. He gave this book to Liesel as it symbolizes how people have always stood over him in his life to help him just like Liesel has. “During that week, Max had cut out a collection of pages from Mein Kampf and painted over them in white. He then hung them up with pegs on some string, from one end of the basement to the other … Only then, on the paper that had bubbled and humped under the stress of drying paint, did he begin to write the story. It was done with a small black paintbrush” (Zusak 223). This quote reflects the power of words because Max is doing this for Liesel since they are good friends, and since it's her birthday. This comes to show that Max is about positive words towards his friends, but mainly Liesel.

The book 's importance is explained through Death where ‘“The books meaning 1. The last time she saw her brother. 2. The last time she saw her mother.” Despite Liesel being illiterate, the Gravedigger’s handbook holds significant meaning for the character. Liesel has an overwhelming feeling of loss of control and acts out in rebellion to steal the book that lay beside her brothers grave. By stealing the book, she has a reminder of her small family and it stops her feeling defeated by her ever changing life, which she has no control over. This idea is then reinforced with another action of the character. Liesel then finds out that Hitler was the cause of the suffering and loss of freedom of the people she loved and knew in her life.This second act of rebellion takes place while Liesel visits a Nazi book burning. Liesel soon understands that the Nazi’s burnt books to brainwash citizens of Germany(_____). As a result of this Lisel then understands the importance and power words have, causing her to again acts rebelliously in a protest. “And it was anger and dark hatred that had fueled her desire to steal it.” This passage from the novel shows the emotions of Liesel. As a character who is unable to express herself verbally, her actions speak for her. Liesel 's desire to understand words begins to grow, with her understanding that Nazis burn books in fear of what they may do to society.

Markus Zusak’s Book Thief chronicles the life of Liesel Meminger and those who crossed her path. Through his use of Death as a narrator, a profound underlying message of the wondrous complexity of the human world is presented, balancing the ever-present forces of evil and good.

In Markus Zusak novel “The Book Thief,” a little girl named Liesel serves as the protagonist. The plot of the story takes place in Germany during the late thirties, early fourtees while the anti-jewish sentimant is most prominent and Hitlers is at his peak in terms of power and followers. The book revolves around the life of Leisel and how these attrocious conditions shaped her life. This book does a great job of demonstrating many aspects described in “How to Read Literature Like a

In Markus Zusak's novel The Book Thief, the principle character, Liesel Meminger, tries to make due through World War 2 while attempting to figure out how to peruse and compose. All through the book the writer needs the peruser to see that words are a thought or story, as well as an energy to control a man's psyche or activity, and this spared Liesel at last.

As adults and children alike clamour and panic about their fates and the impending bomb threatening to blow up Himmel Street, Liesel gathers her courage to lift everyone’s spirits. She uses her power of words and calms everyone down regardless of age. Liesel doesn't want to learn to play the accordion, as she feels she would never be as good as Hans, but words are her own instrument. Liesel realized how her little act would give everyone so much hope, and just like Hans, she used her passion to give people hope and distract them from all the dreadful things happening. Everyone had already seen the power of words, since that was all Hitler had, but now Liesel had her own gift and used it to give everyone hope and distract them from the sense

Words were what started the roller coaster of emotion Liesel had been thrown on when she was nine years old. Without them I don't know where she would be, but I doubt she'd have ever lived and played soccer on Himmel Street. And, although words have been the cause of her pain and suffering, they have been her source of comfort, too. Whether they were written by Mattheus Ottleberg, Adolf Hitler, Max Vandenburg, or herself, words carry immeasurable value and impact. When written by Hitler, words have been the source of ruthless violence and chaos, and helped start a war that was the basis of our story. In The Word Shaker, Max shares his knowledge of the power of words, and how, depending on their user's intentions, they can have a heavily negative or positive impact. This quote shows Liesel's comprehension of the power of words, and when she says "I hope I have made them right," it is clear that she intends to use words so they will have a positive

Words, something we blindly hear, listen and feel. Humans do not think twice of the harm or good doing power they possess. In the novel, The Book Thief, by Markus Zusak, shows how words can give the characters such robustness during the war. As well as how strong they use their words so they can get out of difficult situations. Adolf Hitler, Max Vandenburg, and Liesel Meminger are characters that hold power throughout the novel in both positive and negative ways.

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

Unlike the Nazi’s however, Liesel realizes the pain her words caused. "Blood leaked from her nose and licked at her lips. Her eyes had blackened. Cuts had opened up and a series of wounds were rising to the surface of her skin. All from words. From Liesel's words" (Zuask 253). A child, no more than 12 years old, was telling someone not to cry, that she was being “pathetic.” It was all because of one group of people taking the lives of millions that a young girl believes crying over your loved ones deaths was ridiculous. At one point, Death even compares itself to humanity saying, "You want to know what I truly look like? I'll help you out. Find yourself a mirror while I continue" (Zuask 307).