The Book Thief is a very intriguing book and anyone who has read it can easily say that it was a very good read, but what most people might not think about is how much planning and revision goes into making such a book. In The Book Thief, Marcus Zusak uses a variety of different literary techniques to make his book more descriptive. Two of the most prominent out of these are Zusak’s blending of different senses and switching of roles, techniques that result in a highly expressive piece of writing. These literary techniques are extremely effective in that they add lots of emotion to Zusak’s book and make it more enjoyable. Zusak uses these technique throughout the book, and we even get to see one example at the beginning, where Zusak uses
Markus Zusak, the author of The Book Thief, displays several ways to help readers analyze the story. He uses diction, imagery, details, language, and syntax which allows his audience to master the content in the story.
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak tells the story of Liesel Meminger, a girl living in Nazi Germany through perspective of death. Just nine years old when her brother dies and her mother leaves her in the care of the Hubermanns, Lisel turns to the comfort of books to ease her pain. However, as she grows up the innocent words in her books lead her to discover the immense pain words carry through the horrific doings of Hitler, a man beloved by many Germans. The portrayal of life in Nazi Germany depicted by the Book Thief is accurate due to events in the book such as the book burning, the Hitler Youth, encounters of hate shown to Jews, and Germany’s invasion of Russia.
In The Book Thief, Markus Zusak uses first person point of view, a dark tone and pathos to reveal the harsh reality that citizens of Germany suffered through
Relationship to meaning: - Death, as the narrator, gives us an insight into the events surrounding Liesel that otherwise would not have been known. Also Death explains definitions, events, and other items of note.
2. It is ironic that Liesel steals books because the first time she steals the book she is not even able to read yet. The first time she stole a book was at her brothers funeral to keep as a memory of him and also her mother. Liesel was upset and "she started to dig" for The Gravediggers Handbook (Zusak 23).This seemed ironic also, because she dug for a book in the snow at her brothers burial. Hitler used words as a powerful tool to change the way a whole country viewed Jews. Words turn into something to use as hate from the Nazis and Hitler toward the Jews. Germans are scared of words that show how Jews really are .They have bonfires and they throw the books in the bonfire and burn them, along with the truth about Jews. Even though Germans in general have a hatred towards books, Liesel is saved by words. Max, who is a Jew is also saved by words. Max
Author Markus Zusak, in his historical fiction novel, The Book Thief, exposes hatred and prejudice in a society. However, Zusak’s characters Rudy and Hans help main character Liesel overcome the evil surrounding her. The Book Thief demonstrates the power of strong relationships and love that sustain people in life’s tragedies. Hans, Liesel’s stepfather, provides a gentle, loving attitude towards Leisel. Similarly, Rudy, Liesel’s best friend, provides companionship and love.
Biographical- Zusak got the idea of the Book Thief from when he was writing the “I Am the Messenger” and thought about a book stealer and then thought about his parent’s life while growing up in Germany and Austria and thought about the power of words and what they were capable of doing at that time he incorporated the two ideas to get the idea of Book Thief.
“I guess humans like to watch a little destruction. Sand castles, houses of cards, that’s where they begin. Their great skill is their capacity to escalate” (109) quotes Death, right before the bonfire of banned books is lit. The novel The Book Thief, by Markus Zusak, is filled with pages of destruction and mortality. Although it is unclear what Death, the narrator really is, he is mostly portrayed as an immortal human who shares the same feelings as we do. During the reign of Nazi Germany, Death is occupied picking up souls of soldiers and Jews. To distract himself, Death describes the vivid colors he sees during one’s death. He is troubled by the way humans destroy one another because in the end we all die.
Hence, Zusak’s purpose in writing The Book Thief is to expose his readers to the exceptional, yet beautiful power of love: how love can save a person, change a person, and ultimately be everlasting. The bond of love between individuals has the power to save lives. It supersedes the
Foreshadowing is a major technique Zusak uses in The Book Thief to portray the power of words. Within the first pages of the novel, the narrator gives the audience a glimpse into the novel’s content. This not only adds intrigue and encourages the audience to continue reading; it also foreshadows central themes – ‘some words’, ‘quite a lot of thievery’, and central characters, ‘an accordionist’, ‘a Jewish fist fighter’. The meaning and importance of these small phrases are not revealed until much later in the novel. ‘A Jewish fist fighter’ refers to Max Vandenburg, and foreshadows his appearance. His presence highlights the brutality of Nazi Germany, the immediacy of war, and the kindness and compassion of humans. Max is also an instrumental
Through all of the irony and vivid coloring, The Book Thief is more easily understood after acquiring knowledge of reading literature with greater care and meticulousness. Applying chapters of How to Read Literature like a Professor can better enhance a reader’s awareness of hidden messages and symbols within certain works of literature. In Chapter Two, Foster explains how meals suggest a communion between all parties involved in it. Markus Zusak also uses meals and food to bring families together in The Book Thief. Foster also explains, in Chapter Eleven, how violence in literature usually stands for more than just violence.
In the story The Book Thief, the author Markus Zusak does and amazing job of using literary devices in his story. From metaphors, to similes, to personification and even onomonopeias. It puts images in your mind that in other looks you could not even imagine. It shows and tells what the person is doing and how they are doing it. These literary devices bring excitement and engagement to the writing. It makes you want to keep reading the book. His forms of figurative language come easy to zusak.
Narration is important in almost any book, which is why it is especially important in Mark Zusak’s: The Book Thief. He uses foreshadowing, perspective, and interaction with the reader to make the book so much more interesting. Zusak's selection of Death as the narrator heavily changes and alters the way the book is read. Death allows the reader to have a completely new and different perspective of Death itself, he heavily foreshadows very important events in the book, and he interacts with the reader many times throughout the book. By presenting death as the narrator, Zusak provides a more outside and impartial view of humanity’s pain and suffering (Johnson).
Zusak, Housman, and Maupassant used symbolism to indirectly convey deeper meanings of the objects in their pieces of writing. The accordion, Mr. Hubermann’s favorite instrument, symbolized the theme of optimism in Zusak’s The Book Thief. Mr. Hubermann received the accordion from Erik
1) Prescribed Text – The Book Thief a. Compose a summary/synopsis of the text (plot/themes/characters/key concerns). (100 words only)