preview

The Power of Secrets in The Book Thief by Markus Zusak Essay

Decent Essays

“‘Book burning’ refers to the ritual destruction by fire of books or other written materials. Usually carried out in a public context, the burning of books represents an element of censorship and usually proceeds from a cultural, religious, or political opposition to the materials in question.” (United States Holocaust Memorial Museum) The night of May 10, 1933, German students from some of the best universities in the world, gathered in Berlin to burn books with un-German ideas. The students, along with Nazi officials, threw hundreds of books into a bonfire while giving the Hitler salute and singing Nazi anthems. The students gave up everything that they had believed in due to their unwavering adoration for Hitler and his beliefs. …show more content…

Liesel also knows that if she stays quiet, no one can do anything about it. “… ‘The Party’ she whispered. Papa stopped. He fought off the urge to open the door and look up the street. ‘They’re checking basements to make shelters.’ He set her down. ‘Smart girl,’ he said, then called for Rosa.” (Zusak, 342). Liesel knows that she has to keep a secret, a very important one too. She gets hurt in order to save Max and her family from severe repercussions.s that if she tells everyone what she’s thinking, there will be trouble. Liesel also knows that if she stays quiet, no one can do anything about it. “… ‘The Party’ she whispered. Papa stopped. He fought off the urge to open the door and look up the street. ‘They’re checking basements to make shelters.’ He set her down. ‘Smart girl,’ he said, then called for Rosa.” (Zusak, 342). Liesel knows that she has to keep a secret, a very important one too. She knows that the thoughts in her head will be discovered if she doesn’t act fast. Liesel understands the power of secrets. She can hide her beliefs in her head, but she can’t hide a Jew in her head as well. Just like the books, an author can have and idea in his or her head, but once a book is written and published, people can destroy the idea because it becomes tangible. The most famous book burning happened on the night of May 10, 1933 in Berlin, but many other book burins happened

Get Access