It is often assumed that every occupant of Nazi Germany either hated the Jews or knowingly ignored their hardships; however, that is not entirely true. There were some Germans who attempted to make a difference. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak is a historical fiction novel about the life of a young German girl. Liesel is a young orphan growing up in a poor town in Nazi Germany. Although as far-fetched as it sounds, stealing books is what keeps her alive in the end.…
Sidra Sinan Mrs. Bsheart English 9 2 August 2014 The Book Thief 1. The narrator on page four is not a person, but it is death. “It suffices to say that at some point in time, I will be standing over you, as genially as possible. Your soul will be in my arms.”…
Beautiful Ugliness Often, one does not think about what death sees. Usually the common thought is what someone sees when they face death. Their last hours, minutes and seconds. There is never really a thought of what Death sees and experiences on his way to take someones soul, especially if he is always around the same people or person and is constantly taking people out of their life.…
All around the world there are different religions and belief systems, each slightly different than the other. The Zuñi’s from Zuñi, New Mexico are one of these many religious groups that have their own traditions, including traditions for death. In the short article, An American Indian View of Death, author Dennis Tedlock shows a slight view into the Zuñi’s religious background by describing the impact that the death of one had on them all. Death, in the Zuni’s perspective, can be seen days before the death takes place. In this story, Otho, the man deceased, had suddenly been seen as “in a hurry” and “learning skills much too fast” by his stepfather Lewis.…
An individual is powerless against the larger power of society, ultimately it is something they will succumb to and face. In The Book Thief the story follows Liesel and her life in Nazi Germany as she encounters several victims and abusers of power. The poem The next war is a soldiers poem during describing his experience with death and fatality. Finally in an interview The Sins of the Father is both an interview that gives us insight into the psyche and trauma of Martin Burnham. Power demonstrative in the texts through a series of techniques that reflect the victims and users of power.…
the adults involved. Some may consider such “loyalty” to be misguided, but the journalists’ refusal to make a bad situation worse was the very essence of the second type of courage. The film also exhibits the first type of courage. It would have been easy for Sarah Polley to keep quiet about the situation and simply live her life, but instead, she came forward and shared her story in spite of the difficulty.…
The characters in “The Dead” are not actually living at all, as one can see in the narrator’s descriptions of the events and traditions that are continuously brought up, and in how those and the characters are predictably and monotonously described. The first example of monotony is the mention of the dance, “It was always a great affair, the Misses Morkan’s annual dance,” (21). The description of the dance indicates that it has been going on for “Years and years” for “as long as anyone could remember,” telling the reader that this annual dance is a strong tradition with the Morkan sisters and all who know them (21). The over explanatory nature of the event’s description shows the tedium of their lives and how they depend heavily on this routine which further reinforces their spiritual paralysis by repeatedly accepting the routine (Billigheimer). This theme of routineness is also seen in the mentioning of Freddy Malins, who “always came late” and whom everyone is afraid will “turn up screwed,” (22).…
Death; Death is a short simple word that holds an abundance of meaning. Everyone has felt deaths powerful, heart-wrenching grip and some have a difference of opinion on death. Many believe death is the beginning of a new life and others believe it is the end of a life. William Cullen Bryant, and Dylan Thomas have rather contrasting views on death, and this is primarily due to differences in their lives as well as their religion. These are both important aspects pertaining to death and can be influential to a person’s thought process.…
Did you know, that most of stories will have a protagonist and an antagonist. Their purpose is to express the goals of the main characters in a particular story. Based on, in “Godfather Death” by Jakob and Wilhelm Grimm, and “A & P” by John Updike, both stories have protagonists and antagonists. In the case of Godfather Death, there were two main characters, the Doctor, and the Death both played big roles in the story as protagonists. The Doctor had to follow Death’s conditions.…
“The Book Thief” has broadened my understanding of the way that historical fiction can be used to create a sense of realism to historical events, notably through Mark Zusak’s creation of realistic characters that effectively portray what it was like to live in Nazi Germany during the second World War. This has been achieved through Mark Zusak’s successful incorporation of various literary techniques throughout the book. A number of these literary devices will be elaborated in this essay. One of the more striking techniques employed by Mark Zusak in “The Book Thief” is personification where he effectively uses Death as the narrator of the book, and creates a Humanised concept of Death.…
The death of our loved ones can be painful indeed, as if from a selfish viewpoint we do not have with us. But my perspective about death implies that this it is just a change of status; in other words I believe death is like…
Everyone considers Death to be ruthless and cruel, judging on what he does, but some people have different perspectives on him. Death is kind towards humans demonstrated through the way he doesn't like his job, the way he cares for souls, and the way he cares for Liesel. Death is kind towards humans demonstrated through the way he cares for souls. Close to the end in the book Death explains, “Please believe me when i…
In Paul Kalanithi’s memoir When Breath Becomes Air, he teaches the reader that although time is limited and death is inevitable, life can still be meaningful and have a purpose, even if it is as simple as helping an individual find the strength to overcome whatever hardships they may be forced to face. The beginning of the book starts off with Paul reflecting on what death is and what it means. In one event at the beginning of his book, years before being diagnosed with lung cancer, he was working as doctor and helping a pregnant woman who was having distress with her unborn twins. The twins ended up being born prematurely and since there was a lack of development in their organs, neither newborn survived longer than twenty-four hours.…
Zusak, wanted to show us the power of people words and how they affect others due to the death of close family or friends. In Slaughterhouse Five, death isn 't…
“The melancholy of those black days has left so long a shadow that it darkens the path of years that have since gone by. These sad memories rise above those of smoothly grinding school days.” This quotation depicts the emotions of many young Native American students that attended the Carlisle Indian Industrial School. The infamous boarding school was opened in 1880, to assimilate the Native people of the “white” country that was once theirs. Carlisle had a prodigious significance in the depreciation of the Native American culture.…