カテゴリー 全て - literature - empathy - storytelling - death

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The Book Thief

The Book Thief explores the profound impact of literature and storytelling on human experiences, emphasizing their roles in providing comfort, fostering empathy, and preserving culture.

The Book Thief

The Book Thief

- Final thoughts on the significance of "The Book Thief" - Reflection on the themes, characters, and symbolism within the book

Why teens should read The Book Thief

I agree with the USA Today review of The Book Thief that asserts "[The Book Thief] deserves a place on the same shelf with The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank...Poised to become a classic" . The characters in this novel are so impeccably crafted, and combined with the narration style a reader can form a powerful emotional connection with every aspect of the story. Not only is the story set in an important moment of history that every student has the duty of remembering, the book's emphasis on the power of words sends an important message about the impact reading and writing have to transcend time, person, and place. There are universal themes of courage, friendship, love, and death that have the ability to resonate with any person that reads the novel. The book also poises several important questions to the reader, encouraging them to think critically about it. In the middle of the novel Death asks, "Did [the German people] deserve any better, these people?...The Germans in basements were pitiful, surely, but at least they had a chance...For those people, life was still achievable" (375-376). This novel advances young readers and contains all Exeter Study Qualities and nearly all Honor List Book Characteristics.


https://www.sjsu.edu/faculty/mary.warner/Engl112B_handouts/BookTalk_Fall2021/Laura%20Stefanko%20Book%20Talk%20Fall%202021%20112B%20.pdf

Represents the omnipresence of death during war

Serves as the narrator and a symbol of mortality

Death

Symbolize the importance of storytelling and literature

Through literature
and companionship in the words of others
comfort
we can find solace
Books have the power to inspire
and transform lives
motivate
Storytelling allows us to escape reality and explore new worlds and perspectives
Literature sparks empathy and understanding
connecting people through shared experiences
Stories preserve our history and culture
passing on knowledge through generations

Represent knowledge

and transformation
power

The books

Symbolizes Hans Hubermann's kindness and compassion

Represents music as a source of comfort and connection

The accordion

Symbolism

The resilience and strength of individuals in the face of war

The destruction and devastation caused by the war

The destructive power of hate and the potential for redemption and forgiveness
The long-lasting impact of war on survivors and their ability to heal
The resilience and strength of individuals in the face of war's horrors
The loss of innocent lives and the toll it takes on communities

The loss and grief experienced by Liesel and others

The consequences of war

The impact of friendship in times of hardship

Liesel's bond with Max and the Hubermanns

Liesel's friendship with Rudy and their support for each other

The importance of friendship

Books as a source of comfort and escape

The propaganda and censorship in Nazi Germany

Indoctrination of youth
Fear and intimidation
Book burning
Manipulation through media
Control over information

Liesel's discovery of the power of words and books

How does the power of words impact Liesel?
What role do books play in Liesel's discovery?
How does Liesel discover the power of words?
What does Liesel discover?

The Book Thief author, Markus Zusak

https://www.foolsmag.com/posts/2019/10/21/markus-zusak


An Afternoon with Markus Zusak

by Mitchell Griffin

I don’t read books twice. I never have. The plots can’t captivate me a second time through, their surprises and twists and turns, no matter how captivating they are, lose their magic. Even books I consider my absolute favorites rarely get opened after I finish them. They are resigned to my bookshelf for the rest of eternity. 

Markus Zusak is one of the few authors to have written something so wonderful that I read it cover to cover more than once. The Book Thief, which I first discovered in the sixth grade, instantly captivated me. I had no intention of ever putting it down. I tore through its pages, desperate to find out what would happen next to Liesel, the thief herself. Even though I first read it when I was twelve, I still haven’t stopped recommending it to others. I can only hope there are other parts of me that have changed since 2011.  

I was anxious to see what Zusak was like in person. The two books of his I’ve actually finished were enough for me to be invested in wanting to like the persona he would show us. Luckily, afterward, I felt no reason to be disappointed. Speaking to us in the EPB’s Gerber Lounge to a room filled with fans, despite his mentioning of being nervous about what he could possibly say to a group of students from a college with Iowa’s literary reputation, Zusak had a cool confidence and light-heartedness that gripped my attention for every word. 


Zusak, him being a storyteller by trade, told us stories. One was a story from his childhood in Australia about the time he ruined Christmas for his family that filled the room with laughter, then proceeded to talk about the art of telling stories. He spoke of details that convince us that what we are hearing must be true, the way we remember stories, the way we take from our own lives in writing fiction, how he uses routines to guide his writing, how stories are what make up our lives.  


I got to ask Zusak himself how he felt about responses to The Book Thief’s film and the changes from novel to screen. He said it was heartbreaking to hear some of the negative reactions, but that he had to understand the movie was crafted for a different audience. He said it was made in a way to shed light on parts of life in Nazi Germany in a broad sense, not to perfectly replicate what happened in the novel. I was genuinely interested in his response because I was heartbroken by the movie in a different way. 

Everyone knows that, by virtue of universal law, that the book is always better than the movie. In accordance with this rule, the movie shattered my heart because it was so very different from the novel in so many vital ways that I felt I was robbed of the chance to have my favorite novel also be my favorite movie. I had no intention of asking my question just to scrounge for closure, but his response gave it to me anyway. 

Zusak also spoke about his struggles with confidence as a writer. I loved the openness with which he spoke about his battles of believing in his own work and the endless cutting and rewriting of novels until they find an acceptable resting place as they are. I know I am far from the first or last writer to have serious Imposter Syndrome as they write and struggle to believe that the words they put together are worth anything. Yet, there is always something reassuring in hearing far superior writers, whether they be classmates or international best-sellers, talk about going through the same pains.

He told us about a time early in his career of going to his publisher to ask for more time to work on his novel and running into an accomplished author. After yet another successful book, the author already had the confidence that his next book would be even better while Zusak said he was still struggling to believe what he endearingly referred to as his “pile of shit” story would ever make it. I know I won’t ever reach the accolades Zusak has, but when you meet an author who you’ve loved nearly half your life talk about combatting lack of confidence and embracing the chaos that is writing, it gives me a jolt of hope for my own little piles of shit.

The power of words

Illustrations in The Book Thief There are a number of illustrations throughout The Book Thief, most of which are drawn, within the narrative, by Max Vandenburg. The illustrations come together to form books like The Standover Man, which Max gifts to Liesel.

Max's illustrations serve as a form of self-expression and a way for him to cope with his circumstances
The illustrations in The Book Thief provide a unique perspective on the characters and events
The Standover Man is a significant book within the narrative
containing Max's personal drawings
The illustrations by Max create a deeper connection between him and Liesel
Max's illustrations add a visual element to the story
enhancing the reader's experience

The impact of the war on Liesel's life and her relationships

Liesel's love for books and her stealing them

The Hubermanns sheltering Max in their basement

Her friendship with Rudy and their adventures

Liesel's arrival in Molching and her struggles with reading

Main Events

Death (the narrator)

How did you decide to use Death as the narrator?

MZ: The decision to use Death as a narrator only came off the second time around; if I had stuck to publishing deadlines Liesel would probably be the narrator. I went from Death as narrator to Liesel telling the story herself to even trying third person. The real breakthrough was when I thought of the last line of the book. I was in down in Tasmania and there was water everywhere around me. I was reminded of the last line of a book called “A River Runs Through It,” which is, “I am haunted by waters.” I thought, “Aaaahhh, Death is afraid of us and haunted by us, because he is on hand to see all the terrible things we do to each other. It makes sense that he is telling the story to prove to himself that humans can be beautiful and selfless as well.”



https://motherdaughterbookclub.com/2010/02/interview-with-markus-zusak-author-of-the-book-thief-and-i-am-the-messenger/

Max Vandenburg (a Jewish man hiding in their basement)

Rudy Steiner (her best friend)

Is there anything that surprised you in the research?

MZ: When I find research really rewarding is when one piece of information gives you an idea for a story. That’s when it’s great. Not just to show what you know. Like when the kids play ball in the street I thought, “I’m going to try to find football players or soccer players from that time that they may have idolized.” I walked into the library and just lying there was a book on the Olympics. I saw this picture of Jesse Owens, and I thought, “I don’t need any more; I’ve got Jesse Owens.” And the very moment that Rudy paints himself black with charcoal and becomes Jesse Owens he becomes my favorite character and the one I cried for the most when I was writing the ending. I deliberately wrote that he was going to die earlier that he did to prepare the reader and myself for writing that at the end. Also everything Rudy does after that moment, when you know he’s going to die at the age of 14, everything is in the shadow of that.



https://motherdaughterbookclub.com/2010/02/interview-with-markus-zusak-author-of-the-book-thief-and-i-am-the-messenger

Hans and Rosa Hubermann (her foster parents)

Liesel Meminger (the book thief)

Her story is a testament to the resilience and strength of the human spirit
Liesel's actions highlight the power of literature to provide comfort and knowledge
The act of stealing books represents her defiance against the oppressive regime
She is a complex character with a deep love for reading and storytelling
Liesel Meminger is a young girl who steals books to find solace and escape

Characters

The small town of Molching

Nazi Germany during World War II

Setting

Plot Summary

The book explores themes of love
and the power of words
loss

Death is present in every aspect of this story. When we meet Liesel she has just witnessed her younger brother die, and then she leaves her biological mother forever. By the end of the novel, all but one of the important characters in Liesel's life have been killed. This book may help students who have similarly experienced loss in their life, putting the emotions of something so tragic into words. It may introduce students to an outlet for their healing, like Liesel's.



https://www.sjsu.edu/faculty/mary.warner/Engl112B_handouts/BookTalk_Fall2021/Laura%20Stefanko%20Book%20Talk%20Fall%202021%20112B%20.pd

Liesel's foster parents teach her to read and she becomes obsessed with books
The story is narrated by Death
providing a unique perspective on the events
Liesel befriends a Jewish boy named Max and hides him in her basement
A young girl named Liesel steals books during World War II

Explanation of the themes and significance of the book

Brief overview of "The Book Thief"

Introduction