Power Of Words In The Book Thief, By Markus Zusak

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Connections Essay
The way humans behave, the way humans speak, act and even human’s personal values and beliefs. The power of words can shape society as a whole. The power of words can impact people’s lives by inspiring, in both positive and negative ways. They can comfort, relieve, oppress, conspire and tear people apart. This essay will explore the theme ‘The power of words’ across four texts: The Book Thief by Markus Zusak, The Reader by Bernhard Schlink, Martin Luther Kings I Have a Dream speech and Eminem’s rap Words are Weapons. The four texts all show different ways in which the ‘Power of Words’ are used for good and bad purposes.

Martin Luther King Jr’s speech I have a dream was delivered in 1963 as a call to end racism in the United States of America. It was considered a defining moment of the American Civil Rights movement and is still significant and highly referred to today. The use of words and language features that King displayed in the speech were powerful enough to be a pivotal moment in American history and is a sound example of how words are used to do good. This persuasive speech was considered to be so successful from the components of tone, allusion, refrain, repetition and theme. The pure emotion of King’s delivery in terms of voice and body …show more content…
Many people at the time thought that his words were used for the power of good, yet the majority of modern beliefs now realise that the values he invested into other minds were evil. Hitler used words to spread his ideas of the perfect race and it shows how power can be a dangerous thing. We can see this now as education is regularly taught in school regarding Hitler’s rise to power and authority and the pain and suffering he brought upon this world. It also shows how words can have drastic consequences so we must learn to choose our words

Argumentative Essay On The Book Thief

famous quote “Words are stronger than actions”. This is a quote that supports one of the many purposes of Markus Zusak writing The Book Thief. This book is a perspective the character Death, who is telling the story on a little adopted girl named Liesel Meminger. It is filled with the ups and downs of her life in Nazi, Germany. Markus Zusak wrote The Book Thief for the reader to see that books, and words specifically, are the most powerful thing anyone can have. In The Book Thief, a book is used to…

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The Book Thief Rhetorical Analysis

The Book Thief The novel “The Book Thief” is a masterpiece, written by Markus Zusak in 2005. The novel is set, in Nazi Germany during the Second World War, is written from the perspective of a young girl named Liesel Meminger. The novel is narrated by death, and Zusak masterfully uses his, and later Liesel’s and Max narrative voice to highlight the central idea of the manipulation of words. Zusak also uses innovative stylistic techniques such as; colour metaphors, narrative interruptions…

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Book Thief Power

In The Book Thief by Markus Zusak, the author conveys the importance and power that words can have. The author shows how words can be used for the good of the people. With the good use of words comes the bad use,“The words. Why did they have to exist? Without them, there wouldn't be any of this. Without words, the Führer was nothing”(Zusak 350). The novel suggests that without words, Hitler may have never rose to power. However the novel also alludes that “Words can inspire. And words can destroy…

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Comparing The Book Thief And The Holocaust

In both The Book Thief by Markus Zusak and the Newsela article The Holocaust, Part One: The Rise of Adolf Hitler and World War II, the authors describe the hostility Jews and other victims endured during Hitler’s reign. With the author’s purpose in both readings, the reader understands and grasps the Nazi discrimination against anything that was considered non-Aryan. Under the section Nazis persecute the Jews in the newspaper article, the lengths Nazis would reach to torment the Jewish population…

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The Book Thief Rebellion Essay

Markus Zusak creates a tremendous valuable motif of rebellion in his novel, The Book Thief. Rebelling helps support the overall theme that people who fight for others bring hope and improvement for their society. There are many rebellious actions in this novel, but Liesel rebels the most out of all the characters, which explains why she is the main character. All of the character rebel against societal expectations and contribute to the theme of The Book Thief in one way or another, especially Liesel…

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The Book Thief Dichotomy

Light vs. Dark, and Dawn vs. Dusk. There are so many words which can be used as antonyms, yet they all represent the same basic concepts of good vs. evil. Words can either be celebratory or be used destructively, depending on the context in which they are used. Nowhere is this idea of the duality of words more clearly evident than in works of literature set in the Holocaust. The Book Thief reveals the vast duality and power of words. Markus Zusak, the author, portrays this dichotomy through the characters…

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The Book Thief Literary Analysis

In Markus Zusak's The Book Thief, Liesel is adopted into a different German family with a completely new life. Her new parents are Rosa and Hans Hubermann. She meets her best friend Rudy Steiner and in the end, realizes she's in love with him. Hans teaches her how to read and write, which is a real turning point in her life. Reading and writing help her in times of need. When World War II a Jew hides in her basement and becomes a great friend to Liesel. The theme that words can have more power than…

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Motivation In The Book Thief

much power within themselves that needs to be let out. Sometimes they just need a little nudge, a little direction, a little support, a little coaching, and the greatest things can happen.” Those who love you help you overcome the hardships of life, by their words and acceptance of you which gives you the motivation, the support they provide that boosts your confidence level and their comfort will keep you going. First, their words and acceptance of you will give you motivation. Certain words and…

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Book Thief Symbolism

the written texts". Three of Liesel's books (both stolen and gifted) where chosen to symbolise three different ideas. The books were written in a specific order similar to that of the novel – firstly, Liesel is mourning and grieving the loss of her family, secondly, her passion for words then grows as she learns to read and write, and thirdly, what she does to overcome…

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The Book Thief Family Analysis

The author Markus Zusak does an amazing job at writing the novel The Book Thief. Zusak used many different unique elements when creating his work. In the novel what stuck out personally was how important family was. Through all the tragic events in each individual character life they do not lose their faith in family and the important values that come with unity of family. There are a few symbols that connect to the meaning and security of the theme of family in The Book Thief. These things are Hans…

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