• Shows the idea of how war is obscenely random using language features.
• Proves his main idea of the power of literature and shows how the
strongest survive by making Liesel the only survivor.
• Prepares us for what is to happen in the climax using
foreshadowing.
• Shows the sudden devastation of the war by using this short, strong
sentence that gives it to you straight without beating around the bush.
• The metaphor of “flattened” can create many strong images
about the destruction of Himmel Street, such as how it is so
unfair that it is just plain ridiculous.
YouTube - Monty Python's Flying Circus Intro
• Shows how war is sudden, devastating and unfair. The
idea that it is completely random without reason.
• Death is unsure, he shows us he is only human.
• States a fact.
• Death is now asking us for reassurance using repetition of
“would they?”
roles haveus.
completely flipped.
•The
Reassures
• “I am not violent. I am not malicious. I am a result.”
Death is as much a victim of the war as anyone else, he has no
choice.
• Introduces irony as Himmel Street is bombed despite what
people want. Shows the randomness of war, it doesn’t listen to
reason.
• Han’s Huberman’s accordion was a symbol of himself.
He brought it to life.
• With Han’s gone sadness is all that is left, in the accordion and the
town. It’s random that he of all people should be killed.
• Hans is our symbol of compassionate Germans during the
war. The personification of the accordion is not only
symbolising Hans, but all those like him “peering” out of
their homes, afraid to take a stand.
• The different language techniques Zusak used to describe the climax
showed the idea of how ludicrously random war can be.
• The contrast of a statement and question showed the unpredictability
and randomness of war and how this caused Death to be unsure of his
role in the world.
• The short, powerful sentences puts you in the position of a survivor
from the war and show how it can be cruel and unfair, random.
• The personified accordion symbolises Hans death and shows
that no one has control over war.
• Markus Zusak creates significance in the climax by using
strong language features to show the idea of how war is so
randomly destructive with no rhyme or reason.
Why was Liesel in the basement during the bombing?
• She was connected to the basement and spent a lot of time there.
• It was where Hans taught her to read
“The midnight class begun at the end of each nightmare.”
• This distracted her and created a bond between her and Hans.
• It was where Max lived and where he and Liesel became so
close.
• He wrote “The Standover Man” for Liesel in the basement.
• The fact that Liesel was reading when her life was spared is of great
siginificance.
• Literature had previously ‘saved’ Liesel from the horrors and
realities of the war.
• Now reading has literally saved Liesel’s life, proving that
literature is powerful.
• The word “who” personifies the words to make them capable of saving
a life. Makes the idea of literature being powerful even stronger.
• The book is representing Liesel as it is the story of her life
so the books survival is Liesel’s life on Himmel Street living
on.
• This is Death picking up Liesel’s story after she drops it.
• He reads her story over and over, continuing her life on Himmel Street
and this is what allows him to narrate “The Book Thief”.
• He keeps the book until it is time to take Liesel years later.
He hands it to her, giving her the part of her life which she
had lost.
• Because Liesel was the only person to survive the bombing it shows she
was the strongest and was made so by her books.
• The way in which she survived proves Zusak’s main idea that literature
is powerful because reading saved her life.
• In having Liesel’s story also survive the war it again shows the power of
words, in strength and emotional influence as Death cannot
let go of Liesel or her book.
• The climax is where Marcus Zusak really pushes this idea
that literature is powerful because we are our stories and it
saves us from ourselves, which is how he makes the climax
significant.
Zusak foreshadowed the climax because he
had to prepare us.
Just imagine this entire English class, all your classmates,
being “flattened” except you.
• Death briefly describes those three times, giving us a glimpse of the
climax.
• This simple foreshadow causes us to be just as intrigued with Liesel as
Death was. Who is this girl who met with Death three times and
survived?
• Now Death is telling us Rudy is going to die.
When? How?
• This foreshadow prepares us for Rudy’s death, but still has
us asking questions, keeping us that little bit in suspense.
• Foreshadowing Rudy’s first and only kiss from Liesel.
• It’s ironic because that kiss is when Rudy is dead.
• A quote from “The Human Stranger”, one of Liesel’s stolen books.
• Represents Liesel after the bombing as the street was full of people
but she was all alone.
• She was a “stranger” to the place which used to be her
home.
• Books had always previously been her safe haven but now
even her books are foreshadowing her awful fate.
• Markus Zusak uses both discrete and obvious foreshadowing of the
climax that prepares the reader for what is to come.
• It is necessary that Liesel be left the ‘last man standing’ because the
strongest survive, and Liesel was the strongest because of her books.
• In having the books save Liesel the idea of literature being
powerful could be proven.
• This is why the foreshadowing is significant for the climax
as without it the climax have been too much for the reader.
• He effectively used the language techniques metaphor, short
sentences, contrasting question and personification to show the idea of
how war is obscenely random.
• In having Liesel survive the bombing by reading shows how the
immense power of words and literature. That she was the only one to
survive shows her strength gained from the books and all that she had
been through.
• Lastly by foreshadowing the events of the climax Zusak is preparing his
readers while also keeping them in suspense.