Objectives
 You will craft a working thesis statement and
outline.
Agenda
1. Working Thesis & Outline
a. Organizing Ideas
b. Incorporating Text
c. Work Time
Working Thesis
Zusak uses figurative language throughout The
Book Thief to emphasize the tragedy of war.
Topic Sentence
A. Topic Sentence
Early in the story, Zusak introduces the reader to
the idea of “leftover humans” who must deal with
the death and destruction of war.
B. Quotes or examples to illustrate argument:
“I witness the ones who are left behind, crumbling
among the jigsaw puzzle of realization, despair, and
surprise. They have punctured hearts. They have
beaten lungs” (5).
C. Explanation of how quote/example
demonstrates a facet of your thesis:
Through the metaphor of the puzzle, the reader can
imagine trying to fit pieces together of a life that has
been broken apart by loss. The puzzle pieces
provide a concrete way to understand the abstract
idea of despair. Zusak also offers the “punctured
hearts” & “beaten lungs” to emphasize the violence
and depth of sadness the survivors must feel.
D. . Quotes or examples to illustrate argument:
“Within minutes, mounds of concrete and earth
were stacked and piled. The streets were ruptured
veins” (12).
E. Explanation of how quote/example
demonstrates a facet of your thesis:
At this point in the story, Death tells readers about
the bombing of Himmel Street. He uses visual
imagery and personification in this example. The
visual imagery of streets that are “stacked and piled”
helps the reader comprehend the devastation of the
bombing. By personifying the streets, we associate
the destruction with human beings. The veins are
“ruptured” and this emphasizes, once again, the
violence of the scene.
F. How does the previous paragraph relate to your
thesis?
Through these examples, readers can begin to
grasp the magnitude of the destruction in a small
German town. Furthermore, Zusak’s figurative
language helps the reader understand the human
response to loss, destruction, and despair.
Paragraph 2
Topic Sentence: Later in the story, when the
narrator brings the war to the forefront, Zusak
uses figurative language to show the magnitude of
death.
Example:
In “Death’s Diary: 1942” the narrator tells us about
the increasing violence and massive death toll of
World War II. Death uses manufacturing
terminology such as “the human race likes to
crank thing up a little” and “increase the production
of bodies” and finally “the souls and bodies don’t
add up; they multiply” (308).
Explanation:
The use of manufacturing terminology suggests that
human beings don’t consider the consequences of
war in a personal way. Ironically, Death as the
narrator offers more sympathy toward human beings
than those who shoot the guns and drop the bombs.
Example:
“All of them were light, like the cases of empty
walnuts” (349).
Explanation:
In this chapter, “Death’s Diary: The Parisians” Death
relates his first experiences with the concentration
camps. As he describes the overwhelming “broken
bodies and dead, sweet hearts,” the reader begins
to comprehend the scope of this terrible tragedy.
The bodies, compared to empty nut shells, seem to
have no substance in this instance. This suggests
that their souls are more important and Death’s job
to deliver them is truly overwhelming.
John Lennon dreams of a peaceful world in his
famous song “Imagine,” yet the ironic tone
reveals the difficulty of achieving true and
lasting peace.
Lennon presents a peaceful utopian world
through this song. From the opening line of the
song, Lennon asks us to visualize a world where
people are “living for today” without worry or concern
about heaven or hell. Lennon suggests that if we
focus on the present, rather than the future judgment
that “heaven” and “hell” implies, then we will be more
at ease. He seems to acknowledge that others will
see him as “a dreamer” but he also reminds us that
he’s “not the only one.” Through these references,
we see that peace is possible if we can imagine it
and let go of those things that contribute to conflict.
Throughout the song, Lennon suggests that a life
without focus on material things and financial gain is
part of the path toward peace and “a brotherhood of
man.”
Ironically, Lennon suggests that some of the
basic structures of modern society get in the way of
peace. In the second stanza, Lennon says, “Imagine
there’s no countries” and he adds “no religion, too”
to the peaceful world in his imagination. These
ideas seem to contradict our basic assumptions
about American ideals and the principles of religion.
Lennon seems to suggest that religion and “country”
actually contribute to conflict, and when we consider
reality of our world and the history of war, we have
to acknowledge that religion has been at the center
of many global struggles. With “nothing to kill or die
for” Lennon suggests, we can “imagine all the
people living life in peace.”
Imagine there's no heaven
It's easy if you try
No hell below us
Above us only sky
Imagine all the people living for today
Imagine there's no countries
It isn't hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion too
Imagine all the people living life in peace
You, you may say
I'm a dreamer, but I'm not the only one
I hope some day you'll join us
And the world will be as one
Imagine no possessions
I wonder if you can
No need for greed or hunger
A brotherhood of man
Imagine all the people sharing all the world
You, you may say
I'm a dreamer, but I'm not the only one
I hope some day you'll join us
And the world will live as one