If you are citizen of an European Union member nation, you may not use this service unless you are at least 16 years old.
You already know Dokkio is an AI-powered assistant to organize & manage your digital files & messages. Very soon, Dokkio will support Outlook as well as One Drive. Check it out today!
Please peruse these sites for the class period, clicking not to read much content, but to survey the main holdings of the sites to see which ones you'd like to read more than others. This is a basic reading strategy, often called skimming and scanning.
After skimming through the links, please explore more carefully the sites you've discovered, making notes to yourself about the most compelling and interesting information you find (maybe copy and paste into a Word document). Be sure to track where you're finding information so you can direct people there later.
Let yourself sink into the material. Please do not rush. Just absorb and worry about reacting later. To track where you've been, however, please save the URL of a webpage that you found compelling before navigating away. Note: If you watch videos or listen to audio, please use headphones.
As you go or when you finish (when is up to you), write an article in your blog explaining how you're feeling about what you're seeing, what you have found that is most compelling or interesting, and where you found it.
Be sure to organize your content in a way that gives clear and proper credit concerning where the information comes from.
When you read, whether it is a novel, short story or poem, you have your owninternal movie reel or video that turns the words on the page into images in your
mind.Authors use a variety of different written techniques to bring their written wordsalive for the reader. Some of the literary techniques that Markus Zusak employs
in The Book Thief are simile, metaphor and personification.
DEFINITIONS:
SIMILE: when the subject is compared to another subject, using the words like,as or such.
METAPHOR: describes a direct comparison between two or more seeminglyunrelated objects.
PERSONIFICATION: Gives animals and objects human traits and qualities.These may include sensations, emotions, desires, gestures, expressions and
powers of speech.
Examples
“I travelled the globe as always, handing souls to the conveyer belt of eternity.” (Death, p23)
“I do not carry a sickle or scythe. I only wear a hooded black robe when it’s cold. And I don’t have those skull-like facial features you seem to enjoy pinning on me
from a distance.” (Death, p329)
“Five hundred souls. I carried them in my fingers like suitcases. Or I’d throw themover my shoulder.” (Death, p359)
“This time, his voice like a fist, freshly banged on the table. (p136)
“The soft spoken words fell off the side of the bed, emptying onto the floor likepowder. (p67)
“Everything was so desperately noisy in the dark when he was alone. Each timehe moved, there was the sound of a crease. He felt like a man in a paper suit.”
(p152)
“When the train pulled into the Bahnhof in Munich, the passengers slid out as iffrom a torn package. (p25)
The Book Thief - study guide
Prologue
1. Where is the narrator as he starts his story?
Death and Chocolate
1. Why do you suppose that the narrator saw life in terms of color ?
2. What is the small fact the narrator states?
3. What has nothing to do with the narrator?
4. Page 4 gives a hint of who the narrator is. " 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. A color will be perched on my shoulder. I will carry you gently away."
5. Who does the narrator can't stand to look at?
6. What is the story the narrator will present?
Note - In the novel The Book Thief the narrator, Death, sees the world, people and
events in colours.
The opening words of the novel, for example, are,
“First the colours.
Then the humans.
That’s how I usually see things.”
(Death, p 3)
• How do you see things in your life?
“People observe the colours of a day only at its beginnings and ends, but to me
it’s quite clear that a day merges through a multitude of shades and intonations,
with each passing moment. A single hour can consist of thousands of different
1. What was first up for the narrator? Why do you think this color is used?
2. What mistake did the narrator make at the train line?
The Eclipse
1. Why is this chapter called eclipse?
The Flag
1. The scribbled signature tells when the story took place. Whatis the setting of The Book Thief?
2. What does the girl clutch in the mountain of rubble?
3. Blog Entry - Write about a real or imagined day in your life in which you use colorimageryto describethe setting and the events that happen, as the author did in the Prologue.
Part One
Arrival on Himmel Street
1. What tragedy struck Liesel’s family while aboard the train?
2. Why were Liesel and her brother Werner supposed to be placed in foster care inJanuary 1939?
3.. Why was the book about grave digging significant to Liesel?
4. What color is Europe?
5. . Irony—Irony refers to the difference between the way things seem to be and the waythings are. What was ironic about the first book that Liesel “stole”? Also what is ironic about Himmel street?
Growing Up a Saumensch
1. Who was a communist?
2. What is a Saumench?
3. Describe the Hubermanns.
4. Why do you think the Hubermanns insisted that Liesel call them “Mama” and “Papa”?
Note - "Hans Hubermann's eyes are described as being made of silver, which look right into you."
The Woman with the Iron Fist
1. How does Papa comfort Liesel at night?
2.What did the accordian music represent to Liesel?
3. Even though Liesel cannot read, what did the book represent for Liesel?
4. What is the BDM?
5. Why is Mama called the woman with the iron fist?
The Kiss ( A Childhood Decision Maker )
1. Identify the following:
a) Rudy Steiner
b) Frau Diller
c) Tommy Muller
d) Pfiffkus
2. " A snowball in the face is surely the perfect beginning to a lasting friendship."
3. What is the road of yellow stars?
4. What was the bet between Rudy and Liesel?
The Jesse Owens Incident
Jesse Owens -1936 Olympics
1. Describe Alex Steiner's reaction to his son during the Jesse Owens incident. What was Rudy’s father trying to teach his son on the night of the Jesse Owens incident?
a) "Somewhere, far down, there was an itch in his heart, but he made it a point not to scratch it. He was afraid of what might come leaking out."
b) " I know, son - but you've got beautiful blond hair and big, safe blue eyes. You should be happy with that; is that clear?"
The Other Side of Sandpaper
1. Why is Liesel's bed wetting important in this section?
2. What is the significance of the title of this section?
3. "Hans Hubermann belonged to the 10 percent. There was a reason for that." Speculate why Hans belongs to the 10 percent.
4. For Discussion - “Some crunched numbers. Since 1933, ninety percent of Germans showed unflinching support for Adolf
Hitler. That leaves ten percent who didn’t. Hans Hubermann belonged to the ten percent.” (p65)
Consider this quote from The Book Thief in relation to the one below from a novel called The Magus by John Fowles.
“The human race is unimportant. It is the self that must not be betrayed. I suppose one could say that Hitler didn’t betray his self.
He turned. You are right. He did not. But millions of Germans did betray their selves. That was the tragedy. Not that one man had the courage to be evil. But that millions had not the courage to be good.” (The Magus, p132)
What is your opinion? Are people naturally and inherently good…or bad? Or is there more to consider?
1. Why did Liesel insist on participating in the reading examination? Why did it end in disaster? When Liesel cry who does she think of?
2. Why did the narrator’s workload increase in the beginning of September 1939?
Part Two
The Girl Made of Darkness
1. What did Liesel steal?
2.Verbal irony—Verbal irony is a figure of speech in which the speaker says one thing,but intends something quite different. The device of verbal irony may include sarcasm,overstatement, and understatement. For instance, the narrator says that World WarII was the result of the Germans’ love of burning things. What tells you that thisstatement should not be taken literally, at face value?
The Joy of Cigarettes
1.Symbolism—A symbol in literature is a person, object, or event that stands for anidea or a set of ideas. What does the book The Grave Digger’s Handbooksymbolize?
2. How did Hans Hubermann’s Christmas gift to Liesel reveal the depth of his feelingsfor her?
The Town Walker
1. How did the Hubermann’s financial situation reflect the general state of Germany’seconomy in the 1930s?
2. Why did Mama Hubermann decide to risk sending Liesel on the important businessof laundry pickup and delivery?
3. Why do you suppose the Hubermanns avoid any discussion of Liesel’s mother in front of herdaughter?
Dead Letters
Flashback and Flash Forward—Awriter can play with time sequence to achieve par-ticular effects. A flashback is a scene which takes the narrative back to a time beforethe current point in the plot. A flash forward reveals what will happen at some futurepoint in the story.
1. Do you think Liesel deserved to be punished for taking money to mail letters to hermother? Was Rosa justified in meting out such a harsh punishment?
2. " Liesel Meminger was ready.Happy Bithday, Herr Hitler. Many happy returns" What is your reaction to the last lines of this chapter?
Hitler's Birthday, 1940
1.In what important respect did Hans Junior differ from his father? p.103
2. Why did Hans Junior accuse his father of cowardice? What was the “mistake” PapaHubermann had committed?
3. In what ways might Hans Hubermann have been considered a hero and not a cowardas he had been accused by his son?
4. What happened to Hans jr.?
100 Percent Pure German Sweat
" It reminded her of an unpopular child, forlorn and bewildered, powerless to alter its fate" p.109
1. What shocking realization met Lieselwhen she listened to the speaker at the bonfire? Hint:Kommunisten
The Gates of Thievery
1. What calculation does Liesel make?
2. Why did Papa Hubermann slap Liesel?
Book of Fire
1. What is the name of the book that Liesel rescues from the book burning?
2. At the end of Part 2 what suspense (A literary device in which the author maintains the audience's attention through the buildup of events, the outcome of which will soon be revealed) is created?
1. Who had seen Liesel steal the book at the book burning?
2. What silent understanding do you think passed between Liesel and the mayor’s wife?
3. Why do you suppose Ilse Hermann allowed Liesel to browse through her library?
Enter The Struggler
1.What do you think is the relationship between Max and Hans Hubermann?
2. "Those things happen when you wake up from a bad dream, not when you wake into one ." How does this quote relate to the times of the novel?
The Attributes of Summer
1.Why did Liesel avoid the mayor’s house for some time? And then, why did she changeradically and look forward to delivering laundry to the mayor’s house?
2. Do you think that the thievery practiced by Rudy, Liesel, and the other children wasjustified?
1.Why did Max Vandenburg read a copy of Mein Kampf on the train?
" In fact, he walked out German. Hang on a second, he was German. Or more to the point, he had been."
Tricksters
" - Proof again of the contradictory human being. So much good, so much evil. Just add water."
The Struggler, Concluded
1.Cliffhanger—A cliffhanger is a device borrowed from silent serialized films in whichan episode would end abruptly at a moment of heightened tension or suspense. In abook it usually appears at the end of a chapter to encourage the reader to continue onin the book. What is the cliffhanger at the end of Part Three?
2. " If they killed him tonight, at least he would die alive."
Part 4
The Accordionist ( The Secret Life of Hans Hubermann )
1.How did Erik Vandenburg save Hans Hubermann’s life in the first World War? Flashback
2.Symbolism—What do you think the accordion symbolized?
3. Metaphor—What implied comparison is being made in the following comment aboutwar?
2.How do you suppose Max’s years of street fighting helped him during the years beforeand during World War II?
3. Who was Walter Kugler and how did he help Max?
The Wrath of Rosa
What happens to Max as he eats the pea soup?
Liesel's Lecture
1. Why did Hans risk frightening Liesel terribly?
The Sleeper
" Liesel, in the act of watching, was already noticing the similarities between this stranger and herself. They both arrived in a state of agitation on Himmel Street. They both nightmared."
The Swapping of Nightmares
1. What qualities do you think Rosa Hubermann demonstrated after Max’s arrival?
2. "Imagine smiling after a slap in the face. Then think of doing it twenty-four hours a day" How does this quote relate to the Hubermanns'.
3. What new routine do the Hubermann's and Max have?
4. How does Liesel describe Max's hair?
5. Why does Max call Mein Kamph the best book ever?
6. What would have been "like a lamb, handing a knife to a butcher?" p.221
Quotes
" He was a Jew, and if there was one place he was destined to exist, it was a basement or any other such hidden venue of survival."
" A Jewish rat, back in his hole"
"He dreams like you."
Pages From The Basement
1. What factors helped to create the bond between Max and Liesel?
2. Why do you think Max created The Standover Man for Liesel? What was significantabout the materials he used to make the book?
Part Five
The Floating Book (Part 1)
1. Why do you suppose the narrator flashed forward to Rudy Steiner’s death? Do youthink this knowledge improves or lessens your appreciation of the book?
The Gamblers (A Seven -Sided Die)
1. What is being personified as Liesel thinks about Max while she isvisiting the mayor’s wife?
"As the book quivered in her [Liesel’s] lap, the secret sat in her mouth.It made itself comfortable, it crossed its legs."
2." Max and Liesel were held together by the quiet gathering of words." Explain.
3.Why did Liesel scavenge from garbage pails on the days she went on her laundryroute?
4. How did Max make time pass as he spent days and weeks in the Hubermanns' basement?
5. What did the dream of Max fighting with the Führer symbolize?
6. What did Max’s over-written pages of Mein Kampf symbolize?
7. What does the seventh side of the die mean?
8. In your opinion did Ilse Hermann deserve Liesel’s anger?
Rudy's Youth
1. Do you think Rudy deserved the punishment he received at Franz’s hands? Could hehave avoided it?
The Losers
1. Describe Victor Chemmel. What is his threat to Rudy?
Sketches
1. React to the two sketches (p.279-280) that Max had drawn.
The Whistler And The Shoes
1. Why did Lisa and Rudy feel compelled to commit a significant robbery by themselves? Who and what did they rob?
2. What did Liesel become in late October, 1941?
Three Acts Of Stupidity By Rudy Steiner
1. In what ways did Franz Deutscher embody the attitude of Hitler’s regime?
The Floating book (Part 2)
1. What is revealed in this section?
2. What do you think was significant about the book entitled The Whistler? Is there acommon theme that connects the books Liesel has stolen?
1. How did “Death” characterize the year 1942? Why do you think the author has “Death” narrate this tale, using a chatty, somewhatironic tone? Do you think this adds or detracts from the book’s serious themes?
2. How does death describe himself and what does"You want to know what I truly look like? I'll help you out. Find Yourself a mirror." mean?
3. What are the three examples of death in 1942 that Death mentions?
The Snowman
1. Why was Christmas Day 1942 a special time for those who resided in HansHubermann’s home?
" Rosa, it started with Adolf."
"He was the second snowman to be melting away before her eyes, only this one was different. It was aparadox. The colder
he became , the more he melted."
Thirteen Presents
1. What did Liesel hope to accomplish by bringing presents to the unconscious Max?
2." It didn't stop her from pulling a lump of salt water from her eye and feding it onto Max Vanderburg's face." She knew." What did Liesel know?
Fresh Air, An Old Nightmare, And what To Do With A Jewish Corpse
1. Why do you think Liesel was able to enter the mayor’s house with ease and rob bookseach time?
2. How did Liesel’s dream about her brother and Max Vandenburg mirror the conflictsin her own life?
3. How was the Dream Carrier the complete antithesis of The Whistler?
4. Why did Rosa Hubermann make an unplanned visit to Liesel’s school?
Death's Diary: Cologne
Historical Footage of the Bombing of Cologne
The Visitor
NSDAP - National Sozialistische Deutsche Arbeiter Partei (National Socialist German Workers’ Party)
1. Why did Death say that the sky was “the color of Jews”? How did Death respond tothe mass destruction of human lives?
Part Seven
Champagne And Accordians
1. What caused the brief period of contentment for Liesel and Papa Hubermann duringthe summer of 1942?
The Trilogy
1. What was the trilogy of happiness?
The Sound Of Sirens
1. Why didn’t Death feel sympathy for the Germans who hid in their basements duringthe air raids?
" From a Himmel Street window, he wrote, the stars set fire to my eyes."
The Sky Stealer
1. Irony—Why is it ironic that a book helped the Germans live through the second airraid in Molching?
2. Why didn't Papa bring his accordion with him?
3. How did Liesel calm the group during the raid?
Frau Holtzapfel's Offer
1. What was Frau Holtzapfel's offer?
"They were going to Dachau, to concentrate."
The Long Walk To Dachau
1. Why did Hans suffer feelings of guilt after giving the dying Jewish mana piece of bread?
2.Allusion—An allusion is a literary reference to a familiar person, place, or event.Allusions may give readers a common reference point and also confer authenticityon a work of literature. For example, in this section of the novel, the narratorexplains that the Jewish prisoners were being marched through the streets ofMolching to demonstrate the efficiency of the Dachau work camp.
3. Extended Metaphor—An extended metaphor is a suggested or implied comparisonthat continues on. The chapter “The Long Walk to Dachau” begins with the events ofthe day being compared to “an ocean sky, with whitecap clouds.” Scan the chapter andfind other examples of events being compared to stormy waters.
1. Why did “the coat men” visit Alex Steiner’s house?
The Thought Of Rudy Naked
1. Why was Rudy selected for examination by the Nazi medical authorities? What wasironic about his selection?
Punishment
1. Why were the middle-aged Alex Steiner and Hans Hubermann drafted?
The Promise Keeper's Wife
1. What did Rosa Hubermann sleep with after Hans left for the war?
The Collector
1. What was the LSE?
2. Why do you think Hans Hubermann’s letters home were so brief?
3. Why do you think the author showed German soldiers, such as Hans Hubermann,performing civilian tasks instead of being shown on a battlefield? And why did he focus on ordinary German civilians during wartime?
"Even when they made it around the corner, away from the centerof the wreckage, the haze of the collapsed building attempted to
follow. It was white and warm, and it crept behind them."
The Bread Eaters
1. Why did Liesel and Rudy go to observe the third march of the Jews to Dachau?
The Hidden Sketchbook
1. What do you think Max’s book (The Word Shaker) revealed about the power of words? How might wordsrepresent both beauty and evil? What message do you think the story imparted?
2. Allegory—An allegory is a work in which characters, events, or settings symbolize, orrepresent, something else. Max Vandenburg’s illustrated story for Liesel is allegoricalbecause the events and actions are symbolic and not intended to be taken literally.
For instance:
Soon, the demand for the lovely ugly words and symbols increasedto such a point that the forests grew. Many people were needed to
maintain them. Some were employed to climb the trees and throw thewords down to those below. They were then fed directly into the remainder
of the Fuhrer’s people, not to mention those who came back for more.
How do the words and symbols that sprout from these trees relate to the political situation in Hitler’s Germany?
The Anarchist's Suit Collection
1. Why did Liesel take Rudy to his father’s abandoned shop on Christmas night?
Part Nine
The Next Temptation
1. How did Ilse Hermann prepare for Liesel’s next visit?
2. Do you think Ilse Hermann was a Nazi sympathizer?
1. What disturbing news did Michael Holtzapfel bring to Himmel Street? Why did thisnews devastate Rosa Hubermann as well as his own mother?
2. Most of this story has not dealt with any personal stories of soldiers. What is your reaction to this section?
"A bandaged hand fell out of his coat sleeve and cherries of blood were seeping through the wrapping . . . the cherries of blood had
grown into plums.
The Ageless Brother
1. What finally laid the ghost of Liesel’s brother to rest?
The Accident
1. Why did Hans survive the accident?
The Bitter taste Of Questions
1. What is Rudy's reaction that Liesel's father was coming home?
One Toolbox, One Bleeder, One Bear
1.What did Death mean when he commented about Liesel as she observed the dyingsurvivor of the plane crash, “She did not back away or try to fight me, but I knowthat something told the girl I was there . . . she knew me and she looked me in myface and she did not look away . . . we both moved on”?
2. What did Rudy give the dying pilot?
" It's probably fair to say that in all the years of Hitler's reign, no person was able to serve the Fuhrer as loyally as me."
Homecoming
1. Do you find the last few words of this section suspenseful?
Part Ten
The End Of The World (Part 1)
1. How did Liesel survive the air strike on Himmel Street? How did words once againsave her life?
2. " Each soul was so soft" Who is death describing?
". . . I looked up and saw the tin-can planes. I watched their stomachsopen and the bombs drop casually out."
The Ninety-Eighth Day
1. Why did Liesel attend each time Jews were marched through Molching?
2. Why did Michael Holtzapfel commit suicide?
The War Maker
"Max Vandenburg was one such Jew."
Way Of The Words
1. What did Liesel do when she saw Max?
2. How did Rudy save Liesel’s life?
Confessions
1. What does Liesel confess to Rudy?
Ilsa Hermann's Little Black Box
1. How did Ilse Hermann inspire Liesel to write her own story?
"The world is an uggly stew, she thought. "
The Rib-Cage Planes
1. How had Liesel developed a love-hate relationshipwith words?
The End Of The World (Part 2)
1. What did Liesel realize when she found Rudy’s body after the bombing?
2. " He steps on my heart. He makes me cry." Who is Death talking about?
3. Who does Death say had the best soul?
Epilogue
Death And Liesel
1. What do we find out about Liesel?
Wood In The Afternoon
1. Who took care of Liesel after she was orphaned for the second time?
Q: What inspired you to write about a hungry, illiterate girl who has such a desire to read that she steals books?
A: I think it’s just working on a book over and over again. I heard stories of cities on fire, teenagers who were whipped for giving starving Jewish people
bread on their way to concentration camps, and people huddled in bomb shelters. . . . But I also had a story about a book thief set in my hometown
of Sydney. I just brought the two ideas together and realized the importance of words in Nazi Germany. I thought of Hitler destroying people with
words, and now I had a girl who was stealing them back, as she read books with the young Jewish man in her basement and calmed people down in
the bomb shelters. She writes her own story—and it’s a beautiful story—through the ugliness of the world that surrounds her.
Q: How did you decide to make Death the narrator of the book?
A: With great diffi culty! I thought, “Here’s a book set during war. Everyone says war and death are best friends.” Death is ever-present during war, so
here was the perfect choice to narrate The Book Thief. At fi rst, though, Death was too mean. He was supercilious, and enjoying his work too
much. He’d say extremely creepy things and delight in all the souls he was picking up . . . and the book wasn’t working. So I went to a fi rst-person
narration, a simple third-person narration . . . and six months later I came back to Death—but this time, Death was to be exhausted from his eternal
existence and his job. He was to be afraid of humans—because, after all, he was there to see the obliteration we’ve perpetrated on each other throughout
the ages—and he would now be telling this story to prove to himself that humans are actually worth it.
Q: Liesel has an uncanny understanding of people and an ability to befriend those who most need companionshi p. Who do you think
is Liesel’ s most unforgettable friend?
A: For me it’s Rudy, but a lot of people will tell me it’s Hans Hubermann, Max, the mayor’s wife, or even Rosa Hubermann. Rudy is just my favorite character.
From the moment he painted himself black and became Jesse Owens, he was my favorite. Liesel kissing his dusty, bomb-hit lips was probably the most
devastating part of the book for me to write. . . . I was a mess.On the other hand, I’m also drawn to all of the relationships Liesel forms,
even her reading with Frau Holtzapfel, and the return of her son. Even Ludwig Schmeikl—the boy she beats up on the playground and reconciles
with at the book burning . . . I think the relationship with Rosa is the most unexpected, though. The moment when she sees Rosa with the accordion
strapped to her (when Hans is sent to the war) is when she realizes exactly how much love her foster mother is capable of.
Q: Your use of figurative language seems natural and effortless. Is this something that you have to work to develop, or is it
innately a part of your writing style?
A: I like the idea that every page in every book can have a gem on it. It’s probably what I love most about writing—that words can be used in a way that’s like
a child playing in a sandpit, rearranging things, swapping them around. They’re the best moments in a day of writing—when an image appears that
you didn’t know would be there when you started work in the morning. At other stages, it takes time. It took three years to write this book, and some
images remained from start to fi nish, but others were considered and reconsidered dozens of times, if not more. Often, to keep the workday fl owing, I’ll
continue writing the story and then come back later to develop an image that hasn’t worked from the outset. I might even take it out completely.
Comments (0)
You don't have permission to comment on this page.