TB+The+Book+Thief


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 * Assignment 1**

1.) Major Character: Narrator, Liesel Meminger, Rosa Hubermann, Rudy Steiner, and Hans Hubermann

Minor Characters: Liesel Meminger's mother and Werner Meminger

The minor characters affect Liesel Meminger by being the only people Liesel knows while she is on her trip to Munich and eventually Heaven street. Liesel's mother played a dominant role by making the trip possible for Liesel and her brother, Werner. Werner plays a major role in Liesel's life because he dies on the trip to Munich and Heaven Street. Creating a lasting impact on Liesel's memories and feelings. Liesel 's mother affects Liesel and her brother Werner by superivising and guiding their trip to Munich.

2.) I do not support Rosa Hubermann's physical and verbal abuse on Liesel. I think it is not healthy to grow up with a parent that is abusive. I think that Liesel is more likely to show these actions later on in the story or in life, because she was exposed to that kind of abuse at that critical learning age. I do not support Hans Junior when he walked out on his father and the rest of the family. He should **have**of stayed with his father. Although, his Nazi ideals come into conflict with what his father believes.

3.) This story changes my thinking because it brings up a part of the war that is not usually brought into discussion, the German homefront. The story of the Hubermans and Liesel show a struggeling family in Germany during the war.The family is very cautious on how it spends its money, even though Nazi propaganda shows a prideful and prosperious Third Reich. I sometimes forget that not every German was supportive of Hitler's ideals. Han Hubbermann is not supportive of the Nazi ideals which brings him into conflict with his son who is a Nazi. This story also changes my idea of the Holocaust in Germany because of Hans Hubbermann's ideas of the Nazis and his own personal ideas. Hans shows that not all German citizens approved of the Nazis. At first, Hans was against the Nazis. Until, Hans Junior stormed out of his Han's house because Hans would not agree with him. Because of his son, Hans tries to join the Nazi party and buys a used copy of //Mein Kampf// to have his son approve of him again. Hans shows that propaganda and peer pressure from a society and family can be a deciding factor on your decisions and beliefs. Hans buys a used copy of //Mein Kampf// to try to assimilate into the culture and try to get his son to approve of him again. Hans is willing to give up his ration of cigarettes to learn the Nazi culture. That is an example of Hitler's power to persuade people to join him and his cult. By tearing families apart or forcing them to assimilate into the Nazi culture by propaganda tools and fear. The forced persuasion of people joining the party was a huge factor in the war. Families were torn apart just as you said...not everyone could agree with Hitler. If one family member was a supporter, were they expected to turn in their family knowing that they did not support the war?? Tough decisions - and that was part of HItler's plan. If family fell apart, chances are they would join to be protected. Lots of brainwashing going on!!!

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If you have ever wondered what it was like to be a citizen of Nazi Germany during World War II, you would enjoy the story of Liesel Meminger in The Book Thief. Mark Zusak's The Book Thief (Random House Children's Books, ) would be a great read for you. Liesel Meminger finds herself in Nazi Germany as a daughter of Communists trying to escape the wrath of Hitler. She is brought into a foster home so she could be saved instead of perishing with her mother for being Communist. Liesel is brought to a family with a loving and caring father and a harsh and verbally abusive mother. She is faced with many problems. She has to find a way to get along with her new family and community, she has to learn to read and write, and her and her foster family have to assimilate into the Nazi culture. This historical fiction is filled with suspense, bravery, and secrecy. The Book Thief's suspense made it hard to put the book down. The Book Thief is suspenseful because of the conflicting values of the Nazis and the values of the Hubermanns (Liesel's foster family). The Hubermanns go against the works of the Nazis and hide a Jew. If the Nazis find out that the Hubermanns are hiding a Jew, the Hubermanns could face persecution and even death. This brings suspense to the book because the only people who can be trusted are Hans Hubermann, Rosa Hubermann, and Liesel. The Hubermann's son is a dedicated Nazi. His father, Hans Hubermann, does not believe in all of the Nazi values, unlike his son. Mr. Hubermann and his son get into conflict because of different beliefs. Which create great tension between the two characters. The climax of their tensions come when the son storms out of the Hubermann's house after losing his "tolerance" for his father's ideals. These two conflicts make the story suspense. The bravery added to the suspense which made the book interesting. When the Hubermanns hide a Jew it also brings a sense of bravery to the story. Many citizens of Nazi Germany and conquered territories were afraid to help Jews, Communists, and other persecuted groups. They were afraid that they could be killed by the Nazis if they tried to help one of these groups. The Hubermanns are extremely brave because of their actions. They accept to take in the daughter of a Communist and then they decide to hide a Jew in their basement. These two actions are extremely brave during that time because they could have jailed or killed. Hans, Rosa, and Liesel show a great deal of bravery throughout the book. In The Book Thief, secrecy ties into the bravery and suspense in the book. When the Hubermanns hide Max Vandenburg that is secrecy. .Max Vandenburg has to live in secrecy in the Hubermann's basement. Nobody can know about Max Vandenburg or else the Hubermanns receive horrific consequences. Secrecy ties into suspense because no one can know about the Hubermann's secret. Secrecy ties into bravery because their secret puts their lives in danger. Secrecy plays a major part in The story of The Book Thief. The theme for this book is survival. Throughout the book, Liesel is trying to find a way to survive and get away from the war around her. The theme for this book is survival. Throughout the book, Liesel is trying to find a way to survive and get away from the war around her. She does this by stealing books, reading, and being with her friend Rudy. Max Vandenburg also tries to survive the war. Because he is Jewish, he is trying to escape the persecution of the Nazis. Max is sent into hiding, were he hides in the basement of the Hubermanns. The basement is freezing and he must stay down there for many months. Max doesn't wants to be in the basement but he knows that its the only way to survive. Many of the residents are scared because of the bombings. While in the bombing shelter, fear fills the room and occupies many in the basement. Many have the idea of surviving the bombings on their minds. They no longer care about pleasing the fuhrer or winning the war. They care about surviving the bombs being dropped over there heads. After a series of bombings on Munich, everyone focuses on survival by getting to the shelter or by making the most of their rations. The lessons learned in this book are that such horrid things such as the Holocaust and World War II can happen and that family is what matters in the end. Many people denied the atrocities of the Holocaust because they thought a society such as the Germany would never allow such genocide. In the future, we must not forget the Holocaust. We must not forget that any society not just undeveloped ones, can create a state where genocide and cruelty is legal as it was in Nazi Germany. Another lesson that can be learned is that family matters in the end. Liesel learned to survive the war with the company and support of close friends and family members. After everyone she is close to dies during the bombing of Himmel Street, Liesel goes into shock. Everything she knows and has loved has been destroyed by Allied bombing. She rarely eats and is very quiet until she is reunited with a close friend (Max Vandenburg). This example shows how others can impact our lives with such a positive or negative impact. Liesel shows how devastated someone can be without the people and things she familiar with. Without the people and things on Himmel Street, Liesel finds herself lost and doesn't know where to go. This example should show the importance of family and friends. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a history book. Although its historical fiction, the book is full of details that actually happened. Such as the publication of Hitler's book Mein Kampf and the battle of Stalingrad. Many of the rations and hardships the families on Himmel Street experienced are realistic as well. This book gives a vivid description of the events going on at the time. Such as the fear everybody had during the bombings and the description of when the allied plane crashed near Himmel Street. This book is a great book for Eighth grade and High Schoolers.