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The Climax. o f The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. The climax is significant because it reveals powerful ideas. Shows the idea of how war is obscenely random using language features.
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The Climax of The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
The climax is significant because it reveals powerful ideas • 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.
“Himmel Street was flattened.” • 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.
“No-one wanted to bomb Himmel Street.” “No-one would bomb a place named after heaven would they? Would they?” • 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?” • The roles have completely flipped. • Reassures us. • “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. “An unhappy looking accordion, peering through its eaten case.” • 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.
“She survived because she was sitting in a basement reading through the story of her own life.” • 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.
“She was holding desperately onto the words who had saved her life.” • 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.
“I climbed quickly up and took it in my hand...” • 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.
“I saw the book thief three times.” • 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?
“A small announcement about Rudy Steiner: He didn’t deserve to die the way he did.” • 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.
“‘One day Liesel’, Rudy said, ‘You’ll be dying to kiss me.’” • Foreshadowing Rudy’s first and only kiss from Liesel. • It’s ironic because that kiss is when Rudy is dead.
“There were people everywhere on the city street, but the stranger could not have been more alone if it had been empty.” • 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.
The climax is significant because it reveals powerful ideas • 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.
Because of the powerful ideas and clever foreshadowing the climax is made the most significant section of “The Book Thief” by Markus Zusak.
