Background Information Historical Context THE BOOK THIEF MARKUS

Background Information & Historical Context THE BOOK THIEF MARKUS ZUSAK

PREJUDICE , STEREOTYPES, AND SCAPEGOATS Word Definition Stereotyping Accepting general opinions about someone or something without investigation Prejudice Attitude of making negative judgments without knowledge of a person Racism Hatred for members of a group because of stereotyping Scapegoat Person or group unjustly blamed for problems in society Genocide Total annihilation of a race or ethnic group

THE SEEDS OF WORLD WAR II � During the 1930 s Germany, soundly defeated in WWI, gathered strength under the leadership of the fanatical nationalist Adolf Hitler. � Hitler and his Nazi Party rearmed Germany – breaking the Versailles Treaty of 1919 (was designed to keep peace throughout Europe) � Envisioning themselves as a superior race, the Nazis ultimately planned to rule all of Europe

HITLER’S POLITICAL GROUNDWORK � 1934 Non-aggression pact signed with Poland � Hitler signed an agreement with Stalin, Russia’s leader, dividing Poland between them � 1936 – Mussolini , Italy’s leader, signs a nonaggression pact with Germany � 1938 - The Third Reich: includes Austria and parts of Czechoslovakia

THE STAGE IS SET… � The stage was set for another world war. When France and Great Britain failed to act quickly to stop Hitler, the Germans opened hostilities, launching a massive air offensive on Warsaw and the surrounding area. � It took only three weeks for the Nazis to gain control of Poland. http: //history 1900 s. about. com/library/holocaust /bldied. htm

HITLER AND THE JEWS � Why did this ethnic group pose such a serious threat to Hitler’s ideal Germany? � The answer lies in the long history of anti- Semitism in Europe. � The Jews were persecuted in Spain and in Russia where they were coerced to convert to Christianity or face dire consequences. � The addition to the religious issue, Jews sometimes acted as money-lenders and were scapegoated for the economic problems of the time

HITLER AND THE JEWS � Hitler was not Germany’s first anti-Semite – he was greatly influenced by Karl Lueger – mayor of Vienna � In Mien Kampf , Hitler takes a similar approach to Lueger and accuses the Jews of deliberately attempting to pollute the pure German gene pool (Aryan) � Nuremberg Laws (1935) : German Jews lost their rights as citizens, and intermarriage between a Jew and non- Jews was prohibited

THE HOLOCAUST � When did the Holocaust take place? � How many people were killed? � In 1942 the Nazi’s instituted the concentration camps, where prisoners were worked to death, shot, or gassed. � The vast majority of German and Polish Jews ended up in these camps – few survived Hitler’s Final Solution

THE NARRATOR Death: The narrator of the book throughout the story. � Death is sympathetic to mankind and dislikes all of the despair and destruction brought upon humans by war, which is different from a belief that Death is friends with War. � He comments on the thoughts, morals, and actions of humanity throughout the story while keeping a close eye on Liesel

The Book Thief METAPHOR – SIMILE – CONCEIT

WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE? � Simile: a comparison of two unlike things using like or as - “A is like B” � Metaphor: also a comparison ; a type of analogy - “ A is B , or A can be substituted for B” � Conceit: an extended metaphor

EXAMPLES � Simile: “You’re as happy as a clam!” � Metaphor: “Two roads diverged in a wood, and I -I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference” ("The Road Not Taken”) � Conceit: � “All the world’s a stage, And all the men and women merely players; They have their exits and their entrances” — William Shakespeare, As You Like It

The Book Thief SYMBOLISM & IRONY

SYMBOLISM � Symbolism is the practice of representing things by symbols, or of investing things with a symbolic meaning or character. A symbol is an object, action, or idea that represents something other than itself, often of a more abstract nature.

SYMBOLISM IN THE BOOK THIEF � What does The Grave Digger’s Handbook symbolize? � What other item(s) or event(s) in The Book Thief represents more than what we would usually associate with the object or event?

IRONY � Verbal Irony: a statement in which the meaning that a speaker employs is sharply different from the meaning that is supposedly expressed. � Ironic Simile: “As pleasant as a root canal!” � Situational Irony: a discrepancy between the expected result and actual results in a certain situation. � Dramatic Irony: the device of giving the spectator an item of information that at least one of the characters in the narrative is unaware of (at least consciously), thus placing the spectator a step ahead of at least one of the characters. � � EX: In horror movies Irony: refers to the difference between the way things seem to be and the way things are. What is ironic about the first book Liesel stole?

IRONY CONTINUED … � Verbal Irony: � Sarcasm � Overstatement (hyperbole) � Understatement The narrator says that WWII was the result of the German’s love of burning things. What tells you that this statement should not be taken literally , at face value?

LITERALLY � Understand what it really means to be “literal” � Literal: not figurative or metaphorical � I ate my weight in doughnuts this morning. � I made a 20 on my theology test. � She cried buckets! � I will smack you if you inappropriately use “literally”.