Saturday, March 21, 2009

discussion #4

My question is what role does Rosa/her personality play in the story? I think that it is necessary for Rosa Hubermann to have such a harsh personality. It makes her good moments stand out more (ex. when Liesel is crying by the dying Max's bedside) and also allows Hans Hubermann's gentle personality to shine. Liesel needs someone like Rosa in her life to give her a taste of reality.

13 comments:

  1. I also wonder the same thing, Tess. I really don't like her as a character and she definitely makes the book feel darker, in the scenes that she's in. I totally agree with you though that her good moments stand out because she is never nice, but always swearing or being negative. I disagree with you though when you say that her harshness is necessary, because I feel like in the time period that it is in, Hitler is the harsh one, even though Liesel might not have noticed that.

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  2. Rosa's character really makes me bitter. I just don't like her at all that much. I do agree with you, Tess, that Rosa's bitterness is necessary because she connects with the bitter time period as well.

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  3. Rosa's role in the book is mostly to be the one to give Liesel some discipline. No offense to Hans, but he isn't as good as disciplining Liesel as Rosa is. Rosa knows how to use wrods to make Liesel follow her orders, but Hans decided it'd be best to slap Liesel when he wanted her to listen to him, while telling her about Max.

    Even if Rosa can be a bit abusive or overly cruel with her tone, someone still needs to do disciplining.

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  4. I think that Rosa is in the book to teach Leisel life lessons and that life is not a fairy-tale, but i also really dislike her as a character. I also like what Tess said that Rosa's bitterness reflects the bitterness time period, just as Death as the narrator shows the despair of the people in Nazi Germany.

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  5. I agree that Rosa's harshness is necessary, but that doesn't make me like it any more than I do. This also for sure lets Rosa's good times shine above her usual swearing and negative personality. Overall, I think Liesel needed a harsh person in her life to compel her to be a good person.

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  6. Rosa's sort of a clichéd character. She appears harsh and cruel on the outside, but we later find out she really is loving, just a bit insecure. I think her harsness is necessary, because without it Liesel and Hans wouldn't have gotten so close. Also, if Liesel had grown up in a family with two very loving parents, she wouldn't have been tough enough to fight Tommy on the playground at the beginning of the story, or have been strong enough to accept her mother and brother's death as well.

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  7. I agree, we really see Hans personality more since he's such a kind hearted person compared to Rosa, it makes him seem even more nicer than he already is.

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  8. I agree how you stated that Rosa's bad personality makes Hans' shine out more. However, I think that Rosa's personality demonstrates the bitterness of the time and how it affects the most unexpected people. Since Hans, Liesel, and Max are all very good people, Rosa serves as the bad example, of how events at the time could have damaged her personality.

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  9. I think she plays a mother like figure in some ways, the obvious one being that she is Liesel's foster mother. But I also agree on how you said she makes Hans' personality shine out more.

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  10. I like this question because Rosa was one of my favorite characters. Other than the fact that it made sense for her to have a foster mother and father, I think Rosa brought some comedy and lighthearted-ness into some of the more dreary moments. When she showed up at Leisel's school and pretended to yell at her to tell her that Max had woken up, not only was that scene comical, but it was also heartwarming because it showed how they really cared for each other.

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  11. She is one of the antagonists in the book and is the ever present villan of the story. She hardens Liesel so she isn't totally swallowing Han's laid back philosophy. Rosa teaches Liesel about challenges that Hans could never do. I also think that Max also gives Liesel a taste of reality.

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  12. I think that Rosa adds a view into the real world. She is the example of something being rough on the edges, but really soft on the inside. Rosa is very tough at first, but when she is broken down by her family and Liesel and Max, we come to find that she is really a caring person who takes a little time to love.

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  13. I'm not a big fan of Rosa, but I think she must have some good qualities if Hans has stuck around this long. She must have a nice side that Hans has seen, but she just doesn't show it. I can't believe that she's all bad.

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