Sunday, March 15, 2009

week 3

In the Book Thief, we see figurative language used in many places. Zusak does a great job using the language to add to the story. The language makes you think about the book much more, you become more interested I think. A good example of figurative language is on the back of the book it says “Death has never been busier, and will become busier still”. This is interesting because it’s giving death capabilities. It’s never been busier, and it’s not stopping soon, it just gives you the creeps. Zusak also uses figurative language when he is comparing two completely different things; it makes you think more about it. The figurative language also enlightens the darker parts in the stories. It makes it a little easier to read with all the terrible parts. Overall the figurative language really adds to the story in many ways.

7 comments:

  1. Hmm, I love how you brought up the idea of Death in this book once again, because it's easy to forget about his presence sometimes.
    The "capabilities" of death that you are speaking of probably wont be fully discussed in this book for awhile. However, the mere idea that death takes people who are close to Liesel such as her brother,and he may cause even further devastation for our protagonist later. Do you think the emphasis being placed on death every once in awhile means it is death that will propel the story later?

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  2. I totally agree that Death is all around us and it will continue forever. I never really have thought of death in that way, but it is quite creepy to think about. I think they put that quote on the back of the book just to remind us that death was always in Nazi Germany and there was no way of escaping it.

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  3. I like how you give the quote "Death has never been busier, and will become busier still." And how it gives death capabilities where I consider him in the book as a person with very little power but has control over us in the end. I do not agree however that figurative language enlightens the story, I think that it does the opposite and makes the story darker.

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  4. I agree that figurative language really makes you think more about the book. It is the various similes and personifications that compel me to really dive within the depths of the book itself. Also, the fact that Death is personified as a narrator always leaves me wondering.

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  5. I always thought that it was interesting that Death, who we imagine to be swamped with work, has time to focus and even remember Liesel's life on Himmel Street. Although I guess when you never "die", time doesn't mean much. I think that the similes used help us see things from Death's perspective.

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  6. I agree that the language Zusak uses helps lighten the darkness of the story. It would be much harder to read without some of the lighter parts that this language adds. I don't think that there are a lot of times when figurative language is used though. I think that you kind of have to look hard to find an example.

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  7. I agree and I think that quote from the back really gives the reader a sense of what the plot is about, but it doesn't give too much or way or make you confused.

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