The Book Thief

Passage 1: 

"'Earlier, there had been a minor calamity. The Hubermanns couldn't find their flag. "They'll come for us," Mama warned her husband. "They'll come and take us away." They. "We have to find it!" At one point, it seemed like Papa might have to go down to the basement and paint a flag on one of his drop sheets. Thankfully, it turned up, buried behind the accordion in the cupboard" (Zusak 103). 

(The Führer Flag/ Flag of Nazi Germany)

I choose this passage as it stood out to me. It stood out to me because of how fearful they were that they didn't have a flag outside and how they feared for their lives when welcoming the Führer. They were coming to visit and everyone had to have their flag out and decorate, and that's simply what they did. However, the amount of fear if they couldn't find something was very high. Something so simple could get them killed and that's truly saddening. While reading this I was shocked that this was a fear to them, however, fears are different for everyone and they simply would have been killed if it wasn't for the flag being out. I'm glad we don't have to fear concepts similar to this or really at all today. We still have issues but not to the point of mass killings like the Nazis did. We still have similar fears but not as extreme. I'm not by any means saying that fear or events don't exist, I just feel it isn't as harsh. 

Passage 2: 

"Through the overcast sky, I looked up and saw the tin-can planes. I watched their stomachs open and the bombs drop causally out. They were off target, of course. They were often off target. The bombs came down, and soon, the clouds would bake and the cold raindrops would turn to ash. Hot snowflakes would shower to the ground" (Zusak 497-498). 

I choose this passage as it was describing the end of the world and the book. Everyone ended up dying except for Liesel during this attack. I also couldn't help but feel attached to this part of the book while reading because it was so descriptive and detailed. Death was narrating and he always wondered why humans did this to other humans, I feel he never understood the concept, I don't even understand the concept; however, it was a very sad part of the book. Got the emotions stirring up at this point, I feel I could picture it so well will all the descriptions. I will never get over what was added, however, being Liesel lived as she was reading through the story of her life and editing it. Reading was a big part of her life and still was. It never left her side. She always had some book with her that she was reading. 

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Overall, both passages were very eye-opening and provoked emotion within me as the reader. I felt I could see those details that were provided and I felt for the characters within the book. They feared for their lives every day and fought for their lives every day. It was never easy. Sometimes I wish the past could be changed, however, it can't. With that said, let's not relive the past, let's change that for the future!