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Journal Entry #1

One snowy night, Mama, brother Werner, and I hopped on a train to Munich, Germany, hoping for a better future. That night I was thinking a lot. My future was uncertain, but not for one thing. I knew I was going to be part of a new family. I do not know who. The trip to Munich took a long time. I was half asleep, dreaming about Hitler looking at me and smiling and so I greet him. My German is pretty bad. The trip took longer than it was supposed to. As my mama was going to sleep, my brother Werner was very cold. Moments later, I couldn't bare to see my brother die in that train. The train was stopped due to track work. At that time, the three of us had to get out. Two guards who were there were thing of what to do to my brother’s dead body. Soon they take us to a cemetery. Two gravediggers started digging a hole for my brother and then put him in there. I became traumatized. With no control of my body, I started digging rapidly in my brother’s tomb. Then my Mama dragged me away. Before we got onto another train, I found a book on the cemetery floor and I stole it. From that day on, I was known as the “book thief”. This is where my story begins. My new house in a small town, called Molching, were it was my arrival on Himmel Street.          

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Journal Entry #2

Over the days, the war has been keeping everybody hungry. Especially Rudy and I. We haven't had a chance to get food and we are all busy doing something. Rudy and I were desperate for food. We have been hungry for quite a while now. Until one day, we started to hang out with this gang of teens who stole things from others. We were willing to stay because they stole apples. When we found out, we were thrilled because now we can have all the apples we want to eat. I ate six apples in a row without stopping! Later that day, I had an extremely bad stomach ache. No matter how much I hated my stomache ache, I thought it was totally worth it. Having something going through my digestive system in a long time felt like heaven.We continue to do our crimes for hunger until Rudy and I found a coin on the ground. We both knew what we should to that coin. We went straight to Frau Diller’s candy shop holding our precious little coin. When we went inside the store, we looked for the candy we want. Frau Diller gave us a news that didn’t satisfy either Rudy or me. We could only afford a piece of candy. We did not care how much we had as long as we had something to eat. Lick for lick, Rudy and I shared the candy and we were happy to get some food in our stomach’s.      

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Journal Entry #3

World War 2 has been affecting everyone in our house. We have to be commanded to go to our basement every time there is a bombing. We go to the basement frequently and everyone seems to be bored all the time. I remember the first time they called a raid, it was a false alarm. I did not know how I felt about someone faking a raid. Or was it a drill to see if everyone would be safe. Days went on until we got a real raid attack warning. I remember all the little kids crying and sobbing. I come to sense that people needed to stay calm so I pull out a book. The book was The Whistler. I read it quietly to everyone in that little room that day. They all listen to me closely as I read. I didn’t get to finish my book. All i needed were two chapters. The raid was over for now and we can all go back. Everyone looked at me and insisted me to finish the book. I proudly finished the book and everyone was very happy I read to them to pass some time. I reunite with an old friend, who people tell me I should not be around with, Max. I tell him all about me reading in the shelter. I felt like a hero of entertainment to everyone. Max was happy that I was happy to read to everyone to forget what was going on up there.     

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Journal Entry #4

I did not know why it had to happen that night but it did. It goes like this. It was a day like any other regular day. Who can say a day is regular in times like these. I went to the basement to begin to read the book I have written. It was a day where all I focused on was reading that book. The night got me sleeping and so as my family. Until, the raid woke me up and I did not know what to do or where to go. People finally had been searching for me. I could not believe it. My house burned to rubble and no sight of the Hans. Loudly I yelled for the Hans. Every time more louder and louder until someone told me the news. They looked at me straight into the eyes and said that they died. They were more questioned about why I was in the basement if the raid alarms failed to go off. I simply told them I was reading a book. I still could not believe everyone was gone. Rudy was the only survivor I knew. I did not know how to express my deep sadness of the death of Rosa and Hans and much others I loved. I felt very depressed until one day I found Max in a parade of Jews. He had been caught while trying to escape. That was the last day I saw him. The bombing had affected my life greatly.

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Personal Narrative

“The Book Thief”, by Markus Zusak, is narrated by death. The protagonist of this book is a 9 year old German girl, named Liesel Meminger. Markus Zusak has death as a narrator so it can present Liesel's point of view, but also give information that Liesel wouldn't know about, considering how young she is. He knew death would be the best narrator who could know World War II outside of Himmel Street. Zusak choice of Death, instead of a normal third person, is great to give perspective on all the death and dying that happened during this historical period. Now, Death is like every other person. He doesn't know everything, but he gains his knowledge from his personal experiences and from what he sees or learns from articles. He is telling us about The Book Thief, the book Liesel writes about her life. For this story to make sense, Death gives us an understanding of what is going on during World War II. Great choice of narrator again because how is Liesel suppose to know what is going around during the time she wrote this book. Dying is one of the main ideas going on in the book. First, when her biological mother left her, her brother had died and now the mother was dead to Leisel because she never saw her again. Going through the book, people she learns to love, soon die at the end with an unexpected bombing. She was reading in the basement which kept her safe. Soon Death narrates that Liesel is dead.  

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Entry #1

In the Book Thief, the Nazi’s took over and Hans Hubermann and Alex Steiner are sent away to military service for punishment for feeding the jews. At this time in real life, the Nazi party takes power in Germany and Adolf Hitler becomes Chancellor of Germany.

Entry #2

In The Book Thief, Liesel learns to read and at this time World War 2 begins.

Entry #3

In The Book Thief, Death gives back “The Book Thief” to Liesel  after taking her soul and in that time Hitler had been defeated.

Entry #4

In The Book Thief, Liesel reunites with Max during the time World War 2 ends.

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Question #1: What in life makes you the happiest? What causes you to have the most pain?

What makes me the happiest in life is being able to write about my self into a book. What causes me to have the most pain is losing the people who I love.

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Question #2: Do you feel your life is controlled by free will or fate? Choice and consequence or destiny? Explain using examples from your own story.

I feel like my life is controlled by fate and destiny because fate I was forced to first move into Himmel Street. Then, by destiny I am here because of the book, which had saved my life, if I wouldn’t have gone down to the basement to read it.

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Question #3: Which historical figure from your time period would you most like to meet? Describe the circumstances surrounding your meaning and explain what you would discuss.

The historical figure I would most like to meet is Adolf Hitler. I’d chose him because he is the guy who caused all this meaningless harm and took away Max away from me.

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Question #4: What did you (the protagonist) learn?

I learned that life will throw obstacles at you, but in the end it will give you away to death, which will come pick you up at the right time.

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"Sometimes I imagined how everything looked above those clouds, knowing without question that the sun was blond, and the endless atmosphere was a giant blue eye." Death, p. 350

Grabbing souls, Death imagines the he sky beyond the rain clouds that cover the death camp. Death expresses success that beyond troubles on Earth, exist a strange hope. The "giant blue eye" can be a watchful and just God, whose sight is refined by His Chosen People are being killed by the Nazis.

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"Blood leaked from her nose and licked at her lips. Her eyes had blackened. Cuts had opened up and a series of wounds were rising to the surface of her skin. All from words. From Liesel's words." Death's narration, p. 253

Liesel angry at Ilsa Hermann, calls her pathetic and tells her to get over the death of her son. She imagines Ilsa's face becoming beaten up by Liesel's harsh words. Liesel later regret her mean words as she realizes words can hurt someone.