The Book Thief
There are four assignments attached to this novel.
1)Questions for Response: 30 Marks
Each question requires a complete paragraph. Where possible, use short quotes, properly integrated, to supplement your argument. Each response counts for 5 marks. These will need to be posted on your blog.
2)The Book Thief’s Germany (Project): 20 Marks
A research project outlined below. Discuss with your group whether you would like to complete the project in pairs, individually, or as a whole group.
3)Lit Circle Discussions: 25 Marks
A chance for you and your group members to meet and discuss any key ideas, themes, characters, plot, questions, insights and everything else you would like to share. You will come prepared by having your reading for the day completed, and a page of ideas to share. The discussions will be videotaped and marked by me. Marks will be given on an individual basis.
Discussion #1: Monday, November 16th(5 Marks)
Discussion #2: Tuesday, November 24th(5 Marks)
Discussion #3: Tuesday, December 1st(5 Marks)
Discussion #4: Monday, December 7th(10 Marks)
***Your Project (#2 above) can replace one of your first two lit circle discussions***
4)Essay: 25 Marks
The essay will be written in class. I will give you two topics to choose from. You will choose one and start and finish your essay while you are at school. This assignment cannot be completed at home.
The essay will be written in class on Thursday, December 10th
Questions for Responses
There are two sets of questions to choose from- Analysis and Quickwrite. For both sets, you need to answer the question in a complete paragraph. Each answer should be between 8 – 10 sentences, and, where possible, use a quote from the story (integrated properly) to support your argument and ideas. Each paragraph is marked out of 5.
Analysis: Choose any three topics to write about. Each response must be a full paragraph in length.
1)What purpose do colours serve for the narrator? Why does the narrator need distractions?
2)Death begins part I with a flashback. Why? What effect does it have?
3)What literary device does the author use at the end of the chapter “Arrival on Himmel Street”? What inferences can we make from the chapter’s final sentence?
4)After reading the chapter “Dead Letters,” explain the significance of the chapter’s title.
5)Describe the irony behind Max’s use of Mein Kampf to help him achieve his freedom. (157-160)
6)Max gives Liesel a book in “Pages from the Basement.” Discuss its significance. What message is he yearning to convey in his writing?
7)While Death collects souls, the children collect empty fuel containers dropped by their “enemies.” What could this parallel harvesting symbolize? (336 – 338).
8)Max reveals he went outside (377) during the raids. Again, just like Mein Kampf helps him secure more freedom, how do the raids help him? What is his reaction to being outside?
9)What is the significance of the game of Dominoes Rudy and his siblings play during the “Dominoes and Darkness” chapter? Why does it interrupt the conversation in the kitchen, and what are some parallels between those conversations?
10)“The Word Shaker” (pg 444 – 450): Describe its allegorical features, particularly its symbolism.
Quickwrite: Choose any three topics to write about. Each response must be a full paragraph in length.
1)What impression does death give of himself? Do you feel you can trust him as a narrator? Why or why not?
2)How many books make up the story of Liesel’s life? What similarities do you notice between Death’s explanation of Liesel’s book collection and the organization of the novel overall?
3)How are friendships between the children on Himmel Street made?
4)What important number does Death provide in regard to the German’s support of Hitler? How does it relate to Hans? (pg. 63)
5)After reading “A Short History of the Jewish Fighter,” what are your thoughts and feelings toward Max? Have they changed with the new background information on him?
6)From “The Losers” (272): Briefly identify Viktor Chemmel. Compare him to Arthur Berg as a leader. What parallels might you draw between their leadership style and leaders from this historical time period?
7)Describe Death’s internal conflict in “Death’s Diary: The Parisians.” Describe your reaction to it.
8)“Champagne and Accoridan” shows more of Hans’s adaptability. What are your thoughts on Hans up this point in the novel?
9)Write out your thoughts and feelings and any reactions you have to the chapter “The Long Walk to Dachau.” Choose any form (poetry, art, etc) to convey this message.
10)What is your reaction to the bombing of Himmel Street? “The End of the World (Part I)”
11)What are your thoughts on Death stealing Liesel’s novel The Book Thief from the garbage truck?
12)What is the irony of Death’s final statement in the book? How did you react to it? Is it apt?
The Book Thief’s Germany
In order to appreciate Markus Zusak’s The Book Thief, it’s important to understand some of the influences and historical background within the novel.
- Groups members will choose a topic that interests them, and be prepared to give a three to five minute report about the topic. Each member will choose one topic to research and present to the rest of the group. There will be more topics than people in your group, so I can help answer questions you may have about the other topics.
- You will want to complete these presentations as either your first or second lit circle discussion, before your group is too far into the novel. The presentation will count as one lit circle (thus your group will have three discussions and one presentation, not four discussions)
Feel free to work together (two people with two topics, for instance), but remember that you will be marked individually for your work. As a group, set a date for the presentations. You will present them to each other, and record them all for me to assess. You will be required to submit your notes as well.
Topic 1: Adolf Hitler – The Man
-Get personal with the Fuhrer – what were his political ideas (his ideology)? How did he rise to power? What happened to him during WWI? What was his life path before WWI? Why did it change?
Topic 2: WWII Germany – Political
-What role did the Nazi Party have before coming to power in Germany? What were their goals? How did the rest of the world view the Nazi Party and its beliefs? Was it consistent over time and across the world? Why or why not?
Topic 3: Effects of WWII on the German people
-Many civilians lived through the war, what was life like for them? How were they affected by the war? What contributions were they forced to make? What hardships did they need to deal with, especially with an Allied invasion?
Topic 4: Persecution of the Jewish people (not the Holocaust specifically)
-How were the Jewish people treated by German civilians during the war? Can you find any stories of regular German people trying to help Jewish people? What did the rest of the world know about their plight, and what was the world doing? Why?
Topic 5: Hitler Youth
-Who were they? What was their purpose? How did they get started? What was their role in Germany before, during, and after the war?
Topic 6: League of German Girls (United German Girls)
-Who were they? What was their purpose? How did they get started? What was their role in Germany before, during, and after the war?
Topic 7: Allied Bombing of Munich (July 1944)
-When did it begin? What was its purpose/goal? Who was involved? (For additional research, look at the following: Why was the bombing of Dresden controversial?)