Christine's+Essays

//The Book Thief,// by Markus Zusak English 9 Mrs. Prinsen
 * Essay Assignment (50 points)**

Directions: Pick one of the topics below and write a well constructed essay. Your judgment is important, but you must support your answers by referring to specific passages in the novel.

Essays must be typed, double spaced and free of grammar and spelling errors. Use MLA format when quoting from the novel.

Your first draft is due April 7.
 * Final papers will be due April 14. **


 * 1) Discuss the symbolism of Death as the omniscient narrator of the novel. How would the story change if the novel had been narrated by one of the other characters?


 * 1) What is ironic about Liesel’s obsession with stealing books? Discuss other uses of irony in the novel.


 * 1) //The Grave Digger’s Handbook// is the first book Liesel steals. Discuss why Liesel took this book and the significance of the titles of the other books that Liesel steals.


 * 1) Describe Liesel’s friendship with Rudy. How does their friendship change and grow throughout the novel? Explain why it is difficult for Liesel to love Rudy.

This assignment is worth **50 points** so you will want to do your best work. Please see me right away if you have questions or are having trouble getting started.

Good luck!

Jerry Glisch's response:

I would choose the second question about The Grave Digger's Handbook. What I would do first is look at what The Grave Digger's Handbook is about and how it may apply to Liesel. I'm not sure how much depth "The Book Thief" goes into about the handbook but I would make sure that I show a clear understanding of that book and what it means to Liesel. Since the question mentions The Grave Digger's Handbook specifically, this is clearly a major part of the essay. Next, I would be sure to discuss Liesel and her personality. If there is a commonality between the book and Liesel I would talk about the commonality and how it affects her decision. After talking, in depth, about that portion of the question, I would discuss the differnet titles she took after that and how each relates to her and/or the story. I would spend about 3 to 4 sentences on each story, but I'm not totally sure how many books she took. While this part of the question is less detailed, I would be sure to cover each title to ensure that I got full points for it. Lastly, I would close it all up and talk about Liesel and her propensity to steal books.