Power Of Words In The Book Thief

948 Words4 Pages
Tom Clancy once said, “[t]he control of information is something the elite always does, particularly in a despotic form of government. Information, knowledge, is power. If you can control information, you can control people”. Therefore, in order to gain control, one must limit the information that others receive. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak, is a transformational novel that encompasses many powerful insights. All throughout the book Zusak communicates many dominant themes, such as the power of words. In the novel, words play an immense part, the author utilizes them to build bonds between the characters, to create comfort among others, and demonstrates how words influence the thoughts and actions of individuals. First of all, words have…show more content…
He limits their knowledge by controlling the flow of information that they receive. This emphasizes, how thoughts and actions are based on the knowledge one obtains. Hitler prevents his people from forming their own opinions by ensuring they read and hear things that display what he believes in. A method he uses is holding book burnings. In the book, after a burning, a man notices how some books did not fully burn. The response from another man cleaning up was to “‘burn them again’” (120)! So, by burning the books, people will not be able to access information Hitler does not approve of. Also, words have been influential in Hitler’s book “Mein Kampf”, that he requires every German to own. The book only presents Hitler's opinion, therefore Germans are only hearing from his perspective. Additionally, the reader can see how Liesel is able to form some of her own opinions. She understands that words have power, and is able to obtain more insight on what happens around her through reading. In summary, words have the power to control your thoughts, if one understands this, they will be able to have more information to help form their

More about Power Of Words In The Book Thief

Open Document