Summer Reading Project
Veronica Flores- Period 4
Exposition: "Atlas" by Coldplay
What happened in the exposition?
Liesel’s mother gives her away to the Hubermanns after Liesel’s brother dies; she couldn’t handle raising a child while being a communist in Nazi Germany, 1939. She arrives on Himmel Street to meet her new parents, the Hubermanns, and her future best friend, Rudy Steiner.
Why is this song relevant to the exposition/book?
In the exposition of the book, Liesel seems to be afraid of what's to come after her brother died and her mother gave her away to complete strangers. She doesn't know what to expect anymore, so she can only hope that something better and safer is around the corner. She comes to live with the Hubermanns and she is hesitant about getting close to anyone after one of the biggest people in her life, left her. In the book it states, "There was the constant rise and fall of her stomach, and the futile hopes that they'd lose their way or change their minds. Among it all, her thoughts couldn't help turning toward her mother, back at Bahnhof, waiting to leave again." (Page 26) Now, in the actual song, Atlas by Coldplay, one of the lines says, "Some far away. Some search for gold. Some dragon to slay. Heaven we hope is just up the road. Show me the way, lord, 'cause I... I'm about to explode." She is saying that she hopes something better is going to come out of living with the Hubermanns and she has demons, hence the line, "Some dragon to slay." Her demons are of her brother and her mother leaving, and that hit her in a sensitive way.
Rising Action: "Heavenly Father" by Bon Iver
What happened in the rising action?
Adolf Hitler started to progressively get worse until finally he started targeting Jewish people and put them into concentration camps. For those who are not Jewish and worship the Nazis, they are allowed to go to school, work, and other activities under strict Nazi supervision. One night at a parade, to show their dedication to Hitler and his plans everyone was to throw a book in the fire. It pained Liesel to see books being thrown into a fire, but she couldn’t rebel in front of everyone or she and the Hubermanns would be punished. So instead, she waited until everyone left before she was able to salvage one book from the havoc of the fire. This was when she really became "The Book Thief".
Why is this song relevant to the rising action/book?
In the rising action of the book, Liesel has to watch books, which mean a great deal to her, burn and become ashes. After stealing her first book she feels free, but she realizes how horrible the Fuhrer (Hitler) is. "Smoke lifted from the cover as she juggled it and hurried away. Her head was pulled down, and the sick beauty of nerves proved more ghastly with each stride. There were fourteen steps till the voice." (Page 120) She felt nerves that were actually excitement and the strange sensation of being truly free. In the song "Heavenly Father" by Bon Iver, one of the phrases states, "I don’t know how you house the sin. (But you’re free now) I was never sure how much of you I could let in. (Am I free now?) She is asking Hitler how he can live with himself, but she knows that he feels free to do whatever he wants because he was currently winning World War II. But she also has a feeling that he isn't the good guy, and she wants to believe that she's free, but she knows she isn't.
Climax: "Shatter Me" by Lindsey Stirling (ft. Lzzy Hale)
What happened in the climax?
The Jewish are being severely punished now, but one Jew manages to find refuge in the Hubermanns household. When Max Vandenburg came to live with the Hubermanns, he put them in great danger of being thrown into concentration camps or even being executed, but the Hubermanns knew it wasn’t right for a man who has done no wrong to be punished. They keep and feed Max eve after he becomes ill.
Why is this song relevant to the climax/book?
During the climax, there is a lot of tension between the Hubermanns household because Max, a Jew, has come to seek refuge in their home. They know that if they slip up they will be in serious trouble, but it's also irritating to be stuck with such a big secret and feeling trapped because of this secret. In the book it says, "It was much the same as the way he left his family in Stuttgart, under a veil of fabricated loyalty. To live. Living was living. The price was guilt and shame. --- For his first few days in the basement, Liesel had nothing to do with him. She denied his existence. His rustling hair, his cold, slippery fingers. His tortured presence." (Page 208/209) She doesn't want to acknowledge his existence because she knows how big of a deal it is to hide a Jew in your basement. It's easier to hold in a secret with less knowledge. In the song "Shatter Me" by Lindsey Stirling, it states, "Somebody shine a light. I'm frozen by the fear in me. Somebody make me feel alive. And shatter me. So cut me from the line. Dizzy, spinning endlessly. Somebody make me feel alive. And shatter me!" Liesel feels trapped and frozen in fear of letting this secret into the air and causing a great deal of trouble to those closest to her.
Falling Action: "The Scientist" by Coldplay
What happens in the falling action?
Max has decided to leave after he recovers back to full health because he knows that the longer he stays with the Hubermanns and Liesel, that he is only putting them in more danger. After he leaves, Hans Hubermann has been notified tat he is being sent back to the Nazi Army during World War II. A couple of weeks before Hans leaves, there is an increase in air raids with bombs making everyone on Himmel Street retreat to a designated basement. Liesel begins to write down her tale to make it through time without her Papa.
Why is this song relevant to the falling action/book?
In the falling action, Liesel is sort of lost. First Max leaves, then she is told that her Papa is going to be taken away to a war where thousands of people die everyday on both sides of the war. In the book it states, "Just over a week after Liesel's birthday in mid-February, she and Rosa finally received a detailed letter from Hans Hubermann. She ran inside from the mailbox and showed it to Mama. Rosa made her read it aloud, and they could not contain their excitement when Liesel read about his broken leg." (Page 479) To be so excited over a broken leg, meaning that Hans would come home, sounds like a weird thing to do, but when you miss someone so much it feels amazing. In the song, "The Scientist" by Coldplay one of the phrases is, "Nobody said it was easy. Oh it's such a shame for us to part. Nobody said it was easy. No one ever said it would be so hard. I'm going back to the start." She wants to go back to the start when she first arrived at the Hubermanns because that's when she felt innocent and safe and she knew exactly what's to come. Now, there is a surprise around each corner and you never know what to expect anymore. She wants to go back to safety and certainty.
Resolution: "Silhouettes" by Of Monsters and Men
What happens in the resolution?
There was a night bombing on Himmel Street and the air raid alarm didn't ring to let anyone know that they were about to be bombed. Liesel had fell asleep in the basement while writing her story since arriving on Himmel Street. Everyone on Himmel Street becomes deceased after the bombing, except for Liesel because she had fallen asleep underground where it was safest. She becomes heartbroken finding out that that her Mama and Papa are dead, but she breaks down seeing her best friend, Rudy Steiner, dead. She gives him the kiss that he always asked for and says goodbye to each of her loved ones. The mayors wife, who had become close to Liesel, survived and adopted Liesel as her own since she had become an orphan again.
Why is this song relevant to the resolution/book?
In the book it states, "There was only a body now, on the ground, and Liesel lifted him up and hugged him. She wept over the shoulder of Hans Hubermann.. Goodbye, Papa, you saved me. You taught me to read. No one can play like you. I'll never drink champagne. No one can play like you. Her arms held him. She kissed his shoulder-she couldn't bear to look at his face anymore-and she placed him down again. The book thief wept till she was gently taken away." (Page 538/539) Liesel is obviously heartbroken that her Papa has been taken away from her and she is deeply hurt in her heart. She has no regrets of any memories with him, but she had moments that she wish she could tweak a bit. In the song "Silhouettes" by Of Monsters and Men, "There's nothing that I'd take back. But it's hard to say there's nothing I regret. Cause when I sing, you shout. I breathe out loud. You bleed, we crawl like animals. But when it's over, I'm still awake." In the song, it relates to Liesel because she wont take anything back, but there are things she regrets not doing. Kissing Rudy when he asked for one and spending more time with her family. I guess this just shows that you never know what you have until i6t's gone, so don't take anything you have for granted.