"I'm Not Stupid"

  

I felt like I could kind of relate with Liesel in this chapter because I went to a private lutheran school for most of my child hood, and allthough the teachers I had were kind of cool sometimes, it was pretty strict and you had to know what you were doing or people would think you were kind of dumb,or at least make you feel like you were, and it also caused me to get in alot of fights, both there and in public school, becuase kinds are kind of the same no matter where you go. So after everyone in her class had read the teacher asked if there was anyone left who hadn't had a turn, Rudy quikly gave Liesel away ,much like my older brother would always do to me in school. But after Rudy said the the teacher didnt express much enthusiasm about her reading, becuase she knew she couldn't read that well, so she said that Liesel would be reading alone with her after school, but Liesel didnt care if she could read all the words or not, "she imagined herself reading the entire page at faultless, fluency-filled triumph. Key word- Imagined."(Zusak,Markus. TheBookThief-NewYork;NY: Alfred A. Knopf,2005. Print. Page77)  . So she went up there, and choked on her words as her eyes started to water, then she rememebered "In the event of snow", chapter 3 of the gravediggers handbook.She started reciting everything she could rememeber. After Liesel finished the teacher snatched the book from her and made her go to "watschen"for a time out. (means good hiding).

   After her experience in the classroom some of her classmates were kind of unforgiving, as kids tend to be sometimes, and they stared to make fun of her for not being able to read. One kid more then the others, his name was Ludwig Schmeikl. He kept coming up to her asking her to read parts from a book that he knew she couldnt read, and with everything else that had already happened that day, she took her anger out on him. First she kneed him in the groin, then proceeded to hit him in the face. A little while after the beating stared tommy Muller caught her eye and she soon was striking him in the face as well. After words she stated "I'm Not Stupid." No one argued. (Zusak,Markus. TheBookThief-NewYor;NY: Alfred A. Knof,2005. Print. Page79) When she returned to class and the techer saw what had happened to Ludwigs face she was shocked to find out it was Liesel. She punished her and put her back in watschen, for the sencond time in less than one hour.

  Trust me thought, The words were on there way. And when they arrived, Liesel would hold them in her hands like the clouds and she would wring them out like the rain. -Death pg.80

Death's Narration

Having death as the narrator I think is different because its not the person telling you what they went through or what happened to them, and not only is it someone else, but its someone that noone wants to ever meet and who you wouldnt really think about the perspective of the situations. He tells you what he think of "the book thief" and ho he met her and what heppened the day her brother died and kinda makes you sympathize with her without her ever saying anything. And i think that death would know more about people than anyone else would because hes had to be around them since the beginning of time with no vacation. His vacation is watching the colors and seeing how the lives around him unfold.


The feelings that i associate with death are sad, lonely, misunderstood becuase everyone has a portrait painted of him like he just comes when people dies to sort of finsh them off, but thats not the case, its just his job. He has no choice in the matter, and that makes me feel a little sympathetic towards him, in the book he even says he is not violent, or malicious, he is just a result.

The story of Joseph Sher

It is not so easy to do this interview. Last night I did not have a minute's sleep. When I sleep, I dream, I dream, I dream. We did not know who was going to be left alive. "Don't forget, tell the world" was the last thing our friends said before they were taken to their deaths. You cannot keep it inside. -joseph sher




Joseph Sher was born on Krzepice,Poland. He had 3 brothers and 3 sisters. He was the middle child, like me. His father was a secretary to the courts and also made outfits for the priest. He married a woman who was his sisters best friend,They tried to escape to Russia but by that time to many immigrants were already trying or had already gotten over there and the Russians were now keeping cloe eyes ont he borders. He talks about how he even wrote letters to Mrs. roosevelt trying to get her to help  in someway but he never recieved a response.

Shortly after his family went to the ghetto Hitler wanted to build a highway and needed workers, men between the ages of 20 and 30. Ech family had to have one man from every house go to help build it. His older brother had a wife and his other brother was not yet 20 but was very strong and wanted to go work for him, but he sdidnt really know where he was going or what to expect so he went.

He was in a labor camp for a little over months, 70 to 80 packed in barns anf they had to use bags as socks on there feet. He said the lice was so bad they would strip naked to give there clothes ice baths to kill the lice but then they were jus back 2 days later. Bunkers were also only given to kilos of bread a say wich they had to ration out. He talks about hoo most people ate really fast but he saved his and just ate a little throughout th day.

He survived because of some german Jews that he had known from the big ghetto. one was a physician and they were able to sneek him out, he returned to the ghetto. Shortly after his grandma was shot and killed. And after that they were moving people out of the ghettos for good, his brother was able to save ten people by bringing them to a facory to work, but he still lost his mother, and sister as soon as they moved the ghetto.

I can relate to him because also in the article i read he talked about how he just went with everything that was going on and just told himself "whatever happens, happens" and i think that to about alot of things. And i can also relate to him becuase i am a middle child also and i would do the same thing if my brother was trying to be a hero for me. I would rather have something happen to me then to anyone else in my family, and i think he felt the same.