The Book Thief- Blog 3

See Voltaire's blog.

The Book Thief Blog #2- In response to Oedipus

I completely agree. The amazing imagery and descriptions used throughout the book gave it a much stronger meaning. If it was not for these, the book would just be another normal book about World War Two, and I probably would not have enjoyed it nearly as much as I did. One part in the book that I thought used great imagery was when Liesel entered the mayor's library for the first time. Phrases like"the two words stood among acres and acres of vacant, wooden-floored land. The books were miles away" and "She ran the back of her hand along the first shelf, listening to the shuffle of her fingernails gliding across the spinal cord of each book. It sounded like an instrument, or the notes of running feet" give the reader an understanding of not just what this room looked and felt like, but what it represented to Liesel. To her, it was a room of beauty and magic in such a dark and depressing world, and a kind of escape from everything. With all of the amazing imagery used, the reader can start to understand Liesel's love for the books and the library, what attracts her to it, and what brings her back to it again and again.

The Book Thief blog

One of my favorite parts in the book, and also a significant one, is when Hans Huberman gives the Jew walking to Dachau the piece of bread. The passage is extremely helpful in the character development of Hans, and gives the reader a much deeper understanding of his personality. Throughout the book, the reader can see that Hans is a selfless, caring, and patient person through actions like taking in Liesel, teaching her to read, hiding Max, painting neighbors' blinds for free, and many other examples throughout the entire book. With all of these other examples, giving the Jew the bread is important because he does it even through he knows others are watching and will not approve. He also most likely knows in the back of his mind that the soldiers will harm him, and other citizens will call him a "Jew lover" but he does it anyway, which shows his selflessness. Although Hans is a particularly likeable character, this passage also shows the reader he does not always think through his actions before he does them. Giving the Jew the bread means Max has to leave since Hans believes the Nazis will come to search his house. At the end of the chapter, Han's regret about giving the Jew bread is obvious. This passage is also an example of the tremendously hard decisions people like Hans had to make during this time period. He could not just stand there and watch the Jew in the "parade" suffer, but giving him the bread meant Max had to leave. No matter what they chose, they could not win in a place as dark as Nazi Germany.

Modern Art Analysis

Nature Morte Vivante (Still Life-Fast Moving) by Salvador Dali (click on painting to see the whole thing... for some reason it only shows half on here)

1. Things I see in the painting
a. A geometric pattern on the right hand side of the table that draws attention.
b. Many different textures in the water, tablecloth, and back wall.
c. Lots of different foods, plates, and other things that would normally be seen on a table setting, except shown in a completely different way.
d. Movement shown or portrayed within the still painting
e. Bright color and light on one side of the painting and darker colors on the other side.
f. Realistically painted aspects, like the hand and tablecloth that look like it could be a photograph, combined in a way that makes the painting surreal and unrealistic.

2.
Lines: Almost all of the lines Dali uses in this painting are straight, except for in a few distinct elements of the painting, like the platters or the apple. This creates a very geometric looking design. Also, many of the lines are vertical or horizontal, so the elements of the painting that are drawn at a diagonal draw attention, like the knife and the motion of the apple.
Color: The colors used in this painting are primaries on the left with the blue and yellow dominating that side, and secondaries, like the orange, on the right.
I think the colors in the painting kind of clash. The dark, dull, colors on the right contrast against the bright blues and yellows of the left.
The orange color on the right hand side of the painting definitely draws the eye in. Also, the brightness of the blue contrasting against the darkness of the rest of the painting is another eye catching color.
Shapes: The painter uses many geometric shapes as the base of the painting. The large table in front is one, and it is also decorated with eye catching shapes. The long, yellow strip (rectangle) of yellow down the middle creates two separate areas.
Space: The artist makes it look like the setting is on some sort of balcony by putting in the railing, and it seems like the balcony would be very small and crammed with not much room for the viewer to enter. However, the water on the left hand side of the painting creates dimension.
Lighting: It seems like the light source of this painting is in the upper left hand corner based on the shadows of the objects, like the knife. This would make sense, since that area of the painting would be where the sunlight would be coming from. The shadows that the lighting create do contribute to the mood of the piece.
Composition: The artist makes the painting look right by painting many of the objects realistically, but placing them in a way that makes it interesting and surreal. The movement he displays creates intrest, and the blue water on the left provides a little break from the rest of the painting which is hectic and busy.

Mood: The mood I felt when looking at this painting was hectic, busy, and confusing. Many things seemed out of place, or not as they should be. They were levetating in the air and moving around, instead of sitting plainly on the table, like what would happen in real life which made it surreal. The movement created the hectic mood since there was so much of it. Wherever I looked, the movement directed my eye to another area of the painting. This reminds me of how the painting relates to the Age of Anxiety.. Things were hectic for people, and things were not as they used to be, or not as they should be, like the many items floating in the air instead of sitting normally like they "should be".