“Yes the fuhrer decided that he would rule the world with words. “I will never fire a gun, I will not have to””

This quote from the book The Book Thief talks about how words can be used to control and rule people. The alteration “He would rule the world with words” helps the reader to create a clear picture using the sounds of the series of words. The fuhrer in this quote is powerful in nature. “the fuhrer decided” shows this power, the facts that he could decide to “rule the world with words” or with force tells the reader he had a great confidence and sway of his subjects. The use of the personal pronouns “I” and repetition of “I will” in this quote forces the reader to think that he truly believed that he could control such a large number of people with just words alone, or that he “would not have to” fire a gun because he could get someone else to do his dirty work. This quote shows how one persons words can have such a powerful impact on a persons beliefs and morals. Words can be a weapon and the fuhrer took advantage of this idea.

“The injury of words. Yes the brutality of words. Cuts had opened, and a series of wounds were rising to the surface of her skin.”

The Book Thief, a novel written by Markus Zusak accurately conveys the power and impact words have on us as humans. Liesel Meminger the novels main protagonist writes a story that is told by the character “death”. The story is told with emotive language And strong imagery in the form of metaphors which sir the readers emotions. “Cuts had opened, and a series of wounds were raising to the surface of her skin.” this metaphor gives a physical representation of how words can hurt a person, in this case its the mayor’s wife. Her previous emotional wounds that are being brought back to the “surface” because of Liesels verbal spill. The the idea that words could cause physical harm or “injury” is typical of the genre of magical realism, due to the impossible manifestation of seemingly physical wounds from words. The authors construction of this passage teaches and makes the reader think of the hurtful nature words can have on a persons life.