THEME 1: Emotions are amplified when you are young.

Evidence/Analysis: "Eleven-year-old paranoia was powerful. Eleven year old relief was euphoric" (Zusak 118). Liesel felt very scared and paranoid after she stole a book. She thought she was caught, but then assumed she was good. Then she felt the euphoric relief that every child experiences. When your a young child, everything is new and has more emotion to it. When you steal something small, you feel like you go to jail if you get caught. If you get away with stealing something small, you feel like you are on top of the world. Emotions are a much more powerful feeling when you are young.

Analysis: This song shows how "young emotions are strange emotions." Ricky Nelson is trying to show that the world is a whole lot more interesting when you are young; "a world of laughter and tears and pain" and "at times a simple breeze is a hurricane." Everything is new when you are a child. The world is a place full of new adventures and extraneous things to be discovered. Therefore, this song demonstrates how young emotions are amplified and can be euphoric or a living nightmare.

Theme 2: No matter what age you are, you can always make a Difference.

Evidence/Analysis: "On their way up the stairs. . . many of the older people--even Frau Holtzapfel, even Pfiffkus. . . thanked the girl [Liesel] for the distraction" (Zusak 323). This was shown in the text right after the bombing. Little Leisel helped everyone get through this terrifying event. A girl that is barely a teenager read to a group of adults and calmed them. Liesel took a group of adult mind's off death and comforted each person. It should be the other way around, but Liesel showed that no matter how old you are you can make a difference.

Analysis: This little guy can motivate anyone to better themselves. He's very easy to like and interesting to listen to. He got almost 40 million people to watch his speech about motivation; almost 300,000 people liked this video as well. This kid has impacted more people than most people will influence in their lifetime. If this young boy (not even a teenager) can influence 300,000 people to like his video it's justifiable that he made a difference.

Theme 3: Every culture goes through similar struggles.

Evidence /Analysis: "The Germans in basements [during the bombing] were pitiable, surely, but at least they had a chance. That basement was not a washroom. They were not sent there for a shower. For those people, life was still achievable" (Zusak 319). This was stated during the bombing. It is relating to how The Jews were sent to "the showers" when it really was a gas chamber. The Germans in the basement is a similar occurrence. Both cultures are waiting to die; the only difference is that the Jews had no hope but the Germans did. Generally, The Jews and the common German went through a similar struggle at some times (proving cultures endure similar struggles). Obviously the Jews had it worse but some struggles were similar.

Analysis: In the movie "The Boy in the Striped Pajamas," the gas chamber is disguised as the showers. It is the final scene in the movie and shows the brutal ending of many Jews lives'. Everyone was put in the showers unknowingly of their true fate. This is similar to how the Germans were forced to go into a basement during bombings. Both cultures died in similar ways; The Germans at least had hope of living. The average German and the Jews were very different, but they had a shockingly similar struggle.

Summative: Emotions are amplified when you are young.