Dripping with irony...

This is an informal response: References to the text should be present, but quotes are not required

Irony is used to add depth or added emotion to a story, and The Book Thief is dripping with irony in almost every chapter.  

Remember that there are three major types of irony: 
Verbal irony, Dramatic Irony, and Situational Irony.  For a brush up on these three kinds of irony, check out this link: http://theoatmeal.com/comics/irony or do your own research.

Find at least one good example of irony in Part 7 and 8 combined.  For your response, quote a passage from the text that contains the irony, label the kind of irony it is, and explain HOW it is ironic.  Finally, what added depth or emotion is achieved using this irony?

Example:

In Part 7 during the first air raid, Rudy says to Liesel, "Ah, come on, Liesel, don't be like that.  What's the worst that can happen, apart from all of us being flattened or fried or whatever bombs do?" (Zusak 373).

This is an example of all three kinds of irony:

Verbal Irony:  He's saying one thing thing while meaning another.  In other words, he is talking about the horrors of the bombs in a completely offhand way, which is not how he feels about them at all.  He's actually terrified, but this is his way of trying to project confidence in the face of all of their fears.  This seems perfectly in character for Rudy, and likely will deepen the emotional connection to him.  He's trying to make Lisel calmer with his confidence and off-hand statement.  But it may also lead the reader to some sadness (see dramatic irony)

Situational Irony:  When gathering in a bomb shelter, seeking safety and comfort, it would seem like the LAST thing you want to talk about is the consequence of being subjected to a horrible death by bombing.  It reverses the expectations of what would logically happen in this situation.  

Dramatic irony:  Death has already informed us that Rudy will die in a bombing attack.  That makes his words right now even more ironic: the reader knows that this is the fate in store for Rudy, but he himself does not know. If the reader is paying attention, this might create a sadness and anticipation towards future air raids.

Death gives it all away. Or does he?

This is an informal response: References to the text should be present, but quotes are not required

Why do you suppose the narrator flashed forward to Rudy Steiner's death?  Do you think this knowledge improves or lessons your appreciation of the book?  How does this action by Death support his characterization up until this point?  Why do you think Markus Zusak has chosen this technique to employ at this stage in the book?

The Narrator of the book

This is an informal response: References to the text should be present, but quotes are not required

Perform an initial characterization for the narrator, Death, in The Book Thief through Part One.  Describe what he may look like, his personality, and any other points of note that seem important about him.

What do you think of Zusak's choice of narrator for this story?  Why do you think he chose this "being"to tell it?