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.
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Brooklyn Di Lello
ReplyDeletethe bent woman still clung to hope. She called over her shoulder as she half walked, half ran. "Rudy!"
Hans hubberman thoughtof another Rudy then. The Himmel Street variety. Please,he asked into a sky he couldn't see,let Rudy be safe.
When Hans is at the bomb site and trips over the dead body of the young boy and he is reminded of Rudy which is dramatic irony because Death has already told the readers that Rudy dies in a bomb raid in a similar to the one that has killed this young boy, Rudolf also known as Rudy by his mother
what kind of irony is this?
DeleteAbby G.
ReplyDelete"This was not Franz Deutscher's fault, but his own. He wanted to show his past tormentor what he was capable of, but he also wanted to prove himself to everyone. Now 'everyone' was in the kitchen." (Zusak 409)
Situational irony: Rudy thinks that by winning all of the competitions he will provide revenge to Franz Deutscher for agitating him during his Hitler Youth meetings, and Rudy also believes he will be able to prove himself to all of his peers after his Jesse Owens incident. But, by winning the competitions he actually caused the Nazis to look deeper into him because of his atheltic and academic abilities. Which then causes him to be chosen for the special Nazis school. Which causes his father to decline the offer. Which finally causes his father to be forced to join the German Army. This is not at all what Rudy was aticipating by winning his events.
Nice! "everyone in the kitchen" also made me laugh when I read it...another of Death's dry humor.
DeleteZachary Zydonik
ReplyDeleteIn Part Seven Hans exclaimed to the coatman "'Hey! Im right here. It's me you want. I live in this one.' The coat men only stopped momentarily and checked their notebooks. 'No, no,' they told him. Their voices were deep and bulky. 'Unfortunately, you're a little old for our purposes'" (Zusak 403)
This qoute expresses situational irony. Hans was awaiting for weeks for men like these to take him away or search his house. He believed these men were coming for him, but instead they came for Rudy, which was against all expectations or thoughts of anyone. Dramatic irony is also shown because the men mention that Hans is too old for thier purpose. This shows that they know more than Hans or any of the other bystanders. The men know that they are coming to encourage Rudy to go with them, but Hans doesn't. Verbal irony is shown when Hans invites the men to his house as they walk past it. Hans doesn't actually want the men to come to his house, but he attempts to guide thier direction his way.
You found one with all three! Nice! Although I agree with the situational and verbal irony, I'm not sure about the dramatic irony simply because, at that moment, the reader doesn't know that the coatmen have come for Rudy. *checks* I correct myself. You ARE right. Death tells us right afterward that they have come for Rudy, which still makes it dramatic irony. Nice!
DeleteCourtney Cole
ReplyDeleteOn page 381, the following quote is an example of situational irony; “The book on top of the pile was The Whistler and she spoke it aloud to help her concentrate. The opening paragraph was numb in her ears.” The quote is ironic, considering The Whistler is about a murderer who convinces people to like him, then kills them. The reader would assume that this would make the people more uneasy, especially since they are currently seeking shelter from a bomb raid, which could possibly kill them. In the quote on page 381, “By page three, everyone was silent but Liesel,” this shows how the story revolving around death and murder calmed the people on Himmel Street, if anything.
Good catch! Even the content material of The Whistler, which we've discussed, makes it situationally ironic.
DeleteCheyanne H
ReplyDelete"Together, they would watch everything that was so carefully planned collapse, and they would all smile at the beauty of destruction." (Zusak,408). I picked this quote because it has a lot of dramatic irony. I believe that since we, the readers, know that Rudy is going to die,this symbolizes and even foreshadows the event and causes the readers to prepare themselves for the death and "collapsing" of Rudy & Liesel's friendship because of his upcoming death.
Nice. It's also a bit of verbal irony, too, since destruction, even in the case to which you referring, is usually never "beautiful."
DeleteTheodore C.
ReplyDelete"To their left, flames and burning books were cheered like heroes" pg 113, from "100 percent pure German sweat" connects to " She didn't dare look up, but she could feel their frightened eyes hanging on her as she hauled the words in and breathed them out". These two quotes show how ironic the situation of Liesel calming the basement crowd by reading really is. Earlier in the book, these same people were glorifing the burning of books, but now the reading of such a thing is distracting and soothing to them.
....Maybe they like books about serial killers....which is also ironic. And fitting, somehow, because we've already talked about the symbolism with The Whistler...
DeleteErica P.
ReplyDelete"The corpse was facedown. It lay in a blanket of powder and dust, and it was holding its ears. It was a boy. Perhaps eleven or twelve. Not far away, as they progressed along the street, they found a woman calling the name Rudolf. She was drawn to the four men and met them in the mist. Her body was frail and bent with worry. 'Have you seen my boy?' 'How old is he?' the sergeant asked. 'Twelve'" (Zusak 436).
This is dramatic irony. Death has previously informed us of Rudy's death, the cause of which being a bomb. The irony is that we know something that Hans does not; that Rudy is going to die at some point.
Oh OH! Maybe Death was just talking about THIS Rudy and not the real one! >_>
DeleteNo, I'm kidding.
Lynsey B
ReplyDeleteSoon after Papa gives the Jew bread, he sits in his house waiting for a Nazi party to search his house. When no one shows up, he is surprised when he sees a letter from the NSDAP saying, "We are delighted to inform you that your application to join the NSDAP has been approved..." (Zusak 417). This quote is very ironic because getting accepted into the Nazi party should have been a good thing; after all he has been waiting for the acceptance for quite a while. Hans could not have been more wrong. The situational irony of his acceptance was a punishment in which there had to be more in store than just an acceptance. Hans was right. Very soon, a draft letter was received. Since Hans was accepted into the party he was getting drafted. Hans ended up with the worst job ever along with the other rebels who had done wrong, they would collect the dead bodies.
It's kind of fitting: Hans is already so involved with Death already (figuratively and literally!) Good!
DeleteAlyssa S.
ReplyDelete"Hans Hubermann thought of another Rudy then. The Himmel St variety"(Zusak 437).In part 8 Hans saw a twelve year old boy die during a bombing. This is dramatic irony because the boys name was Rudy, just like Rudy from Himmel St. The reader knows that Rudy eventually dies from a bombing. It's ironic that Hans thinks about Rudy and he eventually dies in a bomb.
It's the fact that Hans DOESN'T know about our Rudy that makes his thoughts and prayers for Rudy's safety dramatically ironic. And sad.
DeleteClaire O.
ReplyDeletePg - 417
"We are delighted to inform you that your application to join the NSDAP has been approved..."
Situational Irony-
This is complete situational irony because it is a reversal of what is expected. At the beginning of the book being in the Nazi Party id a good thing because it would hide Hans’s views of the Jew situation. But, now after Hans showed himself not being indifferent to the Jews and being approved by the Nazi Party has taken a complete 180. It is a bad thing because he has the chance of being drafted to war. That chance was very good because he was drafted. And the situation was the complete opposite of what was expected.
So true, and even "delighted to inform you" is ironic. It's verbal irony. They accepted this man to punish him for helping a Jew. They aren't "delighted" at all. Unless you argue that they were delighted to have a chance to hurt him, which is also possible.
DeleteMarissa R.
ReplyDeletePart 8
Dramatic irony
“The bent over woman still clung to hope. She called over her shoulder as she half walked, half ran. “Rudy!” “Hans Hubermann thought of another Rudy then. The Himmel Street variety . Please, he asked into a sky he couldn’t see, let Rudy be safe.”
Death has already told the reader that Rudy Steiner would die in a bombing attack. When Hans is sent to war he found a young boy about eleven or twelve. When a women came up to Hans asking if he has seen her son he asks how old and she says twelve but Hans couldn’t bring himself to tell her that he was dead. The readers know something that Hans doesn’t know; Rudy Steiner is going to die in a bombing attack. During this part it makes the reader think, after all the anticipation leading to Rudy’s death, that Rudy Steiner had finally died. But it’s ironic that it isn’t Rudy Steiner but a different Rudy and they both happen to be twelve years old.
Ah!! Part of Death's trickery again. His tendency to tell us what happens has the effect of deepening our anticipation. Even that is situationally ironic!
DeleteMary R
ReplyDeleteAn example of situational irony would be when one connects the quote on pagge 355, "'Better that we leave the paint behind' Hans told her, 'than ever forget the music,'" to the fact that later on in the book Hans does not bring his accordion to the shelter during the air raids, and he does not bring it with him to war either. There is also irony in the fact that this shows an act of hypocracy coming from Hans, who is a very honest person and does his best to prevent Liesel from developing the status quo-type conscience that society has created, and Hitler is one of the largest examples of hypocracy of that time because he practically uses it to continue his plan.
I hadn't thought about it this way, but you are right. It is weird he didn't take it to the shelter. Honestly, when I read it (and I'll show you my notes when I have re-consulted) I justified this action because Hans was so concerned about helping other people with the things that were most important to THEM, like Frau Hopzafel (sp?). I thought this symbolized his excessive compassion for others, that he would leave his own "soul" behind to help them bring theirs.
DeleteZach P
ReplyDeleteEarly in Part 8, when the coat men came for Rudy, it was said, “From the other side, the three men and one woman climbed to the hinges. ‘The best scores in the class,’ said one of the monsters. Such depth and dryness. ‘Not to mention his athletic ability.’ Damn it, why did he have to win all those races in the carnival? Deutscher. Damn that Franz Deutscher! But then he understood. This was not Franz Deutscher’s fault, but his own. He’d wanted to show his past tormentor what he was capable of, but he also wanted to prove himself to everyone. Now everyone was in the kitchen” (Zusak 408-409). This is situational irony, because the outcome was the opposite of what Rudy expected. In his attempt to get back at the Nazis, he revealed himself to be worthy of joining their elite group. This is shown when the coated men are described as symbols for “everyone.” Rudy wanted everyone to notice him, and “everyone” (the Nazis) did notice him. The problem is, Rudy’s races were for the opposite of Nazi approval, they were to show them up. This increases the reader’s attachment to Rudy, because after Rudy’s spell of failures, it hurts us to see his greatest success result in a fate he doesn’t want. The reader experiences an internal conflict as we wonder what these “monsters” will do with Rudy.
Oh my gosh, yes. Especially to the last part. I think you hit the nail on the head. We were so happy for Rudy for achieving his long-awaited victory over Deutscher and everything Hitler stood for that he unwittingly made himself the perfect choice to be one of them. Poor Rudy!
DeleteEthan T.
ReplyDeleteOn page 412, when Rudy is being examined at the doctor's, Death describes the doctor as "a balding rodent. He was small and nimble, pacing the school office with his manic yet business-like movements and mannerisms. And he had a cold." This is situational irony because doctors are meant to be clean and tidy people, and symbols of good health whereas this doctor is like a sick rat, which are notorious for spreading diseases like the Black Plague. In fact, Death says on page 413 that "His cold was killing him." Since this is Death telling us that this doctor is dying, it raises the question of whether Death is speaking literally or figuratively. Either way, it's no wonder why on page 414 Rudy questions if he wants to be part of a new class of Germans like this sick and possibly dying doctor.
I have all kinds of notes in my book for that part, and I'm glad you picked up on it. A doctor who is sick is already ironic, but added to the fact that he's supposed to be choosing the elite for the master race is even more ironic. I felt so much sympathy for Rudy!
DeleteIan H.
ReplyDeleteA prime example of situational irony in The Book Theif is on pages 412 to 415, the section called "The Thought of Rudy Naked". The examinations of the boys who are part of the 'master race', are much like the examinations the Jews faced in the concentration camps. "Rudy did not feel like he was part of the master race."
Holy crap, Ian. You are right! I never thought about it like that! His humiliating and naked scrutiny is JUST like "selection" at the concentration camps. Whoa... O_O;
DeleteJustin T.
ReplyDeleteSituational irony is present on page 428. The novel says, "It took longer than she expected for her eyes to adjust, and when they did, there was no denying the fact that Rosa Hubermann was sitting on the edge of the bed with her husband's accordion tied to her chest. Her fingers hovered above the keys. She did not move. She didn't even appear to be breathing (Zusak 428-429). Up until this point, Rosa is not seen as the type of person who is overly affectionate towards her husband. She constantly swears at him and criticizes him. It is ironic that Rosa deeply cares about him, but doesn't show it an a normal way. She swears at him when he's there, so we expect her to be slightly happy when he is gone. In reality, she is deeply saddened by his absence. This makes the reader feel sympathy for Rosa. She isn't a mean woman, as she was portrayed to be in the beginning of the novel.
Excellent catch. And clearly, this moment is even MORE poignant and "beautiful" BECAUSE of that harsh characterization we have had all along with Rosa. Honestly, I bawled at that part!
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