Most of the section I read focuses on the event of Hitler's birthday. The town has a big celebration where speeches are made, and unsuitable (mainly Jewish) books are burned. This is the first time that Liesel hears that Germans do not like communists. Liesel knows her real family had something to do with communism, but she didn't know it was something bad. Liesel asked her foster father "'Is my mother a communist?... They were always asking her things, before I came here" (115). Liesel misses her real family very much. When she hears that they were possibly doing things Germans were'nt supposed to, it changed her views completely. She had always invisionded her mother as just being sick, and that that was the reason why Liesel couldn't stay with her. But Liesel finds out that they took her mother away.
This information makes Liesel believe that all of the problems that are going on is Hitler's fault. She gets angry, and claims that she hates him. Her foster father Hans slaps her, saying "'Don't ever say tht!"' (116). He then goes on to explain to her that it is fine for her to privately feel that way (and hints that he does too), but for thier family's safety, they must pretend to love Hitler, especially out in public. Hans then makes her stand up, raise her arm, and say "Heil Hitler".
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Things like celebrating Hitler's birthday and praising him for the bad things that he has done really remind me of Trujillo. People don't want to go against these powerful dictators because they know that they will be punished and even killed. Good blog!
In class we are reading In The Time of The Butterflies and we see the exact event happening. The dad is taken away and the whole family hates Trujillo, but when they see him they pretend to treat him with respect because they cannot stand up against him in public or else they'll be punished or killed. In your story, the girl hates Hitler after knowing his horrible deeds towards his family just as Minerva and the rest of the sisters hate Trujillo after they arrest her dad.
I'm so jealous how much your book connects to In the Time Of The Butterflies! It's so interesting to see the mastermind of a dictator, and how they get people to almost literally worship them. It's also amazing when people make realizations about the truth of dictators, like the butterlies and Liesel in your book. Dictators are master manipulators, and reading about where they get to a point where it's pure fear to go against them is so scary, and makes me so grateful for our government in America!
I find it interesting how people give their rulers divine qualities. It seems like a very harmful thing to do and also very dangerous. It is happening to an extent in Venezuela right now, with many peasants hailing Chavez as a god for the social and other various programs that he has implemented to help the poor.
This post reminds me of Trujillo's dominance in "In the Time of the Butterflies" because, like Hitler, almost everyone was afraid of him. Many's reaction to dictators is to go with what they want which in Liesel's case, it seems that they are doing exactly that.
This quote showed me what real tragic measures Germany was at. It makes sense that one would immediatedly blame Hitler for all as he is considered one of the most evil men of history. People always hated Hitler, the only difference between when they hated him back during the war was that they couldn't show it. Now everyone hates him and there isn't a thing wrong with declaring it openly.
I think it's very interesting that the town is celebrating Hitler's birthday with such a huge celebration. It really shows that so many people are following his terrible rules. It also shows how brainwashed some of these people are because they are celebrating a mass murder's birthday. That must of been really hard for Liesel to find out that her mother has been taken away. I'm sure she was hoping that she was somewhere safe but sadly she wasn't. It is also VERy interesting when Liesel says she hates Hitler and how her foster father reacts. It really shows what a threat Hitler is to society.
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