Author: Bob Baker

Wilkins,

Baylee Wilkins
Mrs. Rutan 
AP Literature and Composition
26 September 2014

“Papa’s bread and jam would be half eaten on his plate, curled up into the shape of bite marks, and the music would look Liesel in the face. I know it sounds strange, but that’s how it felt to her. Papa’s right hand strolled the tooth-colored keys. His left the buttons… The accordion’s scratched yet shiny black came back and forth as he squeezed the dusty bellows, making it suck in the air and throw it back out” (Zusak, 38).

Sights, Sounds, and Feels—Oh My!

This passage from The Book Thief has great imagery because while it doesn’t specifically use every type of imagery, it involves them. 
	First, it doesn’t have gustatory imagery, but the first words are bread and jam which is very common and readers imagine the taste right away. The same goes for a piece of bread and olfactory imagery. When someone says “bread and jam” you think first of how those two things taste and smell. The passage was not about the bread and jam, so it didn’t need to be described. 
	Zusak uses, “tooth-colored” (38) to describe the keys of the keyboard. He chose this color because it is specific, and it also brings to mind the shape of teeth and compares them with the shape of the keys. He also calls the accordion, “scratched yet shiny black” (38) which lets the reader know it has been used, loved, and cared for because it is scratched from use but still remains in good condition. 
	There is little tactile imagery, but it is still there when he talks about the scratches on the accordion. Scratches on a surface like that are very specific, and easy to identify with. Lastly, this passage is all about the sound, though he uses no “sound” words. Instead, Zusak personifies the accordion and states, “and the music would look Liesel in the face” (38). This tells us that the music is striking and loud, but more importantly it is and unfamiliar sound that captivates the listener. Zusak also personifies by saying, “making it suck in the air and throw it back out” (38). This is easy to connect the sound and feel of someone breathing in deeply and letting it go. It gives a feel of calm; a calm, deep breath of music.

(297 words)