Jack Martin's English Journal

“The Book Thief” by Markus Zuzak

It was midday. A time when people should be happy getting their expensive lunches and meeting their friends, but that wasn’t to be anymore. The streets were filled with angry, frustrated rioters with riot squads trying to contain them. I wasn’t a rioter; I have a strong set of morals in place. I had a good job with a loving family however that was now gone. I don’t know who I am anymore, a worker, a father, a husband?

Thick smoke covered the blue sky above which made it very dull and a tense atmosphere. The Victorian buildings on either side stood with their pride which was being slowly damaged. The police and rioters shouted at each other furiously. The faces of the policemen told a complete story, they were losing hope. The rioters were everywhere, on roofs of buildings, shops, in cars. The rioters were looting department stores for the goods they desperately needed, was this the only option? Did they have no other choice? The police were definitely outnumbered by a few hundred in which they were being dominated. The smell of smouldering buildings was strong making people cough and in need of a medical attention. All the emergency service crews were present and trying to work there best with the hard situations they were put in. All you could hear was explosions which the sound never seemed to stop ringing in my head. I kept trying to complete the sentences and the answers in my head but I kept stuttering, maybe there weren’t any answers?

I walked quickly down the main road trying to push my way through everyone, avoiding eye contact in case they thought I was involved. Beyond the city it was still peaceful, however I don’t know how long that would last. This all started from the world’s major country’s economies collapsing. The currencies lost their value and prices for good increased. I didn’t know much about this and economics was never a subject I was interested in. I decided to try taking another route to delay journey time, but Crimea Street was blocked off. Another dead end, another obstacle, even more questions unanswered. The only route was down the main road where all the disruption was. It’s like the police and the government wanted us to riot. Another question which popped in to my head, they were coming one after the other. I carried on pushing my way through the crowds slowly but efficiently. I had to keep calm and focused on what I was doing.

Finally I made it out of the large group of people. It was like a fierce pack of lions staring at their prey, well at least that’s what it felt like. I stood still in the middle of the once beloved street looking for him. This road was once filled with bustling traffic giving the place a great atmosphere. I missed the way things used to be. I wondered to myself will they ever be the same again. Suddenly I noticed him sitting down in the doorway of a derelict building on my right hand side. He had his head buried in his hands. Was he ok? I started to worry as I sprinted over there frantically. Was it too late? Maybe I shouldn’t have left?

You can’t escape, questions will forever be entering your mind. The street filled with violence and the pain of destruction. You will feel isolated within your thoughts and emotion because society is destroyed. Listen to the firing of weaponry, the shouting of abuse between the police and people. Think, why has this happened? You can smell the smouldering building without there pride which used to be strong.

As I stood on the edge of the pier my body was tense and sweat dripped off my hair. There was a strong smell of burning rubber in the air which made my eyes water. The tall chimneys shadowed the damaged ground leaving me with a feeling of despair and anxiety. I looked down into the strong currents of the contaminated river below. Thoughts started entering my mind do I decide to end my life or carry on living alone? The smoke above acted as a blanket stopping the majority of light coming through. The smoke gave me a sense of security but that wasn’t enough. It was dark and dormant with an eary silence. Above the lifeless, derelict buildings the gigantic birds flew swooping in between the chimneys and shrieking that demanded my attention. These were once the birds that were on society’s side. The thought was always in the back of my mind, why did I survive the attacks and no one else, there must be a reason?  I stood there for a while lost within my thoughts and emotions. I decided to walk back into the building behind me and settle down for the dreaded night. I had set myself up a small bed and stored some of my personal belongings in a corner of the room. i had food and drink but the amount was scarce. It would last me for about 2 more days then I would have to find it somewhere else on the island