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Post by keelylipp on Aug 18, 2017 15:33:27 GMT -5
Before the first chapter has started, there are two quotes. One by Philip Beck, "In August 1944 the historic walled city of Saint Malo, the brightest jewel of the Emerald Coast of Brittany, France, was almost totally destroyed by fire.... Of the 865 buildings within the walls, only 182 remained standing and all were damaged to some degree." and one by Joseph Goebells, "It would not have been possible for us to take power or to use it in the ways we have without the radio." How do these quotes hint at the plotline and theme of the story?
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Post by codytaylor on Aug 19, 2017 19:41:16 GMT -5
Each quote has two obvious references but I believe they also have some underlying meanings. The first quote refers to the Sea of Flames which is supposed to cause harm to the people close to the person who possesses it, by destroying a town near the sea with flames. The second quote refers to radios, and how Werner is able to use radio transmitters to do things that would have been impossible otherwise. While both of these are true, I believe that the first quote also described World War 1, as many people died during the war, and many who remained were permanently scarred like Etienne. The second quote hints at a recurring theme of greed in the book. Both Dr. Hauptmann and Sergeant Major Reinhold von Rumpel seek power that they do not have. Dr. Hauptmann's desires are more closely aligned with the quote, as he hopes to use radios to seek out rebellious Frenchmen.
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