Story/Speech

Until he left the school he was an ordinary person, he had friends, a good family, and he had a happy life. But when he graduated and decided to move out into the real world his life was changed forever. He figured out that he was all but invulnerable, that nothing but a gunshot could hurt him, but he chose to ignore this, to bury the knowledge deep down, and to try to forget.

His name was Johnathan, but only his parents called him that, everyone else called him John. When he left his home he also left his friends, except for the few that he cared for the most. These were the people that he had the hardest time concealing his “ability” from. All his life Jonathan wanted to be an architect, and up until his final year in school when he lost interest in the subject. He decided because of these bad experiences, he would want to go straight into the workforce, and to drop his dreams. The night before he was meant to start his new job at the bank, he had a dream, in his dream, he was invulnerable, well almost invulnerable, in his dream the only thing that affects him, the only thing that can hurt him, was a bullet, nothing else, no punches, no illnesses, nothing but bullets could hurt him.

He woke up early that next morning, and he felt … different, but he couldn’t put his mind on exactly how this was. He went into work, feeling nerves, something that didn’t ever happen to him, but that was understandable, this was the start of a new beginning. He was waiting at the bus stop when he saw the attack, 3 hooded men were approaching a group of girls, the girls were completely unaware, as they stood around gossiping, the men began to shake the girls down very aggressively, John desperately wanted to help, but he didn’t, he stood, rooted to the ground as the girls were being robbed in broad daylight, when the men were satisfied with what they had gained, they took off, and that was when John tried to step in. He tried to block the first man, but he was running at full tilt, and he barged through John, and he was pushed back into a telephone pole, before being thrown onto the rough tarmac of the road.

Now, John was no pushover, but both impacts that he took should have left marks, cuts and bruises, and also left him in some considerable pain … but that was the thing, they didn’t, he got up, feeling nothing, no pain, and as he inspected his shredded clothing, he expected to see his skin looking the same way, but it didn’t, it looked perfectly normal, the same way that he felt, He sat on the edge of the road, his head in his hands, what if the dream that he had that night was not only a dream … but also the truth. Then his mind went to the reason, there had to be one right, he thought to himself desperately, some reason why this was happening to him, John was never a believer of God, but at this moment he truly believed that there was someone else, that was pulling the strings, controlling him. He knew that he was left with a choice, greater than the choice that he made to abandon his dreams, this choice would have to be made from nothing but a dream and a 10-minute experience. He could choose to use his newfound strength, to help others, others that needed his help, or he could choose to ignore the call, to live his life and forget. He had always felt a need to help others, but at this moment he felt that it was not the right play, yea … he might be considered a hero for months, even years, but eventually, no matter have careful he was to avoid anything with a gun, one would find him, a situation would escalate and one would emerge, and that would be the end of him. This was not a risk he was willing to take

When he was at home that evening, and all of the other evenings for many weeks to follow, he obsessed about crime in his new city, but this was not so that he could help out, it was so that he could avoid it. Yea, he had to get up a 6 to make it to work on time, and, yea he had to take 3 buses to get there, but he was avoiding crime, not only for his own safety but so that he could live with his guilt, his guilt for ignoring the call to duty. His obsession cost him his friends, they did not know exactly what, but they knew that something was consuming him, burning away the boy they once knew and transforming him into a man that they wanted nothing to do with. But John did not care, he was beyond caring, all he cared about was his safety, and that was his downfall

The final straw for his friends was one day when they were hanging out, playing cards around an old poker table, a tradition that they had continued from school, and things got heated, the argument began over nothing, John was accused of cheating, and soon it escalated into a tussle, John chose to ignore his friends as they confronted him, choosing to let himself be hit, a punched by his friends, instead of fighting back, when they were finished, and they let him go, they were stunned to see that he was fine, they were scared even, as they fled, calling him names, they thought that he was a freak.

He woke up the next morning, after having a dream, the same as the one he had the night of the morning that he discovered his “ability”, he ignored it, thinking nothing of it. He went to work following his normal path, but he saw something out of the ordinary, a group of men, running up to him, the same way that they ran up to those girls on that day, he ignored them, and continued walking, one man tackled him, bring him down, and still he ignored him, they began to strip anything and everything that may be valuable, ad that was when John put up a fight, lashing out at one of them, catching his jaw and knocking him out cold. The others backed off, perfect, he thought, so he began to walk away, and then he heard a click, he had never heard it before, but he knew the sound, in the split second that he turned around he heard the subsequent bang, and in what he knew were his final moments, as the bullet sped towards him, he finally understood, he understood why. His near invulnerability was a test, and he had failed miserably, he had been given a chance to make something more, and he did not take it, the dream this morning was a final warning, reminding him of his powers, his potentials, and he still ignored them … so he accepted death, knowing that it was deserved, for all of those people that he could have saved, that he should have saved, but he chose not too, and that was why as his body was thrown to the ground, lifeless, its final thought was a sense of justice.

2.4 Writing Portfolio – Genre Investigation – The Book Thief

In the Novel The Book Thief, Markus Zusak uses elements of Magical Realism to convey to the reader that their previous conceptions of Nazi Germany and its occupants, and how an entire nation can be swayed by words, and by regular people and events. In the novel, there are two clear pieces of evidence of how Magical Realism is used in this way. The first example of this is the creation of a fictional town for the setting of the story, Molching, and the next is the use of ‘Death’ as the narrator

Magical Realism is a genre of writing that is used to alter the reality of a text or film, and it is used to change or challenge the audience’s preconceptions about a certain topic. Magical Realism is used to change certain parts of an otherwise truthful world, and this is used most commonly intertwined to the truth, to give the text more meaning and to make the use of Magical Realism seem more valid because it is only slightly altering reality. In The Book Thief, the creation of a fictional location and the use of Death as a narrator are both Magical Realism because they both change what is otherwise a boring and mundane world. The reader is expecting a novel that continues on telling them the same thing about Nazi Germany, but The Book Thief changes the normalities of a historical novel, and it does this using Magical Realism

The setting of the book thief takes place in Germany, a real country, and it is on the outskirts of Munich, a real city in Germany, and it even lies near the Amper river, a real river that passes near Munich. But Molching is not real. Throughout the entirety of the text, the reader is led to believe that Molching is a real town. The use of a fictional town that is made to seem real. “Quite a way from the outskirts of Munich, there was a town called Molching” This quote places Molching into the real world, around real locations and this is used to give more depth to the story. The creation of a fictional town or setting for a novel gives the writer more freedom with naming things, which in turn can add more depth and layers while still getting the same level of realism. An example of this is the street that Liesel, the main character, and many of the other key characters live on. The street is named “Himmel Street” and the English translation of this means heaven. This is not only a reference to the fact of how much Liesel’s life changes after she moves to the street, from a girl whose mother put her up for adoption to someone with new parents that love her, new friends, and the ability to read and write. But it is also a reference to where all of the characters except Liesel will end up at the end of the book. Molching is a normal town in Germany, and the reader thinks that all of its occupants will be for the Nazi Party, just as they think that all of Germany has the same views as Hitler. But the text explores how the occupants of the fictional location are resisting against the Nazis.

Death is normally just a force of nature that coexists with humans, but he is given a whole new meaning in The Book Thief, when he is personified to become the narrator of the text. allows him to give the reader a new perspective on death, and the millions that were killed during WWII. “Here is a small fact – You are going to die” This is a direct quote that relates to this fact, because death is trying to tell the reader that he is inevitable, and that the reader of the text, and the human race as a whole, needs to accept that fact and live with it. The Holocaust, which happens around the time that the book is set, took millions of lives and is considered one of the most horrific acts in all of human history, is by all means in the text carried out by Death, but he is trying to tell the reader that it is natural and that it has to happen. “I am haunted by humans” Throughout the text deaths unique relationship with Liesel is explored. Death is meant to be unemotionless and to carry out his role without getting attached. but Death does get attached, he first sees her when her brother passes away, and later when an army piolet crashes near to her home. And Death becomes interested in her, more than he should be, throughout the text he cannot help being fascinated by her even though he shouldn’t be. Magical Realism is used to change the reader’s preconceptions in this area of the text, because humans do of think of Death as something with emotions, and something that might actually care for certain humans, even against his better judgement

Magical Realism is employed numerous times throughout the text to challenge the readers preconceptions of Nazi Germany, and I feel that I have focused on the Key areas in this essay. Both the fictional location of Molching and the use of Death as not only a narrator but as a key figure in the novel.

NCEA 2.4 Writing Folio

The Book Thief Essay Plan

Question – How did Markus Zusak employ features of the genre Magical Realism to convey his ideas about human existence in his novel The Book Thief?

Intro
Explain how Zusak used Magical Realism

Paragraph 1
Magical Realism

Paragraph 2
Molching (Setting)

Paragraph 3
Death (Character)

Paragraph 4
Books (Symbol)

Conclusion

Magical Realism

In the text The Book Thief, written by Markus Zusak, magical realism is used to convey certain points of the text and messages to the reader. He does this by using a realistic narrative with a surrealist element. The majority of the book takes place in a small town on the outskirts of Munich, called Molching, the reader is led to believe that Molching is a real place, and this is done by using real place names surrounding the fictional area, such as referencing its distance to Munich, which is a real place in Germany, and it is also positioned on The Amper River, which is a real river that passes through the distance to Munich that Molching is said to be located. The use of a fictional location gives the author of the text more freedom in their writing, due to the fact that he is able to give places and streets names that have greater meanings, instead of replacing existing places, which detracts from the realism of the text. An example of this is the name of the street that the main character Liesel lives on. Himmel street translates to heaven, and this name references the great memories that Liesel experiences on the street but also alludes to the eventual deaths of all the residents of the street except for Liesel.

Molching, a small town on the outskirts of Munich, is the setting of The Book Thief. The town is described in great detail in the book, such as the fact that it lies on the banks of the River Amper, and a road to the Dachau Concentration Camp, these locations are both real locations in Germany and they both are near Munich, which is close to where Molching has been placed, giving the fictional town a sense of realism. The use of a fictional town that is described to be truthful in so much depth as to convince the reader it is a real place tells us that Markus Zusak might have been making up other parts of the story that may seem real, or at least that he is exaggerating. This leads the reader to believe that the author may be misleading the reader in other parts of the text that may seem realistic

The Son Of Man

Image result for the son of man

The Son Of Man is a painting created in 1964 by the Belgian artist Reńe Magritte, it is his most famous piece of artwork by far. It comprises of a man in a grey suit with a bowler hat on. There is a green apple floating in front of the man’s face, obscuring most of it. The man is standing in front of a wall that reaches his waist, and the wall is in front of the ocean or a large body of water.

Book Theif Analysis – New Quote

“Here is a small fact – You are going to die”

In the text, the author uses the personification of death to give the reader a new perspective on life and death. The text is set in Nazi Germany, which was a time where many people lost their lives, most of which were not soldiers but just innocent people, and some of which were only killed for there beliefs. The use of death as the narrator of the story gives us a new perspective on death, instead of marking the end, death is shown to be a pathway into the next life. In the text when people die death comes and rescues them from their dead bodies, taking the soul of the person with him, bringing them on a journey to the next stage. Many people are frightened by death and some people take extreme measures to evade it for as long as possible

The Book Thief – Quotes + Notes

pg. 3
First the colours.
Then the humans.
That’s how I usually see things.
Or at least, how I try
– gives a description on deaths atitude

pg. 3
Here is a small fact – You are going to die
– Speaks directly to the the reader

pg. 5
Your soul will be in my arms. A colour will be perched on my shoulder. I will carry you gently away.

pg. 5
It’s the leftover humans.
The survivors

pg. 6
Its the story of one of those perpetual survivors – An expert at being left behind

pg. 7
It felt as though the whole globe was dressed in snow

pg. 8
The mother, the girl and the corpse remained stubborn and silent.

pg. 8
Tears were frozen to the book thief’s face.

pg. 10
Sometimes I arrive too early,
I rush,
and some people cling longer
to life than expected

pg. 11
Years had passed, but I recognised her.
She was panting

pg. 21
Stupidly, I stayed, I watched.

pg. 31
But she had dangerous eyes

pg. 33
Liesel, naturally, was bathed in anxiety

pg. 34
To most people Hans Huberman was barely visable