PowerPoint Presentation

Written by: Marcus Zusak

Main CharactersEd KennedyAudreyMarvRitchie

AwardsCBCA (Childrens Book Council of Australia) Book of the Year

What we will explore in the MessengerPlotCharacterisationDialogueThemes/ideasSymbolismStructureAllusionsMeta-fictionImageryMessenger quiz1. Who are Eds three best friends?2. What event starts the book?3. What order do the cards come in?4. What order do the cards come in?5. Who is the man with the briefcase?

The beginning:The story begins with an introduction to the character of Ed Kennedy, a down-and-out underage taxi driver who is in love with his best friend Audrey, who, to his dismay, feels that she cares about him too much to date him. Ed is standing in a bank queue when a robbery takes place. He accidentally foils the robbers escape, and is proclaimed a hero. Shortly after, he receives an Ace of Diamonds in the mail. The ending:The last card is a Joker and has his own address written on it. But as it is made clear in the last lines of the novel it's all about the realization of chances and potential because as Ed finally says: "I'm not the messenger at all. I'm the message." We learn that the person sending the cards was Zusak himself. Ed was the 'guinea pig' of an experiment to see if an ordinary (very unsuccessful) man could perform the impossible and give hope to the world that this generation is not useless. As the book comes to a close, Audrey comes to Ed and reveals that she does love him, deciding to move in with him for good.PlotThe Cards

In the middle of the book Ed receives 5 playing cards. Four aces and a joker.

Your task: Match up the relevant aces with

The right taskThe right instructionThe right meaning behind the card

Theme!Recognising the extraordinary in the ordinary.We all have something extraordinary about us, no matter where we are from or who we are.

We all have the potential to be extraordinary, its about taking hold of your life and making changes, while also taking pleasure in the little things.

Be kind, be active, take risks, dont be a bystander. Eds life changes when he stops being a bystander and stops blaming other people for his own failures.

Success doesnt always consist of commonly acknowledged achievements. Just small thingswhich are big.

What does this mean?Extra vs ordinaryExtraordinaryOrdinaryGetting mystery cards in the mailWorking as a cabbieCharacterisation - MajorThe Messenger is packed full of interesting characters who rotate around our protagonist, Ed.

Your task:Your group will be given a set of quotes which relate to the 4 main characters. Match the quotes to their appropriate characters.Come up with a list of adjectives that describe your two assigned characters. Share adjectives with the rest of the class to get words for the other 2.

Ed KennedyYour job:

Write Ed a short Lonely Hearts advert as if he was going to try out internet dating. It needs to be short and punchy, so no more than 150 words.

You can use words from the quotes about Ed to help.

You have two choices: Be completely honest about Eds faults, or Try to use euphemistic language to gloss over his bad parts, eg. When they describe tiny, cramped houses as cosy in house ads.

Lonely hearts examplesHAPPY-GO-LUCKY, petite East End woman, loves keeping fit and music, seeks white male, 30-35, who is 100% genuine, honest and caring, for friendship possibly more. MALE, 42, Asian l looking but English, 5ft 10ins, medium build, thin on top with grey hair, looking for lady, 5ft 8ins, 35-47, intelligent, funny, fairly attractive, to get my thoughts alive and back on course.CUDDLY male, young 47, likes food, wine, sports, comedies, evenings in/out, WLTM warm, considerate female, 30-40, NS, GSOHND- Non DrinkerOHAC- Own house and carTLC- Tender loving careNS- Non smokerYO- Years oldOFAC- Own flat and carWLTM- Would like to meetGSOH- Good sense of humourSome abbrevs to help you.Audrey

Your task: Imagine Audrey is a member of AskFM.

Write a question as Audrey which addresses something in her life she might need help or advice about.Reply to her question with the advice you think she might need. Write a facebook message you would say to another friend to describe why Audrey is the way she is.

Audrey seems incapable of loving anyone because the people in her life that she loved have hurt her. Like Ed, she has let her past control her life.

Instead of letting anyone in she sleeps with people who she doesnt truly love. She keeps people at arms length.Characterisation - MinorMilla She ate a salad and some soup, and loneliness , she ate that too. No other man has entered her life. Not the way her Jimmy did. Shes been waiting years for her Jimmy to come back. And now he has.

Sophie On her face is the beauty of the morning and for the first time she recognises it, 5.30 am.

The Tatupu family on Glory Road Sometimes people are beautiful, not in looks, not in what they say, just in what they are. When they laugh you can see the world in their eyes.There a number of minor characters which display our theme recognising the extraordinary in the ordinary very well. Your task: 1. Write a note next to each saying why you think they are extraordinary.2. Draw a picture next to each to help you remember. Milla - Ordinary? Hers is a beautiful story of loyalty and love.

Sophie - Sophie is someone who needed encouragement to be herself. She runs barefoot, and is only herself in those moments. Ordinary? Ed doesnt think so. He thinks she has beauty and grace.

Tatupu family - This family have such love for each other they are extraordinary.

These three show us that it is easy for us to dismiss people, this is about looking closer seeing the quiet heroes, the potential we all have, recognising that no-one is ordinary we are all capable of greatness and heroism. Relate to Ed, an educated cab driver who manages to be a hero to countless people by small, single acts.An example of metafictionDaffy Duck!!How is this metafiction?

MetafictionA good way to think about it is its like the author or character winking at you from within the book. They are breaking the fourth wall as they say in theatre. They are acknowledging this is a work of fiction.

Zusak does this for a specific reason that he makes explicit in the end of the book. He creates this world and these characters for a reason what does he want us to realise by doing this?He wants us (and Ed) to realise that if even a character as hopeless and useless as Ed Kennedy can change his life, realise his potential, and affect change in others lives, than it really is possible for anyone, including the author to do so as well.

Ed is a guinea pig for Zusak to discover the truth about human potential. The potential to be extraordinary that we all have, if we could just realise it and make it happen. By putting himself in his own novel and acknowledging Eds role as a character in a book, we see not just Eds potential but our own as well. He makes us question our lives and what we have accomplished. Ed is the message, and Zusak the messenger. We are the recipients to that message. We just have to be listening. Metafiction quotesWhat would you do if you were me? Tell me. Please tell me! But youre far from this. Your fingers turn the strangeness of these pages that somehow connect my life to yours. Your eyes are safe. The story is just another few hundred pages of your mind. For me, its here. Its now. P 89 Ive been watched all along, but never have I felt as vulnerable or scrutinized as right now. p 341 You are like he was and just like him you were most likely to die the same way a quarter of what you could have been you see Ed, you were always an absolute no-hoper just like your old man and weve been employed to test you to see if you can avoid this life.. the only problem is it wasnt your father who sent us. p347 I came to this town a year ago, Ed I saw your father buried. I saw you and your card games and your dog and your ma. I just kept coming back, watching, the same way you did at all those addresses I killed your father, Ed. I organised the bungled bank robbery for a time I knew youd be there. I instructed that man to brutalise his wife. I made Daryl and Keith do all those things to you I did it all to you. I made you a less than competent taxi driver and got you to do all those things you thought you couldnt. And why? Because you are the epitome of ordinariness, Ed and if a guy like you can stand up and do what you did for all those people, well, maybe everyone can. Maybe everyone can live beyond what theyre capable of Maybe even I can. p 353 Your task:Pick the two quotes you think best show metafiction in relation to our theme. (You could pick part of a quote instead of the whole one.) Write a note next to each of them explaining how they do that. Thats so Meta (fiction)Metafiction uses literary techniques to draw attention to itself as a work of art, while exposing the "truth" of a story. "Metafiction" is the literary term describing fictional writing that self-consciously draws attention to its status as a piece of art in posing questions about the relationship between fiction and reality, usually usingironyand self-reflection. Metafiction does not let the reader forget he or she is reading a fictional work.What is metafiction?Some things that show you a work is a piece of metafiction are when:

A story containing another work of fiction within itself; A book in which the book itself seeks interaction with the reader; A story in which the characters are aware that they are in a story; A novel where the narrator intentionally exposes him or herself as the author of the story; A story about a writer creating a story; A story about a reader reading a book;A story containing another work of fiction within itself.

How many of these aspects does The Messenger contain?Quotes continuedFor a long time, I wonder what Im waiting for, but I understand its just like he said. I guess its for life beyond these pages. p 355 I recall the sensation of the town feeling painted around me and of feeling invented. Is this happening. p 353 Everything. Everything I wrote for you. Every idea I scratched around with. Every person you helped, hurt, or ran into even this this discussion. p353 Of course youre real like any thought or any story. Its real when youre in it. p354 Keep living, Ed. Its only the pages that stop here. p354 The odds are, however, that hes beaten me to it already. Itll be his name on the cover of all these words, not mind. Hell get all the credit but just remember that I was the one not him- who gave life to these pages. p 355 Thats when I realise Im not the messenger at all. Im the message. 357 I got through the folder incessantly. I sit there and comb through it. I rummage and plow among the loose papers. Im looking for this Im looking for you and me, together. She knees with me and places her hand on mine to make me drop the papers. I dont think its in there I think, Ed. This belongs to us. p 357

Biblical AllusionDespite seeming to be a no hoper, Ed is forced to play the role of the messenger, the saint and the saviour when he starts receiving the cards. In this way, Ed is like Jesus figure, while the person sending the cards/the author/Zusak is the all knowing, all seeing God.

His acts are not always big, but his small contributions affect change in his own life and others. By helping people in whatever way they need it, he makes his own life extraordinary.

The stories told in this novel are akin to parables. Ed must act the Good Samaritan and help a series of people to find their hearts desire. But the needs of each are different, and the type of task required is different too.

Question:

Is he saying Ed is a saint? Or is he showing us something else?Ed the messenger, Ed the saint, Ed the saviour.

Biblical Allusion quotesClubs are no snack, my son. The question is, are you up to it? Or is that question irrelevant? Surely you werent up to the Ace of Diamonds. But you did it. Good luck and keep delivering. Im quite sure you realise your life depends on it. P 113The damn card is like gravity itself. Like a cross to strap across my back. P 113 You know, they say that there are countless saints who have nothing to do with church and almost no knowledge of God. But they say God walks with those people without them ever knowing it youre one of those people, Ed. And its an honour to know you. P 156 The father speaks with a sincerity thats hypnotising. Not about god, but about the people of this town getting together. Doing things together. Helping each other. And just getting together in general. P 162Why have I been chosen for this? I beg, despite knowing without questions what I have to do. You were happy with the other two, I castigate myself. So now you have to do this one. P 81Are you some kind of saint or something? Inside I laugh. Me? A saint? I list what I am. Taxi driver. Local deadbeat. Cornerstone of mediocrity. Sexual midget. Pathetic cardplayer No, Im not a saintIm just another stupid human. P 74

ImageryZusak uses the dark/light, day/night imagery repeatedly in the novel.

In the context of our theme and characters, what could that dark/light dichotomy represent?

And what are some examples that show it?

ImageryZusaks repeated use of light and dark can be seen to represent good and evil as well as Ed movement from no hoper to someone with a purpose. He goes from being someone ordinary to recognising others and his own potential to be extraordinary.

For example, the fact that Ed chooses to face all of his earlier cards in the dark is a fact not to be overlooked; as the book progresses and Ed becomes more confident in his missions, more and more of his challenges are dealt with during the day.

Egs: The sun is up an orange cutout in a cardboard sky. I make it to the top and kneel down. My hands touch the cool stone. One could say Zusak uses the idea of reaching the top of the rock face as the sun is rising as a symbol for the perseverance and determination of Ed in the novel.

This could also be seen as a reflection of Eds evolving conflicts and character in the novel once dejected and relatively isolated, the sun is now rising from darkness, dawning on a new chapter in his life and possibly revealing the answer to the cards themselves.

DARKNESS AND LIGHT QUOTESWe sit in on the front steps, which are half in shadow, half in the sun. As it happens, I sit in the darkness and Tommy sits in the light Id wanted to stay on the porch with him until the sun shone bright on both of us, but I didnt Id rather chase the sun than wait for it. P 282-283I meet the darkness and uncertainty of what will come next. I feel the fear, but I walk fast toward it. P 289 I wonder for a moment why I didnt just set my alarm at home and come over at dawn, but I know I have to do this right. I had to suffer the night to do this properly. p333 I cant let him slink off to that darkness place inside him, where his pride is strewn all over the floor in some hidden room. P 302If my stomach was a colour, I think, it would be black, like tonight. P 296Each time a shudder makes its way to my arms and legs, I walk harder, deciding if Audrey needs me, and Ritchie and Marv, I have to hurry. Fear is the street. Fear is every step. The darkness grows heavier on the road and I begin. To run. P290God its dark now. As dark as the Ace of Spades. P 245The words stagger slowly from Marvs mouth. Half his face is trodden with darkness, covered but I can still make out the outlines, the forms. p 317 The first two hold me up with the rising of the sun. p7524

Major Symbols

Symbolism - Eds neighbourhood (also counts as setting)Ed lives is a town near Sydney, Australia. But his suburb could stand in for many in New Zealand, or any Western country, its an every town like the everyman in a virtue and vice story. Meaning it stands in for our own towns and neighbourhoods. Its run of the mill.

The town we all live in is pretty run of the mill. Its past the outskirts of the city and has good and bad parts. Im sure it wont surprise you that I come from one of the bad parts. My whole family grew up at the far north of town, which is kind of like everyones dirty secret. There are plenty of teenage pregnancies there, a plethora of shithead fathers who are unemployed and mothers like mine who smoke, drink, and go out in public wearing ugboots. P17

What does the neighbourhood symbolise?Ed uses his neighbourhood as an excuse for his own failure. He blames it for his lack of motivation and focus.

Dont use where you come from as an excuse for your ineptitude, your failure. Ed needs to recognise the ordinariness was him, not where he came from.Its not the place, I think, its the people. Wed have been all the same anywhere else. P 245

The neighbourhood represents our excuses and justifications for why we arent living the lives we should be. It allows us to let luck control our lives. Ed realises this and determines he will be better in his own home before leaving.

It also shows us that even in a place like this, heroes and extraordinary people and stories are happening. Its the person, Ma, not the place. If you left here, youd have been the same anywhere else. If I ever leave this place.. Ill make sure Im better here first. P 283

Relatable?Im from Palmerston North, which has very similar associations.

People think if youre from Palmerston North youre going to be a pregnant teen, an alcoholic, a school drop out. That youll wear ug boots to the supermarket, smoke around your kids, and sign up for the benefit.

Can anyone relate to this?

What does this mean?What effect does it have if people around you are negative about your community, and you are too?

What message should we take from the novel about where we live and where we come from?

Where could this kind of connection to the text help in terms of essay writing?

Symbolism The playing cardsTalk to your neighbour:

What do playing cards represent in life? What associations do they have with them?

What could they represent in this book? (There may be more than one correct answer.)

Luck you might have bad luck but you cant blame it foreverChanceGamblingDoing what you can with the cards you are dealtMastering life like you master a game of cardsTaking control not letting the cards you receive be the end of the storyYou need to take risks to get any reward

Where do we see the cards as symbolic?The card game - AnnoyanceThe messenger cardsThe structureThe suit themselves

AnnoyanceThe 4 friends get together every week to play annoyance. What could this be symbolic of?

(Hint: think about the name)

The messenger cardsClearly the cards themselves are symbolic.

Ed says I imagine a full hand of aces in that drawer, fanned out as a player would hold them in a game. I never thought I wouldnt want four aces. In a card game, you pray for a hand like that. My life is not a card game. 117 This quote is slightly ironic Eds life isnt a card game, but it has been created by Zusak. While Ed had his cards dealt by the author he can still make changes and have an extraordinary life.

And if someone like Ed can do it anyone can.

So the cards represent the life you are in, not what you can do. We are all dealt certain cards, but unlike Ed, we have full authorial authority over our own lives. And we need to take risks in order to move forward.StructureHow is the book set out?

What does Zusak use to structure the novel?Zusak structures the book around a deck of cards. Ed must work his way through each of the decks in order to fullfil his role and find meaning in his life. While most of us dont have to take on a journey like Ed, Zusak is encouraging each of us to consider the various aspects the suits represent.

Its also no coincedence that the cards are Aces Aces are either the lowest or highest card in the deck.

Again, he is reminding us that while Eds life is a game of cards, our own isnt. We have full control of our lives. We are the author of our own lives, unlike Ed.

While we may have excuses, like Ed does, we can see that even someone who has been created to be useless can achieve extraordinary acts, then we can too.Suits

In addition to the overall symbolism of the cards, the suits each have their own symbolism.

Your task: Identify what each suit represents. What was Zusak trying to do with the different meanings of the suits?Playing cards quotesI was lying about throwing out the diamonds. No one in their right mind would throw diamonds out, would they? Theyre valuable. If anything, they need protecting. P70I imagine a full hand of aces in that drawer, fanned out as a player would hold them in a game. I never thought I wouldnt want four aces. In a card game, you pray for a hand like that. My life is not a card game. [ 117Later that night I look in the bathroom mirror. Two black eyes. Swollen jaw. A blood stream flowing to my throat I stare strangely into the face of clubs. P 180I have to dig. This is spades so I have to dig. P214I remember the diamonds, relive the clubs, and even smile about the spades. I worry about the hearts. P 280People die of broken hearts.They have heart attacks. And its the heart that hurts most when things go wrong and fallapart. p 292Protect the diamonds. Survive the clubs. Dig deep through the spades. Feel the hearts. Minor symbols

The Christmas Lights are Eds way of making the Tatupu family feel acknowledged and welcomed. Its a small gesture, not heroic or brave, but it means so much to them.

He realises from this act that small things can have a big impact. That the ordinary can be extraordinary and that behind the faade of an ordinary house there can be beauty and something special.

It also shows how a small gesture can mean the world to someone.

Four globes to brighten up the Tatupu house this year. Its not a big thing, but I guess its true big things are often just small things that are noticed. P 221

This isnt about words. Its about glowing lights and small things that are big. P 221

Lua kisses her. Just softly on the lips. And she kisses back. Sometimes people are beautiful. Not in looks. Not in what they say. Just in what they are. P 224

Have a think. Has anyone ever done something like this for you? It might seem small to them but it made your day/week/year?

Or.Have you ever done some thing like this for someone else? Not for the thanks, or the reward, just to make their day?

If you said no. Why not? Whats stopping us?

The Invisible Running ShoesWhen Ed meets Sophie he cant figure out what she needs.

When he sees her run, he sees her true beauty. She is happiest when she runs barefoot.

By giving her the invisible shoes he is giving her permission to be extraordinary, to run her races barefoot and enjoy it in the same way she does at 5.30am.

The shoes represent the fact that she had that ability all along, she just needed to be reminded of it. Each message Ed delivers lets him know the same thing. 40

Angie Carussos icecreamLike the Christmas Lights, the icecream is a small gesture that has big effects.

Angie is a solo mum with small children. This is a demanding life with very little recognition.

Of course she loves her children, but in having them she has sacrificed a different possible life.

What does it mean that Ed gives her the icecream? What is he trying to say to her?DialogueYes, youre here and thats exactly it!... Look at this dump. The house, the town, everything your father he promised me that one day wed leave this place. He said wed just pack up and go, and look where we are, Ed. Were stil her. Im here. Youre here, and just like your old man, youre all promises, Ed, and no results you could be as good as any of them but youre still here and youll still be here in fifty years and youll have achieved nothing I just want you to make something of yourself. P 245 You are like he as and just like him you were most likely to die the same way a quarter of what you could have been you see Ed, you were always an absolute no-hoper just like your old man and weve been employed to test you to see if you can avoid this life.You know, they say that there are countless saints who have nothing to do with church and almost no knowledge of God. But they say God walks with those people without them ever knowing it youre one of those people, Ed. And its an honour to know you. P 156 Its the person, Ma, not the place. If you left here, youd have been the same anywhere else. If I ever leave this place.. Ill make sure Im better here first. P 283 Are you looking at a dead man now? p351You were sent here to remind yourself that you dont want to die the same way your father did. Understand? p 348