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
Ideas
Purely death based would involve the 2 alike paragraphs based on what I know and implement them
Challenges our preconceptions of death that we as human beings are responsible for our actions
Challenges our preconceptions by using Death to show that Death is misunderstood and that we have the potential to be the monsters that we write in our books and watch on our screens.
Death.
Quotes for Magical realism
“what happens when a highly detailed, realistic setting is invaded by something too strange to believe“
“It relies upon realism, but only so that it can stretch what is acceptable as real to its limits“
Introduction.
What is death
Living in shade/fear of death
Preconceptions of death
Application of using death in book theif
We are the monsters we put into our books and watch on our screens
Magical Realism
History and purpose magical realism (draft)
It is often written and presented as realism to shine familiar light upon the reader so the text remains in the realm of possibility; However, it is not Realism because it contains an unearthly element. It is the convergence of these two elements that give the text the ability to alter the reader’s view on society. This creates the opportunity for the reader to view the magical element in the realm of reality. The realm of reality with the magical element within leads to the reader to change their views where the element is placed because they now have the view of society with the twist that the author has intended,.
p1
Death doesn’t kill anyone because he is a result. I am not violent. I am not malicious. I am a result”
p2 “Minute after minute, shower after shower… Please believe me when I tell you that I picked up each soul that day as if it was newly born.“
Death is powerless in this situation of seeing all these people die as he is a result. He is powerless and has to not watch (like us) but be a part of it. He sympathizes with them.
End with Even Death has a heart
p3 Death then hinting at us that we are the bad one. “You really want to know what I truly look like?… Find yourself a mirror while I continue”. Death begins to pin the responsibility onto us. We are the main cause of death. More aforementioned.
Bulids up a bit of tension of what he is going to look like only to mislead us into telling us its humans.
p4 Deaths overall fear of humans a by I am haunted by humans quote which fully shows that we are the ones who are responsible for all of it
Talk about all of the colour metaphors as one
There is Death… On the surface: Unflappable, Unwavering. Below: Unnerved, untied and undone. Therefore Meaning he is scared of humans. Extensive use of alliteration of un.
There is Death… On the surface: Unflappable, Unwavering. Below: Unnerved, untied and undone. Therefore Meaning he is scared of humans. Extensive use of alliteration of un. As each page is unfolded Death reveals his fears more and more. He unfolds the curtains that hides a monster.
I am haunted by humans is Deaths final remark to the reader showing humans are the monsters.
conclusion
Classic
Brief statement about death
sum it all up
Don’t be scared of death, it is not the monster
Something to tie it all up
Changes
This is because they place the magical element close alongside the overall meaning of the book so that the magical element that is too strange to believe forces us to see aspects of society that we have not seen before
They were not done in the pages of any book. eg Not an almighty being
This is regarding the mass number of Jews being gassed and ‘almighty’ Death who lives in the clouds is sympathizing over their souls.
Death sympathizing with >Thier< souls also creates a compelling effect of empathy from the reader because if Death cares for the souls of something that’s not him, because he’s not human, then shouldn’t we as humans care?
skull replacement replaced for a face. He is the only source that isn’t an opinion.