literature Analysis #1

I Am The Messenger

1. The plot of the story begins with Ed Kennedy, a lowlife, underaged cab driver who has no direction as to where he's going in life. One day him and his friends are caught up at a bank robbery and unintentionally Ed stops the bank robber, and is known as a hero. Shortly after, Ed receives an ace of diamonds in the mail from an unknown source. The card has a list of addresses on it and each address contains a problem Ed has to fix. Throughout the book, Ed receives a serious of aces; diamonds, clubs, spades, hearts, and had to figure out the address with some clues, and solve each problem. After he had completed each message, Ed got a final card that was a joker and had his own address written on it. He had learned my the last card that he isn't the messenger, but instead the message.

2. I think the theme of this book is, it's not about what you have already done, but what you can accomplish. Ed was going no where in life, and everyone including his mom knew it. He has done nothing but drive a cab, however the messages made Ed a hero. He accomplished all the messages and saved/helped others that not just everyone could do.

3. I chose this book because as I was looking through the list of books, this title stood out to me. It sounded suspenseful, so I looked up some summaries about it online. Right away it grabbed my attention, and also some other people who have read it told e it was a good book. When I began reading I kept reading because right off the back there was action and it app lead to me.

4. I found this book more or less realistic because the dialog is just how people would talk in everyday conversations. Also, the problems in the book could relate to anyone, such as not knowing where you're going in life, or being in love with your best friend. However sometimes I didn't find it unrealistic because its rare if someone got messages dropped off at there front porch to go solve peoples problems and be the hero. I do not personally know anybody who relates to Ed Kennedy, but I wouldn't doubt there is.

5. I would say the tone would be somewhat funny and straight forward. Ed tells everything like it is.

  Examples: "Only in todays sick society can a man be persecuted for reading too many books."

                       "I'm just another stupid human."

                       "Have you ever noticed that idiots have a lot of friends? It's just an observation."

6.  Symbolism: After Ed helps the first set of addresses on the cards, he gets another one, but this time its a riddle. After he solves the riddle he realized its the refuge place he used to go with his brother.

    "Say a prayer at the Stones of Home." (Part two)

Symbolism: Ed has a weird dream one night that he is in school and the teacher tells him to read the bored and it say, Barren Women. He then later realizes that its an author about a poem that relates to his life. It also helps him figure out the rest of the clues are by authors.

    " 'Recognize the words now, Ed?' Now I see the title at the top and understand what it says: Barren Women. I wake"  (Page 204)

Symbolism: Each suit of card symbolizes Ed's live in some way or scares him.

   "In moments of awakens, I remember the diamonds, relive the clubs, and even smile about the spades. I worry about the hearts." (page 280)

Simile: Marv is being compared to a frozen star jump, after just being punched in the face by his old girlfriends dad.

   "As I cross the street, Marv is splayed in the front yard like a frozen star jump." (page 

Personification: The sky is given a human trait and says its nervous after Ed chases a runner from his cab who led him to the Stones of Home.

  "The sky is nervous. Black and blue." (page 132)

Hyperbole: Ed exaggerates after the love of his life just said they were best friend and nothing more.

  " You can kill a man with those words." (page 120)

Symbolism: The hearts are symbolic because Ed didn't think they'd be last, but they were because they were most important. 

  "It's not what I expect. Spades." (page 199)

Irony: At the end of the book believe it or not, Ed ends up with his best friend Audrey  The hero always gets the girl.

  "Can I stay?"

  "Of course you can stay the night"

  "Not the night, for good." (page 356)

Symbolism: The doorman, Ed's dog, can be a symbol or foreshadowing of what Ed could end up as when he's old; smelly, lonely, and coffee.

  "I took him with me. To my shack. to his door. And he is happy. And so am I." (Page 18)

Allusions: Ed got a stone with three names on it instead of address: Graham Greene, Morris West, and Sylvia Plath. After a dream, Ed found out that those were all writers.

 "First up, I go for Graham Greene. Next I type West Morris. Now, Sylvia." (Page 209 & 210)

Characterization 

1. The author shows direct characterization when describing Marv and Audrey. He describes marv as never shutting up and how he's tight with his money. He describes Audrey in debt about how beautiful she is. Two indirect characters the author shows us is Ed himself, and how Marv actually has a good heart. The author tells us a little bit about Ed, but throughout the book we learn more about Ed through his actions. Also with  Marv the author shows us at the end of the book Marv is actually really nice and loving through his actions.

2. The authors Diction is informal. The writing is loose with characterization and I feel is easy to connect to the reader. The writing is consistent.

3. Ed Kennedy is a dynamic character because he changes throughout the book by at first thinking he's a loser who's not going anywhere in life, to thinking he's a hero who's actually worth something. He is also a round character because he changes throughout.

4. In the beginning of the story, I understood how Ed Kennedy viewed himself and where he thought he was going, nowhere. Throughout the book, I saw the change he went through and how his views started changing about himself. Now he thinks of himself as a type of heroic figure. 

Enduring Memory

"I'm not the messenger at all, I am the message." I really enjoyed this book because it had a whole different outlook on things. Also I liked the way every event somehow connected with one another by the end. This book was different than any other books, which means I'll remember it more so. I decided to take a chance and choose a different genre of book than I would normally choose, and I'm glad I did. I'll especially remember the ending of the book when Ed changed to a loser to a hero and realized that he's not the messenger, but the message to himself.