THEMES/ ISSUES.
Psychological Disorders/ Schitzophrenia/ Insanity
- Eg- In item 6 Messenger, a self-confessed 'neat freak', is somewhat shocked when he realises several days after the biology trip that he has left his sleeping bag out. "With all the goings on it was just stuffed into its drawstring cover. I was annoyed I had forgottento fix it, and now it was busting out all over my bedroom floor." Although this is only a minor symptom, we must remember that it was one of the first to appear and was during the early stages of theonset of schizophrenia
See's himself as powerful- schitzophrenics feel they are more powerful.
We seee this in the text with Steven Messenger feeling like he's flying over the world, looking down on everyone like he's God.
He also sees the 'other' Steven Messenger who is a version of himself but BETTER.
Supernatural
- Eg Steven can see the life of Jan Pelgrom- how?
When Steven puts on the ring he taps into Jan's world because it was Jan's ring.
We can't work out how this happens?
Steven Messenger at the Vacancy sign - 3 days after he disappears.
Steven Messenger also gets back to the Motel- quicker on foot than Nigel Kratzman does by car.
White Settlers – why are the aboriginals scared of the white flag that Jan and Wouter had on their sled?
- Because they reminded them of ships sails- it seems that ships have been there before and caused them harm
Makes us question who was the first white settlers on Australian soil.
Murder-
Who murders who?
Steven Messenger murders Charlie Sunrise
Jan Pelgrom murders Lucky the dog and Ela- his wife
Jan and Wouter also murder women and children.
Relationships- SEE RELATIONSHIPS LINK
History- SEE BATAVIA LINK
BIG QUESTION: IS STEVEN MESSENGER CRAZY OR DOES THE RING HAVE POWERS?
What do you think??
Are there more examples?
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I think Steven Messenger is crazy. There are a lot of things in the book that makes us think that the ring has got suppernatural powers or Steven's just crazy.
ReplyDeleteAlso in the book there are many character relationships. For example Jan Pelgrom and Steven Messenger are alike. Steven and Jan are weak characters and a bit immature. Wouter Loo's and Nigel Kratzman are also alike. Wouter and Nigel are mature people who feel they have to look after Jan and Steven. They also are forced to be friends with Steven and Jan.
There are many simmilarties in the relationships. It also points out the total differences in each pair.
In the theme murder Jan and Wouter murder and rape 120 men and women and kids.
i think that Steven Messenger is crazy.. because the ring can not make you go into another world its all in his mind, when the book says he is in another world that is when he is going crazy.. the ring does not have powers!
ReplyDeleteThrough out the most part of the book there are many different incidents that could lead to Steven being Crazy, like when he talks about the ring having magic powers and being able to take him back 300 years to view history. It also becomes very clear that he could be crazy in the end of the book when we find out that Stevens dad is dead, but through out the book Steven has spoken of his dad many times as if he was still alive.
ReplyDeleteIt is hard to decide wether Steven is insane or if the ring holds supernatural powers, as there is evidence to suport both sides of the argument.
ReplyDeleteto decide wether you think he is insane or not you must ask yourself one question... are his visions and dreams of jan, wouter, ela and the other steven real? or are they just the far fetched and unreal helosinations (sorry i can't spell) of a mentally ill teenage boy with a good imagination.
It is highly possible that steven, after reading about the batavia murders and the diary of wouter Loos, started to modle himself after Jan seeing him as a stronger and cooler person than himself this modle of Jan becomes the other Steven a split personality almost that Steven wants to become.
Then again the ring could have supernaural powers that alowed steven to become thae other Steven and look back into the past.
Personaly i think that steven is insane and his dreams about wouter and jan are twists his insanity has put on history to make him feel as if he is Jan and history is almost repeating itself. Making him feel more important and making him think the ring has powers beyond reality.......
But thats just me ... this may not make sense to anyone else but ...yeah thats my opinion anyways..... um bye :)
Steven is weird.
ReplyDeleteMany information fact and fiction is in the book, some of this evidence can prove to both sides of the story.
Was steven messanger crazy or did the ring really have powers??
I think that Steven messanger was crazy because of the signs of him being Schitzophrenia. Seeing footsteps outside his room, seeing charlie outside his window every night, and the paranoia of things not being neat and tidy. Feeling more dominate than anyone else and the power of being better than anyone else. steven always felt that the other steven messanger was more important.
to be continued....
Is Steven Messenger insane or has the ring got supernatural powers??????????????????????????
ReplyDeleteI believe that Steven Messenger is insane. During the beginning you start to believe that the ring posseses special powers, that it has the ability to take Steven back in time and give him and insight to a strangers life and gives Steven the ability to see himself as a better person. But couldn't this just be a fragment of Stevens immagination, he wants to be popular, he wants to be cool and he believes that the ring can give him the power to be that person. Another example of Steven not being sane is that in the book Steven talks to and reffers to his dad as if he is alive, at first the reader would believe that this is just a normal boys thoughts(wanting his father to come home, wondering where they will be moving to next, etc.)
THIS IS NOT FINISHED THE BELL WENT SO I WILL CONTINUE LATER..............
Is Steven Messenger insane or does the ring really have the abilty to take him into another world where he can see Jan, Wouter and Elas life and what happend to them??
ReplyDeleteI think at the start of Strange Objects you do think the ring has supernatural powers and can show Steven Messenger a hole new world where he can see Jan, Wouter and Elas life and what happend and also believe that he is able to see a more good looking and cooler Steven, it isn't until the end when his mother tells the police that his father is dead you then start to think that Steven is actually insane, he speaks of his father many times during the book and not once does he let on that his father is dead.
once finished the whole book you still toss up weather or not Steven is insane or not as Steven is spotted by Ms McAlpine three days after his disappearance in a red shirt and white pants standing beside the vacancy sign at the midway road house, in one of Stevens dreams where he see's the more cooler and better Steven he is standing by the vacancy sign in a red shirt and white pants so this really gets you wondering weather Steven is insane or can the ring really show him a different world?
Fantastic work guys you are really thinking about this big issue in the text.
ReplyDeleteYou are all correct, there is no answer to this question it depends on the way that you see it. It is meant to make you think what is real and what is not, just like the juxtaposition between fact and fiction.
Steven Messenger insane or has the ring got supernatural powers??????????????????????????
ReplyDelete(CONTINUED....)
however as we find out later in the text Stevens father has already died. It is when we find out about this very important piece of immagination the reader questions Stevens Sanity.
Another example is when Steven , in his letter to Dr Hope Micheals(sorry of it's spelt wrong), tell of how their is a person who watches him from his window,and the person who wwas in his room going through his stuff. There is no real proof that this person even exists.