Thursday 5th December 2024
Is ‘The Crossing’ a hopeful novel?
Complete these sentences:
1. I enjoyed/did not enjoy ‘The Crossing’ because…
2. I think/do not think ‘The Crossing’ is an important story for young
people to read because…
In literature, what is a theme?
In literature, a theme is a big idea explored by a writer.
Write down what you think are the 5 most important themes
explored by Manjeet Mann in ‘The Crossing’.
‘The Crossing’ Key Themes
• Loss
• Grief and bereavement
• Home and belonging
• Human connection / our common humanity
• Prejudice and xenophobia
• Injustice and inequality
• Hope
Is (the end of) the novel hopeful?
Let’s re-read the final sections of the novel, focusing on the
question of hope.
Hopeful Hopeless
Whose voice is missing from the end of
the novel? Why?
Why does Mann choose to have Sammy
die?
What if Sammy had lived?
How would that change the message of the novel?
Is ‘The Crossing’ a hopeful novel?
Complete this sentence:
I think ‘The Crossing’ is / is not a hopeful novel / is a somewhat
hopeful novel because…
In her author’s note, what does Mann identify
as the message(s) of ‘The Crossing’?
‘Despite these divisions, I wanted to remind people of how
connected we all are. The Crossing is about loss, but it is also
about hope and wanting more than anything to belong and feel
safe.’
What is Mann’s message in ‘The
Crossing’?
Try to sum up Mann’s message (or messages) in your own
words:
Perhaps the message of Mann’s didactic novel is that…
What is Mann’s message in ‘The
Crossing’?
Perhaps the message of Mann’s didactic novel is that…
… what connects us is far greater than what divides us.
… our common humanity transcends social, political, and
economic divisions.
… no matter how great our loss and suffering, human connection
is a source of hope.
…we must all do more to recognise and respect the humanity of
refugees.
How does Mann express hope in the
novel? What methods does she use?
• She uses the parallel narrative, in particular, the blurring of the
division between Natalie and Sammy’s stories, to emphasise that
our common humanity transcends political, social, and economic
divisions, and to highlight that human connection is a source of
hope.
• She uses the motif of stars and stardust to symbolise hope and
our common humanity.
• She uses imagery of light and darkness to represent the tension
between hope and despair.
• She uses Natalie, Sammy, and Hamid as mouthpieces to deliver
her message of hope directly and explicitly.
What is a symbol?
A literary symbol is an object, a person, a situation, or an action
that has a literal meaning in a story but suggests or represents
other meanings.
Could Sammy be a symbol? What might he symbolise?
Could Natalie be a symbol? What might she symbolise?
Friday 6th December 2024
How far do you agree with the idea that 'The Crossing' is a
hopeful novel?
Continue annotating the quote below which you started with Miss
Kerai. If you finish, do the same with the next quote below:
‘Even in the dark stars still shine.’
‘I never stop looking up.’
Choose two of the quotes below and explode them. What is
Manjeet Mann suggesting about hope?
‘Even in the dark stars still shine.’ ‘Nothing has changed in Calais…’
‘I never stop looking up.’ ‘I am spoken to in languages I do not
‘We’re all built from the same dust.’ understand but looked at with eyes I do.’
‘We let ourselves fall into each other.’
‘Please don’t forget him. His journey is like that of a million more.’
‘The chance to live is worth dying for.’
‘Just ink-black sea with the North Star as my guide.’
‘Even in the dark stars still shine.’
Sammy shares his father’s advice with Natalie when she appears to
have lost hope, reminding her that ‘even in the dark the stars still shine.’
Here, Mann uses imagery of light and darkness to convey the message
that hope can be found even in times of despair.
Using this as a model, build your own 2-3 sentence analysis of each of
your chosen quotations from the previous task.
‘Mann’s “The Crossing” is a hopeful novel.’ How far do you agree
with this statement?
Which characters experience meaningful or positive connections
in the novel? Write down as many pairs/groups of characters as
you can.
Which characters experience meaningful connections in the
novel? Write down as many pairs/groups as you can.
Natalie and Sammy Sammy and Tesfay
Natalie and Ryan Sammy and his father
Natalie and Mel Sammy and Mariam
Natalie, Mel, and Fazel Sammy and Hamid
Natalie and Hamid
Natalie and her mother
‘Mann’s “The Crossing” is a hopeful novel.’ How far do you agree
with this statement?
Model thesis example:
‘The Crossing’ is a hopeful novel in which Mann suggests that,
even in times of suffering and loss, human connection is a source
of hope.
‘Mann’s “The Crossing” is a hopeful novel.’
How far do you agree with this statement?
Write an introduction, using the key word(s) from the question:
In ‘The Crossing’, Manjeet Mann explores the theme of hope
from…/through…The novel is a parallel narrative which tells the
story of…Perhaps the message of Mann’s didactic novel is…
Monday 9th December 2024
There is no need for a new title. Please
carry on from last lesson.
1.What does didactic mean?
2.What is a literary foil?
3.What does xenophobia mean?
‘Mann’s “The Crossing” is a hopeful novel.’
How far do you agree with this statement?
Write an introduction, using the key word(s) from the question:
In ‘The Crossing’, Manjeet Mann explores the theme of hope
from the perspective of two distant but deeply connected teenage
protagonists. The novel is a parallel narrative which tells the story
of the ineffable bond between Sammy, an Eritrean refugee, and
Natalie, a Dover school student, both of whom experience
devastating suffering and loss. Perhaps the message of Mann’s
didactic novel is that, even in the depths of despair, human
connection is a source of hope.
‘Mann’s “The Crossing” is a hopeful novel.’ How
far do you agree with this statement?
Write a topic sentence:
Mann emphasises that human connection is a source of hope through…
‘Mann’s “The Crossing” is a hopeful novel.’
How far do you agree with this statement?
Mann emphasises that human connection is a source of hope
through portraying the devastating impact of loss.
MODEL:
Manjeet Mann uses the stars as a symbol of hope. Despite the
death of Sammy Baba, in difficult situations, Sammy is presented as
always remembering Baba’s words related to stars. For example,
when Baba initially dies, Sammy remembers Baba saying ‘no matter
how dark it gets, there are still stars in the sky.’ Here, Mann uses the
dark as a metaphor for hardships. Ultimately, Baba’s message is
that, ultimately, even in the most darkest and dire situation there is
always hope.
‘Mann’s “The Crossing” is a hopeful novel.’ How far do
you agree with this statement?
Mann emphasises that human connection is a source of hope
through portraying the devastating impact of loss.
What would we include in this paragraph?
Pg 7, 53,
Pg 11, 46, 43 Wednesday 11th December 2024
Pg 181, 184
Pg 73, 178
There is no need for a new title. Please
carry on from last lesson.
Baba was the sun.
And he still shines.
Copy the quote.
***
What does this reveal
I am dust. Nothing but dust. about hope in the novel?
Yes you are, Sammy.
Stardust.
You are the most precious gift of all.
a bright beacon of hope in Sammy’s life. Even though Baba is
dead, Sammy says that ‘he still shines’. Because Sammy uses the
present tense, it suggests to me that Sammy remembers Baba as
someone that represents hope in his life despite not being there
anymore. To add to this, I think that Sammy considers his dad as
the centre of his universe. When Sammy describes himself as
‘nothing but dust’, he immediately remembers his father teaching
him that we are all made of ‘stardust’, and, therefore, we are the
‘most precious gift of all’. Baba’s words are full of hope as when
Sammy starts to feel that he is worthless, he remembers his
father’s teachings about the stars. By describing humans as ‘the
most precious’ gift, Manjeet Mann is implying that we are almost
like gifts from God. Baba’s words are full of hope despite the fact
that he is dead.
Manjeet Mann makes the theme of hope ambiguous in
this novel. She almost suggests that her characters
will not necessarily have a hopeful end. For example,
both Sammy and Natalie share the line ‘The chance to
live is worth dying for.’ On one hand this seems
hopeful because… The word…also implies… .
However, this line also makes me think… I think this
because… . Maybe Manjeet Mann is suggesting…
‘Mann’s “The Crossing” is a hopeful novel.’ How far do you agree
with this statement?
Organise the quotations below into groups. You must decide how you
group the quotations.
‘Even in the dark stars still shine.’ ‘Nothing has changed in Calais…’
‘I never stop looking up.’ ‘I am spoken to in languages I do not
understand but looked at with eyes I do.’
‘We’re all built from the same dust.’
‘We let ourselves fall into each other.’
‘Please don’t forget him. His journey is like that of a million more.’
‘The chance to live is worth dying for.’
‘Just ink-black sea with the North Star as my guide.’
Mann emphasises that human connection is a source of hope
through portraying the devastating impact of loss.
• The protagonists’ loss of their parents
• Sammy losing Tesfay – the symbolism of Tesfay’s death
• Natalie losing Ryan
• Mann uses the parallel narrative to highlight the universality of loss and its devastating
impact on each protagonist
• Mann uses the symbolism of broken glass to convey the shattering impact of loss on the
protagonists’ families
• Mann uses imagery of darkness to depict the ‘black cloud’ of despair which accompanies
the loss of an important human connection
• Mann uses expressive typography to capture Natalie’s struggle ‘to carry on’ after the loss of
her mother
• In both narratives, Mann juxtaposes past and present to highlight the pain of loss
‘Mann’s “The Crossing” is a hopeful novel.’
How far do you agree with this statement?
Build a paragraph from this topic sentence:
Mann emphasises that human connection is a source of hope
through portraying the devastating impact of loss.
Remember…
What does Mann say about hope?
How does Mann say it?
Why does Mann say it?
