"'Your lives are set out for you. You'll become adults, then before you're old, before you're even middle-aged, you'll start to donate your vital organs. That's what each of you was created to do... You were brought into this world for a purpose, and your futures, all of them, have been decided.'"
-page 81
This quote is part of the Rising Action of the story. The speaker of this quote is Miss Lucy. Throughout the story so far, Miss Lucy has always been the guardian who has been dropping hints that the students haven't been told enough about who they are. She finally cannot take it anymore. She keeps hearing students talk about their aspirations of the future, and she knows that they will not come true. Her conscious tells her that she can no longer hide the truth from these kids. She knows they will find out eventually, but doesn't want their dreams to be crushed all at once. After Miss Lucy's rant, the kids were actually not really surprised, since they sort have been indirectly told before. It kind of surprises me how the kids react, or lack of. If I were told that my whole purpose was to donate my vital organs, and that I couldn't have kids or a family, I would be extremely upset.
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
I Know That Feeling (Never Let Me Go: 6)
"I don't know what I'd expected; for all my fantasies of the past month, I'd never really considered what it would be like in a real situation like the one unfolding at that moment."
-page 60
Ruth got this special pencil case, and suggested that Mrs. Geraldine, her favorite guardian, had given it to her as a gift. Kath did not believe that Mrs. Geraldine would do that, and was very annoyed by Ruth trying to show off. Kath wasn't positive, but figured that Ruth had seen the case in the Sales and had bought it before anyone else had seen it. Kath had come up with a plan to pretend like she knew that Ruth had gotten it in the Sales without actually saying it. Once they were alone, Kath said she had read the Sales sheet and saw every purchase, and Ruth knew that Kath had caught her lie. Ruth had gotten very upset, almost cried, and stormed off. Kath had been wanting to confront her for so long, but once it actually happened she felt terrible for making Ruth feel that way, and realized there was no reason for doing that. This is the use of situational irony, because Kath expected to enjoy Ruth admitting her lie, but instead she felt terrible about it. I have had that same thing happen to me before, when I called someone out on a lie or exaggeration, but then realize that it makes no difference, and I could have just let it go.
-page 60
Ruth got this special pencil case, and suggested that Mrs. Geraldine, her favorite guardian, had given it to her as a gift. Kath did not believe that Mrs. Geraldine would do that, and was very annoyed by Ruth trying to show off. Kath wasn't positive, but figured that Ruth had seen the case in the Sales and had bought it before anyone else had seen it. Kath had come up with a plan to pretend like she knew that Ruth had gotten it in the Sales without actually saying it. Once they were alone, Kath said she had read the Sales sheet and saw every purchase, and Ruth knew that Kath had caught her lie. Ruth had gotten very upset, almost cried, and stormed off. Kath had been wanting to confront her for so long, but once it actually happened she felt terrible for making Ruth feel that way, and realized there was no reason for doing that. This is the use of situational irony, because Kath expected to enjoy Ruth admitting her lie, but instead she felt terrible about it. I have had that same thing happen to me before, when I called someone out on a lie or exaggeration, but then realize that it makes no difference, and I could have just let it go.
Foreshadowing (Never Let Me Go: 5)
"'But if I tried to explain it to you now, I don't think you'd understand. One day, I hope, it'll be explained to you.'"
-page 40
This quote is being said by Miss Lucy, one of the guardians, who is well liked and trusted by the students. She often says weird things about the students not knowing something, or not being told enough. She said this quote in response to Polly asking her why Madame takes some of their creations. Miss Lucy wasn't going to tell them why, but she was foreshadowing that they will find out eventually and that it's important. She uses hints and clues to suggest what will happen later. The more I read the more I realize that something is definitely different about this school and maybe even these kids. Kathy and her friends are starting to recognize that there are several things that happen that they don't understand, but for some reason they don't try to find out answers. It is like there are unwritten/unsaid rules that some topics should just not be discussed by the students, so they feel uncomfortable trying to figure out unknown questions about the school.
-page 40
This quote is being said by Miss Lucy, one of the guardians, who is well liked and trusted by the students. She often says weird things about the students not knowing something, or not being told enough. She said this quote in response to Polly asking her why Madame takes some of their creations. Miss Lucy wasn't going to tell them why, but she was foreshadowing that they will find out eventually and that it's important. She uses hints and clues to suggest what will happen later. The more I read the more I realize that something is definitely different about this school and maybe even these kids. Kathy and her friends are starting to recognize that there are several things that happen that they don't understand, but for some reason they don't try to find out answers. It is like there are unwritten/unsaid rules that some topics should just not be discussed by the students, so they feel uncomfortable trying to figure out unknown questions about the school.
Monday, August 1, 2011
Madame (Never Let Me Go: 4)
"She was a tall, narrow woman with short hair, probably quite young still, though at the time we wouldn't have thought of her as such. She always wore a sharp grey suit, and unlike the gardeners, unlike the drivers who brought in our supplies-unlike virtually anyone else who came in from outside-she wouldn't talk to us and kept us at a distance with her chilly look."
-page 32
This quote is using the literary term of direct characterization. Ishiguro is having Kathy tell us directly what Madame, who is some sort of principal or president of the school, is like. The reader does not have to figure out what Madame is like by her words, actions, etc. because we are told directly, even though Kathy goes on to give the reader an example. Madame is brought up because Kathy was talking about the Gallery, which is a place where Madame takes all of the best pieces of artwork from the Exchange. The thing is that no one has actually seen the Gallery or knows what it's purpose is, and it is an unsaid rule that they don't bring it up around a guardian. I'm very curious to find out more regarding the Gallery and the purpose of Madame taking the students art. Kathy and her friends find out that Madame is afraid of them and does not seem to like children at all, so I seriously doubt she's keeping the art for her own viewing pleasure. I sense that Kathy and her friends are asking themselves the same questions, and want to get answers about Madame and the Gallery.
-page 32
This quote is using the literary term of direct characterization. Ishiguro is having Kathy tell us directly what Madame, who is some sort of principal or president of the school, is like. The reader does not have to figure out what Madame is like by her words, actions, etc. because we are told directly, even though Kathy goes on to give the reader an example. Madame is brought up because Kathy was talking about the Gallery, which is a place where Madame takes all of the best pieces of artwork from the Exchange. The thing is that no one has actually seen the Gallery or knows what it's purpose is, and it is an unsaid rule that they don't bring it up around a guardian. I'm very curious to find out more regarding the Gallery and the purpose of Madame taking the students art. Kathy and her friends find out that Madame is afraid of them and does not seem to like children at all, so I seriously doubt she's keeping the art for her own viewing pleasure. I sense that Kathy and her friends are asking themselves the same questions, and want to get answers about Madame and the Gallery.
The Exchange (Never Let Me Go: 3)
"I should explain a bit here about the Exchanges we had at Hailsham."
-page 16
This quote came about because Kathy and her friends were talking about how much Tommy gets picked on. Some of them said that he brings it on himself, and as an example, they said that he did not put anything into the Spring Exchange. The Exchange is an exhibition, where artwork made by the students would be turned in for Exchange tokens based on the value of the work. Then the students could purchase others artwork with the coins they had received. The Exchange was a big deal for the students, so Tommy was seen as disrespectful for not contributing to the Exchange. Being artistic was a very important part of being a student at Hailsham, and Tommy was not artistic at all, and even got made fun of for it. Kathy had noticed that in time, Tommy had stopped having temper tantrums, and then eventually stopped getting made fun of. Kathy asked him what had caused this and he told her that one of the guardians (teachers), Miss Lucy, had told him that it was okay that he was not creative. Since being creative was such a big deal at Hailsham, Kathy thought he was lying and got mad. I find the whole Exchange to be a strange concept for a school. I'm wondering why being creative and artistic is so valuable at Hailsham.
-page 16
This quote came about because Kathy and her friends were talking about how much Tommy gets picked on. Some of them said that he brings it on himself, and as an example, they said that he did not put anything into the Spring Exchange. The Exchange is an exhibition, where artwork made by the students would be turned in for Exchange tokens based on the value of the work. Then the students could purchase others artwork with the coins they had received. The Exchange was a big deal for the students, so Tommy was seen as disrespectful for not contributing to the Exchange. Being artistic was a very important part of being a student at Hailsham, and Tommy was not artistic at all, and even got made fun of for it. Kathy had noticed that in time, Tommy had stopped having temper tantrums, and then eventually stopped getting made fun of. Kathy asked him what had caused this and he told her that one of the guardians (teachers), Miss Lucy, had told him that it was okay that he was not creative. Since being creative was such a big deal at Hailsham, Kathy thought he was lying and got mad. I find the whole Exchange to be a strange concept for a school. I'm wondering why being creative and artistic is so valuable at Hailsham.
Back to the Future (Never Let Me Go: 2)
"On the particular afternoon I'm now thinking of, we were standing up on stools and benches, crowding around the high windows."
-page 7
Flashbacks are used very frequently throughout this novel. In fact, most of the plot seems to be all in the past. The author seems to have Kathy telling a story to the reader about her experiences and friendships at her school. The school, Hailsham, is a boarding school in England. Based on the first chapter, the school seems to be very prestigious, well-known, and respected. The example of the old man Kathy was caring for, who wanted to know everything about Hailsham, proves this point. Kathy realizes how much the school has shaped her entire life. This is when she starts to go into the flashback, where the author has Kathy introduce some of the other characters. One of which is Tommy, a hot-headed athlete who is picked on by the other boys. At the end of chapter one, he hits Kathy, not accidentally, but not really on purpose either.
-page 7
Flashbacks are used very frequently throughout this novel. In fact, most of the plot seems to be all in the past. The author seems to have Kathy telling a story to the reader about her experiences and friendships at her school. The school, Hailsham, is a boarding school in England. Based on the first chapter, the school seems to be very prestigious, well-known, and respected. The example of the old man Kathy was caring for, who wanted to know everything about Hailsham, proves this point. Kathy realizes how much the school has shaped her entire life. This is when she starts to go into the flashback, where the author has Kathy introduce some of the other characters. One of which is Tommy, a hot-headed athlete who is picked on by the other boys. At the end of chapter one, he hits Kathy, not accidentally, but not really on purpose either.
First Impression (Never Let Me Go: 1)
"My name is Kathy H. I'm thirty-one years old, and I've been a carer now for over eleven years."
-page 3
This quote is the first two sentences in the book. Right away I realized that this novel was going to be in a first person point of view. This was quite obvious since it was such a change from Brave New World's third person omniscient point of view. I'm guessing Ishiguro did not think a last name would be necessary to include for Kathy, so he just left it at "H." I'm not totally sure what a carer is yet, but I think it is some type of doctor, or nurse for a donation center. It seems to be an important part of her life, so I'm sure it will come up again, and give more details about her career. The story seems to be about her, her friends, and her old school. I'm still not entirely sure if the main plot is going to be about her past or about her present life. I'm anxious to have some of my confusions cleared up.
-page 3
This quote is the first two sentences in the book. Right away I realized that this novel was going to be in a first person point of view. This was quite obvious since it was such a change from Brave New World's third person omniscient point of view. I'm guessing Ishiguro did not think a last name would be necessary to include for Kathy, so he just left it at "H." I'm not totally sure what a carer is yet, but I think it is some type of doctor, or nurse for a donation center. It seems to be an important part of her life, so I'm sure it will come up again, and give more details about her career. The story seems to be about her, her friends, and her old school. I'm still not entirely sure if the main plot is going to be about her past or about her present life. I'm anxious to have some of my confusions cleared up.
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