Sunday, July 31, 2011

Who is Ruth?-9

"So you see, it's got to be you to our rescue. Tommy and I were made for each other and he'll listen to you. You'll do it for us, won't you, Kathy?" (Never Let Me Go, page 104)


I'm really starting to dislike Ruth. She comes across as extremely bratty and self-centered. She is only nice to people when they do things for her, and she uses people to get what she wants. I think deep down she really does value her friendship with Kathy, but the way she treats her sometimes is not the way friends should treat each other. I'm also shocked at the way Kathy lets it happen. She seems like such a strong character, but I guess I'm starting to understand that she has insecurities just like everyone else, and strives to be accepted. I also don't understand Ruth and Tommy's relationship. They seem like complete opposites, yet they are dating?? Hmmmm...


I hate to connect anything to Pretty Little Liars but this situation is exactly like it (the books NOT the tv show). Anyways in the books Pretty Little Liars, a girl named Ali is the most popular girl and she is sneaky and conniving and will do anything to get what she wants. She reminds me of Ruth because in the novels, Ali uses her friends without a second thought. Her friends know that she is using them, but they keep pretending that she is not because they want to be friends with her so bad and are scared to lose the friendship. I think Kathy needs to start making her own decisions and realize her life would probably have less drama if Ruth was out of it.



Friday, July 29, 2011

Developing Insight- 8

"I could see several loose sheets of dark, shiny paper scattered over the table in front of her. She herself was leaning over in concentration, forehead very low, arms up on the surface, scrawling furious lines over a page with a pencil." (Never Let Me Go, page 91). 


Imagery is present in this passage. The reader can completely visualize a frantic Miss Lucy and also shares the feeling of confusion with Kathy. I think imagery is effective because it allows the reader to create a vivid image of what is taking place in the story. The author's descriptiveness helps give insight to the character of Miss Lucy. She seems like an introvert. She keeps to herself but seems to have a lot of built up anger.


I think the relationships between the students and the guardians are very interesting. They are a lot like normal student-teacher relationships. However, I do feel like there is a barrier between the two because of the fact that the students are unable to produce children and were created to be donors alone. I think Miss Lucy shall become more of an instrumental character in the future. 

Friday, July 22, 2011

Deja Vu- 7

"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." (Never Let Me Go, page 81)


So the reader finally gets some answers on why exactly these children are at Hailsham and what makes them "special". I kind of feel like this situation sounds familiar because it is a lot like Brave New World. In both novels, the main characters have their lives already planned out for them. They don't get to decide what they want to be, it's decided by a higher power. There is also a similar theme of sex and babies. Both novels have the characters not having babies. However, in Never Let Me Go it is physically impossible for the characters to have babies.


Unlike Brave New World, the characters in Never Let Me Go actually show their emotions. If I was in their place, I would be extremely sad that I wouldn't be able to have kids and plan a future. I would also be scared of the whole donating organs thing. However, the kids at Hailsham don't know any different. They have no access to the outside world, so they don't know what a regular life is like. I think deep down they are scared of the unknown, who wouldn't be? But they play it off like it's a joke because they are scared of the truth.

Wednesday, July 20, 2011

Maintaining Innocence- 6

"And that's why, years and years later, that day Tommy and I found another copy of that lost tape of mine in a town on the Norfolk coast, we didn't just think it pretty funny; we both felt deep down some tug, some old wish to believe again in something that was once close to our hearts." (Never Let Me Go, page 67)


Kathy references Norfolk a lot in this chapter, and it is definitely a symbol.  Norfolk isn't just a county in England that Miss Emily didn't have pictures of. Norfolk wasn't even just a "lost corner." It was a mysterious destination that Kathy and the other children could only imagine about. I think Norfolk is a symbol for the children's innocence. They are stuck in Hailsham and have no contact with the outside world. They can only invent ideas of what they think exists outside of Hailsham. Norfolk was like a common bond for them. It wasn't only and inside joke of where lost things went, but it was a place that reminded them of their childhood.


I think Norfolk is a little like Narnia in the book The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis. Narnia isn't just a place of the children's imagination. It was a symbol of innocence and childhood. It was a place where they discovered what kind of person they wanted to be. It was a place where they faced their deepest fears. Real or not, it was a place important in their hearts.

Sunday, July 17, 2011

Rather be feared than loved- 5

"Sometimes she'd be going on very intensely then come to a sudden stop with something like: "What is it? What is it? What can it be that thwarts us?" (Never Let Me Go, page 43)


Miss Emily asks this rhetorical question to the students as she lectures them on the proper way to behave. I think these rhetorical questions are effective because they show what kind of person Miss Emily is. When she preaches to the students, they feel awkward and confused not really knowing how to respond to her. She is the head guardian and people are afraid to cross her.


I especially found Kathy's encounter with Miss Emily on the footpath interesting. Kathy finds Miss Emily muttering to herself. I think Miss Emily might know something that the reader doesn't. Maybe she knows something about the Gallery or Madame. She seems like the type of person who is knowledgeable and respected but not really sociable. I was surprised when Kathy said "it was her presence, intimidating though it was, that made us all feel so safe at Hailsham." Then again, it seems like the most influential people are those who are feared.  

Trapped- 4

"The point is, by the time we were ten, this whole notion that it was a great honour to have something taken by Madame collided with a feeling that we were losing our most marketable stuff. This all came to a head in the tokens controversy." (Never Let Me Go, page 39)


I like this whole mystery of the Gallery. It adds some excitement to the book. I have no idea why Madame takes their best work. It's strange since she doesn't seem to like kids at all. The guardians seem to know what's going on, but for some reason are afraid to tell the kids or think they won't understand. All the kids are curious about the Gallery, but Kathy is especially observant. It's interesting how she is able to piece stuff together based on conversations children have with the guardians. It also appears that the children don't ever get to leave Hailsham. Does that mean the guardians don't leave either? It's a very weird situation. I guess it's like a boarding school. I wonder if there is a certain reason why they aren't allowed out and why they keep the Gallery a secret...

Itsy Bitsy Spider- 3

"Ruth had been right: Madame was afraid. But she was afraid of us in the same way someone might be afraid of spiders. We hadn't been ready for that. It had never occurred to us to wonder how we would feel, being seen like that, being the spiders." (Never Let Me Go, page 35)


I really like this analogy that Ishiguro uses. I think it is effective because everyone knows people who are just petrified of spiders and freak out when one is even remotely close to them. I can tell that Madame acts that exact same way towards the children at Hailsham. When Kathy says that they weren't ready to be seen as the spiders, I know exactly what she is saying. At first, they all laughed at the idea that Madame was afraid of them. However, once they realized that they were being seen almost as vermin, they start wondering what was wrong with them. No once wants to feel like they repulse someone.


I find Madame very strange. For someone who is in charge of children, why does she hate being around them? Obviously she and the other guardians are hiding something from the children. I wonder if she has a strange past. Maybe something happened in her childhood? Or something happened to kids of her own? 



Friday, July 15, 2011

Striving to be accepted- 2

"There was something about Tommy himself- the way he carried himself, the way he looked people in the face and talked in his open, good-natured way- that was different from before, and which had in turn changed the attitudes of those around him." (Never Let Me Go, page 22)


I find Tommy's character very interesting. He is very sincere in what he says and is rarely sarcastic. I feel bad for him because of the way the other kids treat him when it seems like he doesn't really deserve it. When Kathy explains that they treat him that way because he doesn't do anything "creative", I think that is stupid. I mean I understand that everyone contributes to the Exchange and it was a way to gain personal possessions. However, if being creative wasn't Tommy's thing, then he shouldn't be forced to do it. 


I think this point kind of relates to Brave New World. Unless you conform to society, you will not be accepted. Because Tommy is different, he is treated differently. I would say that this is completely unfair but this still exists in our society today. 


Tommy's situation reminds me of the tv show Make it or Break it. One character named Emily joins an elite gymnastics team but is not initially accepted because she is new and has not been training her whole life. She is just as good as a gymnast as the other girls, but because she is different, she isn't accepted. 

Thursday, July 14, 2011

Carer, Donors, and View Points- 1

"I've developed a kind of instinct around donors. I know when to hang around and comfort them, when to leave them to themselves; when to listen to everything they have to say, and when just to shrug and tell them to snap out of it." (Never Let Me Go, page 3)


While reading the first paragraph of Never Let Me Go, the reader finds out that the book is written in first person point of view. This is already different from Brave New World. I think that when a book is written in first person point of view the reader benefits greatly because they can really identify with the main character and understand what they are feeling.


So the reader finds out that Kathy is a carer and assists donors. I'm a little confused at what exactly that means. I'm guessing that she is somewhat of a nurse who helps these donors. Usually donors have a good connotation as being people who give blood or a body part to someone in need. But the kinds of donors in the book sound like people who are dying and are not going to be able to recover. 


From the first person point of view, I can tell that Kathy is a good person who likes to help others. However, I think she is sometimes hesitant to stand up for what she believes in because she worries about what people will think of her.