"I hadn't mentioned to a soul anything about the Sales Register business, but I suppose Ruth wasn't to know that." - Never Let Me Go, page 63.
Well, here is another example of a literary device being used in this novel. The quote above is an example of a synecdoche. When Kathy says she "hadn't mentioned to a soul," she really means she has told no one. She combines every person into one soul. This is what makes it a synecdoche. This saying is something that most people say on a regular basis even if they do not necessarily know they are using a literary device. When speaking, a lot of people will say they "haven't told a soul." It seems to be just one of those things about our language. I wouldn't go as far as calling it slang but it is something that has been adopted by our language that people have become accustomed to saying. Ishiguro used this literary device to connect these people to our world. It shows a simmilarity between us and them. We can not truly understand what these characters are going through because we can not relate to their situation. By having the characters talk in a way that we might talk in, Ishiguro is creating a connection between us and the people in the story. We are able to be more open to their situation and relate better with them just because we can unconsciously relate to their speech and language.
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
Rhetorical Questions
"So what if she'd fibbed a little about her pencil case? Didn't we all dream from time to time about one guardian or other bending the rules and doing something special for us? A spontaneous hug, a secret letter, a gift?" - Never Let Me Go, page 60.
The quote above is a good example of the author's use of rhetorical questions. Ishiguro used this literary device to show the reader what Kathy had been thinking inside. She was upset with how she had plotted against Ruth and planned to prove that she had been lying about the pencil case. Once she had done so, Kathy was humiliated with herself. She realized she had harmed her "dearest friend." The rhetorical questions serve the purpose of showing the reader that once she realized what she had done, Kathy tried to convince herself more than the reader that everyone lies every once in a while. She tried to prove to herself that what Ruth had done wasn't such a big deal. The rhetorical questions help Kathy convey why she felt she had done something wrong and to prove that Ruth was not at fault, even though we all know that lying is totally wrong.
Ruth And Her Influence
"My guess is that I knew Ruth only very slightly at that point. But she must already have made some impression on me, because I remember carrying on busily with whatever I was doing in the sand, absolutely dreading the idea of her turning her gaze on me." - Never Let Me Go, page 46.
I want to take this time to explain what I already know about Ruth and how she influenced the people around her. From the beginning, I was able to see that Ruth was more or less the leader of the group she and Kathy were a part of. People looked toward her for advice and before saying anything, they thought of what Ruth would think of them. I believe that Ruth will have a huge influence on Kathy later in the book and might even be the cause for the actions Kathy makes. At this point in the story, I find a simmilarity between Ruth and what an older brother or sister might be like. The younger siblings look up to that older, much wiser sibling and ask for advice from that brother or sister. I am the oldest of my siblings and my younger sisters are always asking for my advice, whether it's with fashion or even homework. In this way I can sort of see how Ruth is like an older sister to her friends at Hailsham. They look up to her and want more than anything to please her. Hopefully Ruth will live up to her role without disappointing the rest of the students.
I want to take this time to explain what I already know about Ruth and how she influenced the people around her. From the beginning, I was able to see that Ruth was more or less the leader of the group she and Kathy were a part of. People looked toward her for advice and before saying anything, they thought of what Ruth would think of them. I believe that Ruth will have a huge influence on Kathy later in the book and might even be the cause for the actions Kathy makes. At this point in the story, I find a simmilarity between Ruth and what an older brother or sister might be like. The younger siblings look up to that older, much wiser sibling and ask for advice from that brother or sister. I am the oldest of my siblings and my younger sisters are always asking for my advice, whether it's with fashion or even homework. In this way I can sort of see how Ruth is like an older sister to her friends at Hailsham. They look up to her and want more than anything to please her. Hopefully Ruth will live up to her role without disappointing the rest of the students.
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
Madame's Fear
"I can still see it now, the shudder she seemed to be suppressing, the real dread that one of us would accidentally brush against her. And though we just kept on walking, we all felt it; it was like we'd walked from the sun right into chilly shade. Ruth had been right: Madame was afraid of us." - Never Let Me Go, page 35.
I found chapter three of this novel to be very interesting. I came across some questions, though, that I am sure will be answered later. My biggest question is in regard to Madame's reaction as she is passed by a group of Hailsham students. Why on earth would a grown woman react with such fear when put in the presence of children? I couldn't understand her reaction at all. Why would she act like this yet be so eager to take some of the students' works of art for her gallery? If she is so afraid of them, then why doesn't she just find a new job that would let her be away from children completely. My only reasoning that would explain Madame's fear is that maybe it's not fear of the children at all that caused her reaction. The reader knows from earlier discussions in the book that these Hailsham children will grow up and give donations. Maybe Madame just doesn't know how to greet or approach the kids. They are different from her and it is their futures that make her fearful. How can she connect with these kids knowing that they are merely just objects to be used later in the future? There is really no way for her to have a total understanding of the lives these kids are faced with.
I found chapter three of this novel to be very interesting. I came across some questions, though, that I am sure will be answered later. My biggest question is in regard to Madame's reaction as she is passed by a group of Hailsham students. Why on earth would a grown woman react with such fear when put in the presence of children? I couldn't understand her reaction at all. Why would she act like this yet be so eager to take some of the students' works of art for her gallery? If she is so afraid of them, then why doesn't she just find a new job that would let her be away from children completely. My only reasoning that would explain Madame's fear is that maybe it's not fear of the children at all that caused her reaction. The reader knows from earlier discussions in the book that these Hailsham children will grow up and give donations. Maybe Madame just doesn't know how to greet or approach the kids. They are different from her and it is their futures that make her fearful. How can she connect with these kids knowing that they are merely just objects to be used later in the future? There is really no way for her to have a total understanding of the lives these kids are faced with.
Monday, August 8, 2011
Anthropomorphism
"When you lift an arm, or when someone sits up in bed, you can feel this pale, shadowy movement all around you in the tiles." - Never Let Me Go, page 18.
The quote above is an example of anthropomorphism that I found in chapter 2. Kathy was telling how the center that Ruth ended up staying in for her donations was "well-designed and comfortable." She also told of how it was very clean. The purpose of using this literary term was to show how although one could not exactly see the reflection of himself or herself, a shadow could be felt. Giving the tiles these human characteristics was the perfect way to portray to the reader how clean the building was. Almost like how a human takes a shower everyday and has a shadow, the center is very clean and has a shadow of its own. Kathy used this cleanliness as a reason for why she would not mind if she ended up in this same center when she began her own donation process. This sort of sets the stage for the entire book. The reader begins wondering why such a young person would be thinking about starting her own downations. I was also confused by what this doning thing she was talking about even was. Obviously it's something different from what we do in our world today so I assumed I would be reading a book that had more scientific discoveries like those in Brave New World. Obviously this world isn't as scientifically advanced as the Fordian world but I do see a similarity.Flashbacks
"On the particular afternoon I'm now thinking of, we were standing up on stools and benches, crowding around the high windows." - Never Let Me Go, page 7.
Along with noticing the point of view this novel was written in, I noticed immediately Ishiguro's use of flashbacks. In fact, probably over half of this book is composed of flashbacks. I personally liked reading these because I was able to get to know Kathy and her friends much deeper than I would have without them. I was able to get to know the characters through their entire lives starting from their childhood. I believe this was the purpose in using so many flashbacks. Ishiguro wanted to start his story from the end. The problem with this, though, is that the reader would be unable to deeply get to know each character. The use of so many flashbacks was his way in helping the reader become more personal with each character.
Along with noticing the point of view this novel was written in, I noticed immediately Ishiguro's use of flashbacks. In fact, probably over half of this book is composed of flashbacks. I personally liked reading these because I was able to get to know Kathy and her friends much deeper than I would have without them. I was able to get to know the characters through their entire lives starting from their childhood. I believe this was the purpose in using so many flashbacks. Ishiguro wanted to start his story from the end. The problem with this, though, is that the reader would be unable to deeply get to know each character. The use of so many flashbacks was his way in helping the reader become more personal with each character.
First Person Point of View
"My name is Kathy H. I'm thirty-one years old, and I've been a carer now for over eleven years." - Never Let Me Go, page 3.
One of the first things I noticed about this book, literally because this is the first sentence of the novel, that was different from Brave New World, was that it was written in the first person point of view. This can be both a good and a bad thing. On the one hand, this means the reader has total insight into the main character's mind and emotional feelings. But on the other hand, Kathy's thoughts, feelings, and observations are the only ones we can truly see. We don't know exactly what other characters are thinking and feeling unless they actually come out and directly say it. For the most part, we can only know how Kathy perceives these characters to be thinking and feeling. The effectiveness of this literary term is that it creates a more intimate relationship between the reader and Kathy. Kathy can tell the reader her deepest and darkest secrets and emotions that she might not even tell her best friend. In fact, it's almost as if the reader is Kathy's best friend during the times he or she is reading the book.
One of the first things I noticed about this book, literally because this is the first sentence of the novel, that was different from Brave New World, was that it was written in the first person point of view. This can be both a good and a bad thing. On the one hand, this means the reader has total insight into the main character's mind and emotional feelings. But on the other hand, Kathy's thoughts, feelings, and observations are the only ones we can truly see. We don't know exactly what other characters are thinking and feeling unless they actually come out and directly say it. For the most part, we can only know how Kathy perceives these characters to be thinking and feeling. The effectiveness of this literary term is that it creates a more intimate relationship between the reader and Kathy. Kathy can tell the reader her deepest and darkest secrets and emotions that she might not even tell her best friend. In fact, it's almost as if the reader is Kathy's best friend during the times he or she is reading the book.
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