Brave New World 3

'"Our Ford- or Our Freud, as, for some inscrutable reason, he chose to call himself whenever he spoke of psychological matters- Our Freud had been the first to reveal the appalling dangers of family life. The world was full of fathers- was therefore full of misery; full of mothers- therefore of every kind of perversion from sadism to chastity; full of brothers, sisters, uncles, aunts- full of madness and suicide."' pg 39

It's interesting that Huxley chooses Freud for this allusion. On the surface, everyone knows Freud to be a groud breaking psychologist, but what only a  educated (child development, perhaps) student would know that Freud, in his brand new analysis of psychopaths, often used as a defense mechanism in his patients.  Repression is most commonly known as "bottling up" ones darkest secrets or most troublesome feelings.This is often done when a negative emotion is linked to the repressed desire which can lead to the elimination of what is right and wrong or explosion due to excess of repressed desires. However, the really unique aspect of repression is that this is done subconsciously. Now, with that information, Mr. Dr. Freud is severely repressed. He has linked only negative things to all members of the family, and thus elminated the family aspect from the world he is creating. I also find it odd that the Huxley takes the time to capitalize "Our". Come to think of it, the only other time I see that is in the Our Father, a world wide prayer spoken to God. It is almost as if the speaker believes that Ford is more than human.

Brave New World 2

"Not so much like drops of water, though water, it is true can wear holes in the hardest granite; rather, drops of liquid sealing- wax, drops that adhere, incrust, incorporate themselves with what they fall on, till finally the rock is all one scarlet blob." pg 28

This simile confirms it. This book is way too sick and twisted for me. Water is being compared to merely stating a suggestion of what color to wear or a statement such as loving being beta whereas liquid sealing-wax is being compared to not only the suggestion, but also the constant repition until the statements and suggestions are not only facts, but the listeners entire life. Just as the liquid sealing-wax molds to the surface it is poured on, the words spoken to these children become a part of who they are. I also found it to be odd that this quote is only a narration. I am not used to seeing such detailoed narration. I would expect it to come from this Ford, Director character, but this leads me to believe that the narrator has taken a side in all of this. It almost feels like he's writing to set the Director to look like the antagonist. I have just had a revolution. This is scientific communism.

Brave New World 1

"The light was frozen, dead, a ghost." pg 3

Either the Central London Hatchery and Conditioning Centre is extremely haunted, or the author is using anthropomorphism to inadvertantly provide imagery not only for the lights, but also what goes on inside the building. The name of the building leads me to believe it's purpose is something intelligent and scientific.The quote, when broken up bit by bit, unveils so mch. The light was frozen, either suggesteing that the room had an unwelcoming presence or that it was frozen in time, even cut off from reality. The light was dead, lifeless not very energetic. A dead specimen tends to create a somber atmosphere. The light was a ghost. Ghosts are thought of as either the scary unseen figure that haunts the living  or complete and barbaric fiction, but, in either option, ghosts are often the obsessions of psychopaths and lunatics, but rarely ever do sane people believe in their power. I have a very bad feeling that this book will either terrify me or creep me out.

Never Let Me Go 20

"I just watched a bit, then turned back to the car, to drive off to wherever it was I was supposed to be." pg 288

Yes, I'm going to reflect on the last sentence. I'm shaking with glee because this is the last blog I'll write for a few weeks. I'm glad that the book ended, in my opinion, with a little humor. But really, her two best friends die and nothing particularly joyful has happened in her life, so she goes and watches trash? Really? Maybe I'm just not emotional enough for these books, but I don't see it as a proper ending. If Ishiguro wouldn't a cheesy ending he should've gone the whole ten yards and made Kathy see Tommy's face while she was doing her first donation, or even better, through some series of events, have donations be cancelled and have Kathy go on to have an office job and think of Ruth. Also, where is she supposed to be? Maybe Ishiguro wrote the way he did to show that Kathy's life amounts to nothing more than looking at trash because her beloved Tommy is gone.

The End.

Never Let Me Go 19

"How can I ask a world that has come to regard Cancer as curable, how can you ask such a world to put away that cure, to go to the dark days?"

Touché. The rhetorical question makes a very good point. What the children are doing is changing the bigger picture for the better. Because of recent experiences for my class in particular, I think I would do anything to have a cancer free world. The question is rhetorical because it really takes no thought. From an outsiders perspective, if I was asked if it'd be okay to cure cancer, I would say yes on the spot and wouldn't even worry about the details. However, now that I know the details, I don't know how I would answer. It's unfair to rob these children of a proper life, but on the other hand cancer kills people of all ages, all races, and all ways of life. This is a hard one. For a second there I forgot the book is fiction.

Never Let Me Go 18

"For students like you, I do feel regret. It gives me no pleasure to disappoint you. But there it is." pg 258

BOO! I don't like the way Miss Emily beats around the bush. Her speech was almost, anticlimactic. But there it is: the climax. Tommy and Kathy are not going to have extra time to fall madly in love and live happily ever after for a few years. I almost should've seen it coming because nothing good ever happens in this book. Never Let Me Go has gone from unfortunate, to sad, to down right depressing. Also, what kind of deamon would just let such a vicious rumor carry on? Not cool in my book.Better Question: How could a person run a school that is basically just a holdingground before these children are used for their organs? This book makes me so upset.

Never Let Me Go 17

"You speak to them. It's you they've come to talk to." pg 255

I can hear that dramatic piano playing in my head with that maniacal laugh over it. Finally, the moment we've all been waiting for (for a few chapters) is here! I've never read a chapter so quickly in my life. The suspense throughout the writing through Kathy's fear and Tommy's anxiousness lets me know that this is definitely the climaxcoming along. Moreover, The suspense added by changing the speaker makes me nervous, because if I were Madame I would love to tell Kathy and Tommy all about deferrals. It's even better that Miss Emily is in a wheel chair now. It's so much creepier than a chipper young women. However, all these almost scary details lead me to believe that this conversation won't end well. Tommy and Kathy are shaking in their shoes, and Madame has chickened out. I smell a climax coming along, but of course, it'll be next chapter.

Never Let Me Go 16

"Because nothing. I'd like you to forgive me, but I don't expect you to. Anyway, that's not the half of it, not even a small bit of it, actually. The main thing is, I kept you and Tommy apart...That was the worst thing I did." pg 232

The unthinkable happened. Ruth has a soul. I was fearing that Ruth's negativity would continue to the end of the book but she finally became dynamic. I always felt that Ruth saw herself as superior to Kathy, but, knowing that she was nearing completion, Kathy finally became her equal. I'm still not sure I believe the apology though because it completely juxtaposes the Ruth that was also the best frenemy to Kathy. It kind of reminds me of prisoners finding jesus during their last days, or reconciliation on the death bed. Ruth wants to die at peace, without any guilt inside. Maybe her sour attitude toward Kathy was the product of her guilt and her jealousy of Kathy and Tommy's bond. I can't help but think it's too little too late because Tommy is entering his third donation so Kathy will never have a proper chance at loving him.

Never Let Me Go 15

"I'd meant us, all the students who'd grown up with me and were now spread across the country, carers and donors, all separated now but still somehow linked by the place we'd come from." pg 212

From the beginning, Kazuo Ishiguro has made a point to link every event to Hailsham. Every room, every field, everything teacher, every aspect of Hailsham is vividly described.  Finally, an explanation for the discriptions is given. The local color was placed on Hailsham because Kathy saw it as the one and only thing that brought everyone together. It's fitting that Hailsham is closing as the last bit of Kathy's Hailsham life is coming to an end. Kathy and her  classmates are no longer linked because her life as a carer, is entirely different than their life as donors. Just as her friends are beginning to donate and complete, Hailsham too is completing and Kathy can't do anything but watch and reminisce. It's disheartening to see everything Kathy treasured come to an end.

Never Let Me Go 14

"'God, Tommy, these must take so much concentration. I'm surprised you can see well enough in here to do all this tiny stuff." pg 187

Tommy unveils his much awaited artwork and Kathy's first reaction is to complement his eyesight. For some reason, Kahty held back her opinion of how fantastic the animals were. The understatement made a nervous Tommy even more vulnerable. Of course she eventually tells him the works are really good, but she was reluctant to because of all the ruckus his art caused in the past. She remembered that moment all too well, and she also remembered how horrendous Tommy's art was back then, so she was probably blind sided to see something magnificent come from Tommy's pencil. Kathy's repeated understatement regarding Tommy's art gave Ruth support on bashing Tommy's work. Kathy obviously kept her feelings in as to not give Ruth the wrong opinion about her and Tommy, but because Kathy wasn't true to her feelings her words were the apex of the Hailsham kids' last fight.

Never Let Me Go 13

"Even then, it was mainly a nostalgia thing, and today, if I happen to get the tape out and look at it, it brings back memoriesof that afternoon in Norfolk every bit as much as it does our Hailsham days." pg 173

The tape, Judy Bridgewater's Songs After Dark, is more than just a memory. The simple casette is a symbol of Kathy's life before being a carer, her innocent life. Although Kathy's life was organized for her for the most part, the tape was unique to her. The songs on the tape were not typical Hailsham tunes, so Kathy had to sneak around to listen and throughout the book the characters' fondest memories always involve bending rules or breaking trends. Moreover, because Tommy remembered how much that tape meant to Kathy and he made an efort to find it in Norfolk, it is symbolic of his love for her, in her head atleast. The tape meant Tommy had always thought of her even though he was in a couple with Ruth. The tape brought Kathy and Tommy back to their Hailsham days when they were the best of friends and genuinely happy. All in all, the tape is symbolic of Kathy's life before caring and donating were so near, and she longed to go back to that life instead of moving forward into the unknown.

Never Let Me Go 12

"'It's daft to assume you'll have the same sort of life as your model. I agree with Tommy. It's just a bit of fun. We shouldn't get serious about it."' Kathy, pg 165

Kathy has just given her closest friend a huge amount of insight. Ruth was dissapointed after realizing that she had not found her possible and Kathy stuck a theme onto her best friend in an attempt to lighten her spirits. However, Kathy's thoughts don't only apply to this alternate universe of England, but they also work for modern day society. No one should feel obliged to become clones of their parents. I strongly believe that the apple can fall far from the tree, and their's nothing wrong with that. Kathy is pleading with her companion to relax and live life the way she wants to, not how her possible is living. Ruth needs to chill out and enjoy her time on alternate universe Earth. Kathy goes on to explain that life isn't a very serious matter, not only because they won't live much longer, but also because young adults are supposed to be carefree. There's no point in stressing out over some trivial aspect of  life that has zero relevance to the future. Shake it off, Ruth. Kathy knows you'll have a beautiful life without the burden of a possible hunt.

Never Let Me Go 11

"'What they were saying was that some Hailsham students in the past, in special circumstances, had managed to get a deferral. That this was something you could do if you were a Hailsham student. You could ask for your donations to be put back by three, even four years."' Chrissy, pg 153

Throughout their stay at the Cottages, all the veterans have been particularly interested in the Hailsham kids; moreover, their alma mater. My best guess is that Hailsham was a unique school, just as Roncalli is set apart from the public schools in the district. Chrissy, in particular, implies that Ruth, Tommy, and Kathy are priveleged because they had attended Hailsham, but the author never revealed why until this point. Word got out that Hailsham students could be given a defferal before donations to extend their life by three or four years as long as they could prove they were in love. I completely understand the Hailsham students' perspective because public school students always assume that as a parochial student I am entitled to many great rewards and unfair advantages that I have never heard of. Chrissy sees Hailsham as immaculate almost, but I can garuntee that actual Hailsham students don't agree. Even if the deferrals did exist, I would not be surprised if Kathy and Ruth turned a blind eye to them because Hailsham was the only environment they'd known, and thus it was not anything special to them.

Never Let Me Go 10

"That's why, when you were out there yourself- in the towns, shopping centres, transport cafes, you kept an eye out for 'possibles'- the people who might have been the models for you and your friends." pg 139

Just when I thought this book couldn't get any more twisted, the author introduces possibles. Possibles, a colloquialism in the lives of all future donors, are what I would call parents. Because these children all know their fate, well at least that they won't live long, many, like Tommy, feel no need to find their possible or model. The subject of possibles was kind of like politics, no one brought it up because it might rub someone the wrong way. Upon seeing a possible possible for Ruth, Chrissy, Rodney, Tommy, and Kathy joined Ruth to go look at the women and see how legitimate Rodney's theory was. It was interesting to see how little these young adults new about reproduction. Unless cloning machines exist in this alternate universe, I don't think any of these characters would have just one model, but I also think none of them realize that. Never, in the whole Norfolk trip, did anyone mention a father.

Never Let Me Go 9

"She was struggling to become someone else, and maybe felt the pressure more than the rest of us because, as I say, she'd somehow taken on the responsibility for all of us. In that case, then, the way I'd talked about her slap on the elbow thing could be seen as betrayal, and she might well then have felt justified retaliating as she had." Never Let Me Go pg 130

Kathy is obviously an analyzer. A large chunk if this book is dedicated to sorting out Kathy's thoughts, otherwise known as her stream of consciousness. Kathy thinks and thinks until not only can she seem to justify what Ruth does, but also to put the blame on herself. I understand that teenager girls do take small matters very seriously; however, it's just a tap on the shoulder.I also don't understand how Kathy thinks Ruth is  embodying all of Hailsham at the Cottages when Ruth seems to be trying to forget all about Hailsham. The conclusions just seem like a gross exaggeration. Kathy's conscience is filled with mistreatment of Ruth, that probably were overexaggerated, so all this locked guilt could be coming out thus causing Kathy to make herself the antagonist to make it up to Ruth.

Never Let Me Go 8

"It was like when you make a move in chess and just as you take your finger off the piece, you see the mistake you've madeand there's this panic because you don't know yet the scale of disaster you've left yourself open to" Never Let Me Go pg 124

Ruth and Kathy yet again begin bickering. This is my shocked face. Because Ruth has once again began to pretend that she read Daniel Deronda, Kathy gets upset and snaps back on Ruth's television influenced mannerisms. Obviously, these are both very low blows. Kathy knew she shouldn't bring up Ruth's trying to fit in, but she was not about to let Ruth walk around like she knew everything. However, as soon as she brought up the controversial shoulder tap farewell, she knew she'd gone too far. The insult is compared to both a chess game, and a disaster, I assume disaster refers to natural disasters such as tornadoes. The mixed metaphor confused me because I was not really sure when the metaphor was over, but the two situations are so closely related that they almost blend into one. Just as Kathy sat back hoping Ruth hadn not really noticed her rude remark, a chess player hopes his opponent doesn't see his mistakes because in either situation, if the flaw is caught, mass chaos can and will break out. On a lighter note, I find it ironic that Ruth actually taught Kathy to play chess (incorrectly) at Hailsham.