Never Let Me Go Flashcards
Comment on the sentence structure in the very start of the book
- Not varied
- Repetition of weak words such as “and” “but” and “so” which could demonstrate the thought process as a stream of conscious rather than well-thought-out, structured paragraphs
- Uses “they” but at this point we don’t know who “they” are which supports the idea of the stream of consciousness idea as she talks about her life as if we are already a part of it
- Unlike other books, we are not gradually introduced as the story unfolds, but instead thrown into the middle of her life and therefore have to assume what she’s talking about
Analyse the quote:
“My donors have always tended to do much better than expected.”
- Makes Kathy seem self appreciative
- “donor” seems acceptable to use as it helps society justify it’s claims
- “donor” usually associated with personal generosity which is ironic seeing as they have no choice
- “tended” implies maybe they haven’t all done well, this is an enigmatic hook for the reader as they’d like to know who has and hasn’t
- “my” is a possessive pronoun, which implies she takes great pride over her donors, maybe as she didn’t have anything of her own while she was young
What does freedom mean to the clones?
In the eyes of the clones, they are already free. They don’t mention the word freedom as it hasn’t been taught to them for a reason. They are expected to simply accept the lives that have been laid out for them.
What was Ishiguro’s aim when writing the book?
- To show Kathy H’s childhood
- To accentuate childhood naivety
- Link to animal rights and testing
- To show our societies desensitisation and passivity
- Illustrate how we justify out actions
- Present how we manipulate our own language to hide the harsh realities that we live in
What style is Never Let Me Go written in?
- Dystopian genre
- Diary/journalistic feel
- First person
What is the public disgusted at?
The way that the clones are treated.
Not the fact that they are there in the first place
How effective are the settings of Hailsham?
- Hailsham is similar to a school - a place where everyone has experience of, which makes it easier for the reader to understand and interpret the story
Analyse the quote:
“My name is Kathy H, i’m 39 years old and i’ve been a carer now for 11 years.”
- No surname which indicates no familial identity
- Present tense, indicates diary style on past life
- Talks about herself, indicates first person narrative
- “Carer” is a passionate term and usually illustrates the feel of looking after the vulnerable, but in this case is ironic as Kathy is really the most vulnerable as she has no choice in her short life
How is the euphemism “possible” used, and what effect does it give?
- “Possible”, a term used to describe a human that looks like an “original” used to make one of the clones. Implies that they are based around different people with personalities, the clones think they can learn things about themselves from finding their “possible”.
How is the euphemism “guardian” used and what effect does it give?
- “Guardian”, a term used to describe the teachers at Hailsham. Implies that these humans protect the clones, which is ironic as really they are just contributing to their suffering.
How is the euphemism “carer” used, and what effect does it give?
- “Carer”, a term used to describe a clone who’s job it is to nurse and look after fellow ill clones. Implies that only clones should look after ill clones, and not humans.
How is the euphemism “completion” used, and what effect does it give?
- “Completing”, meaning dying. Implies that the the students feel they have come to the end of their lives naturally, as if they have completed all they are capable of
Name three advantages to being a carer.
1) Donations are pushed back
2) You are able to live a slightly more normal life
3) There is much more freedom
Name three disadvantages to being a carer.
1) Have to watch your friends suffer
2) Have almost no time to yourself
3) Must watch what you’re going to go through in the future
Name three advantages to being a donor.
1) You’re taken care of
2) Made to feel special
3) To complete early could be better as your quality of life would disintegrate
Name three disadvantages to being a donor.
1) They know that they will soon “complete”
2) Their death will be slow and painful
3) They will never live a normal life
What was the “tokens controversy”?
The establishment that the students should be proud that their items are take, and shouldn’t mind that they aren’t paid in return.
What is the point of the sales?
Societies rejected toys are given to the children, maybe this is the public’s way of making them selves feel less guilty about what’s happening to the students.
Comment on the way in which Kathy H addresses the reader.
Kathy addresses the reader as if we are having a private conversation with her, she assumes that we are like her and not ‘outsiders’.
Analyse the effect of this quote:
“All I can tell you today is that it’s for a good reason. A very important reason. But if I tried to explain it to you now, I don’t think you’d understand. One day, I hope, it will be explained to you.”
(Miss Lucy)
- Possibly feeling guilty as she genuinely cares about them
- Knows better than to tell them the truth
- Puts the idea of it in their heads without telling them herself
How far does Kathy portray herself as a caring and kind person? How far can we trust the narrator?
- Kathy writes the book as a diary which indicates that she may never have thought someone would be reading it, resulting in an honest account of her life
- Or, maybe she did realise someone would read it, and wrote around the fact that she needed to portray herself as a kind figure
- Kathy almost makes us believe that she is a better person than Ruth when it comes to relationships, she seems to think that she could always do better than Ruth
- Kathy includes Ruth’s weaknesses as if to make herself feel better about her own insecurities (pencil case incident, punch in the arm incident, the horse games, Tommy)
Why does Kathy prefer to listen to the tape in private?
- Means she can forget her problems/ escape life
- Chance for her to reflect
- Her music preference is unique, maybe her friends wouldn’t feel the same way about it
Do the students get many opportunities to be alone?
- Boarding-school set up is maybe intentional as privacy is limited
- Privacy leads to deeper thought and therefore evaluation of their lives
- This could be problematic as it could lead to a rebellion
What significance is there to Kathy’s interpretation of the lyrics “never let me go”?
Although Kathy never knew the actual meaning to the lyrics, she misiterpreted them, and assumed it was about a mother who never wanted to give up her baby. The song was a symbol of Kathy’s unattianble desire to have a baby of her own. Clones were not allowed to have babies, it was physically impossible. Kathy’s desire to have a baby of her own could possibly be the reason she was a carer for so long.
Quote about Kathy and the tape (page 71)
“What I was doing was swaying about slowly in time to the song, holding an imaginary baby to my breast. In fact, to make it all the more embarassing, it was one of those times I’d grabbed a pillow to stand in for the baby, and I was doing this slow dance, my eyes closed, singing along softly each time those lines came around again, oh baby, baby, never let me go”
Explore the connotations of the title “Never Let Me Go.”
- Whole book is about Kathy reminiscing her childhood
- Friendship, love, life, hope
- Urge to belong somewhere or be with someone
- Not letting go of the past
- Hailsham, guardians, people in control?
- Naivety from Kathy as the title is “Never Let Me Go”, instead of “Never Let Us Go” which could imply she feels as though she is alone
