Never Let Me Go #8 Halt! Halt with your two-wisdom-tooth story!

"We certainly knew-though not in a deep sense- that we were different from our guardians, and also from the normal people outside." (NLMG, page 69)

Okay, so I know that my last blog was literaly half a page ago, but this is TRES IMPORTANTE!!! There are still "normal" people out in the world, and all the kids at Hailsham are different than their guardians. These kids are the first run at a perfect society! They don't smoke, they are forced to contribute their work to the general public, and they aren't told much information! AHHHHHHH!!!! They are slowly being dumbed down so they won't oppose the people in control when they're older. The one guardian that was so miffed when they weren't told enough probably had a conscience and knew that these kids were being treated like genie pigs! This is my last epiphany for a while, I hope. There are just too many exclaimation points required to fully reveal my excitement.

Never Let Me Go #7 AH HA!

"But what you must understand is that for you, all of you, it's much worse to smoke than it ever was for me." (Miss Lucy, NLMG, page 68)

Not to toot my own horn, but I'm pretty proud of my epiphany I just made. Would you like to hear it? Well, to bad if you don't because I have to have a certain amount of blogs and this is very important. I have just come across what I believe is the connection between Never Let Me Go and Brave New World. Brave New World showed the thinking behind people who were above the government, if that makes any sense. The p.o.v. what from someone who could think properly for themselves, where as Never Let Me Go is from the p.o.v. of someone who's under complete government submission. I think that this is pretty close to what the connection between the two is.

Never Let Me Go #6 Rain is a good thang!

"Until recestly I'd listen to it occasionally driving out in the open country on a drizzly day." (NLMG, page 64)

I know that I just quoted four pages back, but I really liked this little quote, so toughen up. I adore rain! It gives life to so many things, including me! Just a few days ago, I was on my way home from work when a torrential down-pour, hail and all, gushed from the heavens. Once I was inside, I was able to enjoy the rain. There's just something comforting about black and green skies. What does this have to do with Never Let Me Go? I think that Hailsham is kind of like rain. It just numbs you, in a sense that everything blurs together and you're comforted by it. However, rain can turn to tornados, which could potentailly happen to Hailsham. Hahahahahahahaha!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! HAILsham! I swear I never even thought of that until I just typed it a line up! Crazy!

PS, I love this singer on YouTube and she sings one of my favorite songs, like I mentioned in my previous post! Yes, you may thank me later for introducing you to her!

Never Let Me Go #5 Love is not a victory march

"I know felt awful, and I was confused. But as we stood there together staring at the fog and rain, I could think of no way now to repair the damage I'd done." (NLMG, page 60)

On my way to work today, I sang at the top of my lungs. I often do that when I have the car all to myself and not a soul can hear me. Anyways, I was singing Hallelujah and one of my favorite lines from it is "Love is not a victory march, it's a cold and it's a broken hallelujah." The whole incident with Kathy, Ruth and Miss Geraldine reminded me of how friendship, and love for that matter, isn't perfect. We all fall, mess up, and sin. What makes love and friendships last are the reparations made, the wounds that heal and are stronger because of the strain. I think Ruth and Kathy are better friends today because of what they went through with the secret guard, this little tussle, and probably countless other incidents where their bonds were strained.

Never Let Me GO #4 Take a Bow, Kazuo!

"I currently can't find a quote for what I want to say because what I want to say isn't really related to the story." (Laura Hollowell)

So, this may be illegal. I could potentially flunk out of AP Literature and Composition for this, but I'm going to be daring, like Polly in NLMG, and I'm going to say what I think instead of blogging about an exerpt from the book.
I am lazy. I get bored very easily and I have a minimal attention span. I was stumbling upon happy dance videos and creative architecture today when it hit me. Something I thought would never happen happened just a few minutes ago. I wanted to leave my cyberspace paradise of this: --------------->

to continue reading the book. What is my PROBLEM?!?!?! It must be something in the book that has enticed me, so I would just like to say bravo, Mr. Ishiguro! The end!

Never Let Me Go #3 Analogy

"We hadn't been ready for that. It had never occured to us to wonder how we would feel, being seen like that, being the spiders." (NLMG, page 35)

Ouch! Who in their right mind likes being thought of as a horrible spider?? Answer: no one! I don't know why these kids were so offended by the thought that they weren't the best. Kathy was so shocked when Tommy told her perfection wasn't mandatory, so I'm thinking that these kids are conditioned to think they are the best, and when they are treated like otherwise, they don't know how to react. I liked the spider analogy because there is such a well-known detestation for spiders that to be referred to one is quite the insult. I bet this woman's fear of the children will be brought up again soon!

Never Let Me Go #2 TWINS!

"So before lond Tommy had gone back to his original defense, producing work that seemed deliberately childish, work that said he couldn't care less." (NLMG, page20)

I really liked this section because I connected to Tommy. He's bullied, that's clear as crystal. What I was pretty proud of myself for discerning was Tommy is inside all of us. When mocked for lack of perfection, he hid in a shell of purposeful stupidity. I often do this when I'm trying to speak French. I 'm not a native, and I feel that if I try all the way, give my all and fail, I'll look even worse than if I just sat there silent. It was so nice to have something to relate to. I have a hunch I'm really going to like Tommy. :)

Never Let Me Go #1 Well, here we go again!

"I don't know ow it was where you were..." (NLMG, page 13)

Well, I'm back. After a very enjoyable respite from blogging, I'm back in full swing with literature. I'm not very far yet, but I thought this was interesting how Kathy said "you". I had Mrs. Miles my freshman year, and the sight of "you" still makes my blood pressure skyrocket! I like how informal yet intelligent this book seems, but I'm still only thirteen pages in, so I'm trying to with-hold full judgement. Not much has happened yet, so I'm wondering what these personal anecdotes are going to tie in to the greater story line. We shall see...

Brave New World #20 The E.N.D.

The society in the book and today's society are more similar than I originally realized. It's more than in-vitro, birth control and family issue similarities, it's also some of the most core values of society that are amplified by the Brave New World society. For example, one ruling power with millions of blind followers and people seeking to escape their troubles that make them stronger. It was just shocking to see what a few simple ideas could do when *****AAHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!******** Brain wave!!!! This is just like inception!!! A simple idea that grows and contorts and infects the mind. It can't be shaken, it grabs hold of the mind and takes over like a virus! I bet that's what happened! Ford, whoever or whatever it is, got a great idea to make a watered down group of people, give them what they want and tell them to follow him (or her, not trying to be sexist here!). Well,I guess I lost my bet with myself. But in all seriousness, I really enjoyed this book!WOAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! What in the HECK just happened??? Things are going great, John's in solitude, then all of a sudden, he's dead! What what what on earth?? I guess this is where the Jason Bourne loosing part comes in. He actually got shot jumping off the building. Huh. The one person that I thought was going to defy all odds, be a virtuous person goes against all his beliefs. It's like saying no one can ever be free. I'm blown away again, although not in the best sense. I'm slightly depressed now.

Brave New World #19 Tears

"'Christianity without tears- that's what soma is.' 'But tears are necessary.'" (Mond, then John, BNW, page 238)

Wow. Me=blown away. These past two chapters (I'm currently on 17) have been so intellectually deep! I usually just bash all the books I have to read in school because it's fun and I never enjoy them, but I am legitimately astounded by the knowledge and wisdom! and I'm not shocked AT ALL that Bernard gave in to the society. I should have known he was a pathetic, good-for-nothing faker. Alas, that's to be expected. I hope the rest of the book ends in a content manner, because I've got a good feeling about a decent ending!

Brave New World #18 Ford.

"Good-bye, my dearest, dearest friends, Ford keep you!" (the Voice, BNW, page 215)

What in the name of Sam Hill is Ford??? I have been going nuts this entire book, looking for who Ford is, and so far, no dice! Obviously, it is as substitute for "God", and clearly, these people use it in vain. But who or what is Ford? I'm really hoping that it will be explained because so far, I have heard neither hide nor hair of an explanation. I'm going to make a conjecture, and if I am right, I'll give myself the last blog off! Heh heh, just joking! But I will pat myself on the back if my guess is correct; if not, well, it's not the first time that's happened this book! Anyways, my guess is that the Ford figure is like "It" in A Wrinkle In Time. It controls everything, knows everything, and is pure evil. I think Ford is something like that. Alas, we shall have to wait and see.

Brave New World #17 Throw it out the window!

"It was as though a shutter had been opened, a curtain drawn back." (BNW, page 210)

While nothing is really all that FUNNY in this book, I did think of something funny while reading a section. it popped up in my head when John was throwing out the soma. It was a song that they used to play on Radio Disney, not that I EVER listened to it (lies). I found a hilarious video of Celtic people singing it at a Renaissance Fair and I thought it was hilarious! 

Aside from this, I think the throwing out of the soma was a very bold move: that's like banning alcohol at the Indy 500. People would die if that happened. I'm actually concerned that the Sergeant might excommunicate John, Bernard and Helmholtz. However, if I lived there, I think I'd prefer to live in Iceland!

Brave New World #16 Whoa, Bear!

"Whore!... Damned whore!... Go... get out of my sight or I'll kill you." (John, BNW, page 194)

Wow, John! Tell us how you really feel! I have to admit, I was pretty shocked to read that line. I had hoped that he would deny Lenina's advances, but this was beyond my expectations. Now I think I was more right than ever with regards to John and Bernard. If you can resist Lenina, you can be a good person, maybe change the world! Something I thought was interesting was how Huxley has developed such in-depth personalities. It's like they're real people almost. "'Damned whore!' 'A gra-amme is be-etter...'" The subtle injections of her past are what really make this book interesting.

Brave New World #15 I'm freaking out right now!

"Half a gramme had been enough to make Lenina forget her fears and her embarrassments. "Hullo, John.'" (BNW, page 189)

I am currently freaking out because I'm halfway down the page, and John and Lenina are alone. I decided that, in order to get out my raw emotions, I should blog about this during the event, and not after.
Things I will do if John has sex with Lenina:
1). bite my book in rage
2). cry because I though John was a real man and could control his feelings
3). hate Lenina and her gramme-taking self for corrupting John, who's suposed to be a hero
4). throw this book away, then remember that I can fail the class without it, and dig it out of the trash, thinking lots of bitter thoughts.
For the sake of my sanity and the normality of the rest of my blogs, let us all hope that John stays strong!

Brave New World #14 Team John!

"You ought to have asked me first whether I wanted to meet them." (Bernard, BNW, page 172)

You know what I feel like? I feel like I'm in a soap opera! My journal that I'm writing in has the most bizarre list of "Bernard=jealous!", "Lenina wants John, John refuses", "Bernard uses John to get 15 minutes of fame." I think it's so entertaining how Huxley takes something that is universally entertaining and is still effective in conveying the story! Now, about the teams. At the start of the story, I though Bernard was some great hero who defied odds to be different. AHA!!! I think I just realized something! Bernard didn't want to have sex automatically with Lenina, just like John. However, he caves. John, however, does not (at least not yet). I think this is foreshadowing how John will react to the people in charge. When confronted with fame and importance, Bernard caved my tent in Glacier Basin. It's this reaction that I think will determine what John does, which is hopefully rising above what is expected by society and lead the world in the proper direction! TEAM JOHN all the way!

Brave New World #13 No remorse

"The greater a man's talents, the greater his power to lead astray." (BNW, page 148)

Can you say karma? Because I can! KARMA!!! Leave it to the Director to try and publicly humiliate someone, then epically fall flat on his face. I don't know why Bernard thought it would be a good way to get back on the Director's good side, on account of because he's about to be deported to Iceland, but what do I know? I feel so bad for John though, because he finally thought he would have a father, a stable man to head the family. Then what happens? His dad runs away from him. Cool, Director. Real cool.

Brave New World #12 John's Parody

"The crooked parody of Mitsima's, his own stood beside it. Looking at the two pots, he has to laugh." (BNW, page 134)

Yay!!!! This section made me so happy because for once, it seems like John is being accepted! I have no idea who this Mitsima is, but he seems like a respected elder, since he knows how to make clay pots and bows. It was so kind of him to take John under his wing and teach him a skill to be proud of. The pot creation is a quintessential example of John's life: he is different, alone, learns a skill to be of use, then works with fervor to be fully accomplished. I know that doesn't make much sense, but when their two vases were side by side, it showed just how different John is from the rest of his society. I'm sensing another main character, but what it is he'll do, I have no idea!

Brave New World #11 I'm sickened.

"Linda drank some, and then Pope drank some, and then Linda laughed a lot and talked very loud." (BNW, page 125)

Wow. Can I just say something? This is evil. Pure evil. Having a prostitute for a mother is just so evil. Poor John! He has no father, no fatherly figure, an uncaring, courtesan mother, and on top of that, he isn't accepted by his people. It reminds me of a book I've been meaning to read called "Redeeming Love". A little girl's mother is a prostitute, has a terrible childhood, becomes a prostitute herself, then is rescued by God and a man named Micheal Hosea. Once again, this book really solidifies my views on certain topics, not that I have ever or would ever think prostitution is okay! I just mean that in the sense of a family needing a mother and a father, not one parent and eighty other partners.

Brave New World #10 Assonance

"'But cleanliness is next to fordliness,' she insisted. 'Yes, and civilization is sterilization,' Bernard went on" (BNW, page 110).

As I read this passage, I'll be honest, I was slightly spacing out. That just happens sometimes. However, when I came across this assonance, it jumped out at me. I think the author might have realized it was a boringish part of the book and need to regain the reader's attention. Very wise, Mr. Huxley. It's a very important quote, and I believe it says a lot about the reasoning behind the society: sterilize the world. The perfect civilization is clean, crisp, and sterile. PS, I think there also may be some foreshadowing going on here because sterile has a negative connotation. You never hear anyone jump for joy and shout "I'm sterile!!" Therefore, I sense some ominous stuff comin.

Brave New World #9 Acedotes, OH MY!

"Nothing emotional, nothing longdrawn. It was all perfectly healthy and normal." (BNW, page 97)

Something strange has happened: the Director has revealed a glimmer of a soul! He told Bernard a story about his trip to the reservation. Aside from how weird it was that the Director talked much to Bernard, there are a few things that made me curious. Why did the Director ever go to the Savage Reservation? Also, why was the girl he went with missing? Lastly, why did he still care about this women and the incident? He got extremely defensive when he remembered Bernard was listening to his story, which is bizarre. I'll have to be on my guard, because I am definitely suspicious of this behavior by the Director. Shady stuff...

Brave New World #8 Bernard has a brain!

"'Good night, dear friends. Good night dear friends.' The loud speakers veiled their commands in a genial and musical politeness. 'Good night, dear friends'" (Page 77).

Now, I'm no genius. I don't have the highest G.P.A., and I'm kind of slow intellectually at times. HOWEVER, I, by using my insane gifts of intuition, I know this is not the best society. For a while, I was thinking I'm the only one to realize this, but there's a flicker of hope! Bernard Marx freaked out when he thought someone was listening to his conversation. I just blew this off until a little later because I just thought he was spazing out.. It hit me that he's one of the only people in society that thinks anything is flawed, which is a brilliant observation (insert sarcasm). Even though there was no one at the door, it makes me wonder if there is a secret method of tracking the citizens that Bernard is wary about. We shall just have to wait and see.

Brave New World #7 Juxtaposition?

"What the two men shared was the knowledge that they were individuals. (page  67)" 

Hmmm. I think this sentence is particularly interesting because these two men live in a society where conformity is mandatory. It's bizarre that the idea the men share is that they are different. I know it's not that big of a deal, but it's odd that the unifying factor to this friendship, or at least bond, is their differences.

I also think it's strange that this society is all about conformity and homogeneous personalities while our society today is all about individuality. I think this book is futuristic, so I wonder what the author imagined happened to change all society so drastically! *ALERT!* Once again, my lacking attention span has brought me to an epiphany! I was just looking at the Casey Anthony case, and maybe it's small(not that the death of a child is small at ALL) incidents such as this(if she is guilty), where the government goes against human rights to push their own agenda. That seems like what happened yesterday, so maybe the BNW society isn't as far-fetched as I originally thought.

Brave New World #6 I think I have a headache!

"Ending is better than mending. (BNW, page 52)"

10+ pages of spaced, intertwining dialog is OVERWHELMING! I forget half the time what conversation I'm reading, then, once I work that out, who on earth is talking? While it is a pain, I think it symbolizes the me-first sort of attitude that seems to claim the civilization. the lines continue to shorten until they are just one-sentence statements. What in the hay is going on?? To make matters worse, it seems like these are rather important conversations that I need to know and understand. What I've gathered so far is that Bernard has feelings, Lenina and Fanny are shallow, there is no such thing as religion anymore, fidelity is evil, and drugs are cool. If I didn't already know, this is one dysfunctional society, ah!!!! An epiphany again! The disorder of the past ten pages is to symbolize the chaos that is going on behind the scenes, in the minds of all people that aren't brain-washed! I'm pretty proud of my revelation!

Brave New World #5: WHOA! Emotion!

"No pains have been spared to make your lives emotionally easy--to preserve you, so far as that is possible, from having emotions at all. (BNW, page 44)"

Hold the phones! Someone has ACTUALLY showed emotion, which is a shock in this society. "'Talking about her as though she were a bit of meat.' Bernard ground his teeth. (BNW, page 45)" Wow! Someone is getting angry over something that is expected out of society. Hmmmm. I'm thinking that, if this is like all other science fiction novels I've read, I have either A) come across the hero or protagonist, or B) this person is about to die. Granted, both A and B could very likely be true. It was just really shocking that after the Controller's speech about no emotions, a man felt such rage. "Bernard hated them, hated them. (BNW, page 47)" I wonder and hope it will explained shortly why he is different from the rest of society so as to feel some emotion. Did something go wrong with his test tube? The two women spoke of a rumor that someone alcohol-poisoned him in his test tube, but that's just a rumor, and being s Roncalli student, I know how the truth can be misconstrued. I'll be keeping my eyes on this Bernard Marx man, that's for sure.

Brave New World #4: My "Ah ha" Moment

"'Stability,' said the Controller, 'stability. No civilization without social stability. No social stability without individual stability.' (BNW, page 42)

AH HAA!! I finally get what the point is to (at least some of) the madness that is this society. The analogy with the pipe under pressure made me curious, and then I read this quote, and things just snapped into place. They dumb everyone down, make then into pre-made, pre-cut shapes that conform and feel little emotion because with emotion comes a price tag. It seems to me that who ever decided to make this society a) wanted power, and b) was fearful of people joining together to overthrow. By giving people everything they want (who cares about their fundamental needs?), such as space, sex and leisure, one can gain power. I know this is probably making no sense, but it's how my mind is working right now, so I apologize. Another thing I have noticed is apathy. When the babies were being electrocuted, no one seemed to be interested. When a seven and an eight year old were having sex, no one cared. By telling people they don't need self-control (with regards to the societies views on sex and polygamy), one gains a group of apathetic followers that don't have anything to care about. I'll finish with a quote from Harry Potter: "... even though we've got a fight ahead of us, we've got one thing that Voldemort doesn't have. Something worth fighting for." Unfortunately, it's vice versa for this society.

Brave New World #3 Family Issues

"No air, no space; an understerilized prison; darkness, disease, and smells (BNW, page 37)".

I am not the most easy-going person. I get angry very easily, and I am extremely defensive. It is because of this personality "flaw" that makes me detest this society even more. I have a huge family, and they are all the coolest people I know. I love them more than anything, and I have NEVER ONCE wished to be in a smaller family. I greatly appreciate my mother's care and love, and this chapter TICKED ME OFF!!! In what I believe is an attempt to instill fear into the students, the Controller tells the students of a time when many many people were crammed into a small space. "No air, no space; an understerilized prison; darkness, disease, and smells." It's almost comical how the Controller misconstrues typical family characteristics to make them seem hellish. Understerilized: obviously! Anywhere a human touches becomes "understerilized". Disease: this makes me think of when my family got chicken pox. My brother Matt came home and told my mom a kid in his class got chicken pox. My mom proceeded to ask where said boy sat: right next to Matt. The next three weeks were some of the darkest I'm sure my parents have seen. A rare side effect of Benadryl is "excitability", and I was a rare child. However, there has yet to be another such dire time, and the benefits of a large family greatly outweigh those three weeks. This section infuriated me.

Brave New World #2 Self-Discovery

"The infants were unloaded (BNW, page 20)".

Currently, I am at work, sitting at my computer and waiting for someone to call. Like many other teenagers, I have a relatively short attention span and decided halfway through chapter two that I would get on Facebook. In the book, at the time I stopped, babies were being electrocuted to teach them to hate flowers. (Just something else I noticed about dehumanization: half-way down page 20, it says "the infants were unloaded." This reminded me of cattle or some other pack animal bred only to serve a purpose to others. Foreshadowing?) While on Facebook, I absent-mindedly looked over my niece Olivia's photos. I was thinking about how adorable her chubby little cheeks are and how she is more beautiful than any other child, and it struck me with sadness for the children in Brave New World. They aren't unique, they aren't loved, and they are tortured for the benefit of society. This book, while only being three chapters in, has really helped solidify my position on life issues, such as stem-cell research, in vitro fertilization, and abortion. I know they probably won't, but I hope things will start to look up for this civilization.

Cutest baby to ever grace the world with her presence: Olivia Hollowell