Never Let Me Go: 7

PARADOX

"The problem, as I see it, is that you've been told and not told." p. 81

This is a HUGE part in the story. I love the character of Miss Lucy. She seems to always be looking out for the students. She apparently revealed a great truth to the children, but I did not feel like I knew much after this. This paradox was well placed because at first you think it's contradictory, but as you think about, you realize just how true it is. The children are told things, but not the full truth. I find this greatly annoying. Why don't they just tell them? Why not just let me in on the secret? Anyways, I hope that I find out soon so I can stop being confused about exactly what is happening at Hailsham.

Never Let Me Go: 6

FORESHADOWING

"...and especially now Ruth has gone, it's become one of my most precious possessions." p. 76

Because this novel is almost all in flashbacks, there is a lot of foreshadowing throughout. This is a good example of one time the author throws it in there. It saddens me to read this because I know she means that Ruth is going to die. However, this is a good technique because it makes me want to keep reading. It creates suspense. It makes me think of how Ruth died and when she did. I find myself eager to turn each page because of the technique of foreshadowing because I need to know what happens.

Never Let Me Go: 5

BOOK TITLE

"What made the tape so special for me was this one particular song: track number three, 'Never Let Me Go."' p. 70

I was beginning to wonder when the title was going to crop up. This part of the novel was especially heart warming. Haven't we all had a song from when we were little that we did not quite know the meaning to? I sure have my fair share of them. And still to this day, those songs mean a lot to me. I think it is really cool how Kathy has found something from the outside world that sets her apart from everyone else at Hailsham. But probably the most moving part of this was when Madame sobbed when she saw Kathy holding her fake baby and swaying to the music. It makes me wonder why Madame was crying when she saw her. Maybe because they cannot have babies? We will (hopefully) find out.

Never Let Me Go: 4

FLAT CHARACTER

"' Jackie's giraffes,' Ruth said with a laugh. 'They were so beautiful. I used to have one.'" p. 17

In this part, Ruth and Kathy are discussing their exchanges at Hailsham. The exchanges involved all of the students making paintings, poems, sculptures, and anything art-related. However, Kathy and her close group of friends were not the only ones in the exchange. So, naturally, some other characters needed to be thrown in there. I liked this because it added depth to the conversation Ruth and Kathy were having. Have you ever been on the outside of a conversation when two old friends bring up past stories about people you have never heard of? That's how I felt reading this part. And I was still left with that feeling that I wanted to learn more about this person or that thing. Jackie is a flat character because all it says about her was that she was good at making giraffes.

Never Let Me Go: 3

BFFs

"There was a kind of conversation that could only happen when you were hidden way in the pavilion; we might discuss something that was worrying us, or we might end up screaming with laughter, or in a furious row. Mostly, it was a way to unwind for a while with your closest friends." p. 7

I really liked reading this part of the story. Kathy and her friends remind me of my friends and myself. The way they go about things and talk to each other is very similar to my group. This quote connected to me the most because this is literally how my conversations work. I was just talking about this not two hours ago. Girls have a way of talking that can only truly happen behind closed doors. And the spectrum of things we talk about is just as wide as what the author wrote. The pavilion Kathy is talking about can take many forms in my life. It can be a restaurant, a backyard, and my best friends' rooms. But I definitely understand why this one pavilion was such a special place for Kathy and her friends to talk and unwind.

Never Let Me Go: 2

FLASHBACK

"I can remember us back in the Juniors, pleading with guardians to hold the next lesson in the pavilion instead of the usual room." p. 6

Throughout the novel it seems, that almost everything written is a flashback. As I said with the first person point of view, I really like this. This is also just like every story that anyone tells. However, at times it can be rather difficult to follow. The author really knows how to tell a story, though. Kathy seems just like a character that I would be friends with. So it makes it very easy to follow along with all of the flashbacks. It serves as useful because most of the flashbacks are in chronological order. Also, they are told in a such a way that we hear them from a more well-rounded adult Kathy instead of the young Kathy during the flashback. She is able to recall most of her emotions and a pretty good amount of what was happening at the time. This is good because we, as readers, get the point of view from someone who has had time to think about all of these things and get a more rounder and complete understanding. ( I realize that made little sense even to me, but I'm unsure how to word it :D )

Never Let Me Go: 1

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." p. 3

As the book first opens up with this sentence, I was very happy to read that it was in first person. I don't know why, but I seem to always get into books more when they are written in that style. Kazuo Ishiguro (try saying that ten times fast) made an excellent decision to tell the story using this point of view. I feel as if I was listening to someone tell me a story in real life rather than reading a dull, third party point of view on something that happened once upon a time. The way Kathy tells her story is all over the place. I love it. That is how all of my friends -and probably just about every other human being- tells stories. Ishiguro really understood this and used it to his benefit. Nothing is really chronological, but I feel as if that kept me on my toes and, quite frankly, as interested as I was in the story of Kathy, Ruth, and Tommy.