actor connection between Black Mirror and NLMG

hi everyone! some of you may have heard me talking about this in class the other day, but I still think it's really cool (and a little freaky) so I'm posting it here too. the actor who plays Ash in Black Mirror is the same actor that plays Rodney in the Never Let Me Go movie. coincidence? not a coincidence? you decide!

The actor's name is Domhnall Gleeson. Some of you may recognize him from the Harry Potter movies (he plays Bill Weasley).

Here's the link to the Never Let Me Go movie trailer, in case you don't believe me: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sXiRZhDEo8A

The Matched Trilogy

Below is a link to a book review of my favorite book collections.  "Matched", by Ally Condie is a trilogy about a dystopian society, where officials decide the entire life a person will live.  Officials of the Society determine their occupation, their spouse, their diets, and when they will die.  The main character, Cassia, believes completely in the society until her grandfather "dies".  She then begins to realize flaws in the system of the Society once her match is chosen for her.  In connection to "Never Let Me Go", Cassia has her entire life mapped out for her, similar to the clones, yet she decides to find more flaws in the system and continues to go against it in her own small ways.  The Society is all Cassie ever knew, just as the donation system was all Kathy ever knew about.  Kathy never thought of going against donations or running away, but once she saw Tommy and her had the possibility for a life together she decided she would attempt to get a deferral.  In both situations, the loss of a loved one triggered an attempt at rejecting what they were meant to do, or in the cases of the donors, what they were made to do.  In many scenarios throughout life we see people doing anything for the ones they love, even if it means going against all they know. 

https://www.bookbrowse.com/bb_briefs/detail/index.cfm/ezine_preview_number/5691/Matched

Black Mirror

Black Mirror makes a statement about humanity similar to Never Let me Go.  They each address what makes us human but they use different mediums.  Never Let me Go uses a dystopian society filled with clones that aren't quite human.  However, the clones have memories and experiences that give them humanity.  With Never Let me Go, it depicts a Utopian society with perfect technology.  When a robot born form this perfect era tries to emulate a human, it can't.  It lacks the memories to identify as a human.  Each shows the importance of memory to humanity by showing two different sides of the story.

What is Black Mirror saying about technology?

Of course Black Mirror sees technology as flawed and imperfect (what with the cyborg Ash not representing real Ash, them being addictive, etc.) but many times it shows it's beauty and advancement, like the drawing board that Martha uses. I think that in this sense, Black Mirror acknowledges the beauty of advanced technology, but also shows it's downfall in the sense that it cannot truly replace the elegant yet imperfect design of a human being.

The Science of Nostalgia

As I was thinking about my thesis for my essay on Never Let Me Go, I began to question what the science behind nostalgia was. Why do some people have more or less nostalgia, and why do we feel nostalgia for certain moments rather than others? According to Alan R. Hirsh, author of "Nostalgia: a Neuropsychiatric Understanding," nostalgia is not an emotional state, it is "a longing for a sanitized impression of the past." From this article, I learned that nostalgia comes from a sort of filtered memory, where we choose to rid our brains of certain negative parts of a moment and remember it as being entirely positive, or sometimes perfect. One other interesting fact from the article is that nostalgia has not always been viewed as a good thing. In the 17th century, a Swiss physician named Johannes Hofer used the term nostalgia to describe yearning for the past; he considered it to be a cerebral disease. I would suggest reading the article if this at all interests you! It is a very interesting read.

Telling Stories/Narration

This entire book of Never Let Me Go is just Kathy remembering what has happened in her life, separated into three parts: she tells the reader first about her time at Hailsham, then at the Cottages, and then what has happened during her time as a carer. This is similar to many other books, the one that I'm thinking of being one of my favorites, Looking For Alaska by John Green. The format of that book is unique because there are not chapters exactly, just sections with labels like "thirty days before" or "five days after" (which are centered around the pivotal event in the book.) There is a difference though, in how they approach this story telling. In LFA the narrator, Pudge, mostly sticks to telling the reader about what happened at that time, like normal chronological stories, however occasionally he will mention a regret that he now has about something that happened. In NLMG Kathy often jumps around in time or references something that she hasn't fully told the reader about yet. I usually prefer to read something chronologically, like LFA, because when something happens it makes more sense because I have already read about all the past events that have led up to and affected it. However, it can also be interesting to read a book written like NLMG, because at first I'm confused until the narrator explains something that they mention, but if I reread the book then I understand the references and make more connections about what caused certain events.
P.S. Looking For Alaska is a good book and I would highly recommend it

Below is the link to the trailer of divergent. In this movie their are many connections to Never Let Me Go. In Divergent all of the characters are separated into different factions just like the different schools, such as Hailsham. Each faction has designated jobs and roles in society just like the jobs of the clones like being a carer. Also in divergent they have no control over their life, and in Never Let Me Go the clones have no control of their life. I think this a major connection between the two of these stories becuase both of the main characters try to do, or do the unexpected. Kathy tries to get a deferal, and Beatrice Prior, the main character of Divergent joins a new faction different than the one her family is in. This means that Batrice is no longer aloud to see her family on a daily basis, and has to rely on the people around her for help and support because she is different than them. This is much like Tommy in Never Let Me Go because at the beginning it is clear that Tommy is a little different than the rest of the clones because he lacks creativity. Tommy also does not have family with him, and needs to look for support from the people around him like his guardians and friends. Also the main character in Divergent is very curious just like Kathy.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sutgWjz10sM

Ishiguro vs Salinger

I was thinking about Never Let Me Go and how it related to Nine Stories and The Catcher in the Rye and I realized many significant similarities and differences between Kazuo Ishiguro and J.D. Salinger. First, I looked at what each emphasized in their writing. It is clear that Ishiguro focuses most on character development, as Ruth, Kathy, and Tommy have unique backstories that help readers relate to them. Salinger focuses more on the plot and little bits and pieces that come together to make the overall story more significant. An example of this is in Nine Stories when the Glass family is mentioned throughout the stories it is a significant connection when you understand it in the end. One way Ishiguro and Salinger are similar is that they both remain ominous about parts of the storyline and allow the reader to look back and infer what has happened and what will happen. In Never Let Me Go, you are not sure at the beginning what kind of world these children live in but as you start to pick up information the predictions of ideas such as why the art is being taken and why they can't reproduce come up again and again. This idea is also evident in Nine Stories as you don't know why Seymour killed himself or why he is so paranoid about his feet. These little ideas eat at your mind as you rationalize the answers to your questions. Both Ishiguro and Salinger excel at the idea of keeping the readers immersed in the book by being quite ominous about the story. Therefore, Ishiguro and Salinger have both similarities and differences in their writing styles.

Savior Siblings

Is it ethical for one life to be created for the purpose of saving another?  Here is a link to an article about the morality behind the concept of savior siblings.  Using PGD, an embryo is genetically designed to be compatible to the sibling in need of a donation, creating a baby that can be used for blood transfusions, organ donation, or cell transplantation. This embryonic modification is usually a much faster and reliable process to find a predestined match for the recipient as opposed to waiting for donations from another suitable candidate.  This organ or cell transplant is mostly used for a child afflicted with a fatal disease, most commonly Fanconi anemia or cancer.  The use of savior siblings is a highly controversial one, especially for means of morality concerning the savior child, as dealt with for the donors of Never Let Me Go.  Much of this controversy stems from the lack of legal protection that the savior sibling has, thus not limiting the extent to which these babies can be used in attempt to save the other child. While this extent may mean donation of minor organs for savior babies, it is the donor's life in the context of the novel. Another concern is the psychological health of the child subject to donation, since it can be mentally damaging to be aware that one's own existence is to preserve another.  Because savior babies are minors, their legal guardians must give consent, whose judgement can be interfered by emotions.  It also complicates the right to bodily autonomy, which states that a person has a say over how their body is used.  Even a dead body still has this right, therefore, their organs can't be removed without legal consent from the human before their death.  This offers the question: does a dead body have more legal rights than a living baby (as in the case of a savior children)?  This can also be applied to Never Let Me Go regarding the rights of donors.  They, in similar, are genetic creations who were made in order to provide the need of an organ donation of an arguably prioritized human.  While this fate is much more normalized in the eyes of the clones, it doesn't take away the sensitivity around being wanted for much more than physical contributions in life.  The end of the article touches upon how these babies are viewed, whether this be as real people or harvestable parts.  The same can be asked about donors in setting of the novel, in which Ishiguro allows readers to question humanity of these organizations, and if life has any less meaning to the characters because of their predetermined circumstances. Is who we are influenced by our perception of our individual purpose in life? To contend with the larger perspective of the psychology behind savior siblings, are we as humans a product of how we live, or why we believe we are living?

Fate and Free Will in Harry Potter

As I was thinking about Harry Potter, as I often do, I was struck with the thought that both Harry and Kathy’s lives are predetermined by the choices of others. In Kathy, Tommy, Ruth, and the other clones’ cases, they have been literally created, made for a singular purpose, without any voice. Their path in life has already been set before them. Harry is scarred by Voldemort (both in a material and figurative sense) in much the same way, losing his parents and relative autonomy in the process. I think that free will is always relative, which is why I qualify it. I suppose it depends on your concept of life. If you have to live a life without even some illusion of free will, without some hope, however false, is that life worth living at all? In the Half-Blood Prince, Harry, upon discovering the inevitability of either his death or Voldemort’s, he remarks that there is a “difference between being dragged into the arena to face a battle to the death and walking into the arena with your head held high. Some people, perhaps, would say that there was little to choose between the two ways, but Dumbledore knew - and so do I, thought Harry, with a rush of fierce pride, and so did my parents - that there was all the difference in the world.” I think that choice is what defines a life. A life in which one enters no mortal battles with evil wizards or is not created for the sole purpose of organ donation, but in which nothing is accomplished, is worth less, I would say, than the opposite. We can’t influence destiny; Harry can’t halt the prophecy that drives him and Voldemort into conflict; Kathy and the other clones cannot avoid the loss of their organs. However, the decision of how we face the inexorable march of fate, that is what makes us human.

The Thinning Trailer

This trailer is to a movie called the Thinning on Youtube Red. The movie is about this society where kids have to take a standardized test to control the population. If the kids fail they are taken away and eliminated. The kids all then break the system because they realize that these tests are hiding a larger conspiracy. I find that this relates to Never Let Me Go because the kids in the Thinning are getting eliminated because of population size and in Never Let Me Go people are being cloned so they can be donors and eventually be "eliminated". I find that these tests also correlate with how long the students at Hailsham are being graded or looked upon because of their creativity. I also thought that when these kids are trying to go against the system because they believe that there was no way they failed that test, they go out and fight the system. In Never Let Me Go this "fighting of the system" is shown when the kids show people that they are in love so they do not have to donate their organs. I believe that the Thinning is very closely related to Never Let Me Go.

Nihilism

Here is a video about Frederick Nietzsche and nihilism.  For Kathy, Ruth, and Tommy, there seems—from the reader's perspective—no hope; their probably-false ideas about deferrals and possibles are merely distractions from the pressing nature of their fate.  However, the characters do not descend into despair.  Nihilism is a state where one believes that life is meaningless. Nietzsche says that once one realizes that "God is dead" (meaning religion—particularly Christianity—is not morally legitimate), one goes into nihilism.  Religion in the case of Kathy, Ruth, and Tommy can be equated to the "lie" told to them (and not told to them) by Hailsham as an institution.  Had Ms. Lucy not blurted out, the clones might have been kept in the dark even longer.  When they finally discover the truth, they are—per the metaphor—seeing religion for what it is.  Thus, the characters should ostensibly become nihilistic.  There are certainly instances where this seems to be the case; Ruth's outburst about being fashioned from social filth is an example.  However, the overarching movement is one OUT of nihilism.  The characters give their lives meaning even if their lives don't have any intrinsic meaning.  This manifests itself as hope and is shown by Tommy's hypothesis about art and deferrals as well as by Kathy's cassette tape.  Nietzsche is opposed to nihilism.  While he posits that life may not have any inherent meaning (given that he denounces God), he believes that one has to live life to the fullest to be fulfilled.  The characters' way of living life is to give themselves hope, even if it is ultimately an illusion.

True Love

In Never Let Me Go, growing up as clones with predetermined destiny enforced on them, Kathy, Tommy, Ruth and other students experience mystery, loss, and love with the most humane souls. "If you were a boy and a girl, and you were in love with each other, really, properly in love, and if you could show it, then the people who run Hailsham, they sorted it out for you. They sorted it out so you could have a few years before you began your donations." If the boy and the girl can prove they are properly in love, they can have three more years together. It always strikes me when it touches the concept of true love. How can we know when it's true love? How can we be certain that we are experiencing something that wars could be fought over, something that would make us smile the brightest smile and cry the saddest tears, something that would never let us go? We share more similarities with the clones than we think. We are born into the same world; we get raised and grow up into predetermined adulthood; we constantly lose precious pieces of life and loved ones till we die in a way donors lose vital organs one by one. Most things eventually fade away, even the happiest memories could drift out of memories some day. However, the truest kind of love, we never see it fading away. After all the loss, pain and despair, we can still feel the love from another time and space.

About Kazuo Ishiguro

As I was reading the book I realized I knew nothing about Kazuo Ishiguro, the author of Never Let Me Go, so I decided to do a little research on him to see how the book may connect to his other books and/or himself. I found two short biographies on him and found them to be compelling. I guess now the question I might want to explore is, how does his other books or himself connect to Never Let Me Go? One aspect of Ishiguro I found surprising was that many of his books were set in a time of war, whereas Never Let Me Go is not. Never Let Me Go contains very different themes from the themes of his other works.  One common theme mentioned in one of the biographies, is the theme of self-identity or a struggle in finding your purpose. Kathy and the other students all struggle to find their purpose and in the end they all accept their future. This pattern of struggling with imperfections and then going to accept those imperfections or struggles is present throughout Never Let Me Go and many of his other books.

(here is biography #1 and biography #2)

I also found an interview with Ishiguro talking about Never Let Me Go and himself.

National Geographic/Lizard Connection!

While randomly flipping through the November issue of National Geographic, I found an article called "All Moms, No Dads" about reproduction that reminded me of Never Let Me Go. The article is about lizards of the genus Aspidoscelis. These lizards reproduce asexually, like many organisms. The interesting thing about them is that the female lizards' eggs do not need to be fertilized, but turn into embryos on their own -- and these eggs gain a full chromosome count without any input from a male lizard. Therefore, the female lizard provides all of the chromosomes for her babies, essentially cloning herself. I thought this was interesting because of the obvious connection with the cloning in NLMG, and also because of one particular line in the article: "Because the organisms are genetically identical, they're more vulnerable: A disease or an environmental shift that kills one could kill all." This line made me wonder if it's relevant to Never Let Me Go or not...if something physical or mental will debilitate the clones at some point. Either way, I found this connection with cloning fascinating.

Cloning Research

After the last couple of classes when we had been talking about whether or not Kathy and the others could reproduce and after finding out that the kids at Hailsham are clones, I was interested in finding out about the cloning technology that exists today. I found this link to a page on research cloning, and I found out that producing reproductive clones has different requirements than producing regular clones, which might be the reason that Kathy and the others can't reproduce.

So You Think You're Creative...

I listened to this episode of Studio 360 (a great podcast that tends to focus on pop culture and the arts) the other day on my way home from school, and it seemed so relevant given our discussions of the role of creativity at Hailsham. Give it a listen (either in its entirety or in segments) if you're interested.

NLMG Chapters 6-7 Question

 Why does Madame cry about Kathy dancing? Why does her disgust for the students seem to vanish when she sees this? Do we see other examples of people momentarily showing a different face to the students, and if so, in what situations does this happen?

Why creativity?

Ok, so the kids can't have children and their only purpose is to donate their organs. Why are the kids then given these amazing teachers with lessons in things like creativity? If they were focusing on only organs, then it'd be an all-intensive health camp that lasts their entire lifetime. Is this done out of sympathy or humanity?

Discussion Question Johansen

Why are the children at Hailsham so special? Why are they the only people chosen out of all of the "normal" people?

"None of you will go to America, none of you will be film stars. And none of you will be working in supermarkets as I heard some of you planning the other day. Your lives are set out for you. You'll become adults, then before you're old, before you're even middle-aged, you'll start to donate your vital organs. That's what each of you was created to do. You're not like the actors you watch on your videos, you're not even like me. You were brought into this world for a purpose, and your futures, all of them, have been decided. So you're not to talk that way any more. You'll be leaving Hailsham before long, and it's not so far off, the day you'll be preparing for your first donations. You need to remember that. If you're to have decent lives, you have to know who you are and what lies ahead of you, every one of you.” Miss Lucy is quite different from other guardians, why does she tell the truth to the students? What does this say about Miss Lucy's characteristics? 

NLMG Discussion Question 6-7

 What is the symbolism of the guardians? What is their purpose?

Question for 6-7

In chapter 6 Kathy says, "I don't know how it was where you were, but at Hailsham the guardians were really strict about smoking. I'm sure they'd have preferred it if we never found out smoking even existed; but since this wasn't possible, they made sure to give us some sort of lecture each time any reference to cigarettes came along"(67). Why do you think the guardians are so against cigarettes? Do you think it is only because of health reasons, or are their other reasons?

Discussion Question (Benjamin)

Why do we—as normal humans—value free will?  Why is it needed to live a "fulfilled" life? Does predetermination, in a sense, make individuals the slaves of the machine of life? Does "free will" even exist?  Or are we programmed to believe certain things about the world without questioning them as the students of Hailsham evidently are?

NLMG: Isa's question for Ch. 6-7

On Page 68, the students are horrified when Marge asks Miss Lucy if she had ever smoked.  If creativity is praised so much at Hailsham, why do the students make it seem like such a big deal when a curious student asks a guardian a question that no one else has the strength to say?

NLMG Chapter 6-7 Question - Rabih

Rabih Chughtai
Why are some people at Hailsham such as Tommy rather oblivious and unaware of their surroundings while Kathy is always asking questions whether they are about Tommy talking to Miss Lucy or Ruth's pencil case?

NLMG chapter 6-7 discussion question

Erin Bowen

Ms. Scieffelin

English 4 H

26 October 2016

Why do students interpret the comment someone made about the ability to commit suicide whenever desired at prison camps as "pretty funny", this being a serious topic?

Claudia's Discussion Question:
Why is it that whenever Kathy and Tommy or Ruth talk about Hailsham after they left it, Kathy always says "I'm pretty certain he was wrong." (pg. 66) For example, when Kathy and Tommy are discussing the idea of Norfolk and what they thought about it as a kid, Tommy thinks it was always a joke. However, Kathy says he is wrong, and that she remembers it correctly. This sort of thing happened earlier in the book on pg. 49 as well, when Ruth and Kathy are talking about the secret guard. What is the significance of her certainty that her memories are more reliable than her friends' memories?

NLMG Chapters 6-7 Discussion Question

What is the significance of the Hailsham students not being able to bear children and of Kathy's limited understanding or acceptance of that?

NLMG Chapters 6 - 7 Discussion Question

Does North, South and East have a bigger significance than just location? (Kathy talks about the North and South parts of England how how the East coast side is just forgotten... and at Hailsham the playing fields are only talked about as being North and South Playing Fields)

NLMG Chapters 6 - 7 Discussion Question

Ali's Question:

What does Kathy's interpretation of the lyrics of her prized tape as being about a mother and child show about her internal desires and unconscious thoughts?

Bananafish Revolution

If you're at all interested, here's the video for "Bananafish Revolution" by Samantha Crain:

 

“Bananafish Revolution”

(Samantha Crain and the Midnight Shivers)

You, in all your youth, you understand me

Them, in all themselves, they think I'm crazy

All this yellow I am seeing

Overloading, stop my breathing

Its a perfect day for dying

Its a perfect day for them to start crying

I'm not a child and I don't like reminding myself

All the time

The trees were my audience applauding

That chair, I swear, it was a cat for my company

That piano, it's the angels calling me home

Its a perfect day for dying

Its a perfect day for them to start crying

I'm not a child and I don't like reminding myself

All the time

She'll be alright like she always says

She'll go buy herself a brand new dress

Its a perfect day for dying

Its a perfect day for them to start crying

I'm not a child and I don't like reminding myself

All the time

Seeing Salinger in The Little Prince

As I watch this movie over and over again with my kids, I can't help thinking about the connections to the main themes we've been discussing in Salinger's stories (the difficult process of growing up, the longing for innocence, the ability to escape and connect through storytelling, strong bonds between random adults and young children, the cyclical nature of life and the idea that death isn't an end). If you haven't seen this movie, watch it on Netflix!

Radiolab podcast about colors...

Here's the Radiolab episode about colors that I mentioned very briefly in our discussion today of "Teddy." It's a fascinating listen--if you're riding home and just don't want to talk to your parents about your day, or even if you just want a podcast to escape into for a little while.

Uncle Wiggily Longears

Did you know that there was actually a character named Uncle Wiggily in a series of children's book?

Does this allusion have any significance in "Uncle Wiggily in CT"?

Into the Wild Soundtrack

I couldn't help posting this as well. It's the soundtrack Eddie Vedder did for the film version of Into the Wild. The soundtrack is pretty folksy/rootsy and features the mandolin (which I love!). If you're an Eddie Vedder/Pearl Jam fan and don't know if it, take a listen. :) 

Return to the Wild

The fascinating documentary PBS released a few years ago about the McCandless family dysfunction...

Rabih Chughtai

“He studies his dog, who breathes so hard he sprays the ground with spit and blood, his nose to the earth. Manny kneels next to Rico, whispers. I know that whatever Manny is saying is showing the meanness in him, that he is Jason betraying Medea and asking for the hand of the daughter of the King of Corinth in marriage after Medea has killed her brother for him, betrayed her father. I read, She ain’t shit, ain’t got no heart. He looks at China when he murmurs but it feels like he looks at me” (Ward 172).

This quote shows how similar the relationships of Esch and Medea are. This is very direct by Jesmyn Ward, since she directly refers to the story and where the comparison is. Jason constantly betrays Medea while Manny does the same, but not in the exact same way. When any guy comes near Esch or Medea she turns them down while Manny and Jason are open to being with other people. Both relationships are also very uneven since Jason may slightly be attracted to Medea while she is madly in love with him. The same to a smaller scale is true for Esch and Manny. Esch loves Manny and has not had sex with anyone else since having it with Manny, while Manny pays no attention to the latter. In addition, Esch is pregnant from Manny but does not want to tell him since she has not even revealed her love for him. She is not sure about him yet since she thinks he is always saying things that show the meanness in him. Since both relationships are so one-sided there is also the similarity of Esch and Medea realizing the situation of their relationships and thinking about acting upon it. While Medea impulsively kills due to this, Esch is very responsible and goes through the pains of pregnancy including but limited to throwing up and excessive urination.

This Campanian red figure neck-amphora by the Ixion Painter c. 330 BCE depicts Medea killing one of her sons. This image is a somewhat graphic portrayal of the rampage Medea went through including slaughtering her sons. Though this image only shows one of the sons, it is a great portrayal of the event itself.

This image symbolizes Esch at the end of the novel because a lot of damage has been done to her physically and mentally. At the beginning her life is similar to a disaster but she deals with it and improves her life as much as possible to become the house on the right. Her home does not become better after the beginning but more in her mental state overall. She has now organized her life from the mess that she started with.

“‘I love you!’

'Esch!’ The skin on his throat is red, his scar white.

‘I loved you!’

I hit his Adam’s apple with the V where my thumb and pointer finger cross. He chokes.

‘I loved you!’ This is Medea wielding the knife. This is Medea cutting. I rake my fingernails across his face, leave pink scratches that turn red, fill with blood. (204)

In this passage, Ward explicitly connects Esch and Medea. The fury that Esch feels in the moment when Manny says “I ain’t got nothing here,” is very similar to the anger Medea feels towards Jason after he tells her that they are through and that he will be marrying the daughter of the King of Corinth. In this connection, we see two young women, hopelessly in love with a man who is only using her for his own selfish needs. In the case of Esch, Manny is using her for her body and for his own sexual gain. In the case of Medea, Jason is using her powerful abilities to acquire the Golden Fleece. She is forced to betray her father because of her own relentless love for Jason, so, in a way, she is trapped through her love for him. In the same way, Esch is trapped through her love for Manny. She loves him too much to get rid of the baby that was conceived through him, and so she has to find strength to care for it. The two both have physical and mental struggles with their love towards another character, and both must use strength to try and overcome it. 

This painting by Eugene Delacroix, entitled “Medea About to Kill her Children” shows Medea in the moments right before she murdered her two sons for revenge on Jason. It was painted in 1838 and is displayed at the Musée Du Louvre in Paris, France.

This picture shows the DC Superhero Phillipus. Although she is a minor DC character, I thought she represented Esch well because of how strong she is. Philippus is an Amazon warrior, which not only makes her one of the fiercest women known to history, it also means that she would have come into contact with Jason and the Argonauts. By the end of the story, Esch has grown so much as a person. Through all of her hardships, such as surviving the hurricane, finding out she was going to be a single teenage mother, and accepting the fact that Manny would not be there for her, she has acquired an amount of courage and bravery that would not typically be expected from someone her age, especially who was pregnant. All of this makes her perfect to represent Esch.

Esch vs. Medea Period D

Erin Bowen

8/31/16

Period D

“Manny kneels next to Rico, whispers.  I know that whatever Manny is saying is showing the meanness in him, that he is Jason betraying Medea and asking for the hand of the daughter of the king of Corinth in marriage after Medea has killed her brother for him, betrayed her father”  (172).  In this passage from the novel, Ward explicitly makes a connection between the characters of Salvage the Bones and “The Quest of the Golden Fleece” through the perspective of Esch.  She invests many of her emotions into the relationship with Manny, although it’s mainly one-sided and not reciprocated.  This is a pivotal point of the plot in which Esch has not yet told Manny of her pregnancy, though has been admiring him from afar without expressing her feelings.  A lot regarding Manny is revealed to the reader about the side of his personality that is harsh and aggressive.  Tension is at its peak between Manny and Esch’s brother, Skeetah, as both characters oppose the other in a dog fighting match.  The concept of Esch’s brother not having a positive relationship with Manny is similar to how Medea’s brother interferes with her intense love for Jason.  Currently in the book, Manny has chosen a relationship with Shaliyah and Esch alludes to how Jason picks the daughter of the king of Corinth.  This situation illustrates a main conflict in the book in which Esch struggles between her family and the boy she loves.  Since a large portion of the novel is the preparation for the hurricane, this allusion highlights the overwhelming amount of emotions Esch experiences, much like Medea does.  Often being consumed by thoughts of Manny serves as a distraction for the young protagonist to potentially greater problems.  

This is an image of artwork that dates back to 330 BC- 340 BC.  The artist is unknown though the piece is currently preserved in the Louvre in Paris, France.  The scene is on a calyx krater, which was a large vase used in Ancient Greece to mix wine and water.  It depicts Jason bringing Pelias the Golden Fleece as he is about to be crowned with a wreath.  

The character Esch can be symbolized by bamboo in a storm.  While this plant may sway in the wind, it will bend to far extents but not break due to its deep roots and great flexibility.  It grows tall and strong as an adaptation that allows it to reach for the sun.  Esch is much like bamboo because she has learned to grow up fast in order to have a strong role in the family and be somewhat of a mother figure for her younger brother Junior.  There’s a lot of misfortunes and hardships that she deals with, though by the end of the novel, she has become a strong woman who is heading for a positive direction in her life.  Like bamboo, Esch may seem vulnerable, but she cannot be broken, and motherhood has even made her stronger than ever.  She stands tall without the overwhelming need to lean on others.  

“In Mythology, I am still reading about Medea and the quest for the Golden Fleece. Here is someone that I recognize. When Medea falls in love with Jason, it grabs me by the throat. I can see her. Medea sneaks Jason things to help him: ointments to make him invincible, secrets in rocks. She has magic, could bend the natural to the unnatural. But even with all her power, Jason bends her like a young pine in a hard wind; he makes her double in two. I know her.” (Ward, 38)

In this passage there is a very clear connection between Medea and Esch because of the common theme of Jason and Manny. Medea and Esch are both in love with Jason and Manny so much that they will help them in whatever way they can; however, Jason and Manny do not feel the same way about them. The boys in both of these stories use the women for what they want sexually and for other non sexual favors. In this passage Esch also states that Medea is very strong, but still feels powerless when it comes to Jason which is how Esch feels. Esch relates to Medea and connects to her situation which shows us that Esch knows that she is helpless when it comes to Manny but still does nothing about it. Medea and Esch are clearly both extremely strong and independent women, but for some reason they feel so weak when it comes to Jason and Manny that they allow themselves to be mistreated.

This picture, photographed by Michael Brosilow, is a modern version of Jason and Medea in a play at Chicago’s Victory Gardens Theatre. The two actors photographed are mexican immigrants trying to make a better life for themselves and their son in Chicago. This photograph was taken in 2013. 

These dirty work boots symbolize Esch by the end of the novel because they show all of the struggle she has been through. The scratches on the boots symbolize how even before the book starts  Esch has already lost her mother and has to take care of her family because her father is a drunk. Later, she gets pregnant and has even more worries and struggles which symbolizes the extra dirt on the boots. These boots have scratches and are very dirty; however, they are supposed to be like that because they are work boots. Also these boots are probably not very old and have been through a lot just like Esch who is just a teenager. These boots are made for hard work and struggles and just like esch they get through the muddy times,

Zachary Waskowicz

"I changed my shirt...the walls thin and uninsulated, peeling...at the seams.  Made me feel like manny could see me before I even stepped outside.  I wondered if Medea felt this way before she...[met] Jason for the first time.  Like a hard wind...set her to shaking" (7).

      This quote is the first time mention of Medea is introduced to the narrative.  Esch is struck with the same kind of sudden anamourment that Medea felt after cupids arrow hit her.  They both share a level of unfamiliarity with the person who their affections are directed at.  Both the caracters who have Esch's and Medea's affections share the same manliness.  The parralels in the begining are very solid. The first quote sets the tone for the rest of the times when Medea is mentioned, making "The Quest of the Golden Fleece" a template for those events.  Both Manny's and Jason's love interests betray their respective partners around the time of conceiving or bearing a child.  Both Esch and Medea attack their lovers due to their rage.  At one point Medea kills her two children, which gives her valid revenge on Jason.  Esch considers doing the same thing, but decides not to.  This is when the two stories break off and Esch begins to realize her own strength as a person.  She doesn't let fate or poor luck stop her in the end, wheras fate and the will of the gods influences all Greek myths.

      This painting depicts a love drunk Medea using her powers to make a potion for Jason.  This potion allows Jason to complete the trials set forth by Medea's father.  The painting was created by John William Waterhouse in 1907.

      This picture comes from the last panel of a webcomic I read called Homestuck (written by Andrew Hussie).  This particular character (known as Calliope) shares similarities to Esch in terms of struggle and eventual empowerment.  Esch faces the forces of a her father's abuse, manny's abuse after he realizes she is pregnant, and an oncoming storm.  Esch's motherhood is frowned upon by Manny, and he casts her aside as a weak charater. She finds power to persist through her emotional torment through her brothers.  She acts as a mother figure for her siblings and she recieves respect and emotional support in turn.  This empowers Esch to persist through her tough times and come out a strong female character immune to her torment.

      Calliope faces her brother's abuse which she can never escape.  Her role in Homestuck is that of the Muse, making her (at face value) weak.  She is predetermined to die due to her role in order to insipre the main characters.  This makes fate, which is regared as a force of nature, another struggle she faces.  Her brother Caliborn, who has the most powerful role of Lord within Homestuck, overpowers her and constantly torments her for lacking any strength.  However, she is able to interract with the main characters and watch out for them, warining them about her brother and doing whatever she can to keep him away from them.  The main characters regard her as a helpful and almost motherly figure who gives them adivce and in turn gains their respect.  At the end, despite her fate and the odds of winning, she gains power from the characters she's inspired, and uses that to seal off caliborn for good.  Though entirely different settings, this is similar to Esch's emotional power that is gained from her siblings.  Both characters find strengths within themselves through the people they protect.  Their newfound self-confidence allows them to overcome the abuse and misfortune that they face.

Charlie Coxon Homework 8/31/16

Esch is reading Edith Hamilton’s Mythology for her summer reading, and she continually makes references to the story of Medea. After reading this story and poring through Ward’s novel, choose a moment in the novel when Ward draws a connection between Esch and Medea either implicitly or explicitly. Type out the passage from the novel and explain why you think this mythological allusion is important at that point in the text. What does the allusion reveal about character, setting, central themes?

“In the beginning, she is known by her nephew, who tells the Argonauts about her, for having power, for helping her family, just like I tried to help Skeet on the day China got sick from the Ivomec...It is like she is under the covers with me, both of us sweating to water.” (154) This is a very explicit comparison between Medea and Esch. I think this is very important in the text because this is at a pivotal part in the book where Esch is struggling with her pregnancy and her falling out with Manny. Feeling that she relates to something shows that she actually isn’t alone in the world even when the world looks grim. This reveals a lot about how she as a character functions, because she has had a lack of female role models in her life. Having one through her book gives her strength, and reminds her that she is strong enough to face the challenges life has thrown her. The setting of this book is also revealed, because the strength that she gains from reading about Medea will help her weather the storm later in the book. Themes in the book are also highlighted, as the non-conventionality of her behavior for the stereotype of her gender is a major theme. The fact that she has lived her entire life with men who she can’t relate to as well as she could to a woman shapes her as a character. With her relating to Medea, she now has someone to relate to and guide her after her mother’s death.

This is an artistic representation of Medea when she is about to slay her children. It was painted in 1862 by Eugène Ferdinand Victor Delacroix. The reason that she is murdering her children is because she is taking revenge on her husband, for he left her to marry Glauke, the princess of Corinth. This was done on the journey of the Golden Fleece after the Argonauts had claimed it from Medea's father. After the slaying of her own children and of Jason's new wife, he had only cursed her for the actions, but never reflected on his own.

The image that I have chosen is a Middle Eastern refugee with her children at a camp surrounded by the ruins of what was her home. This image represents Esch at the end of the novel because her home has been destroyed by Katrina and she is a mother to her child. That, at least, is what the image is on the surface. However, there is deeper meaning to it. The woman in the image looks determined in my opinion. She looks like she is brave enough to bear the tragedies that have astruck her and her children's lives. At the end of the novel, Esch is ready to accept her motherhood and anything else that life will throw at her, because the experiences she has had have made her strong enough to deal with anything.

“I’m trying to read by the oil lamp, but the sound of the words are not coming together over the sound of the wind and the rain relentlessly bearing down on the house; they are fragments. Jason has remarried, and Medea is wailing. An exile, oh God, oh God, alone. And then: By death, oh, by death, shall the conflict be decided. Life’s little day ended. I shut the book, don’t even mark my place, and sit on it. I am cold.” (225)

In this passage, Ward is creating a parallel between Esch’s life and the book she is reading. Esch is experiencing her own exile (to the living room) at the same time that Medea is experiencing an exile in the book, and she is also facing the imminent possibility of death at the hands of Katrina. When Esch says that “the sound of the words are not coming together over the sound of the wind and the rain…” she is saying that her own problems at the moment are louder than the problems Medea is facing in the story. The parallel shown in this passage is important at this time in the book because it shows how strongly Esch relates to Medea at that time. In addition, it shows that she is feeling desperate, like Medea was. It also reflects on the central theme of desperation by showing the climax of the mythological allusions; it shows that Esch’s feelings of heartache and anxiety are peaking at this moment.

This image is of a quilt made by Marilyn Belford. It is titled “Medea Escaping” and depicts Medea making her escape at the end of the myth. At this point, she has already been betrayed, and she has exacted her revenge on Jason’s new love. She has also already killed her two sons, so that they would not have to die at the hands of anyone else. This image shows the amount of power that Medea has, and that she cannot be controlled by anyone. She is surrounded by fire to show all the hardships she went through, but she is in control of the dragon, which shows that she is still as powerful as ever.

This image represents Esch at the end of the book to me because I see Esch’s spirit as being similar to a fire. Sometimes, it rages, and she is strong and powerful, like she is at the end of the book. Other times throughout the novel, her inner fire is weak and it is reduced to only coals. However, her fire never goes out, it only fades. By the end of the book, Esch has gained fuel and strength from her impending motherhood; from the experience of the hurricane; and from being surrounded by people who care about her (Randall, Big Henry, Junior). This picture shows Esch's inner fire burning bright at the end of the book.

"In Mythology, I am still reading about Medea and the quest for the Golden Fleece.  Here is someone that I recognize.  When Medea falls in love with Jason, it grabs me by the throat.  I can see her.  Medea sneaks Jason things to help him: ointments to make him invincible, secrets in rocks.  She has magic, could bend the natural to the unnatural.  But even with all her power, Jason bends her like a young pine in a hard wind; he makes her double in two.  I know her"(38). 

In this part of the book, Esch explains the relationship between Jason and Medea; how he uses her to succeed in his quest.  Esch brings up how she recognizes this section, for it seems familiar to her.  Esch is in the same situation as Medea, helplessly in love with someone who is using her for his own benefits.  Esch is a very strong, independent girl like Medea.  Her mother died when she was at a very young age, leaving her as the maternal figure of the household as she looks after her brothers and raises Junior.  Even though she is strong, she still allows Manny to take advantage of her, which is similar to the situation Medea is in.  Medea is a strong girl who has this magic power practically making her invincible, yet she gives them to Jason, allowing him to "bend her like a young pine in a hard wind"(38).  This passage shows that Esch realizes she is allowing Manny to take advantage of her, but she allows it anyway.  She knows Medea because she feels her pain, the pain that comes from loving someone that only uses you for their own benefits.




This oil painting depicts Medea giving Jason the magical ointment that would make him invincible while facing her father's challenges.  It was painted in 1907 by an English Painter named John William Waterhouse. 


This picture is of a beautiful white pit-bull, just like China in Salvage of the Bones.  Pit bulls are often seen as vicious fight dogs due to their strong built, and also that they are often bread for fighting.  Even though they are seen as vicious, put bulls are actually one of the best breads for families and make the best family dog.  They are protective, loyal, and look after every member with the same amount of care.  A pitbull represents Esch at the end of the book because she is strong to go through the challenges she faced throughout the book, all while caring for her family acting in the place of her mother. 

“I know that whatever Manny is saying is showing the meanness in him, that he is Jason betraying Medea and asking for the hand of the daughter of the king of Corinth in marriage after Medea has killed her brother for him, betrayed her father.” (172)

In an indirect manner focusing on comparing Jason and Manny, this quotation also shows the connection between Medea and Esch. Both Medea and Esch have fallen in love with a person which makes them, "feel a fire eating up through [them]," (57) while also, "[bending them] like a young pine."(38) In the end they are both disowned or "exiled" by the people they once loved. Jason marries the daughter of the King of Corinth, leaving Medea in exile with their two sons. Manny stays with Shaliyah, while pushing Esch to the side. When Manny realizes that Esch is pregnant, he leaves her their refusing to believe it. Both Medea and Esch are left as a single mother in betrayal. The one difference at the end of their stories, is that Esch moves on and becomes stronger taking on the responsibility for herself and the baby. While on the other hand Medea acts out with violence killing her two sons and running away.

This is an oil painting by Carle van Loo. Van Loo was born in France in 1705 and died in Paris, where he lived, in 1765. It was made in 1759 and titled Jason and Medea. The painting depicts the scene, in which Medea has killed her two sons, and is leaving, from the roof, in a chariot led by dragons. Jason has made his mind to kill her, but it is already too late. This painting currently hangs in Musée des Beaux Arts in France.

I think this picture represents many different aspects of Esch by the end of the novel. The wreckage directly symbolizes the troubles Esch has gone through both with the hurricane, her mom, dealing with Manny, her dad, and her pregnancy. Although her past may still be there, the sun rising represents a new day, how Esch is starting a new chapter in her life. Overtime her troubles may not be as prominent in her life as they were at the end of the novel, but the memories will always be there. The water in the foreground of the picture also represents Esch in that, water represents the source of life. It shows how Esch is a new mother bringing a new life into the world, even with her troubles still prominent in her life, but a new chapter is beginning.

“I tried to read this morning, but I stopped in the quest for the Golden Fleece, distracted again by Medea, who can only think of Jason, her face red, her heart aflame, engulfed by sweet pain. The goddess struck her with love, and she had no choices. I could not concentrate. My stomach was its own animal, and thoughts of Manny kept surfacing like swimmers in my brain; I had my own tender pain.” (Ward, 109)

Ward uses this passage to draw similarities between Esch and Medea through both of these characters strong emotions for a significant other in their lives. In the case of Esch, Manny is the one boy who she would do anything for; however, he does not return these feelings for her. As seen in this novel, Esch can have almost any boy that she knows, and many of them she has slept with, but when Manny starts showing an interest in her, she gives up all the other boys for just him. This sacrifice is similar to Medea’s love for Jason, and her willingness to do anything for him, including killing her own family, her brother. Furthermore, Esch feels stuck in love; Manny doesn’t return her feelings, and she feels as if she can tell no one of her pregnancy. Similarly, Medea is also so much in love with Jason that she can do nothing but help him; she, therefore, has no choices, like Esch, because “the goddess struck her with love”.

This painting, titled Jason and Medea in the Temple of Jupiter, was painted by artist Jean François de Troy in 1714. A French artist, Jean François de Troy was asked to create sketches for tapestries of the Greek myth of Medea and Jason for a series of cartoons. However, he then painted them in 1742 and 1743 and were displayed in 1748. This painting in the series depicts the return of Medea and Jason in a temple that they went to to pray and thank the gods for helping them on their journey.

I think that by the end of the novel, Esch had become a strong woman who was capable ad ready to raise a child as a teenage single mother. Whereas towards the beginning of the novel, Esch was acting as the mother of the household and the “mom” who took care of everyone, in preparing for hurricane Katrina, she acted as a strong individual. Losing her home and deciding to keep her baby also make me think that throughout all the ordeals Esch went through, she came out the other end a stronger woman than she was when she began.