Notes on Ishiguro's Never Let Me Go

Tommy's screams and the Hailsham ethos of education despite donations related to Holloway's scream - related to Munch's?

Ishiguro on basic theme of the book.

The non-existence of considerations of escape.

Saramago's allegories and this allegory.

Criticism of the focus on the "being creative" from a novelist.

True love - It isn't in twos, it doesn't save, it does redeem. Do Madame and Ms. Emily love the students?

The maturity of the characters - they don't require each other to be ideal - they accept.

The focus (in Kathy's monologs but also applies as unrealized-larger-analysis) on the unspoken rules/agreements in relationships and how they structure conversation and interaction.

The 4th donation's extra terrors - even a simple death is precluded.

The connection to capitalist labor processes and exploitation in general.

Was Ms. Lucy right? Or Ms. Emily? This matters a lot for Tommy - should it?

Topic: Costuming

A small collection of multi-level observation and analysis of how people present themselves socially/publicly.

Photographs and videos and notes - from people you know to people on the street to celebrities.

How do individuals steer how others feel about them? Why does this seem so important to so many people?

There are physical manipulables -
Make-up, hair, piercings, clothing, tattoos and other plastic surgery, shoes, fragrances, shavings, jewelry, hats, etc.
There are behavioral manipulables -
Walk, talk (register, melody, rhythm, vocabulary, complexity), orientation (very friendly, touchy, cold, distant, etc), goal seeking (harmony, self-aggrandizement, "goodness", sexuality, humor).

What is a sense of style? What social benefits result from successful presentation of image (2nd source)? How does that translate to inner feelings and self-perception?

Is all this effort worth it? Some sources say no.

Activities:
Street interviews
Reading
Journaling
Examining magazines and ads
Changing our style and observing differences in self and other reactions
Role analysis
Subculture analysis
Semiotics
Fit in and be special
etc.

July 1 Notes

Order the recommended basil-walnut pesto sandwich rather than the rabbit food house salad and order the Strawberry Napoleon rather than the carob covered coconut cheesecake.

Much was said.

There will be (probably) 4 parts of the summer project -
1. Blogs - For which there are some guidelines for the first posted below. Of course people should add other thoughts, questions for each other, not just write about what I ask you to write, unless you want to.

2. Books - We've agreed to start reading Never Let Me Go by English author Kazuo Ishiguro. Thereafter we will read a student selection - either Runaway Jury by Grisham or Transforming a Rape Culture edited by Buchwald et al or Intercourse by Dworkin or something else.

3. Adventures - We discussed a bike/scooter trip and we also discussed some other locations. I'll do some research and present options at the next meeting.

4. Curriculum - We've agreed that each of us will post about one curriculum unit/topic and include ideas, activities, provocative questions, etc around that topic. Then when we get back together we will see if we can connect them.

Our next meeting will be at the Cube at Astor Place, a notorious meeting spot, at 7pm Tuesday 7/7.

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Blog Post 1

1. What ideas or feelings do you find yourself focusing on these days?

I'm mostly using my time for self-improvement, getting tasks done, the doing instead of the being. Monday was my first day off and I used it to accomplish the kinds of tasks that I didn't have time for during the school year. Tuesday too.

I have had a couple good talks with Myles about the falseness of the nature/human binary and also about our compulsive identity production.

2. Its weird that school deeply structures your life for 9.5 months - from 7am-3:10pm you're dealing with school and beyond that, with homework and projects. Then all of a sudden you're in summer vacation and have no institutional structure. How does the contrast feel to you? Does family/capitalist-labor/etc conquer the area that the school has temporarily abdicated, leaving you no freer than before or do you have more freedom? Have you been enjoying your time? Are there aspects of school that you miss? Are there aspects of school that you're particularly glad to have a break from? How are you filling/wasting/enjoying the extra time you now have?

Its really too soon for me to answer the school question. The main contrast I can feel now is the chance to wake up when I want, to take an afternoon nap, to have more hours of the day to do the stuff I need/want to do.

3. How many hours a week would you be willing to put towards reading an easyish novel that we were all reading? How many hours a week would you be willing to put towards reading a hardish essay that we were all reading? How many combined?
6,6=12

4. What is a small - 2-7 hour long - adventure that you'd enjoy doing with the rest of us? For instance - make a short film, go to Rockaway Beach, walk on the Appalachian Trail. see a strange movie?
I like all those ideas.

5. Will you be able to meet in the City for the whole summer or do you have a planned excursion for part of the summer - if so, when?
I'll be in Western Kansas for 4 days at the end of July and am hoping to take a 4 week trip to Europe also, in August. But hopefully we could keep doing stuff on the blogs and probably you all could do fine without me, by then.

6. What else would you be interested to address or read other peoples' thoughts on?
Family stuff, reading stuff, dancing and music stuff, the experience of being.

7. Post some comments on other peoples' blogs that respond to the above points.