Lesson 18

*Never Let Me Go

*Lesson Objective

*At the end of this lesson we will have

*Starter*Write a detailed description of the following image, using lots of adjective and adverbs.

*Chapter 19 Questions

*Consider how Kathy describes Kingsfield at the start of Chapter 19, as well as her previous descriptions of the other recovery centres. How does this help build on your understanding of the technicalities behind the carer/donor process?

*Chapter 19 Questions*Kathy appears willing to give Tommy and

Ruth time ‘to themselves’ (p216). Why?*Examine the relationship between Tommy, Ruth and Kathy on the trip to the boat. Kathy says that ‘it felt as thought Tommy and I had come close together again, after all the years’, whereas Ruth seems much more tense and detached. What does this tell us about the relationship(s) between the three? *What differences exist between the three, in terms of physical and mental health? What does this suggest?

*Chapter 19 Questions

*In what ways can nature, and their surroundings (the boat), be said to represent the health of both Tommy and Ruth, and their general plight as donors/carers?

‘I’ll tell you what I heard about Chrissie. I head she completed during her second donation.’

‘I head that as well,’ said Tommy. ‘It must be right. I heard exactly the same. A shame. Only her second as well. Glad that didn’t happen to me.’

‘I think it happens much more than they ever tell us,’ Ruth said. ‘My carer over there. She probably knows that’s right. But she won’t say.’

‘There’s no big conspiracy about it,’ I said, turning back to the boat. ‘Sometimes it happens. It was really sad about Chrissie. But that’s not common. They’re really careful these days.

‘I bet it happens much more than they tell us,’ Ruth said again. ‘That’s one reason why they keep moving us around between donations.’ (p 221)

Consider what we learn here about donations.

‘I’m a pretty good donor, but I was a lousy carer’ - Tommy*What makes a good donor?*What makes a good carer?*To what extent does this comment, and what it implies, make you feel uncomfortable?

*To what extent does this comment, and what it implies, make you feel uncomfortable?

‘…five years felt about enough for me. I was like you, Tommy. I was pretty much ready when I became a donor. It felt right. After all, it’s what we’re supposed to be doing, isn’t it?’ - Ruth

*How have Tommy, Ruth and Kathy

all changed since their days at Hailsham/the

Cottages?

*Ruth admits that she ‘kept [Kathy] and Tommy apart…It should have been you two.’ Look closely at the way Kathy and Tommy react to her confession (pages 228 to 230).

*Re-read the following passage, starting on page 231 with ‘There was, even so…’ and stopping at the end of the chapter. Answer the following question:

How does Ishiguro build mood and atmosphere in these lines?

*Plenary*Do you think donors who have

completed get a proper burial? Do they get a funeral? An obituary? An eulogy?*Imagine you are Kathy. Write an obituary for Ruth. An obituary is a news

story that reports the recent death of a person, typically along with an account of the person's life and information about the upcoming funeral.