Depending on how you read the novel, you could see the tragedy of the story being one of several different things. Discuss what is the tragedy here and why.
After reading the novel, I believe this book, out of all required readings so far, has caused me the most revulsion. This is probably due to knowing that globally, we are probably not far off from this same fate, who knows, maybe it's happening already. I think, in my opinion, the biggest tragedy of the novel is the fact that the main and supporting characters never even entertained the idea of trying to escape. The entire book is silent on whether anybody ever did. Of course the students heard the old scary stories of children going into the out of bounds zones and never being let back in, but this is purely the work of children telling scary stories. There was absolutely no talk whatsoever of attempting to escape and move far away, assimilating into regular society and trying to hide from the looming organization.
To me, this is the biggest tragedy as it kind of speaks to the children being brain washed in a sense. Through the reading, I have no doubt that the children have souls. They exhibited all the same emotions that normal children and people do, they were smart, funny, creative, and were able to show empathy. Therefore I truly believe the part where Kathy discusses the idea that perhaps the students always "knew". As in they were given complex information when they were too young to fully understand but it stayed with them and therefore they grew up just blindly accepting their fate, never looking for a permanent escape to their imminent death.
I am 20 years old so I realize that I have a better grasp of the concept of "donations" than the children probably did however, I would like to believe that at 10 years old, or even 8, I would have been severely frightened by the aspect of becoming a young adult only to be poked and prodded and cut open like an animal and to have my organs stolen from me for the gain of the masses that created me. I would like to believe that I would have attempted to find a way out, whether I died trying or not. I find this the most devastating and tragic part as these children were so innocent and naive that they just accepted that they had no future except one in a hospital bed. That they had no more than perhaps 20-30 years before they were murdered by doctors.
Applying this to the real world, while I must admit I do not know a lot about the subject, I do know that there is obviously a black market selling organs and that an individual who possesses enough money could enter a third world country and purchase the organ of a living breathing person, whether that organ be a kidney or a heart. In my opinion, this is as horrific as it can get, I do not even want to fathom the idea of cultivating human babies like animals or plants and farming them for their organs. Whether the cloning process becomes advanced enough to produce healthy human beings in my life time or not, I would never look at them as less than the general population. No matter a clone or not, whether they were conceived in a Petri dish in a lab or between two humans, they would clearly possess a soul and would clearly be worth more than just their vital organs.
To me, this is the biggest tragedy as it kind of speaks to the children being brain washed in a sense. Through the reading, I have no doubt that the children have souls. They exhibited all the same emotions that normal children and people do, they were smart, funny, creative, and were able to show empathy. Therefore I truly believe the part where Kathy discusses the idea that perhaps the students always "knew". As in they were given complex information when they were too young to fully understand but it stayed with them and therefore they grew up just blindly accepting their fate, never looking for a permanent escape to their imminent death.
I am 20 years old so I realize that I have a better grasp of the concept of "donations" than the children probably did however, I would like to believe that at 10 years old, or even 8, I would have been severely frightened by the aspect of becoming a young adult only to be poked and prodded and cut open like an animal and to have my organs stolen from me for the gain of the masses that created me. I would like to believe that I would have attempted to find a way out, whether I died trying or not. I find this the most devastating and tragic part as these children were so innocent and naive that they just accepted that they had no future except one in a hospital bed. That they had no more than perhaps 20-30 years before they were murdered by doctors.
Applying this to the real world, while I must admit I do not know a lot about the subject, I do know that there is obviously a black market selling organs and that an individual who possesses enough money could enter a third world country and purchase the organ of a living breathing person, whether that organ be a kidney or a heart. In my opinion, this is as horrific as it can get, I do not even want to fathom the idea of cultivating human babies like animals or plants and farming them for their organs. Whether the cloning process becomes advanced enough to produce healthy human beings in my life time or not, I would never look at them as less than the general population. No matter a clone or not, whether they were conceived in a Petri dish in a lab or between two humans, they would clearly possess a soul and would clearly be worth more than just their vital organs.
Hi Paytra!
I fully agree with you that when reading this novel, a lot of what I felt was revulsion and horror. And to think that human organ trafficking is so common and proliferating is truly repulsive. And we're just getting started on designer babies...
I like that you argue that if the children hadn't been brainwashed to such an extent, they would have rebelled against being a donor. I agree and I would also say that if you're looking for a real-life application to this, you should read My Sister's Keeper if you haven't. The book focuses mainly on medical emancipation and runs I believe sort of parallel to what Never Let Me Go is about. Whereas, the clones in this book don't have the agency to gain autonomy over their own body, the main character in MSK does yet, for her it is a struggle. There are, of course, other themes woven into it as well but I think the book connects nicely to the argument you make that at whatever age you would be frightened of the possibility that in the near future you were going to be cut be open and harvested from. I hope it adds to your perspective because you are absolutely correct in stating that a human, no matter how it is conceived or why it is conceived is "worth more than just their vital organs".
I fully agree with you that when reading this novel, a lot of what I felt was revulsion and horror. And to think that human organ trafficking is so common and proliferating is truly repulsive. And we're just getting started on designer babies...
I like that you argue that if the children hadn't been brainwashed to such an extent, they would have rebelled against being a donor. I agree and I would also say that if you're looking for a real-life application to this, you should read My Sister's Keeper if you haven't. The book focuses mainly on medical emancipation and runs I believe sort of parallel to what Never Let Me Go is about. Whereas, the clones in this book don't have the agency to gain autonomy over their own body, the main character in MSK does yet, for her it is a struggle. There are, of course, other themes woven into it as well but I think the book connects nicely to the argument you make that at whatever age you would be frightened of the possibility that in the near future you were going to be cut be open and harvested from. I hope it adds to your perspective because you are absolutely correct in stating that a human, no matter how it is conceived or why it is conceived is "worth more than just their vital organs".
Hey Minahil!
Thank you for the book recommendation! I actually have yet to read that book but it has been on my list for quite some time. I watched the movie and I found it very well done. Thank you for connecting these two books with such grave and important topics.
Thank you for the book recommendation! I actually have yet to read that book but it has been on my list for quite some time. I watched the movie and I found it very well done. Thank you for connecting these two books with such grave and important topics.
You're welcome!
I have yet to see the movie so I'll get on that but I agree that both of these books fall into the same stratosphere of topics and can provide two different perspectives in slightly similar situations.
I have yet to see the movie so I'll get on that but I agree that both of these books fall into the same stratosphere of topics and can provide two different perspectives in slightly similar situations.
Hi Paytra! I totally agree with you! This is a scary situation and the fact that there could be cloning happening in our world is scary. It's been done before (with a sheep if I'm right) and whether we like it or not there's probably more advancement in the field. There has been ethical debates, but I'm sure someone tried to argue their way into the benefits of having organs ready for harvest. I get chills just thinking about it. There is a business for human and organ trafficking and it's scary. We hear about it, but we never think it could happen to us in Canada, but it can and stories like these have appeared and they often present themselves as a stranger (often a woman) approaching and saying she needs help with directions, there are signs to this, and people are becoming more aware, but it's not secluded to third world countries.
I like that organ trafficking was raised. Here is a source for reading up on it:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/monkey-cage/wp/2016/12/07/organ-traffickers-lock-up-people-to-harvest-their-kidneys-here-are-the-politics-behind-the-organ-trade/
And a case study on it:
https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2019/feb/09/trafficking-people-smugglers-organs-egypt-mediterranean-refugees-migrants
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/monkey-cage/wp/2016/12/07/organ-traffickers-lock-up-people-to-harvest-their-kidneys-here-are-the-politics-behind-the-organ-trade/
And a case study on it:
https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2019/feb/09/trafficking-people-smugglers-organs-egypt-mediterranean-refugees-migrants
I completely agree with you Paytra. I think it is a terrible tragedy that the children did not even try escaping even when escaping was simply them driving away. It made me wonder why they wouldn't escape if it is presumably so easy and you are right, it is the brain washing. The children were grown to think that their organs are donations and not their own. I appreciate how you used yourself in your response because it is true. Growing up I was told that my body is my own and what happens to it should be my decision. These children were classified like an object. They were told that they must give their organs because it is their purpose, but is it really a donation if they were told to do it. I can't seem to find the charity in that. I also thought about parents who create 'test-tube babies' who have the right cells to act as a donor for another sick child. It is the intention to deprive a child of their free will under the guise of helping another that is a immoral.
Hi Paytra,
I agree that method of conception should determine whether a person can be considered fully human or not. It is sickening to think that whether they are real human beings or not is a point for consideration. This is an attempt to justify their cruel treatment.
I agree that method of conception should determine whether a person can be considered fully human or not. It is sickening to think that whether they are real human beings or not is a point for consideration. This is an attempt to justify their cruel treatment.
Hi Paytra!
I agree about your comment about how this book caused you the most revulsion so far. To think that we could even do this is terrible to me, and I hope that we never have to live in a world like this. This book made me incredibly sad and mortified and I think this was an excellent novel for us to study this semester as it presents tons of human rights violations.
I agree about your comment about how this book caused you the most revulsion so far. To think that we could even do this is terrible to me, and I hope that we never have to live in a world like this. This book made me incredibly sad and mortified and I think this was an excellent novel for us to study this semester as it presents tons of human rights violations.
Hi Paytra!
I agree about your comment about how this book caused you the most revulsion so far. To think that we could even do this is terrible to me, and I hope that we never have to live in a world like this. This book made me incredibly sad and mortified and I think this was an excellent novel for us to study this semester as it presents tons of human rights violations.
I agree about your comment about how this book caused you the most revulsion so far. To think that we could even do this is terrible to me, and I hope that we never have to live in a world like this. This book made me incredibly sad and mortified and I think this was an excellent novel for us to study this semester as it presents tons of human rights violations.
I completely agree with what Paytra about the tragedy being the children being brainwashed in a sense and not be able to comprehend the idea of escaping. Throughout the novel, you follow the main characters as children into adulthood and you get to see that they really are just normal children and have souls as any other human would despite the fact that they are clones. Following them through their childhood makes it even more upsetting knowing their purpose in the society they live in, it is hard to grasp the idea that these innocent children are being raised to die for others, they donate their organs once they reach adulthood and they are never offered a choice to live. They are brain washed to a point where they don't believe there is another way of living, they believe in defferals which would allow them a few extra years but they do not believe in a world where they would be able to escape the donations completely.
The fact that the students always believed themselves to be donors consistently troubled me throughout the novel. Being treated as less than was ingrained in them. Connecting this idea to another discussion question, what makes us human, does this idea of being less-than play into how humans view themselves and how others view the clones within society?
Being treated as not human, surrounded by the very people telling you that, and with others who are deemed less human or worthy, will that not make you see yourself as not human? This novel raises a question, whether the human existence is characterized by our belief that we are human? The true tragedy of Hailsham and its students, in my opinion, is that the students never really got to be human. I mourn for the life they could have had rather than the lives cut short.
Being treated as not human, surrounded by the very people telling you that, and with others who are deemed less human or worthy, will that not make you see yourself as not human? This novel raises a question, whether the human existence is characterized by our belief that we are human? The true tragedy of Hailsham and its students, in my opinion, is that the students never really got to be human. I mourn for the life they could have had rather than the lives cut short.