Huwebes, Oktubre 16, 2014



NEVER LET ME GO
KAZUO ISHIGURO
 

SIXTENSIVE READERS
DISCUSSION DIRECTOR- Diayanara Rose Cacho
CHARACTER CAPTAIN- Daisery Bantilan
PASSAGE PICKER- Rutchell Saplot
VOCABULARY ENHANCER- Hilly Rose Guanzon
SUMMARIZER- Iriss Joy Rabago
CONNECTOR- Jonna Belle Mariano
LITERARY ARTIST- Cassandra Joyce Cabesas






 “Memories, even your most precious ones, fade surprisingly quickly. But I don’t go along with that. The memories I value most, I don’t ever see them fading.”


                                                                                                  ― Kazuo Ishiguro




It was a pleasant afternoon when we have our discussion at the back of H building. Our Discussion Director was Diayanara Rose Cacho started the discussion by giving four questions.
1.   Do you personally like the idea of the Hailsham administration gathering the “clones” and make them something of use to donate their organs when reached a certain age? Why or why not?

I, the summarizer for this book and Hilly, the vocabulary enhancer have the same answer. We think that it is a good idea because it is something that these people like Kathy and the rest to be thankful for that instead that they would be thrown and ignored, they were given the chance to live a normal life being children and enjoy schooling. Rutchell Saplot, the passage picker also has the same answer as with us. On the other hand, Daisery Bantilan and the rest of the group have the same answer too. They said that it is not a good idea, at the first place that they make such clones just for the sake of having someone to give them organs in case they need them, because they were to greedy, for me, that they want their lives to get easier but they do not think that there would be lives that would be in risk as those clones grew older.
2.   How do you feel for Kathy being someone kept away with the person whom you knew you liked ever since you were little by your very own best friend?
For the question number two Cassandra, the literary artist said that it was so selfish and so greedy of Ruth to just think of how she wants those two to be on her side but never considered the fact that those two obviously have feelings for each other. I and Daisery agreed with her. However, Rutchell and Diane have different answers. They said they would feel like I was being betrayed by my best friend. It was a little unacceptable to think that you were friends and then she knew from the first place that I like Tommy then she would not make way for us. Hilly and Jonna said that we cannot blame Ruth for she has her own reasons for doing that. Maybe she just doesn’t want to be left alone or she can’t take the loneliness of being alone.

3.   If you were Madame, would you rather give extensions or deferrals to Tommy and Kathy? Or just stick to the administrations’ rules? Why or why not?
I answered yes. Of course, if I was Madame I would really give them both deferrals, considering how they were endeavours of love who found each other for so long time of being away then they has these great feelings with each other. It’s like a chance or a gift for them for being alive and thankful that they are alive. Hilly said that she agrees with me that they should be given deferrals, considering how true their feelings are and that they both know how short their lives are on earth and that maybe on the nearest future they found themselves ready to let go of what they had and complete their operations. The rest of the group all agreed to give them the deferrals.

4.   If you were to be a character from the book, who would you be? With no regards of the gender, Why?
Hilly choses Ruth, because she want to be like how Courageous she was upon opening up her revelation about the two being kept away with each other no matter what it might be that she would get in return from Kathy she still said it. Rutchell choses Kathy because she is a good friend and a good listener although she was left with Tommy on the last days she still spend it wholly and with no “sayang” moments. Like Rutchell, Daisery wants Kathy too because, she was a great friend in spite of what Ruth had done to her, she was still open minded and considered Ruth’s reasons.Diane choses to be Tommy, not that he is a he and because of the temper he have but because he is tough and still found himself to be ready to be seen by his loved one every last moment of his life even though he looks weak and tattered inside. Cassandra choses Tommy too, like how Diane said it, he is brave to have been really open to Kathy and with no pride he faces Kathy, his love for the rest of his last moments on earth. Jonna and I think that we would be Madame, and then we will change her mind and give the two the deferrals they were asking for.
                         
VOCABULARY ENHANCER
Hilly Rose Guanzon
Meandering- turning irregularly, not giving directly to the destination
Resentment- a feeling of deep and bitter anger and ill-will
Distraught- deeply agitated especially from emotion
Riotous- characterized by unrest, disorder or insubordination
Scowling- sullen or unfriendly in appearance
Disservice- an act intended to help that turns out badly
Snogging- (informal, vulgar) cuddle and kiss
Spiel- plausible glib talk (especially to a salesperson)
Grime- make soiled, filthy, or dirty
Heave- utter a sound, as with obvious effort

CONNECTOR
Jonna Belle Mariano


I see it somehow connected with like Harry Potter when you imagine the pavilions and huge field like a playing area and how the students from Hogwarts also play quiditch (not sure of the spelling) in a wide field. Then the story like the three were friends but there were just one male at Never let me go while there’s two in Harry Potter; Harry and Ron. The part wherein Ruth would spoil out the book’s plot which is what Kathy was reading is so related to us students. There are some who would beastly speak out it’s plot or ending or climax perhaps so they would just reveal to all or to the current reader that she/he  (the spoiler like Ruth) knows it all and is so knowledgeable and is full of facts and they maybe thought that the reader like Kathy would be amazed with it but instead of amazement, to us who are the readers would be annoyed with it and rather ignore the spoiler and continue reading.




PASSAGE PICKER
Rutchell Saplot

I was talking to one of my donors a few days ago who was complaining about how memories, even your most precious ones, fade surprisingly quickly. But I don’t go along with that. The memories I value most, I don’t see them ever fading. I lost Ruth, then I lost Tommy, but I won’t lose my memories of them.

           In this passage, I agree to what Kathy says about Memories because memories are the treasure you have of others but it will always be yours and will never be lost because it is your own memory and personal moments with them. Nobody can and will take it from you, even people who have amnesia still have their memories but just not that clear but they do. 



CHARACTER CAPTAIN
Daisery Bantilan

Kathy-
protagonist of the story and is the best of friend of Ruth. She was the last among them three friends
Ruth- the best friend of Kathy and is the first girlfriend of Tommy who later revealed to Kathy the truth. she is an extrovert with strong opinions and appears to be the centre of social activity in her cohort.
Tommy-


the male friend of Kathy. First introduced as an uncreative and isolated young boy at Hailsham with a bad temper, gets tricks played on him by the other children because they want to get a reaction out of him.




Madame- 
the one who visits Hailsham to collect the children’s art works. She is the one they thought would give them deferrals upon approached.










SUMMARIZER
Iriss Joy Rabago

The story starts of when Kathy was reminiscing her youth at Hailsham a place most likely to be like an orphanage where children who have no parents, not literally, of course they do because they were biologically made. But in this community in Hailsham they were told few things that is normally usual to just the children out of the institution. They, the students, like Ruth and Kathy who are best of friends, very curious of what might it be outside the compound of their “school”. But no one have clue except their teachers. These endeavors would not dare fathom what it would be outside because they are sure that as they have reached a certain age level they will be sent out to do their assigned duties as students of Hailsham – which is what they are getting ready for at the current time. So as they were spending their youth at this place, they were given all that they needed, the essentials like food and clothing.
Everything was normal, just that they were learning the arts subjects mostly, like poetry, paintings, drawings and reading but not sciences and mathematics and the likes. But their curiosity and suspicion of the outside world grew when they were just told by a teacher about something they were not told about the task they were to do when they go out of Hailsham, and that is to donate. Donate their internal organs. As the three, Kathy, Tommy, and Ruth grew to their normal age to be ready to send out to the world they have been curious about.  Then they have been trained in a place first before starting to assist in a hospital or donate. Ruth and Tommy who are in a relationship left Kathy quite out of place when they do things like what couples normally do, so Ruth as a lady who is curious about such things have going out with any guys at their training place wherein she wasn’t seriously committed into. Tommy found her on a barn looking at a magazine where there are ladies in nude, and Tommy asked her why is she looking at such magazine then Kathy said that she is just curious if maybe one of those faces in the magazines would be like hers then maybe that would be where she was “copied” from. Then Tommy discouraged her from thinking that she might be copied from those ladies. Ruth and Tommy did not formally break up but they were sending out in different places so does Kathy.
Kathy on the last part was summarizing how she ended up to be the sick Ruth’s carer as Ruth was being a donor. These poor students were donors of their organs and were only left to live for just 3-4 operations and they would be complete or the term was that they have “completed”, after that, their done-dead. But Kathy, was first doing her caring yet because she might not be ready for being a donor yet. Ruth opened up to Kathy how she always knew that Tommy and Kathy liked each other but she just started it out with Tommy because she is afraid to be left out with them because they have been best of friends and Tommy have been so close with Kathy as they were talking about the mysteries outside the world of Hailsham when they were still students.
Then, before Ruth die on her last donation, she asked her a favor as Kathy, her carer would be with her eating biscuits or reading books on an afternoon, that she should go look for Tommy and make it up with him. But the three of them still met each other on an outing but as Ruth dies, Kathy as she promised went to look for Tommy and they were together but it is quite too late for the both of them because Tommy has gone through operations and is getting weak now, but Kathy served as his carer and would apply for extensions but the rumor was confirmed to be false and plainly just a rumor was said by one of the Hailsham’s administrators. So, the two spent the rest of their days being together; Kathy as the carer, Tommy as the donor. Later on Kathy’s summarization as she was travelling on her car she said her few memories with Tommy and how she cherished the times she had with Ruth and Tommy at Hailsham. Then she decided to move on and continue her life as what she was destined to be- a donor.



LITERARY ARTIST
Cassandra Joyce Cabesas


















Time keeper
Mitch Albom







SIXTENSIVE READERS

Discussion Director- Iriss Joy Rabago
Passage Picker- Daisery Bantilan
Vocabulary Enhancer- Diayanara Rose Cacho
Literary Artist- Rutchell Saplot
Connector- Cassandra Joyce Cabesas
Summarizer- Jonna Belle Mariano
Character Captain- Hilly Rose Guanzon
                              





“It is never too late or too soon. 

       It is when it is supposed to be.” 

 

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The semester is about to end when we have our discussion about our fourth and final book. At the back of H Building with few students because most of them already went home to have their semester break. I, the discussion director started the discussion by giving five questions to discuss.

1.      Would you want time to be endless? Why or why not?
2.      Dor learns the phrase “time flies” (when you’re having fun) from Sarah. Why does time seem to go faster when we enjoy ourselves? Is this always the case?
3.      When he was in the cave, Dor makes symbols on the wall to mark and remember key moments in his life. What are the many ways we mark the passing of time? Other than by taking photos, how do you order and stay connected to times past?
4.      Consider Sarah Lemon. Do you think Mitch Albom did a good job describing what it’s like to be a teenage girl?
5.      Who do you think was the “old man” Dor met? Was that God??

In answering question number one, all of us answered No, because we all agreed that if time would be endless people would not be exerting efforts anymore to finish their work or to do things that they wanted to do, we won’t be terrified anymore even if time will passed because we know there still bunch of time. Moreover, if this is the case, people won’t learn how to value and cherish every moment and memories in their lives and instead they will just keep on having a perspective that there are still chances, endless chances.
For the question number two, I am pretty sure that most of us experience this scenario. We always feel that “time flies’ when we are having fun it is because we are only giving our attention to the things we are doing instead of keeping attention to the time. This is why time seems so fast when we are having fun and likes.
          Question number three made us reminisce all of our hobbies in preserving memories with our love ones. Many of us answered having Diary as our way of preserving moments and memories in our lives. Me, Cassandra, Rutchell, Daisery and Jona have our own diaries wherein we chat down our experiences and good memories of our lives. It is our one way of keeping in touch and connected with time passed. On the other hand, Hilly and Diane have also different way of connecting to their memories that have been passed. Hilly saved pictures to her Fb account; this is her way of keeping the good memories in her life. Diane on the other hand, she answered scrap book. She said she make scrap book and paste some photos there and put it some caption like date of when it was taken, where it was taken and who is in that picture. She also said that to preserved memories in her life she just kept those memories in her hearts and minds. I have also shared to them that I am fun of keeping things that were given to me by different people like candy wrappers, key chains and such. Hilly and the others do the same too.
          For the question number four we all answered Yes. Based on the story Sarah was a typical teenage girl who has a crush on a guy and she really admires this guy. As we all know, teenagers this days are like Sarah, they are fun of going out and have a date to the guy they like. As Mitch Albom described Sarah in the story it’s just like he is also a teenage girl who are so busy having fun with her friends. He really put her foot in the situation of teenagers especially to Sarah and that is one of the reasons why the story became more interesting.
          In answering the fifth question, all of us answered that the man Dor met was the God of Death.

Connector
Cassandra Joyce Cabesas


The story revolves around the topic Time. Like how it is done in the a TV series entitled Pure Love, the protagonist Dian was in comma after an accident and her soul was separated with her body and before she can be successful to go back to her body he have to collect three drops of tears which are out from pure love but not from her family to know who are those people who truly values her. Both Sarah and Victor after being brought by Dor to the past realized that they should be paying attention to the people they are missing and that they have to spend time with them instead of desiring to prolong time to the extent that they will be looking for such ridiculous ideas. The part wherein I can see the connection most is that characters of both fiction stories have the magical thing wherein they are able to space jump, jump out of time or jump out of their physical locations such as a certain place or a body, the human body. Hope you find how I can see its connection on your own eyes. That’s all for me.

Character Captain
Hilly Rose Guanzon

Dor (Father Time)
Dor at his early age was a gentle, obedient child but thought deeper than anybody else and this made him different. He was the first person known on Earth who attempted to count, make numbers for he lived in an era when measuring time was not known. He was punished by God to be detained inside a cave because of trying to measure God’s greatest gift, the time,  for God knows what would the world and His creation will look like if time will be discovered. He was forced to listen to the voices of the people who were complaining with the time they have. Some would want to slow down their time and some wanted to drag time faster. He suffered for it for centuries without getting old. He was eventually freed from his punishment but in order to redeem himself, he must help to understand two worldly people who failed to realize the true meaning of time. One was Sarah Lemon wanted time to go faster for her own desire to meet his date and the other one was Victor who wants slow down time for him not to die sooner.
Sarah Lemon
Sarah was the one who was hurrying up for her date with a popular and good-looking guy whom she was waiting for him to notice her. She may not be some kind of girls with perfectly curved bodies but she is smart. When she finally got the chance to date his admired guy, she cannot wait for it and wanted to drag the time fast to the day of their date. What she thought to be a perfect date turned upside down when the man of her dreams cancelled it and learned that he was just tripping her, made her the laughing stock among his friend. It broke her heart so badly that she thought of committing suicide. For her to realize what she would be like if she would try it, Dor, who has the job to help her, let her see the future and the effect of her death to others. This made realize, neglected the idea of suicide and felt guilty of the consequences of her action. She considered what her love ones would feel if ever she did.
Victor Delamonte
Victor was on top of his game where he had a loving wife (who was neglected after victor success rose up), successful businesses and was titled as one of the richest man in the world but suddenly he was diagnosed of cancer and had his days counted down. For he wanted to live longer, he focused himself on researches for the cure of his terminal condition. Until a research for immortality pave in called cryonics in which he was going to freeze himself for later reanimation. Just as the time he was about to be frozen, Dor arrived in to rescue Victor’s fate if he would freeze himself. Dor showed him his future if he would undergo the process of cryonics. It was misfortune and miserable life waiting up for him if he pursue. Victor realized and decided not to freeze himself.
Ali
Alli was Dor’s childhood friend who grew up I humility. She became Dor’s wife whom she had three children. She’s the only one who could distract Dor from his counting and served as a sky who’s always around Dor.
Nim
Nim was one of Dor’s childhood friends who became tall and stronger than other boys. He became very rich with many slaves and started constructing massive tower. He was fascinated by power.

Vocabulary Enhancer
Diayanara Rose Cacho

         Gravitate: to be attracted to something and therefore move towards it or become involved with it:
As children grow, they gravitate toward their fates. (page 11,chapter 4)
So did Dor, Nim, and  Alli, the three children on that hillside.
          Humility: the quality of not being too proud about yourself - use this to show approval.
Alli grew more beautiful
                and her mother warned her to keep her dark hair braided and her eyes lowered, lest her fairness encourage the bad desires of men. Humility became Alli’s cocoon. (page 11,chapter 4)
          Notch: to cut a V-shaped mark into something, especially as a way of showing the number of times something has been done
Dor?      Well .Dor became a measurer of things. He marked stones, he notched sticks, he laid out twigs, pebbles, anything he could count.(page 11,chapter 4)
         Feeble: extremely weak; not very good or effective
Dor would never acquire wealth.  All the goats , sheep and oxen belonged to his brothers or his father, who often swatted Dor or wasting his time with silly measures. His mother cried when she saw him hunched over his work. She felt the gods had left him feeble.
(chapter 6, page 17)
         Dabbled: to do something or be involved in something in a way that is not very serious`               
History does not show it, but as Dor grew older, he dabbled in every form of time measurement that science woud later credit to others.
(chapter 6, page 17)
         Swaddling: wrap a baby tightly in a blanket to restrict movement
Dor continued his measuring, using bones, sticks, the sun , moon and stars. It was the only thing that made him feel produtive .Alli grew withdrawn. One night Dor saw her hugging their son’s swaddling blanket and staring at the floor.(chapter 11, page 31).
         Gouge: to make a deep hole or cut in the surface of something
Unlike the sun, whiuch looked the same every day, the changing moon gave for somethin to count, and he gouged hales on clay tablets until he noticed a pattern. (chapter 13, page 33).
         Lethargy/Lethargic: feeling as if you have no energy and no interest in doing anything
Until finally, at some unmarked point in his purgatory, Dor shook the lethargy of his darkness, sharpened the edge of a small rock and began to carve on the walls. (Chapter 26, page 70).
         Swat: to crush, slap, hit
         Meager: too small and is much less than you need
         Withdrawn: very shy and quiet, and concerned only about your own thoughts
         Nomad: a member of a tribe that travels from place to place instead of living in one place all the time
         Sustenance: food that people or animals need in order to live; when something is made to continue
         Baffle: if something baffles you, you can’t understand or explain it
         Rue = to wish that you had not done something
         Regret is a synonym
         Laconic: using only a few words to say something
         Steadfast: faithful and very loyal  
 Stalactites: are the formations that hang from the ceilings of caves like icicles.
                   Gape: to look at something for a long time, especially with your mouth open, because you      are very surprised or shocked
                  Penance: something that you must do to show that you are sorry for something you have done wrong
                Bequeath: to pass knowledge, customs etc to people who come after you or live after you




Summarizer
Jonna Belle Mariano

Six thousand of years ago, time did not exist. Time cannot be measured.
When Dor was still a child, he was interested in measuring moments until he grew old. His interest in measuring moments grew.  When his wife Alli was about to die because of a strange disease, he wasn’t to control the time. He wanted to stop the time and keep Alli live forever. Because of desperation, he climbed the tower to the gods to try and make them stop the time. This tower was called the Tower of Babel.
There were consequences when once humans realized that they could measure the time and that consequence would be, no end for the pain that the time cause. Dor was punished because of it and his punishment would be, he must spend eternity in a cave. Where he can heard voices of the people who want more time, or less time, or for the time to stop.
Six thousand years had passed and Dor was released from his imprisonment. He must help two people who cant understand the meaning of time. There were Sarah Lemon and Victor Delamonte.
Sarah is a self conscious teenage who wants time to speed up. She can’t wait for the big date where she can spend together with what she thinks is the perfect boy. Her ideas about love were terribly amiss when the boy cancels on her multiple times and eventually humiliates her in front of all his friends. Due to her parent’s divorce and being emotionally tired, she can’t go on with her life and plans to commit suicide.
Victor is the fourteenth-richest man in the world but he is unfortunate victim of a tumor and kidney failure. He knows the only thing that can ruin his good fortune is his health, and he spares no effort trying to find a cure. However, he is pronounced to die in a short time. Victor needs time to slow down. He tries to achieve immortality by turning to cryonics, or the freezing of a person for later reanimation, to save himself and his fortune.
    By watching each of their lives, Dor tries to understand how he is supposed to help them. He doesn't know what to do, but the opportunity presents itself in due time. They all come to understand what time truly is.


Passage Picker
Daisery Bantilan


“A desperate heart means seducing the mind”
-what your heart5 wants to say or express it leads or tempts your mind to what u feel.


“Our God is the only one who can write the end of your story”
-God knows everything on what will happen to our lives.






Literary Artist
Rutchell Saplot