*
Lesson 18
*At the end of this
lesson we will have
*
*
*Write a detailed description of the following
image, using lots of adjective and adverbs.
*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?
*
*
*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?
*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?
‘…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
*To what extent does this
comment, and what it implies,
make you feel uncomfortable?
*
*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?
*
*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.