Category Archives: Parts 4-6

Class Notes Tuesday October 17th

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Class Notes for Tuesday October 17th

Group Work

In relation to #3, 4, What is the significance of Arthur’s relationship’s backstops

In relation to #5, Discus the novels themes and its evolution as the novel goes on

Narrator – Third person omniscient

View  Points

First Person

3rd Person Omniscient

  • through “Dear V” letters
  • Jeevan’s  attempt to keep his sanity while leaving Toronto

View points are complicated in the novel so the Dear V letters and Jeevan’s thoughts are instances of the first person perspective in a third person narrative

Chapter 37

Raymonde – You don’t know what you’ve lost until it is gone

Reminder

Check off both category and parts

Homework

1) People’s Choice for parts 4 ~ 6 due Wednesday

– Congratulations to Parts 2 ~ 3  winners

2) Optional Extra Credit

– Why I Write Due Sunday 10/22

 

 

Class Discussion #6: “People’s Choice Posts” for ‘Station Eleven,’ Parts 4-6

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Here’s the moment you’ve all been waiting for …

Read through all reading response blogs for Station Eleven, Parts 4-6, choose a favorite post, and explain your rationale for choosing it. Then share the post/excerpt/rationale by “commenting” here on this post. Don’t forget to link to the post you are citing (you can now hyperlink comments rather than just copying/pasting the URL: give it a shot!).

Comments should be made no later than Wednesday, 10/18, and the one with the most votes will earn the coveted “People’s Choice” honor! As always, I’m looking forward to seeing what you choose, and why. Happy reading 🙂

A greater meaning and what it means to survive

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After reading Parts 4 through 6 from Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel, the sudden jumps from the past of when before the Georgia Flu began and after is an excellent way for us to get to know the character’s before the epidemic began, to me it feels like the past and future are completely different worlds despite it being the same “world”.

The actions, people, events, and even certain items, not matter how simple or insignificant it can be, in this story are presented for a reason, as later at some point within the story it will return with either a deeper meaning or with a grand significance. People such as Jeevan who was presented within the first Part of the story, only to never be seen again until Part 5, where we can witness how he is surviving after the destruction of the world.

Another example of this. “It was strange, she kept thinking, that the prophet’s dog had the same name as the dog  in her comic books…” (120) The name of the dog is Luli. As of yet the story hasn’t stated the deeper significance as to why the prophet’s dog has this name, but there is a connection and it is clear that the name of the prophet’s dog is confusing to Kirsten. There is a great chance this connection will deepen the next time Kirsten runs in to the prophet.

As I mentioned earlier of the post, we have the return of Jeevan, though our second encounter of him is taken place in the past, approximately “seven years before the end of the world…” (7). Through out this second half we gain a glimpse into Jeevan’s life, he was someone who was unhappy with his career at the time, “Jeevan had been working as a paparazzo for some years and had made a passable living at it, but he was sick to death of stalking celebrities from behind sidewalk planters and lying in wait in parked cars….” (169) He wished for more in life until he encountered Arthur and finally got the big break he was looking for.

Life needs to be appreciated

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When i was reading reading parts 4, 5, and 6 Station eleven i realized how much items people possessed before the Georgia Flu and the general appreciation for . It’s the little things we miss. There are several instances where we see people at their most vulnerable moments, moments where they realize just how small yet intrinsic they are to the clockwork that is humanity, moments where these people realize just exactly what it is they will miss about life moving forward. There are several references to the objects that characters in station eleven will miss I believe it’s a show of how meaningful things can become to us when they become attached to a certain emotion or memory.

There are many aspects of life and the the life of others that most people take for granted. “It was incredible. I almost want to lock the door behind us.” That’s what it would have been like, she realized, living in a house. You would leave and lock the door behind you, and all through the day you would have to carry a key” (Mandel.199). Kirsten is wandering out in the world with her symphony without a home, most people before the Georgia Flu had the luxury of actually living in a home.

In the first half of the reading,for the traveling symphony  to survive comes gains strength and comfort from each other to be stronger as one group. This is because surviving as a group is essential because people seem to be more in competition with each other instead of just helping each other. In the reading the group is trying to find time of when time was easier to live “we are always looking for the former world”(Mandel.130) they are looking for signs of life, signs of people who are left, and when day to day life wasn’t hard to live. In other words, life before the flu. This shows me that there is still hope because it symbolizes their motivation to find and understand the life that people lived before the Flu.

There is a sense of security attached to the objects that people have in our lives, these things reminding us that certain things in life are constant, and it is the withdrawal that shows the painful reminder of what once was. In the interview with Kirsten and Diallo, Kristin points out that “…it seem[s] like the people who struggle the most with it are the people who remember the old world clearly […] The more you remember the more you’ve lost.”(Mandel.195) Slowly, we begin to realize that these characters miss more than the objects,  it’s about feeling attached to those objects that they don’t want to ever forget. Also something interesting in this interview.

When Clark was interviewing Dahlia about Dan and she described how she thinks that Dan doesn’t like his job, she said “but I don’t think he even realizes it. You probably encounter people like him all the time. High-functioning sleepwalkers, essentially.” So he just seems to be moving through life without much clarity on his future.

The memories and the struggle

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In the book “Station Eleven” written by Emily ST. John Mandel, it tells the story about the destruction under the Georgia Flu and how people struggled for their lives after the this with the support of their memories left in their minds. After the happening of this huge disaster, people seemed to be vulnerable, the legacy of human seemed to be the only support for them to continue living on this planet.

Through the reading from part 4 to part 6, we can feel the sense of vulnerable at several scenes. After facing so many deaths from the Earth, the one who was left over and faced the huge destruction of the Georgia Flu, what is their choice after? To be disappointed and wait for the deaths come to them or stand up and continue struggle for living. Everything seemed to be very heavy to the people who were left over. In Chapter 37, ” My memories from before the collapse seem like dreams now. I remember looking down from an airplane window, this must have been sometime during the last year or two, and seeing the city of New York” (Mandel, Page 195.) we could feel a sense through the conversation which was that the more you remember from the past or the more you experienced from the past, the more you would be hurt.

The part which shocked me a little was the suicide of Jeevan’s brother, Frank. As we know, Jeevan was taking care of his brother, Frank. Their fates had been connected to each other after the outbreak of Georgia Flu. If Jeevan continue staying with Frank til the end, they both might not escape from the death of sickness. However, at this moment, Frank chose the suicide which means the closeness of survival to death. Jeevan will be struggle on his own later on and might have a bigger chance to survive, it was crucial but it was inevasible. At the end of this chapter, the author mentioned, ” keep walking. Keep walking. Keep walking. He looked up and met the eyes of an owl, wathcing him from a snow-laden branch” (Mandel, Page 194.) Here implied that he had to face the reality and moved on, and his fate would take the influence from his brother and he would be saved by his brother’s scarified.

 

Memories can be painful but, that does NOT mean that they should be forgotten.

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Parts 4-6 seem to talk a lot about the past and the individuals who want to forget them but, sadly, isn’t as easy as many wished to be. Kirston for example is the main reason i started writing about such a topic. She tells Francois after he questions her about the reason for her knife tattoos that, the memory in of itself was too unpleasant to explain to him. She then tells Francois at the end of part 5 that some memories are better left lost or forgotten because the more you remember them, the more you lose. That line made me thing long and hard about what a harsh memory may mean to me and if it should really be considered the best course of action to just forget it all just because of the fact that it is painful. And, i have to say that i have to disagree wit h this statement completely and wholeheartedly.

Memories regardless of whether or not it’s good, bad or just an indifferent memory that makes you go “meh” should never be forgotten. memories on their own serve as a constant reminder of who you are and what you have experienced from your earliest memory to now. Painful memories to be a bit more specific are the ones that you should definitely try your hardest to not forget. The painful ones usually, serve as a snapshot of one of the most important experiences that you could have be it as a kid,as a teen or as an adult. Going out of your way to forget such important parts of your life is almost the same as casting off a part of your self. In my honest opinion. Casting away horrible, painful memories ( most of the time, mind you) is nothing short of cowardice. the unwillingness to remember nor face the unpleasant memory head on and acknowledge it for what it signifies isn’t something that i can agree with. Our past shapes who we are as people. I can understand Kirston’s point of view when it comes to painful memories. I can’t fathom the countless amount of harsh events she personally had to experience against her will. Experiences like losing her beloved family during the flue outbreak, losing symphony members via disease and other. I wont deny that living in a post apocalyptic world where order isn’t the norm and, unpleasant and downright painful events are about as common as seeing the sun rise and set but, those events shaped her into who she is today. And from what i can see, she seems to be a confident and strong young woman that has the know how to survive in her environment.

Now, i have to admit that I, have memories that i sometimes wish i could forget. Memories that can sometimes be painful for me to recollect. This is also true for many of us. Some of us have harbored way more unpleasant memories than others. But, if we were to look at these memories from a somewhat optimistic angle then, you can view many of these events as important turning points that have molded who we are as individuals. I guess what i’m trying to say is that, I nor any of us are perfect We all try to forget things and would rather leave them behind to later disappear, I myself am no different in this regard. So, I’m not here to speak for everyone when it comes to how memories should be determined as my view on what’s considered a bad memory is obviously enough different than others. Each and everyone of us have a somewhat different set of rules that we go by when it comes to to deciding whether a past event is either bad, good, meh etc. And for those who may think i’m bad mouthing and attacking specific individuals then, let me say this. I definitely don’t think that my view on the subject of memories will ultimately determine if i consider someone as morally good or bad. Everyone have different opinions when it comes to memories and what each one means to them. I do, however want to ask you, the reader something. Do you think it to be OK for someone to just forget or throw away a memory just because it’s painful? do you think it’s OK to just run away or avert your eyes from a memory that you personally don’t want to confront?. Kirston’s answer (If she were somehow reading this) would likely be “yes” but, i for one consider such an act as a betrayal to what her memories signifies. A horrible memory can help you learn about the world around you and help you better prepare yourself for the future. They’re a constant reminder that life isn’t always Jovial and fun with sunshine and lollipops being a blissful norm.

So, to put in succinctly, Memories regardless of good or bad, should not be forgotten. they signify the events that have molded you in to the person you are today. Throwing them away would be the same as throwing away a part of your very own identity. Kirsten of all people should know that the harsh events she went through made her stronger for it. And those memories serve as proof that her personality and ideals aren’t just things that she half assedly created.

Art Still Exists Post Apocalypse

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Station Eleven  by Emily St. John Mandel shows how the world would be like if around 99% of the population would die to to a disease spreading called the Georgia Flu.

We see that the Traveling Symphony goes around towns to show plays and sing songs but, what the remaining survivors would like to see is Shakespeare plays. Art is a huge way to express oneself and others around you. They appreciate the artwork or give appropriate feedback and shows that mankind is still around. The Traveling Symphony is going around doing what they call “noble.” They need something to signify that they’re still human beings and to show that here is a line from the text. “Survival is insufficient: Kirsten has had these words tattooed on her left forearm at the age of fifteen and had been arguing with Dieter about it almost ever since” (119). Just being “alive” isn’t good enough in this post apocalyptic world. We see later in chapter 20, the Symphony witnessed many corpses and August shows his compassion by praying to the dead. Even though survival isn’t enough, they still need to survive this ordeal and play it safe.

It seemed strange but, the disappearance of Sayid and Dieter was shocking. No one knew where they have disappeared to or where they have gone but many questions do pop up. Why suddenly leave in the middle of their journey? Why did they not say anything before they left? It all ties back to why they focus on art and I believe it is to keep their morale up and their sanity. Just imagining living in a the same world where many have died and you’re just continuing to move forward with nothing to strive for and continue to see many dead bodies. Art plays a huge role for the Traveling Symphony and expresses themselves to one another.

In Chapter 32, I am surprised that Jeevan is still relevant.  Things take a dark turn as Frank is paralyzed and will only slow down Jeevan. He tells Jeevan that he will remain behind. “I can’t just leave you. I’ll leave first,” Frank said (183). He is tired of holding his brother back and no longer feels any attachment to this world.  Many of Frank’s neighbors have already died and he believes that survival is the only thing that Jeevan needs from the outside world. Survival and death plays a big role in this story and has been emphasized a lot throughout the story. Many question what is left of this world to see and they embark on a journey to see if it is truly worth it to live in this world. Many have died and through struggling, we see that expressing their self is the only thing to show for. A passion, to show the world that there is something still remaining in this world besides being a survivor.

The More You Remember, The More You’ve Lost

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In parts 4-6 in Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel we see how things change. We see how things once were and how they are now.

Jumping straight to part 5, in Kirsten’s interview she says how she actually does not remember too much of how the world once was before the pandemic. She goes on to say that “doesn’t it seem like the people who struggle most with it are the people who remember the old world clearly?” (195) Basically saying that the ones who were young when the pandemic hit do not realize how much they have actually lost. If anything, the world before seems almost like a dream to them. Not being able to differentiate between reality and their imagination. They adjusted to the world now. Whereas, the ones that do remember are constantly stuck in their thoughts. Thinking of how once this street was full of children. There was internet. There was electricity. There was discipline, law and not as much fear as there is now in this version of the world.

Similarly, we return to Arthur and the moments leading to his death and after part 6. We have already gotten a taste of what the letters that Arthur has written to his old friend Victoria are like. Arthur takes it upon himself to prepare for what is to come. At this time we see that Arthur calls his ex-wife Miranda and they eventually see each other once again. Miranda who once thought she would never fit in and change herself for this Hollywood world is now focused on her appearance. Using her appearance almost as a shield to the outside world this time. “Those previous versions of herself were so distant now that remembering them was almost like remembering other people.” (206) No one can rip her apart, she looks to be of this “world” and of this community now. She did her best to no longer look like her old self.

There is also this friend, Victoria, who we do not know too much about either has changed in her own ways as well. We are introduced to her through the letters that Arthur has been writing to her all these years. These letters are mostly one-sided oddly enough. However, as we find out that this so called “friend” Victoria was now publishing his letters Arthur blames himself for it to get to this point. He believes that he deserved this, “I treated Victoria like a diary.” (211) Victoria would write back occasionally a couple letters and postcards and then it became more like a note being passed to inform him of her change of address. This childhood friend was now a stranger who did not write back, even Miranda felt sad upon hearing that. She lost sight of friendship, she valued money over that childhood friendship that they once had. Even though this was a result based off of her current living and financial situation it was betrayal nonetheless.

Lastly, we go back to Arthur. Someone who was portrayed to us as almost as such a horrible person has now shrunken to this man who is now accepting his past mistakes in a way. He begins to acknowledge how he treated others. He also gives Jeevan an inside scoop about the affair he was having but asks for twenty four hours before Jeevan even mentions this to anyone else. (172) He asks for this time as if he was going to try and do right by those that will be effected by this. This was coming from a man who has had an affair before. The marriage that was currently about to end was the result of an affair that he had previously. Ironically enough he could not find the courage to tell her about the affair he was having despite all the chances he had to tell her. (173)

I know there are much more important things going on in the story like the airplane and the airport and how it all connects. But the growth of the characters is also important. We see different sides of them all. The backstory to all of these people give us a better understanding of why they are how they are now or why they reacted in certain ways.

Station Eleven: Part 4-6

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The sections four through six of Emily St. John Mandel’s Station Eleven revolves around the idea of isolation, survival, and disconnection. Each section has a different character(s) focus in which we see each striving to survive in the old world or trying to stay alive in the new world, after the Georgia Flu.

We see the character Kirsten ending up looking through a school with her friend August and what they find in this school has many connections to the past world and also has the truth about the new world as well. In chapter 21 they are seen searching for new instruments to use for the Shakespeare plays and what they find is unsettling but not surprising. One of the other members of the search party for the school, Jackson informs the rest of the group of his findings, “Jackson appeared in the doorway. “There’s a skeleton in the men’s room.” (Mandel, 129), “”Old. Bullet hole in the skull.” (Mandel, 129). This moment shows us how different and cold our new world could be, were everyone is out for themselves, and that this is the realty of the new world. Yet, we have characters like Kirsten still looking for bits of the old world to peer through, “Because we are always looking for the former world, before all the traces of the former world are gone. But it seemed like too much to explain all this, so she shrugged instead of answering him.” (Mandel, 130), this shows how futile it is to keep looking for the past and that most people are just accepting it and trying to continue to move forward where ever that may be.

Still out of reading these three sections of the book, the quote that really stood out to me the most is on page 163, and it may not seem like anything big but I know people have to at least though about this once in their lifetime. If not then they should think about it, it can be an eye opener, “I’m talking about these people who’ve ended up io one life instead of another and they are just so disappointed. Do you know what I mean? They’ve done what’s expected of them. They want to do something different but it’s impossible now, there’s a mortgage, kids, whatever, they’re trapped. Dan’s like that” (Mendel 163). This quote had me thinking about the people in the old world and how they believe they haven’t lived up to their full potential or that they are unhappy with life as it is right now. Reading this I begin to wonder about my life and how I ended up where I am today, even though I am still twenty-one. Still, in the book itself the characters think about this question in some way or another before the epidemic started. This quote was out of an interview from Clark and Dahlia, as Clark is hearing all of this, he begins to ask himself if he is happy with his life at that moment.

In the end we will always search for happiness, something that is a recurring theme in our literature readings, but is it just an illusion that we give ourselves? Are we, in Dahlia’s words, just a bunch of High-functioning sleepwalkers? (Mendel, 163).

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In Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel, parts four to five discusses a lot of the events that has occur before and after the Georgia Flu. I was mostly have interest in part four where a huge situation is develop. The Travelling Symphony has been separated and the adventure has begun to reunite themselves, this part was one of my favorites.

Before the separation the group reminisces before the apocalypse. During the beginning of chapter nineteen, the group tries to forget about the prophet from Severn City airport back in part two of the novel. They started to discuss about Symphony’s motto“survival is insufficient,” (119).  Dieter believes the motto would be an amazing motto if it wasn’t from the popular TV show Star Trek. This makes sense since the group always perform plays from Shakespeare. Many people would consider Shakespeare’s work to have a higher level of writing rather than the story of Star Trek. Kirsten disagrees with him since she has this phrase tattoo on her left forearm and a pair of knives in the other arm.. She said “…it remains my favorite line of text in the world” (119). This motto holds meaning to them since it means surviving is not the same as living. In order to live you must have a purpose, especially if you want to continue living in a apocalypse. This discussion between the Kirsten and Dieter is a way to cope through the awful live they are in. This silly conversation is something that meaning people normally do and did before the Flu. This is a good way overcome any sadness they have. Later on to chapter twenty-two, two of the Symphony’s members disappeared Sayid and Dieter.

After the members disappearance the group continues onward. It was strange as how Sayid and Dieter suddenly vanished out of thin air. Especially since their are no traces of them to know what had happened to them (137). It is easy to assume that the prophet sent out his followers to capture the The Travelling Symphony, even Kirsten believes so as well. The group can’t figure out why they would leave however they decided to continue travelling since they have made a protocol for these instances. Alexandra explains this protocol, “We never travel without a destination. If we’re ever, if you’re ever separated from the Symphony on the road, you make your way to the destination and wait,” (138). This creates a real situation of surviving.  Memorization is key for this instance because as it was explain if anyone gets left behind they can always regroup to the destination that is set up. This will increase the members’ chances to survive. Later on their journey both Kirsten and August lost their group. If the group never made the separation protocol they most likely will find their group again.

I have really enjoyed reading part four of the novel. It gives In order to survive this harsh environment, Kirsten and August have to continue their journey to find their group again. They go through many situation where they almost got shot by man in chapter twenty-four where they obtain some information about Charlie and Jeremy. This will become more interesting when we find out what has happened to them.  Also when they have found an abandon house with a lock door (149). They enter to find out nobody has loot the place yet. This is a strong moment for them since they can almost feel like they have gone back in time and remember what it is like to live in a normal house. This kind of journey improves their bond together as they find some amazing artifacts like a Star Trek ship or the Dear V novel.