Klara and The Sun post reading review

 Task:

Locate 3-5 new vocabulary words in the articles and define them.
- ludicrous: amusing or laughable through obvious absurdity, incongruity, exaggeration, or eccentricity.
- mysophobia: an extreme fear of germs.

- benevolent: well-meaning and kindly; having a desire to do good

According to the articles, what important themes/ideas does Klara and the Sun raise? Answer in complete sentences, with accompanying explanations as necessary (think of who your audience is)

 

After reading the article from The Guardian, the important themes/ideas that Klara and the Sun raised is the significance of love. What love could make a person do, the things that we can do just for the sake of our loved ones. The article talked about how "two different types of love: one that is selfish, overprotective and anxious, and one that is generous, open and benevolent." This statement are talking about how Josie's mother planned to use Klara(AF) and made her like Josie by implanting the 

if Josie did not survive her illness.

Locate another article about Klara and the Sun and record something new that you learned after reading it. Link the article in your post. 

The article from The Atlantic somewhat talked about how an artificial(AI/AF) perceives the world differently compared to some humans. As in this book Klara, the AF is very hopeful and believes that Josie would survive her illness and live for a long time. On the other hand, Chrissie,  Josie's mother almost gives up on her. 

To be honest, while reading Klara and the Sun I did not fully understand what the book is about because I was not in the class when they started the book. But after reading some articles about the book I have learnt that Klara is powered by solar or the Sun. Therefore, this made me understand why she is talking to the Sun for it to cure Josie. 

Connection Blog post (DRAFT)

 What connections can you draw so far between Klara and the Sun and Blade Runner 2049? For example, themes/ideas, characters, relationships, style, etc.?

The connection that I can see between Klara and the Sun and Blade Runner 2049 is the discrimination that was going on in the texts. For example, in Blade Runner 2049, bio-engineered replicants like K/Joe are viewed differently because of their social status. How the humans think negatively of them because replicants have more opportunities because how replicants are genetically edited to be higher than others. While in Klara and the Sun, lifted people like Josie are also discriminated against by not lifted people because of the genetically edited, because of how they also have more opportunities. Another discrimination that we understand in the book was that some Artificial Friends like Klara are also poorly treated by humans, thinking they are just robots that are made to follow orders.

In both texts, we saw how the characters developed an emotional attachment to others, for example, the relationship between K and Joi, also K and Deckard, and the relationship between Klara and Josie. In the relationship between K and Joi, we have seen romantic feelings - the love of K for Joi and Joi's love for K. Also, in Klara and the Sun, we have also seen how Josie loves her best friend Klara. And just like in the ending quoted "love is not about what inside the person but it's about other people's love".

Another connection between both texts is the environment the character was living in. For instance, in Klara and the Sun, the place that they live in is polluted. Breathing the air is unbearable, it gives off negative effects on the character. As we also hear how Klara hates and fears the "cooting machine" because of how they spew out pollution that entirely blocks the sun's rays. In Blade Runner 2049, we have also seen a mess and polluted, dirty industrialized environment. The air is full of dirt and emission. 

• Has your understanding of what it means to be human/have personhood changed since studying these texts? How so?

After studying the two texts, my view about personhood did not change because I believe that personhood is about being aware of yourself and your surroundings. And how much a person can do things for the sake of others. For example, in Klara and the Sun, Klara showed her personhood by sacrificing her special liquid to the Sun, so that Sun would help Josie get better. Sacrificing yourself was also seen in the Blade Runner 2049, remember how K sacrifice himself for the relationship and well-being of Deckard and Anna.

BONUS QUESTION!

• What does the film Gattaca suggest is a positive defining characteristic of humanity? (Think about our guy Vincent.) How about a negative defining characteristic of humanity? Super extra bonus: Do we see parallels in Klara or BR2049?

The only positive characteristic of humanity that I observe from the Gattaca, is how eager and persistent a person can be if they put their mind to it and their dream.

SEXXY Paragraph Writing Practice

Statement: Dennis Villeneuve uses low key lighting together with the colour green, blue and black in the scene where K comes home to his apartment to portray some ideas about the film. 

Evidence: For example, when K was walking towards the building apartment, we see low key lighting and the light is coming from the billboard advertising that is on both sides of his apartment building. During the scene of K coming home and essentially throughout the scene, the lights are quite dim and dull. The colour that is coming from the lights are harsh white with blue and green and there is also a wide area in the building apartment where the colour is black. 

Explanation of the director’s purpose: Dennis Villeneuve effectively chooses this specific lighting to portray a negative mood and how dangerous society has become due to the obsession with technology. Also, it gives us an idea about how K and other blade runners are viewed in their society. As they are viewed as no more than bio-engineer humans and looked down upon and treated like they do not deserve rights or protection. These aspects also reflects what K is feeling inside and his lack of experience. 

Explanation of effect on the audience: With the use of these two aspects, audiences were able to feel the darker feelings and emotions of K through the lowkey lighting and colour. Especially, by combining these aspects together, we were able to understand the danger, cold and harshness of the environment they live in. This is important because of these aspects we are the one who feels the discrimination K is receiving despite K being a replicant who does not have any ‘emotions'. As he is just a slave that has no consciousness and cannot think for himself, love someone, experience things as even his memory is just a memory that is implanted in him. 

Link: However, as the movie continuous, we were able to notice that despite K being a replicant, he is aware that he retires and hunt down rogue replicant, we saw in K’s eye that he somehow slightly felt guilty of retiring those replicants but he has no choice as he is a slave. Combining the low key lighting with the colours blue and green is very important because it gives us a depressed mood about K and society. 

Text 3 Unfamilliar Text

 Text 3: The Cellist of Sarajevo

Define 3 words you do not know

- Besiege((of a place) surrounded by armed forces aiming to capture it or force surrender.)

- Mortar (a short smooth-bore gun for firing shells (technically called bombs) at high angles.)

- Inviolable (never to be broken, infringed, or dishonoured)

Identify 3 examples of emotive language (words or phrases that evoke some kind of emotion in the reader)

- "The visible world exploded" - this basically means the place called Sarajevo is destroyed when they are sieged by the military.

- "He would very much like to feel his father's hand on his shoulder again." this phrase made me think that the cellist is longing for his father's lover.

- "The promise of a happy life seemed almost inviolable". this made me think that because of what happened to Sarajevo the cellists thought that their life would just end there.

What is the tone of the excerpt (author’s attitude towards what he is writing about) and what mood does this suggest (overall feeling of the text)?

The mood that this text is giving me off is the sad mood, the way the author was telling the story of the cellist who ould play in the middle of the conflict made me emotional. Especially when the author was telling us that "the war will go around him as he sits in the small crater left at the mortar's point of impact."

Identify an example of imagery from the passage (when something is described in vivid detail, making it easy to imagine) and explain its effect on the reader. How effective do you find it?

"This visible world exploded", I could imagine that Sarajevo was besieged and was really destroyed.

Personal reflections

After reading I was amazed at the cellist as he was really courageous and brave during those hard times. I also believe that the cellist even honoured the people who died by playing the cello.