Partials Review
Story Information
· Know the main characters and their way of thinking. (Kira wants to cure RM, Samm trying to help his people, Haru doesn’t trust Partials but wants to save his future child, Xochi anti-establishment and wants to challenge authority, Senator Hobbs face of Senate but just wants power, Dr. Skousen afraid of Partials and wants to save the human race, Mkele believes that sacrifices need to be made in order to ensure the survival of the human race, Madison believes in a cure)
· Understand what is important to the different groups of society.
o Senators survival of human race
o Kira cure for RM / babies shot or immunity
o Voice removing the Hope Act
· Opinions on The Hope Act government feels it is vital to the survival of the human race, some people agree, but others disagree and split off to form the voice; Kira and her friends are generally against it.
· General view of Partials (older people that experienced the war are very afraid of them and maintain a strong hatred towards them) and the contradictory view of the “plague babies” (are less wary or afraid of them since they did not live through the experience; they are generally more open-minded and accepting of them.)
· Connection to “The Hollow Men” world ends the same in both
· Understand the totalitarian influence in the novel. Below are the traits. Main connections come at the end when the Senate takes full control of the community.
o The political concept that the citizen should be totally subject to an absolute state authority.
o Form of government that subordinates all aspects of its citizens' lives to the authority of the state, with a single charismatic leader as the ultimate authority.
o Large-scale, organized violence may be legitimized.
o The police operate without the constraint of laws and regulations.
o Where pursuit of the state's goal is the only ideological foundation for such a government, achievement of the goal can never be acknowledged.
· Understand the messages from Wells and what he might be saying about our society. Points out flaws and tries to prevent the same corruption from happening.
· Connection to Modern Era (look at lecture notes).
o Modernism in Literature- The tradition of breaking tradition.
o Isolation- main character of novels frequently deals with isolation, sometimes good, sometimes bad.
o Questioning government/patriotism- WWI and WWII created a global criticism of government policy and patriotism.
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· Connection to dystopian traits
o A hierarchical society where divisions between the upper, middle and lower classes are definitive and unbreakable (Caste system).
o The propaganda and the educational system have the purpose of preserving the order of system/society.
o The cancellation of individuality.
o Propaganda is used to control the citizens of society.
o Information, independent thought, and freedom are restricted.
o A figurehead or concept is worshipped by the citizens of the society.
o Citizens are perceived to be under constant surveillance.
o Citizens have a fear of the outside world.
o The society is an illusion of a perfect utopian world.
· Utopian traits.
o Literally it means “a place that does not exist”
o Basically it is the “perfect” society
o Utopistic narratives involve the descriptions of societies similar to the author’s own society, but better. That means the society is similar to ours, but functions more ideally.
o The story is set in an isolated place
o The story is developed by following the principles of that place/society
o In the place/society there is a ruling class
o A tragic development occurs in contrast with what the reader expects
Themes
Be able to identify the following themes in the passages.
· Freedom vs. Security
· Reproductive Rights
· When is it wrong to disobey authority?
· What does it mean to be human?
· How far are you willing to go to do what you know is right?
Short Answer
You will have a short answer on the test that deals with humanity. I will expect you to be able to pull examples from the novel and class discussion to answer the question.
Passage Practice
“You’re being paranoid,” said Jayden. “What kind of horrible conspiracies do you think they’ve got going?”
“They’re hiding a Partial inside the city limits,” said Xochi. “If they’re capable of that, why not more?”
The room went quiet.
“Attacks against the farms,” said Xochi. “Accused Voices disappearing in the middle of the night. We accept these things because we think we know the reasons behind them, but what if we don’t? What if the reasons we’ve been told all along are just lies?”
· Dystopian traits Propaganda is used to control the citizens of society. Information, independent thought, and freedom are restricted.
· Character development – Xochi points out the flaws we should be seeing
· Theme When is it wrong to disobey authority? Freedom vs. Security
· Reasons for Senate to withhold information could be for protection or to control the society
“You’re defending the honesty of a group of people that you know, firsthand, is lying to the people of East Meadow,” said Xochi. “And they’re doing it too effectively to be first-timers. The only surprising thing about it is that any of you are surprised.”
“I think Xochi’s right,” said Kira. She felt a pit in her stomach, slowly growing deeper and darker as she thought through Xochi’s logic.
· Dystopian traits Information, independent thought, and freedom are restricted.
· Character development – Kira begins to question previous beliefs
· Reasons for Senate to withhold information could be for protection or to control the society
And yet…wasn’t that what the Senate wanted? Wasn’t that what she was here to do? She wouldn’t just go cutting him with knives, but they had told her to study him, and if the Partial resistance to RM was based on a powerful self-regeneration system, then she would have to test the limits of his healing power and determine how, if at all, they could use it for themselves. If she couldn’t find the answers elsewhere, she would have to look there.
· Dystopian traits A figurehead or concept is worshipped by the citizens of the society.
· Character development Kira has to decide what she is willing to do to find the cure
· Theme What does it mean to be human?
· Humanity and scientific influence/research science often requires putting aside what many believe to be humanity in order to make scientific advancements
“The Hope Act has been amended. The age is sixteen now, Kira.” … Kira sat on the couch in silence, watching the other girls complain and thinking about the Senate’s motives. On the surface, this was likely due to the Voice’s ultimatums. Anything less would be seen as a concession, and they were making a statement in direct opposition to them. But in her heart, she knew it had to be because of Samm. The “contingency plans” Hobb had hinted at. She had warned them to ease up, but instead they were tightening their grip, exerting more control. For the people who believed in the Hope Act, sure, this might be seen as a sign of strength and solidarity, but to everyone else? It was practically a declaration of war.
· Dystopian traits The cancellation of individuality. Propaganda is used to control the citizens of society. Information, independent thought, and freedom are restricted.
· Character development – Kira disagrees with the government
· Theme When is it wrong to disobey authority? How far are you willing to go to do what you know is right?
· Reasons for Senate to withhold information they believe the knowledge will create a riot or they are trying to manipulate the citizens
Besides, she didn’t want to be pregnant. Not like this. If she was going to create new life, she wanted to do it because it meant something, not because she was forced to.
And yet she’d just yelled at Xochi for proposing the same idea. She didn’t even know what to think anymore.
For just a second – just the briefest fraction of a moment – she thought about Samm, and wondered if a half-Partial child would be immune.
· Dystopian traits The propaganda and the educational system have the purpose of preserving the order of system/society. Information, independent thought, and freedom are restricted.
· Character development shows Kira’s lack of support for the Hope Act and begins to show her hesitation in her relationship with Marcus
· Theme Reproductive Rights
“The question about what to do with you is what eventually split us apart,” Samm continued softly. “Some wanted to just finish you off, but most of us, like I said, wanted to save you. Even then, we couldn’t agree on the best way to do it. The arguments grew… heated. To say the least. And then the first wave of our leaders started dying, and it all fell apart. D Company is practically all that’s left of the truly obedient Partials – the only ones with a direct link to the Trust.”
· Dystopian traits Information, independent thought, and freedom are restricted.
· Character development – Samm gives insight into the Partials background and gives readers insight into their lives post war
· Theme What does it mean to be human?
· Contradictory view of Partials Partials were thought to be heartless bass, but this lets the readers know that things are not as cut and dry as previously believed