Blog Journal for Station Eleven

1. Quotes:

"A wash of violent color, pink and streaks of brilliant orange, the container ships on the horizon suspended between the blaze of the sky and the water aflame, the seascape bleeding into confused visions of Station Eleven, its extravagant sunsets and its indigo sea" (Mandel 228).

I like this quote because I think it epitomizes Miranda's values and where her heart truly lies. In the end, what she last thinks about is Station Eleven, her masterpiece and her one refuge. It's almost as if she felt the apocalypse coming on earlier and didn't even know it, considering how relevent it would be to characters in the future.

"She watched his gaze flicker over her suit, her gleaming shoes, and realized he was performing the same reconciliations she was, adjusting a mental image of a long-ago spouse to match the changed person sitting before him" (Mandel 209).

I chose this quote because I think it is such a common idea that is so often overlooked by society. People are constantly changing and growing older and apart and together. Sometimes, it can be very difficult to comprehend how much a person has changed, and it can even be difficult to match the person to the face. When looking back at the people I have known for a long time, how they look and act now would most likely be unrecognizable to me back in the day, my older self included.

 

2. Utopia Project:
1. Based on this and last week’s brainstorm, what do you think you’ll write about? What do you think might cause the dystopia to happen in your world? I think I wan't to write about an artificial, almost fantastical community. I want everything about the landscape to be ideal and feel natural, but it's obviously only able to be so if it's made artificially. I think the dystopia in my world will be because of a war that wracked the country, but some were able to escape to this isolated place.
3. Discussion Questions:
1. In section five Jeevan’s story returns. (Yes, to Jeevan!) We see him in the high tower apartment with his brother as the world descends into chaos. Later on the road, what does he realize in order to keep going after his brother Frank’s death? The so-called philanthropist that Frank quoted from when he was alive was actually just Frank. I think that him saying earlier, "They’re all immortal to me. First we only want to be seen, but once we’re seen, that’s not enough anymore. After that, we want to be remembered" helped Jeeven keep going on after Frank had passed, and further helped motivate him to survive.
2. Is memory solely a source of strength and comfort in the novel? Or is there another side? What do you think Mandel is saying about the role of memory not just in the novel but in our own lives? I think that memory is used to draw similarities to all of the characters in the novel, despite their differing generations and circumstances. I think it shows the truth about how human nature is similar and how history repeats itself. I think Mandel shows that memory is what keeps people going, even at their lowest points. I think she shows how collective memories, even bad ones, as well, bring people together.
3. Section Six is all about airplanes (chapters 38-41) in a variety of different ways. What roles do airplanes play in these chapters? I think airplanes represent hope for survival for many of the situations. For Miranda, she missed out on getting a flight back to the states, and her hope for survival was lost because of it. For Clark, he didn't even know that his flight would be one of the last to ever lift off the ground, but becuase of the airplane landing at Severn City, he lived.