Never Let Me Go- Blog 4, Part 4 (LAST BLOG EVER IN AP LIT.... bittersweet moment)

As Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro concludes, we get a glimpse into how Kathy is alone. She had learned so many things from Miss Emily about the truths about Hailsham and being a donor. Tommy and her ended up together and Ruth completed, or died. In the end, Kath was on her own. She was the strongest one and Tommy and Ruth completed. All she had were the memories of both of them. "I lost Ruth, then I lost Tommy, but I won't lose my memories about them" (Ishiguro, 286). Kath was the definition of a clone who was different then all the others. She wondered about everything but she was so peaceful and almost perfect in the way she went around trying to find things out. She was the strongest of all of them, and in the end she was the last one standing. She did so holding on to all the memories that she had created as as semi-normal person.

Never Let Me Go- Blog 3, Part 4

A big mystery that is solved in Part 4 of Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro, is the art from the students at Hailsham. Why where they required to do art? Why was that art taken away? These were some of the questions that everyone had throughout the book, especially the characters in the story that were from Hailsham. There was a lot of talk about it among the students. When Tommy and Kath had one of their venting sessions, there was talk that maybe they took away their art to prove two people in love. We find out from Miss Emily, a former guardian at Hailsham, that the truth is that they took away their art because "we thought it would reveal your souls. Or to put it more finely, we did it to prove you had souls at all" (Ishiguro, 260). As we all know, all these characters, apart from the guardians, were clones. People would obviously believe that these clones did not have a soul, but indeed the art proved that they did. They were able to show that these people were ordinary people who had souls, although cloned. 

Never Let Me Go- Blog 2, Part 4

As we all find out in Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro, Tommy and Kathy are never able to "let go" of each other. Somehow, someway, they always have some bond between them stronger between anyone else in this story. Tommy was so compassionate and cared so much about Kathy that he bought her the tape she had lost while she was in Hailsham. Tommy was always trying to find ways to comfort and understand Kath. They revealed each other's secrets to one another way before they told any other person, especially Ruth. This showed that they trusted each other more than anyone else. The obstacle between them was Ruth. She was always watching them, acting as if she owned Tommy because they were dating. During the time that they met for the first time in years, Ruth and Tommy embraced each other as if they had been long lost best friends or even lovers. "My heart had done a little leap, because in a single stroke, with that little laugh of agreement, it felt as though Tommy and I had come together again after all the years" (Ishiguro, 222). They never actually let go of each other, even after all of the time that they had apart.

Never Let Me Go- Blog 1, Part 4

In Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro, there is a character quality reversal in Kathy and Ruth. In the beginning of the novel, Ruth is very authoritative and in-charge. It becomes evident that both Kath and Tommy are under her feet. Both are ridiculed repeatedly by Ruth, but they both seem to take it. Kath, on the other hand, is very much a follower. She does everything Ruth tells her to do, and although Ruth makes her angry sometimes she lets it go in order to be on her good side. Later, as Kath becomes a carer, she becomes more of an authoritative person. She has to take care of donors and in particular, Ruth. She becomes Ruth's carer, and for the first time Kath is in charge. "It wasn't simply that we'd ganged up on Ruth: it was the way she'd taken it" (Ishiguro, 223). Kath is so struck by the fact that now she had more of a voice and could speak her mind towards Ruth. The roles had totally reversed. Kath was in charge, and Ruth was the one listening. In the old days, Ruth would have never tolerated not being in charge. In a sense kath still felt guilty, so she did not change her feeling of always doing something to please Ruth.

Never Let Me Go - section 2, blog 4

There was a great effect with the author Kazuo Ishiguro wrote Never Let Me Go in both present and past tenses within the same chapter, paragraph, even sentence. Besides the obvious of it giving it a more realistic sense, the use of both tenses so close together showed a sense of urgency to tell everything at once. It was if there was time running out as the speaker told her story. We know that each person is an organ donator, therefore the urgency could come through her short life that will be lived. At the same time, this is a book therefore containing many details. The only explanation to this was that she wanted to leave every detail of her life with people so they could remember what she felt and thought at each moment of her life. Although I can't quote a whole page, I will mention the number so as to get an idea of what I mean. On page 142 of Never Let Me Go, we see how Kath goes from remembering something at the cottages to talking about being with Tommy "not so long ago". Then she goes on to explain more about the previous story she was telling. It all gives a sense of someone talking to you personally.

Never Let Me Go- Section 2, blog 3

In Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro, as Ruth and Kath are ending their career at Hailsham, Ruth seeks Kath's help and advice about her relationship with Tommy. It is known that Tommy cheated on Ruth with some other girl and had sex with her. There was even talk that it was Kath who had caused things to end between Ruth and Tom, so as time passed Kath avoided Tommy in all costs in order not to loose her frienship with Ruth. One day, Ruth came to Kath for advice. It was as if Ruth knew that Kath was the only one that was able to bring Tommy to his senses. She mentioned how Ruth was able to calm him down and the only one who could talk to him about anything. Ruth seemed eager to let Kath know how important Kath was to Tommy in order for Ruth to get what she wanted. It had nothing to do with the fact that she genuinely cared for Tommy and Kath's frienship. In fact, she mentioned something about how Tommy "really respects you" (Ishiguro, 104). Kath felt confident and she was able to again talk to the person who held all her secrets. In a way, I believe that Ruth did nothing but harm Kath. She ruined her friendship and caused Kath to always try to please her.

Never Let Me Go- section 2, blog 2

Ruth, one of the main characters in the book Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro, is a self-absorbed character who thinks of no one but herself. It is quite evident that Kath sees Ruth as superior because of her smooth way of talking to people. Ruth had a way with words and always over-exaggerated everything she was explaining. She always made people believe that she was better than them by little things That she said.  Ruth began to talk about her "dream future" and in doing so made one of the veterans believe that it was possible for Ruth to have a job in a big office although everyone knew that it was not possible. Kath played along with those games that Ruth played in order to gain praise from Ruth. As Kath said once, "Of course, I didn't say anything. In fact, listening to her, I even started wondering if maybe it was all feasible. if one day we might all of us move into a place like that and carry on our lives together"(Ishiguro, 144). Kath knew that everything Ruth was saying was not possible, but only because Ruth said it, it suddenly became a possibility.

Never Let me Go- Section 2, Blog 1

As we approach new insights in sections two of Never Let Me go by Kazuo Ishiguro, we learn about the importance of sex to the characters in the book. For Kath, having sex is something she wants to save for someone special that she has feelings for. As she began to learn that more and more people are up to it, she becomes peer-pressured into doing it herself. When confessing it to Ruth, she confesses to the reader that  "sex had done funny things to my feelings, just as Miss Emily had warned" (Ishiguro, 128). Of course, as we all know the students from Hailsham and the Cottages are not normal people. They do not posses the insights of the "normals" as they call it. Somehow real human beings know that sex has psychological and emotional impacts on you. They have no idea what that is like, mostly because they have no emotional ties to any parents. The closest thing they have to parents are the guardians which they soon leave to go into the real world and learn more about their donations. Sex was a subject that is explained by the guardians, again reiterating the symbol that they are for what would be their parents.

Acquainted with the Night- Robert Frost

Acquainted with the Night by Robert Frost was a sad poem about a man who was in a dark time of his life. The speaker had experienced in the saddest parts of life and has walked away from the light. The light could refer to God or to the good rather than the evil. The only problem with the speakers attitude was that he had none. He was indifferent to everything and kept going on into the darkness with no sense of returning. That last line repeats the first, "I have been one acquainted with the night". In other words the speaker has been there before and seems to keep returning to this so-called "night". To add to this circular motion of never-ending return, the rhyme scheme is one which repeats itself. (Of course I would have not known this without the help of my awesome AP Literature teacher, Mr. Costello).

Dover Beach- Matthew Arnold

In the poem Dover Beach by Matthew Arnold, we see that the poem is divided into three stanzas. Each stanza is addressing a different beach. Two of those beaches are literal, they represent an actual body of water. The third is metaphorical, representing someones faith. In the first stanza, we learn about the English Channel which makes the speaker believe that it brings "the eternal note of sadness in". The speaker then thinks of Sophocles who is also sad. The only difference is that Sophocles is looking at the Aegean Sea. As the speaker progresses, we realize that he is sad and has lost his faith. This leads us to the 3rd stanza. As his faith decreases, his sadness increases. In the end he says that love is the only thing that could solve his problems. He can only rely on it to make his sadness go away and for his faith to increase.

Sorting Laundry- Elisavietta Ritche

The speaker of Sorting Laundry by Elisavietta Ritche uses the pile of laundry to represent her present relationship with her boyfriend. It seems that all is well in the relationship. She describes her relationship as something that is established and unchanging. Her relationship is like the "pillowcases, despite so many washings, seams still holding our dreams". Her relationship went through a lot, it was as if it was routine from use, but it still held together perfectly. As the poem progresses, we see how the speaker begins to dig deep into the relationship. She begins to think about what seems like an old ex and realizes that she doesn't want to be alone to do her own laundry.

Batter my heart, three-personed God- John Donne

In Batter My Heart, Three-Personed God by John Donne, we become aware of the many paradoxes in the poem. It is evident that the speaker is dealing with an issue that is tearing him apart. "I love you but a, betrothed to your enemy" is an example of one of the paradoxes used. The speaker is talking to God, telling him he loves him but belongs to Satan. In other words, he needs God's help. The speaker is weak and a prisoner to the vices that he has involved himself with. So much so, that he asks God to imprison him so that he is free from sin. This is another paradox within the poem showing how he was asking for God's help. He wanted to get away from sin so bad that he wanted to be imprisoned. Imprisonment does not come with freedom; in fact, all your freedom is taken away from you. For the speaker to feel so desperate that he sees freedom in being imprisoned, shows his desperation to get away from his style of life.

Gender Unit- To His Importunate Mistress

The poem of To His Importunate Mistress by Peter De Vries is a mock of the previous poem blogged, To His Coy Mistress by Andrew Marvell. De Vries mocks everything that Marvell says. It is so much to the extent that he copies word for word his first line. "Had we but world enough, and time..." (De Vries, Line 1). The difference with the two is that De Vries is being mocking and taking everything to an extreme. He is worshiping his mistress while Marvell wants to sex up his mistress. De Vries makes fun of Marvell by using his lines and changing them up. He tries to bring about a new story, a satire to the original one. It was as if De Vries had a rivalry but really he was just expressing his enjoyment of the poem. He seems to just say that he liked it but wish there was some changes he could have made to it. De Vries goes on to point out that he does not have enough money to sustain his mistress, just as Marvell did not have enough time to "sex-up" his mistress. Again, mocking.

Gender Unit- To His Coy Mistress

In To His Coy Mistress by Andrew Marvell, we see a side of men that is very typical. I am not simply being sexist but I am indeed being stereotypical. It is said that all men want sex and pleasure. This poem shows exactly that and also shows the sneaky way that a man tries to convince a woman to have sex with him. "Now therefore, while the youthful hue sits on thy skin like morning dew, and while thy willing soul transpires at every pore with instant fires, now let us sport us while we may" (Marvell, 804). We are young, so let's have sex.... Typical guy who just wants some pleasure. The guy of course, begins by sweet talking the girl. That was easy to guess. It was as if the men of then and the men of now have not changed! Oh wait, they haven't! (Just kidding...) Obviously, this guy does not really love the girl but he wanted more than to be with her because he loved her.

Gender Unit- A Jury of Her Peers

In A Jury of Her Peers by Susan Glaspell, we find out that the peers of Mrs. Wright are Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters. Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters understand Mrs Wright. They stand up for her and they make sure that the two of them stick together whenever the men talk bad about Mrs. Wright. "The two women had drawn nearer..." They were sort of a little gang standing up for a member. They were making sure that the men were not going to do Mrs. Wright any wrong. Even so, the men made a comment about how women worry too much about insignificant things. Of course, after seeing the two woman close together they tried to make it better by saying that men would be nothing without these woman. It was incredible how fast they changed their mind just by seeing these two together. The effect of them together and one of them being the sheriff's wife helped Mrs. Wright have more of a voice through the two woman. It was as if they were defending her. It was a Jury. A jury of her peer Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters.

Gender Unit- Hunters in the Snow

In Hunters in the Snow by Tobias Wolff, we get a closer look to three very rude and ill-mannered characters. Three so-called "friends" treat each other with such horrible manner that causes a near-death experience for one of them, Kenny. It is clear from the beginning that the three men have a strange relationship. "'You almost ran me down,' Tub said. 'You could've killed me'" (Wolff, 187). As Tub waits for his two friends, he stands in the cold for an hour and when he does finally get picked up, they nearly run over him. It is in this strange friendship that we get a sense of the insecurities of the three men. Tub loves food and eats in enormous amounts when he is alone. In front of others he puts on a front of being a diet freak. It shows how submissive and self-conscious he really is. Kenny is a real jerk, but when he kills the dog, we learn that he did it for compassion for the old man. It is Frank who has great potential to be a back-stabber. He follows who ever seems to be the leader at the time and is also a pedophile. He wants to be with a 15 year old, like what?!

Othello - Blog 8

In the last Act of Othello by Shakespeare, the tragedies and deaths of several imporant characters impact the stroy greatly. As Roderigo dies, Iago is able to be left alone about his love for Desdemona and he has time to think only of his hate for Othello. Iago is able to more successfully focus all of his attention on his goal and not on Roderigo's. It is a great relief to Iago. As Cassio cries for help, Iago begins to act compassionate. In reality, he wants Cassio dead as well. Iago says, "Oh, me, Lieutenant! What villains have done this! Give me some help" (V.i.56). It is as if Iago wants to act like a great friend to Cassio even though he was the one who inflicted pain and sorrow on him. Iago was the greatest villain of all. He was truly fake even until the death of two men who were completely innocent. Iago deserved to die.

Othello- Blog 7

In Othello by Shakespeare, Lodovico has come to tell Othello that he has to leave for Venice. Lodovico sees the way that Othello has become and is concerned. "Is this the noble Moor whom our full senate call all-in-all sufficient?" (IV.i.249-253) Lodovico is told that Othello has changed from what he has been through. Iago mentions to Lodovico that he should observe Othello. I believe that this is Iago's plan to completely destroy Othello. He is ready to demolish Othello and he has already done so with his close friend, Cassio. He has also destroyed his marriage and Othello has only his position in war that he holds. It seems that Iago is driving him insane enough to cause Othello to do horrible in his duty. Lodovico will be sure to see this and it will cause Othello's only thriving possession, his job.

Othello- Blog 6

When Bianca comes in the room where Iago and Cassio are speaking, Bianca becomes angry. This happens in the play Othello by Shakespeare. Bianca becomes angry because the handkerchief that Cassio has given her is one that was found in his room. She believes that Cassio is sleeping with another woman. Again this is just another sign to Othello that Cassio is with Desdemona. This is especially true since the handkerchief is one that Othello gave to Desdemona. "What did you mean by that same handkerchief you gave me even now? I was a fine fool to take it" (IV.i. 141-142). At this point Bianca is somewhat jelous and Cassio keeps referring to her as a whore, another time he seems to degrade a woman. He is now sounding like a real jerk to Othello.

Othello- Blog 5

In Othello by Shakespeare, Bianca is a character which is rarely seen. She is quite an important character for she is the reason that Othello believes that Desdemona and Cassio are having an affair. How, you may ask? It is Iago who does this. Iago is clever enough to bring Cassio in to a room speaking of Bianca and making Othello believe that Cassio is speaking about Desdemona. "I marr her! What a customer! I prithee bear some charity to my wit. Do not think its so unwholesome. Ha, ha, ha!" (IV.i.117-118). Cassio has called Bianca a whore, but Othello thinks that Cassio is calling Desdemona a whore. It is only a more horrible implantation of a false idea into Othello's mind. Othello has already heard enough lies and being fooled in this way is causing him to doubt to the max in Desdemona. It has gotten to the point that Othello has hit Desdemona.

Othello-blog 4

In Act III of Othello by William Shakespeare, happens to be my favorite so far. In scene 3 if this act, we see how Iago begins to plant a seed of doubt in Othello's head. It is doubt if Desdemona being unfaithful to him to what Othello thought was an honest man, Cassio. Iago begins to tell Othello that he sees something in the way that Desdemona and Cassio treat each other. He begins to act as if he is really concerned, then he speaks as if he cares about Cassio and cares about Othello. He makes Othello wonder and then tells him. "Look at your wife. Observe her well with Cassio. Wear your eye this, not jealous nor secure" (III.iii.198-199). It is then that Othello calmly refuses to the idea but also seems to believe Iago. Iago's plans are being successful and as time progresses, he begins to add more and more suspension into his plans. Will he get what he wants in the end, or will othello find out before he has a chance?

Othello- Blog 3

As the play, Othello by Shakespeare, goes on it is evident that Iago has atrocious plans behind him. He wants Roderigo to anger Cassio and after Cassio is fired, wants him to grow close to Desdemonia to help restore Othello's faith in Cassio. Because Iago wants Cassio's reputation to go down the drain, he orders Roderigo to anger Cassio. Cassio is drunked by Iago and when confronted by Roderigo, he attacks. It all works just as Iago plans and it causes Cassio to get fired by Othello. Later, Iago tells Cassio to, "Confess yourself freely to her, importunate her help to put you in your place again" (II.iii.288-281). He wants to make him seem as if Desdemona and Cassio are having an affair. It is part of his evil plan to cause Othello to hate Cassio even more and make himself seem like the good guy. Cassio would open himself to Desdemona and cause Othello to get the wrong impression. It is only going to work because Cassio has such a kind and flirtatious way with woman.

Othello (Blog 2)

In Act II of Othello by Shakespeare, we see more of Iago's horrible manners and views of woman when he speaks to Desdemona, Othello's wife. It is evident in his speech that Iago has a sexist view towards woman and degrades them. After Desdemona talks to Iago about different types of woman, she asks what the ideal woman to him is and he responds by saying, "To suckle fools and chronicle small beer" (II.i.158). In other words he only cares that they clean and cook and no more. In his opinion, woman who are smart and beautiful are smart enough to use their beauty to what they want. Woman who are smart but ugly are intelligent enough to find a guy who is as ugly as her. Woman who are dumb and beautiful will cause men to fall in love with her because men like dumb girls. For those woman who are both dumb and ugly, Iago says that they play the same game that woman who are smart and beautiful. Iago had no charming words for woman and seemed to only degrade their existence.

Othello- Shakespeare

In the Act I of Othello by Shakespeare, we see that Iago changes his way of addressing people by switching from prose to poetry. This reveals the change in character that Iago presents to the audience. The other characters are not aware of this. Iago uses prose when he speaks to the characters, showing to all his fake side. He seems to genuinely care about everyone and addresses everyone honestly. The reality is that he hates every person he has contact with and is using everyone to his advantages. "I hate the Moor, And it is thought abroad that 'twixt my sheets He's done my office" (I.iii.366-367) It is in this poetry soliloquy that Iago reveals his hatred for Othello. He seems to reveal himself and his evil plans only when he is by himself and only when he is speaking of his evil plans. He is a rather twister character who shows his double self through prose and poetry. He appears to be one way and is really another to someone different each time.

You're Ugly Too- Lorrie Moore

In You're Ugly Too by Lorrie Moore, Zoe who is the main character, has much trouble with relationships. She is always trying to make a big joke out of it and about her life. She is uncertain about everything in her life and her profession as a college professor seems to add her odd life. Her way of dressing and her way of expressing herself in the way she presented herself was also odd. "There was too much effort with the eyeliner, and her earrings, worn no doubt for the drama her features lacked, were a little frightening, jutting out from the side of her head lie antennae" (Moore, 353). She was different and that, by all means created her to have trouble socializing. She had trouble with relationships and trouble with her thoughts about them. She saw them as means to sexual relationships and nothing else. This is obviously far from what she should have thought. She dealt a weird life and it was evident at the Halloween party.

The Apparition- John Donne

In The Apparition by John Donne, the ghost says to her that he will not now reveal lest his telling it "preserve" her that he loves her. We now this when he says "... and since my love is spent... (Donne, 890)." He knows that he loves her now but he did not know this before she left him to be with another man. He knows that he will never be able to tell her and that she will not really care. He threatens her in this way in order to make himself feel better. He wants to think that she will care for him if she knows this. On the other hand, he might also be saying all of this because he knows she will never find out. He is sure that he can let out all his feelings without her ever finding out that he said them. I believe that either way, he is letting off his steam because he is angry that she left him to be with another man (as I am sure a lot of people would be in this situation). The sad thing is, the woman remains innocent because she does not know that he loves her.

Popular Mechanics

The final decision in Popular Mechanics by Raymond Carver is evident in the last lines of the short story. As the couple fights in the beginning, it is as if they have forgotten about the baby that they both have together. It is when the woman sees the picture that she clearly thinks that he might want to take the baby. This is when she quickly runs to get the baby before he does and when the quarreling about who keeps the baby begins. As they both tug and pull at the baby, the father seems to win. "He felt the baby slipping out of his hands and he pulled back very hard (Carver, 335)." It was with this tug that the father decides he does not want the mother to keep him. His determination lies within wanting to keep their baby and not letting the mother keep it. It is somewhat sad that they are fighting over the baby and in the process physically hurting the baby. It was in this manner, that the issue of who was keeping the baby was decided.

The Story of an Hour

               The irony in The Story of an Hour by Kate Chopin, lies within Mrs. Mallard's way of reacting to the bitter news of her husband's death. It is within reason to believe that a person who has just found out the news of a loved ones death would respond with great grief. To my disbelieve, Mrs. Mallard did not respond in this way. In the beginning, she seemed to show slight signs of distress and grief, but as the minutes passed she began to feel happiness from his death. She mentioned that she was now free and that she need not worry about him. She was so happy that it caused her to have a heart attack. The irony in this situation was that her sister and and her husband's friend wanted to avoid telling her the tragedy of the death of her husband due to heart trouble that she experienced. Their want of protection came to affect when they realized that she would have a heart attack upon impact of knowing what had arisen. Ironically, Mrs. Mallard indeed died of a heart attack but from happiness of being free rather than from grief and sadness. "When the doctors came they said she had died of heart disease-of joy that kills (Chopin, 327)."

Bright Star

It is in the poem, Bright Star by John Keats that we see a paradox happen through out the entire poem. The speaker of the poem begins by saying, "Bright Star, would I were steadfast as thou art" (Keats, 792). They would like to be as eternal and forever as a star is. The only thing is, they do not want to be alone as the star is in the sky. They want to love forever and be awake forever in that love. But he knows that soon the love that he has will die. Or he might mean that he will die of love. It is hard to tell which one. It is a paradox between living forever and dying.

Lonely Hearts

In the poem Lonely Hearts by Wendy Cope, we sense a feeling of what the titles suggests: loneliness. It is a plead for someone to take interest in the people who are writing these sort of ads. This is sort of like a match finder online. It describes themselves in very few sentences, and describes what they are looking for in the person that they want. For example, the first person says that they seek a male biker because they are a woman who seek some adventure. The second says, "Gay vegetarian whose friends are few..." (Cope, 973).  The thing I struggle with here is that I do not know if they refer to happy or bisexual. they seek a person who loves music, literature, and being outdoors. The third is a person with much exploration. They seek something new and don't mind a bisexual woman. They must be an art student. That would be a very big generalization but it is a person who is out there. Religion is important to the fourth woman. She has a son, so I am guessing that she is a single parent who either went through a divorce or abandonment of the father. The last person seems to be into books and young people.

Eveline- James Joyce

Eveline, the main character in Eveline by James Joyce, struggles at home with a drunk father and a missing mother and brother. She is left to care for her two youngest siblings for herself. She is always working hard to keep the family together. It is when Frank, a "kind, manly, open-hearted" man comes to her that Eveline decides that she wants to be happy (Joyce, 220). Her father has become out of control and violent to her, something that had never happened before. Miss Gavan, her superior is not too fond of her. She criticizes her and tells her to ,"Look lively, Miss Hill, please" (Joyce, 219). Her father seems to not do much for the family besides torture them when they see him drunk. It is when she is leaving for sure that the memory of her mother comes to her. It is her mother telling her to promise not to ever leave her family. It causes Eveline to think secondly about what she is doing when leaving with Frank. She wants to live a better life than her mother but knows that it is her place to stay just where she is and keep taking care of her brothers and the house. It will mean that she sacrifice her happiness to fulfill her mother's wishes.

How I Met My Husband- Alice Munro

It is clear that Edie, a character in How I Met My Husband by Alice Munro, is the sympathized character of the story. She is able to cause us to sympathize her when she feels dehumanized. Since she works for the Peebles, she feels as if the work she does for them is the only reason they talk to her. "They like to think you aren't curious. Not just that you aren't dishonest, that isn't enough. They like to feel you don't notice  things, that you don't think or wonder about anything but what they liked to eat and how they liked things ironed, and so on" (Munro, 135). Edie has progressively noticed that the Peebles treat her as an employee and nothing more. She feels almost nonexistent to them. I believe that the reason that she is so intrigued in meeting Chris is because of the way he makes her feel noticed. He calls her beautiful the first time he sees her and that catches her attention instantly. It is his interest and the lack of interest in the others that makes her fall so easily for him. She is only looking for someone to pay attention to her.