Never Let Me Go

* Visual Characteristics: The viewers eye is first drawn to the focal point of the cover, the young girl. The artist achieves this through use of contrast, making her shirt a red compared to the varying values of green we see in the background. She is sitting with her head and her eyes cast downward, She is situated in a well lit-area, with her close proximity to objects such as ferns and moss-covered rocks giving the feeling that she is nestled amongst them (In the woods?!!!!ohhhh scary). To the sides of her and into the background the image recedes from brighter greens into darker shades of green and black.

*Intended Effect: By making the girl the focal point through contrast the artist wants to draw attention to her relationship to the rest of the image. When the viewer's eye settles on her downcast head and eyes, we are given a feeling of her being lost in thought. The purposeful decisions made in terms of where she sits and the background achieve the most important message being communicated, isolation. The woods was picked for a specific reason as well. After reading the book the woods symbolize a very scary part in their childhood, and having her placed here, with sunlight beating down on her shows she truly is alone. Overall, this girl is likely intended to be Kathy and the artist wants to communicate that she is alone. 

*Visual Characteristics: In this particular book cover, the viewer is drawn to the large white words on the page, as well as the boat right under them. Through the colors used, greens, browns, and blacks, the book seems to take on a gloomy/depressing feel. the boat seems to be washed up on shore, yet still attached to a wooded pole that disappears within the looming fog. 

*Intended Effect: The boat seems to represent isolation, just like in the one above. Through the color scheme and landscape, a feeling of being lost is present. The wooden pole abruptly going into the fog could represent how Kathy and all of the other clones are told only what will not hurt them, leaving them cut off from everything else, and providing a mysterious feeling for the viewer.  The open lake could also symbolize all of the knowledge and life Kathy and the others will never experience, due to them being tied to donations. Overall, the artist's purpose is likely to portray the dystopian-like outside world that stories from Never Let Me Go, such as the woods and the kids leaving the fence, seem to instigate.

*Visual Characteristics: The Artist for this cover used a monochromatic color scheme with the different shades of blue filling up the background of the page. Yet, if you look closely there is an outline of pine trees (THE WOODS!) and a sky. It is very simplistic, due to the wording and artwork created by black lines. Importantly, the artist chose to emphasize the words LET and GO. It is also important to point out that the body in the picture is outlined with barbwire. We can see as well that within the body there are four important bodily organs outlined. 

*Intended Effect: The artist purposefully outlined four of the most important organs in a human body, because it foreshadows the donations every clone in the book has to go through, and it just so happens to be that there are usually only four donations before the person 'completes'. The barbed wire symbolizes how Kathy's body, as well as the others are protected from cuts and bruises and the outside world. It is also noted that the word "Me" in the title of the book is strategically placed in the center of the body. Lastly, the color scheme drags in the feeling of creepiness and sadness. (this is the best one to drag an audience in). 

*Visual Characteristics: Starting off with the color scheme, light blues and pastel orange are used, which helps brighten the mood of the book. When a viewer first looks at the cover their eyes are drawn to the girl on the left side of the page, and the colors help draw this attention. the girl is facing away and her body seems to blend in with the background, which indicates rapid movement. 

*Intended Effect: The way the girl is drawn, where her body is blurred in the background and she is faced away, shows confusion and fleeting fear to the viewer. The blurred lines could also represent/foreshadow the rapid change Kathy and others endured from Hailsham to the Cottages. Overall the cover was intended to draw in readers. 

Similarities and Differences: 

After analyzing the four covers it was evident that Cover 1 was most similar to Cover 4, and Cover 2 was most similar to Cover 3. Cover 1 and cover 4 both include the female human form. However, in cover 1 the artist uses body posture to give the viewer a feeling of loneliness, while body posture is used in cover 4 to communicate rapid motion and confusion. Three covers have color-schemes with strong use of yellow, and cover 3 stands out from the group because it does not. Conceptually, covers 1 and 2 are linked by their artist's desires to create a lonely and isolated scene. Covers 1 and 3 both incorporate woods and this was intentionally done because on top of the color scheme being dark, in the book the woods symbolized fear and something dark as well. Finally, I think that covers 3 and 4 are abstractedly related in their use of specific visual elements to create confusion in the viewer. Cover 4 to create a sense of mystery and cover 3 to create a mystery that is intended to be shocking.

Close Examination: 

Cover 2:  Through the visual elements present in this cover I am drawn to the word "isolation" when viewing this. The thick mist, barren and gloomy landscape, and singular post that the boat is moored to, make me think of a dystopian environment, with the boat being the last remaining survivor, all alone. I think that the effectiveness of this imagery makes my initial reaction to it, and the one I have after reading, exactly the same. After finishing the book I believe the boat probably symbolizes Kathy, and the way she has been isolated from non-clone society and how by the end of the book she is the last of her friend group and is the last one to begin donations. The landscape in my mind represents all of the life and knowledge that Kathy will never be able to gain or experience, due to her being tied to the donations. The pole going abruptly into the fog could represent how her and others were cut off from the truth as well as the outside world. The perspective of this image makes the viewer feels as thought they've been placed in this world. If I was picking up the book for the first time, judging by the cover I would feel as if this book was depressing, as well as mysterious. I would have initially thought that it would be about someone never wanting to leave a place or a person. 

Cover 3: I personally believe that this cover was the best one because It is one, confusing but interesting and two, it best represents the book. The artists intentionally made the black lines form a body with four vital organs because it foreshadows the importance of Kathy and all of the other clones in the book. Once they reach a certain age they begin to transition into the 'donation' phase of their lives, where they have to donate vital organs to others, and four donations are the normal amount before completion, and four organs are pictured on the cover. the barbed wire that surrounds the body symbolizes how Kathy's body, as well as the others are protected from cuts and bruises and the outside world. It is also noted that the word "Me" in the title of the book is strategically placed in the center of the body. This could be because the artist wanted the viewers to relate to the book and place themselves in the body. If I was picking up the book for the first time the dark colors used and the barbed wire would make me believe the book was sad and deals with isolation.