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Jerell Tacotaco
Professor Jorgenson
English 114B
03 April 2014
Are We All Human?
What does it mean to be human? Having skin, being able to communicate, having rights?
After reading Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro, I have discovered that the characters
being depicted in the story are none other than slaves. Kathy, Ruth and Tommy, the main
characters in the novel are classified as clones. In the story, clones serve a significant purpose
as organ donors. They donate their organs until they face their completion; which is when they
arent capable of donating anymore. With that said, I decided to connect the story to an article
that I had recently came across. In Letters: Ban Orca Slavery by Helene Chirinian, she talks
about how capturing orcas and using them for entertainment is wrong and should be banned.
Weve all heard the saying, Animals are humans too. Yes, the topic is very debatable, but if
animals are capable of having skin and communicating, shouldnt they have rights as well?
Having made that connection, Ive came to the conclusion that the students in Hailsham have just
as much freedom as the killer whales do. In my opinion, I believe that animals and humans
should have equal rights. Both Hailsham students and animals deserve rights, and these rights
should eradicate the complications with testing, abandonment, and experimentation.
In Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro, we discover three main characters who in the
story are referred to as clones. Being a clone meant that you were a donor. Donors are not
considered human, but are classified as subhuman. Even though the book made it seem like the
clones dont matter, I believe that they are just as equally human as the rest of the characters in
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the book. I recall a scene in the book where Madame Marie-Claude who is a pro-clone advocate,
discovers that Kathy and Tommy arent human. I dont know if she recognized us at that point;
but without doubt, she saw and decided what we were, because you could see her stiffen -- as if a
pair of large spiders was set to crawl towards her. This quote is an excellent example of
judgement towards people who are perceived as other. In this scene, Madame looks at Kathy
and Tommy with uncertainty, because she isnt sure if they are either human or clones. Although
she was uncertain she labeled the two as clones anyway.
Various spaces in the text such as Hailsham illustrate the boundaries placed on their
humanity. At the beginning, Kathy mentions how the clones are essentially human since they do
long for human like experiences such as procreation and reproduction. This is a great example of
how Hailsham discourages human intimacy or any sort of relationship being made with someone
that wasnt a student. As Kathy and her friends grow older, they realize that sex is the only way
they could go against the system. This foreshadows the relationship that Tommy and Kathy have.
Even though they might soon have to face their demise, it was worth rebelling against the system
as long as their romance was being heard.
Placing all these restrictions on the students will only cause them to rebel. Which is a
form of dehumanization. Dehumanization is to treat someone as though he or she is not a human
being. There was an incident in the book where the guards would discourage the students from
dreaming about their futures. Can you believe someone crushing a little girl or a little boys
dream. This is where my article comes in to play. I chose to connect the students at Hailsham to
animals because I believe that the book portrayed them to have the same rights. Animals that are
used for our entertainment or animal testing dont really have much say in what happens to them.
In my opinion, animal testing is equivalent to organ donations. Animal testing and
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experimentation have been around for decades, which is why I feel that animal testing could be
considered modern day slavery. After reading, Letters: Ban Orca Slavery by Helene Chirinian, I
discovered that Orca killer whales, are slaves of the animal world. These innocent animals are
being forced to perform for our mere entertainment. When meanwhile, they really belong back in
the ocean where their habitat is. We do not speak animal, so we cant truly understand how they
are feeling. That by itself is already putting restrictions on their rights. No one wants to be locked
up in a cage for everyone to see. Breeding, capturing, selling, or imprisoning orcas should be
banned. Most of all, forcing them to perform should be illegal. This is such a powerful
statement. I agree that animals shouldnt be forced to perform unnatural acts. Animals deserve
just as much freedom as we do.
This issue contributes to the dehumanizing behaviors such as discrimination and racism.
We tend to discriminate against animals because we cant understand them. Many humans see
animals just as pets, or in this case a form of entertainment. But what happens when we push
these animals to the edge? In the story, we discovered that the students in Hailsham would
reproduce in order to rebel against the system. In this case, animals such as orca killer whales,
rebel against their trainers by attacking them and sometimes even killing them. The infamous
Tilikum killer whale in SeaWorld Orlando, Florida attacked and killed one of his trainers.
Sources say that the attack was very violent and bloody. After reading an article on The Killer-
Whale Attack at SeaWorld: How It Happened by Howard Chua-Eoan I discovered that freedom
is important to anyone whether you be a human or an animal. Taking away an animals freedom
causes them to rebel and attack. Whales like Tilikum that have gotten violent are likely to be
separated from the rest of the performing troupe, kept in isolation and trained only by the most
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senior of staff. I dont know about you, but if I were kept in isolation for too long I think I too
will rebel against the trainers.
The orca killer whales and the clones in the book are similar in so many ways. The clones
in Never Let Me Go go through a donation which eventually leads to completion. In the
story we discover that each donor can donate up to four donations maximum. No one has lived
past four donations because of the complications that the donors go through. This part of the
story amazes me because I would have thought that by now, Kathy or any of the other clones
would have rebelled. Since this is a dystopian novel, you would think that their advanced
technology would be able to save us but in this case, all clones live to die. Once they have your
organs, you dont really matter to anyone. This is one of the many few reasons why I have led to
believed that Kathy isnt human. She is not a human or a person, but a donor for organs. They
might be able to attain human like attributes such as loving and grieving, but does this
necessarily mean that they are human?
The definition of humanity varies throughout the story. For example, the theme man
versus nature plays a huge role in this situation. In Never Let Me Go I read that the students
lives can be extended by killing others, but their demise cannot be fully abolished. This puts a
twist on to the story because towards the end, we learn that the only way they can have their
freedom is if they are dead. Freedom is what makes us human. Do you really believe that after all
these decades, the killer whale at SeaWorld is the same killer whale thats been there from day
one? Once a killer whale dies, they would replace it with another whale that they have captured
from the ocean. Imprisoning these animals have caused them to have hatred towards us humans.
Animal testing is a great example of benefiting humanity. More lives could be saved and
suffering stopped by educating people on the importance of avoiding fat and cholesterol, the
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dangers of smoking, reducing alcohol and other drug consumption, exercising regularly, and
cleaning up the environment than by all the animal tests in the world. This quote explains how
there are a few ways to avoid animal testing. We believe that testing on humans is wrong, but
what about testing on animals? I understand that there are some medical complications that can
only be dealt with if tested on animals. But what happens when the tables turn. Are humans
willing to undergo animal testing procedures? Humans avoid the issue because they would rather
have scientists test on animals rather than on them. This makes me think twice about the equality
rights between humans and animals. I am not an animal activist but animal testing is the same as
organ donations. Both dont have a say when it comes to undergoing a surgical procedure.
I started reading this book not knowing what to expect. Themes such as humanity,
discrimination, and dehumanization have all changed my perspective on certain things. After
learning about the struggles that Kathy and a few animals have encountered, it made me realize
that all should be treated equally and fairly. We should put an end to organ donations and animal
experimentations. The golden rule is, if you dont like it being done to you dont do it to
someone else.






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Works Cited
Ishiguro, Kazuo. Never Let Me Go. New York: Alfred A Knopf, 2005. Print.
Chua-Eoan, Howard. The Killer-Whale Attack at SeaWorld: How It Happened. Time. Time
Inc., 25 Feb. 2010. Web. 01 Apr. 2014.
14, March. Letters: Ban Orca Slavery. Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles Times, 14 Mar. 2014.
Web. 01 Apr. 2014.