Starter quiz
- What is a dystopia?
- a perfect society where everyone is treated fairly
- a past society
- an imagined society in which people live dehumanised lives ✓
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- Which world below represents a dystopia best?
- People have lost the ability to feel emotion; there is no sympathy. ✓
- Animals can talk; they hold humans accountable for their treatment.
- Humans can fly; they go on more adventures.
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- What is true of an ambiguous situation?
- it might leave someone feeling confident
- it might leave someone feeling confused ✓
- most people would find it pleasant
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- What is artificial intelligence (AI)?
- the ability to understand the emotions of others
- machines that mimic human capabilities ✓
- a robot that humans can be friends with
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- Which of the below is an example of AI?
- board games
- television
- Alexa: Amazon's voice assistant ✓
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- What might create the most compelling character for a reader?
- an insight into the inner workings of their mind ✓
- a description of their clothes
- them telling us their name, age and occupation
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Exit quiz
- What is true of Ishiguro's opening in 'Klara and the Sun'?
- it is ambiguous ✓
- it has an upbeat tone
- it is set in our current world
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- What type of world is 'Klara and the Sun' set in?
- utopia
- dystopia ✓
- omnitopia
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- What clues does Ishiguro give that Klara from 'Klara and the Sun' is not human?
- she gets upset by Rex
- she respects her manager
- she describes herself as "new" ✓
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- What is Klara's relationship with the sun in 'Klara and the Sun'?
- she is scared of the sun
- she gets stronger with sun rays ✓
- she must avoid the sun
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- What is interesting about Klara's interaction with Rex in 'Klara and the Sun'?
- she dwells on whether he is joking for a long time ✓
- she is cold and callous towards him
- she doesn't understand him
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- In 'Klara and the Sun', what suggests AI has evolved?
- they are often put at the front of the store
- they can answer questions from humans
- they are shown to have emotions ✓
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Worksheet
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Lesson Details
Key learning points
- Ishiguro crafts Klara as an ambiguous narrator, leaving us to decipher her true nature.
- 'Klara and the Sun' is set in a futuristic dystopia.
- Klara is an AI companion for children.
- Ishiguro blurs the line between robot and human in his crafting of Klara.
- Ishiguro crafts Klara as the future voice of AI, perhaps subverting our traditional expectations about AI.
Common misconception
We have to know everything about a narrator and their world in order for a story to make sense.
Through slow crafting of a voice, we can let our reader work out the true nature of our narrator, world and characters as they read.
Keywords
Ambiguous - not having one obvious meaning
Dystopia - relating to an imagined society in which people live dehumanised lives
Compelling - if something is compelling, it makes you believe it because it is so strong
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