Human Rights of Cloning in Never Let Me Go - a Posthuman Perspective
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International Journal of Research in Humanities and Social Studies Volume 8, Issue 2, 2021, PP 31-38 | ISSN 2694-6296 DOI: https://doi.org/10.22259/2694-6296.0802004 Human Rights of Cloning in Never Let Me Go - A Posthuman Perspective Yingxuan Zhang School of Social and Public Administration, Guangdong University of Foreign Studies, 178 Outer Ring Road, Beigang Village, Xiaogu Wai Street, Panyu District, Guangzhou, P.R. China, 510006 *Corresponding Author: Yingxuan Zhang, School of Social and Public Administration, Guangdong University of Foreign Studies, 178 Outer Ring Road, Beigang Village, Xiaogu Wai Street, Panyu District, Guangzhou, P.R. China, 510006. Email: [email protected] ABSTRACT Kazuo Ishiguro's sci-fi novel, Never Let Me Go, envisions a social picture of "post-humans"-- humans create human clones and get replaceable organs from them to increase longevity. Once human beings are implanted into human organs which from human cloning, humans will become "post-humans" This thesis will use the literature research method, through the Analysis of the "post-human" and "post- human society" created and presented by Kazuo Ishiguro in Never Let Me Go, this paper will interpret the childhood, teenage and youth lives of the protagonists Kathy, Ruth and Tommy, analyze the unfair and unreasonable treatment of cloned human beings in "post-human society". This article will cut into the human rights of human cloning in Never Let Me Go, and further explore that Kazuo Ishiguro is actually using the setting of human cloning to describe the survival plight of ordinary people, the description of human cloning mistakes and traumatic experiences, praise human clonings’ spirit of living to death and arouse people's sympathy for the oppressed group in real life. Keywords: Never Let Me Go; Kazuo Ishiguro; Human Rights; Human Cloning; Posthuman INTRODUCTION described himself as a “serious cinephile”, and the main thrust of his works has always been Kazuo Ishiguro and Never Let Me Go serious. Among them, KazuoIshiguro has In the modern society, human cloning has repeatedly explored the theme of “misplaced always been a controversial topic with the efforts”, and he thinks that what we think of development of science and technology, at the ourselves is often not what we think, and many same time, "post-human" as the inevitable trend of the things we are proud of are actually based of the progress of the times, will also come one on a kind of evil. “I am interested in how people day. Therewith many works of art related to tried to do something good and useful in their human cloning were published. In these works lives suddenly find that they have misplaced of art, Mark Romanek directed Never Let Me their efforts”, he said. Goas a very different film, adapted from Kazuo Never Let Me Go, which published in 2005, is Ishiguro’s novel of the same name, about the Kazuo Ishiguro’s sixth novel, describing the feelings between clones created for “dedication” memories of human cloning as a donor of and the stories of they were destined to meet human organs and reflecting on the significance their tragic fate. of his life, was well received in British and Kazuo Ishiguro is a British novelist of Japanese American literature. Never Let Me Go was origin. Started publishing novels in 1983, his awarded the 2005 Booker Award and the main works include A Pale View of Hills, An American Book Review Association Awards Artist of the Floating World and The Remains of Final List. The novelis arguably the most the Day. Has won the 1989 Booker Award, the touching work of Kazuo Ishiguro so far. 2017 Nobel Prize in Literature, the British Murakami once said : “Nearly half a century of Empire Medal, the French Arts and Literary books, my favorite is Never Let Me Go.”The Knight Medal and other awards, Kazuo Ishiguro film of the same name, adapted from it, was with Rushdie, Naipaul known as the “British launched in 2010, a romantic and tragic film of literary immigrants three male”. KazuoIshiguro the 2010 British dystopia, which was also International Journal of Research in Humanities and Social Studies V8 ● I2 ● 2021 31 Human Rights of Cloning in Never Let Me Go - A Posthuman Perspective favored by many critics, the media and the them. Clones’ special identity can never become audience after its release, and aroused deep the excuse for human beings’ ruthless thinking. treatments towards them. Wang raises the idea that Ishiguro aims to use the living conditions of Literature Review clones to reflect the survival situations of human The novel Never Let Me Go also has beings. immediately and extensively attracted At present, there are some major perspectives of widespread attention since its publication in research on Never Let Me Go, narrative research 2005. Overseas research on Never Let Me Go is one of the popular perspectives research, and has achieved fruitful results, compared with the the ethical issues revealed in this movie have rich overseas research, domestic research been widely concerned. On the other hand, some although limited, but also some achievements. scholars called on mankind to pay more Critics abroad disagree on the subject of Never attention to the abuse of modern technology, Let Me Go. Joseph O’Neill considered that the and others analyze and interpret Never Let Me novel has successfully adapted to the new Go from the aspect of the devoid of humanity. science and technology era which is the most But there is little research on the deep metaphor persuasive and saddest science fiction. This of "Everyone is a donor" in Never Let Me Go, statement clearly shows the biotechnological this article will further develop this topic and color of this novel. Titus Levy classified the make up for the shortcomings of this research. novel as a Bildungsroman and studied it from a narrative perspective. He believes that this CONSTRUCTION OF HUMAN POSTHUMAN masterpiece provides a solution model for IDENTITY contemporary human rights problems, and Posthuman and Posthumanism through the narrative function to show how the death autobiography novel serve for the social The word “posthuman” first appeared in the vulnerable groups. Justin Burley believed that 1860s, and was mentioned by the Russian the human-dominant society in the novel mystic Madam H. P. BLAVATSKY in Secret enslaves, menaces and massacres clones with a Doctrine, and then rarely used. Until the second coercive force. Others think Never Let me Go is half of the 20th century, some developed actually a metaphor for human existence under countries entered the post-modern era the guise of science fiction. This part of the characterized by the information society, using critics believe that Kazuo Ishiguro only uses the modern science and technology, combined with framework of science fiction to reveal the the latest ideas and aesthetic consciousness to ordinary human life, the human soul, the human carry out partial artificial design, artificial sex, love, creativity and the innocence of transformation, artificial beautification, childhood. For example, Bruce Robbins insists technical simulation and technical construction that one of the greatest advantages of the novel of human individuals, so as to form some new is that it depicts not only clones but also associations, new groups. These people are no humans. Earl Ingersoll believes that the novel longer pure natural or biological people, but guides readers to reflect on themselves. Martin through the technical processing or electronic, Puchner claims that the ultimate goal of the information-based action formed a “artificial novel is “to question the status of the clones, person”, that is, “posthuman”. Then and by extension, of the human.”Henriette Roos “posthuman” began to become a frequently used put forward the view that based on organ new word. transplantation in the novel, in the context of Human desire for the attributes of “posthuman” cultural diversity and the wave of immigration, is as old as human history, and in the course of this work reveals the confrontation and conflict the evolution of human society, the technology between dominant power and others. of strengthening human itself has always Some scholars at home analyze and interpret existed. Despite the tendency of information Never Let Me Go from the aspect of the devoid technology and biotechnology to intensify this of humanity. Zhu Xiaoli and Wang Changhong evolution, the debate about whether human ascribe clones’ tragic fate to human beings’ society has entered the “posthuman era”, indifference. Zhu argues that people care only because the definition of posthuman is not about their own benefits and interests and limited to superficial human and machine fusion intentionally neglect the fact that clones are or biological transformation of natural people. creatures with sensitive feelings exactly like The American contemporary scholar N. 32 International Journal of Research in Humanities and Social Studies V8 ● I2 ● 2021 Human Rights of Cloning in Never Let Me Go - A Posthuman Perspective Katherine Hayles made the following century world -- a parallel world of the real assumptions about the characteristics of world. posthumans in How We Become Posthumans: The film begins to show us a strange boarding First, The post-human viewpoint values the school named Hailsham, where children call informationization data form, despises the teachers “guardians”, who have no parents and materiality fact proof. Secondly, the posthuman family, and all children are warned that health is view is that consciousness