Post 10

Cover 1

Characteristics: The focal point of this cover is a Caucasian blonde girl sitting in a vegetated area with a sad and possibly thoughtful expression on her face. The font of the title and author are both small and capital letters, but the title is slightly larger. It includes accolades such as the Man Booker Prize and a review from The New York Times.

Intended Purpose:  This cover implies that the book takes a melancholic tone and is possibly about a girl seeking in the secluded forest since she is alone and centered on the cover, appearing as if she is deep in thought.
Reason:  Focus on the main character and her feelings about her struggles

Cover 2

Characteristics:  This cover includes an ambiguous girl, possibly Asian, who is possibly fleeting. The background is yellow, which alludes to safety and warmth, which contrasts form the title and action of the girl. The author and title are in a large font, but the author's name is larger and more centered on the cover. It includes accolades such as the Man Booker Prize, a review from Observer, and Top Ten Bestseller.
Intended Purpose:  This cover implies that the book is perhaps about a child who is fleeing, based on the blurred image. Though it also puts importance on the author since the font of his name is larger than the title and centered.
Reason:  Focus on the journey of the main character

Cover 3

Characteristics:  This cover pictures a white boat tied to a pole in a desolate pond. It has a dreary, yellow tint to it which is similar to Sepia, which alludes to the past and possibly a memory. The emotion depicted is sad because the boat is alone with no people near it and everything seems very still and calm. The font of the author and title are slightly large, though the focus is on the author's name. It includes accolades such as the Man Booker Prize and a review from Time.
Intended Purpose:  This cover implies that the book is sad and depicts loneliness since it pictures a lone boat on a pond, which could also represent the internal struggle of a main character.
Reason:  Focus on the desolate setting in which the story takes place

Cover 4

Characteristics:  This cover shows a child-like drawing of  organs inside a barbed wire body with a window picturing trees faintly in the background. The emotion revealed is one of fear since the paper is "trapped" inside the window. The font of the title is large and scrawled, covering a lot of area on the cover, which differs from the author's name which is small and included on the bottom of the cover.
Intended Purpose:  This cover attempts to create a mysterious tone for the novel through scrawled handwriting and a child-like drawing of internal organs surrounded by barbed wire. This depiction implies that someone may be trapped.
Reason:  Focus on the mystery of the novel, while slightly connecting the the health aspect of the novel, with things such as donors and carers.

Similarities:
Cover 1 and Cover 2 both picture a young adult female on the cover. Cover 1 is similar to Cover 3 because both integrate an outdoor setting that insinuates loneliness. Cover 1 and Cover 4 both picture forests and vegetation while showing a sad tone. Also, they both have a focus on the title in comparison to the author. Cover 2 and Cover 3 both have a yellow tint to the background and have the font of the author larger than the title. Cover 2 and Cover 4 both have connections to the idea of being trapped or wanting to escape. Cover 3 and Cover 4 both refrain from including images of people.

A Closer Examination:
Cover 1
At first glance, this cover conjures the words "alone," and "hidden". It makes me think of the feelings you experience when one bad thing happens to you that makes you just want to separate yourself from the world for awhile.

If I saw this cover before I read Never Let Me Go, it would make me think the book was about a lost girl in a rural or magical place. But because I have read the book, I believe the image is meant to represent Kathy H. at Hailsham and how she has many wonders about the secrets of the location.

This cover seems to portray the main character, Kathy H., from possibly the perspective of someone who does not attend Hailsham and disapproves of the project going on there, thus explaining why the girl on the cover appears sad and hidden away.

This cover places the book in a Westernized cultural setting. The teenage girl pictured, appears to be dressed modestly without makeup, implying that she is innocent.

I think the cover was made by a European, particularly British, company. I think this because it follows the English archetype of innocent female characters in need of help. Also, since the author lives in England, he most likely has a large English following.

Cover 2
Cover 2 makes me think of the words "child," and "escape". It appears that the person on the cover is running from the photographer because they are either scared or sad. Running away from problems is most connected to children.

Before reading, this cover would make me think the book is about a child who is unhappy and trying to escape from their current situation. After reading, the cover now represents a child who has many responsibilities, such as a donor, and is scared of her future.

I think the cover is from the perspective of a person in charge, possibly a guardian, portraying a girl who is a clone who is going to begin donating.

This cover places a focus on the author's name. This makes me think that the dark haired child pictured is of Asian descent. This brings in a construct of improving your life through hard work, since many Asians have traveled to other countries for a better life, which is supported by the image being a child running away.

This cover was perhaps made by a more broadly oriented company. By making the child pictured have brown hair, this widens the possibility of more people connecting with character since most people have dark hair.