Deep Dive into Station Eleven (Week 15)

Quote Analysis:

"I was thinking about the island. It seems past-tense somehow, like a dream I had once. I walk down these streets and wander in and out of parks and dance in clubs and I think "once I walked along the beach with my best friend V., once I built forts with my little brother in the forest, once all I saw were trees" and all those true things sound false, it's like a fairy tale someone told me. I stand waiting for lights to change on corners in Toronto and that whole place, the island I mean, it seems like a different planet" (Mandel 155).

I chose this quote because it shows how people in the pre-pandemic life still think abut their past lives and selves just like how people alive in the post-pandemic era do. I also thought it was ironic how Arthur referred to his old life as a fairy tale and a different planet because that is how Kirsten and the others describe the post-pandemic life. This quote shows that people will always reflect on the past and will not appreciate time until it has passed. 

"I can't remember the year we spent on the road, and I think that means I can't remember the worst of it. But my point is, doesn't it seem to you that the people who have the hardest time in this—this current era, whatever you want to call it, the world after the Georgia Flu—doesn't it seem like the people who struggle the most with it are the people who remember the old world clearly?" (Mandel 195).

I chose this quote because I think that this quote is really telling of Kirsten's mindset and her ability to accept her past and present. Kirsten has said many times that the reason she is so successful in the post-pandemic life is because she remember little about her past. Kirsten accepts that her past has more than likely been traumatic but she doesn't let it interfere with her present life. It also goes to show how different generations responded to the pandemic and its aftermath. 

Utopia Project Brainstorm: 

For my project I think I am going to write about a world/utopia without social media. 

I think that a major world war or another pandemic outbreak could cause a major dystopia in our world. 

Discussion Questions:

1. Jeevan struggle's with the concept of immortality in this section. As Frank and Jeevan survive in Frank’s apartment, quarantined from the dying world, they both think about immortality and what lasts after a life is over and a civilization ends. The last words that Frank writes before he kills himself are about immortality, and Jeevan carries them with him when he ventures out into the world. Jeevan realizes that he must keep walking despite all of the trauma he has endured. 

2. I think that memory serves as both a piece of comfort and solace. People can hang onto the positive memories of the past however the traumatic memories can lead people to make bad decisions and it can negatively impact their mental health can current life. Mandel uses Kirsten to prove that forgetting is not as important as remembering. With remembering, there comes a constant feeling of emptiness and need to make comparisons to pre-apocalyptic society, all of which may be avoided through forgetting this can also be applied to real life. 

3. After the collapse, airplanes are a symbol of civilization. They represent the connectivity of the technologically advanced, pre-collapse modern world. In the immediately aftermath, people would look towards the sky, hopeful of seeing planes flying. Airplanes represent hope for a better future. 

Journal for Station Eleven (Week 14)

My Ideal Utopia: 

My perfect utopia would be called easeville. I would want life to be easy and low stress. Ideally no one would have to work and it would be somewhere tropical with a beach and lots of pools. We would have no government as we would be a very small and close-knit population. The people of easevill would start their days off with a workout and sauna/ ice bath sessions. The we souls spend the whole day swimming in the ocean and laying out in the sun. We would end the day with a bonfire. We would eat a diet of primarily fruit and fish. A problem I would remove form society would be 9-5 jobs. Jobs can be stressful and a lot of people waste their life away helping someone else work towards their goals. In easeville everyone would have to carry out daily tasks like cooking and cleaning but would have the majority of the day to explore their passions, and do things that make them happy. The community would change and grow tougher. By each individually focussing on ourselves and passions we will be able to show up as best elves and help others when they need it. Easeville would allow people to live a simple life where they are free to focus on themselves and their happiness. 

Quote Analysis: 

Quote #1: "There are towns that are perfectly reasonable, logical systems of governance and such, and then you pass through two years later and they've slid into disarray" (Mandel 114).

This quote is significant because it represents the unsteady and ever-changing world that is the post pandemic world. After the pandemic the characters struggled to find balance and structure. They live in a dangerous and unpredictable life, never one hundred percent sure what will happen next. It also represents civilizations inability to permanently rebuild. 

Quote #2: "Upstairs there was a room that once belonged to a child. The child in question was still present, a husk in the bed" (Mandel 149). 

This quote is significant because it gives the reader insight into just how awful the pandemic was. This quote shows us that people still have remorse and emotions in the post pandemic world. It was almost as if time stood still in the house. It also shows us that things are just things and they will be of no importance after we pass. 

Discussion Questions: 

1. We learn that Arthur took his life for granted and didn't focus on what was really important. We learn that he never really had a committed or loving relationship and only looked out for his best interests. Arthur only realizes at the end of his life that he lived a selfish life and that chasing fame is an empty pursuit. 

2. There are many items that appear in both the pre and post pandemic world. They often serve different purposes. These things also have different meaning in the pre pandemic world people took things like soap and q-tips for granted whereas int eh post pandemic world these seemingly insignificant everyday items are viewed as luxuries. Through station elven both Miranda and Kirsten are able to find meaning in the comics proving that storytelling is a central part of human nature. Both Miranda. and Kirsten use station eleven to cope with the difficult situations they are going through. Miranda is able to distract herself form her life and find passion whereas Kirsten is able to use the comic book to envision a future or alternate world where she didn't have to fight for survival. 

3. I think that there will be more violent that ensues. I think that the prophet did something to the symphony and Kirsten and August will discover it later and have to fight the prophets army at one point. I think that the prophet had something to do with the disappearances of the guards. 

Journal for Station Eleven (Week 13)

Part One: 

Quote #1: "The first unspeakable years when everyone was traveling before every one caught on that there was no place they could walk to where life continued as it had before " (Mandel 37)

This quote is significant because it shows that everything has changed since the pandemic. It also shows that people tried to have life continue normally. It makes me curious about how the pandemic caused the world to basically destroy civilization as we know it. Kirsten refers to the years after the pandemic as unspeakable insinuating that they were unbearably tragic. 

Quote #2: "What was lost in the collapse: almost everything, almost everyone, but there is still such beauty." (Mandel 57)

Part Two: 

This quote is significant because it tells us how much was lost in the collapse. It also relates back to a quote form last week referring to a before and after. There was life before the collapse and now there is life after. This quote also shows that despite the collapse positivity and determination remain. 

1. I think that the quote "survival is insufficient" represents the symphony because they are not focused on just surviving, they are focused on living. The member of the symphony were able to find passion and joy through performing giving their life a purpose. A parallel I saw was that both of the sections started with a play. The beginning section of life before and after both started with a play setting. In shake pears play technology did not exist similar to how it doesn't during the "after period" that the symphony is performing it in. 

2. The biggest change for Kirsten is that she is much older. Kirsten can't seem to remember life before the collapse, insinuating that something dramatic happened to her. Kirsten was a shy and timid little girl at the beginning of the book and she now voices her opinion and has gained confidence. Kirsten still has a love for performing and now uses performing as a way to help her cope with her situation. 

3. The prophet is a very stereotypical cult leader. He seems to be very strict and exiles anyone who doesn't support him and his goals. He comes across as very threatening and seems almost illogical. 

Journal for Station Eleven

"This isn't like SARS. You should get out of the city." He'd only wanted to be truthful, perhaps help her in some way, but he saw immediately that he made a mistake." (Mandel 25)

This quote was impactful to me because it signified the realization of panic and loss that the characters are going to face. It also demonstrates Jeevan's morals as he is trying to help others prepare for the upcoming pandemic/epidemic. I think that this quote also helps to foreshadow that there will be a lot fo hysteria and panic to follow the announcement of the new disease. 

"This was during the final month of the era when it was possible to press a series of buttons on a telephone and speak with someone on the far side of the earth." (Mandel 30)

This quote was impactful because it foreshadows a lot. Form this quote we learn that phones are not going to be to be thing after the pandemic, which could also lead us to concluded that not much other technology will be around faster the pandemic is over. It also foreshadows how much civilization will change as whole. From this quote I think that the post pandemic world will be similar to the prehistoric era. 

The covid-19 impact didn't really affect me at first. I was excited to have a break from school and FaceTimed my friends pretty much all day. Covid impacted me the most during school. My school would switch between hybrid and all online. I struggled to learn because teaching myself is not my strong suit. Help from teachers was not very accessible. I think covid also changed the way we communicate, and people have become a lot more dependent on phones and technology ever since the pandemic. If Covid was as bad as the Georgia flu the thing I would miss the most would be my phone. I would miss being able to talk to my friends and family, as most of them live far away. 

From the other characters we learn that Arthur had multiple wives, who don't really care for him. I think that Arthur let the fame get inside his head and he lived a unfulfilling life, with no strong relationships. I chose the quote we are supposed to discuss as one of my own so you have already what I think it foreshadows.