New
New
Year 11
Eduqas

Emulating Ishiguro's use of an artificial voice in 'Klara and the Sun'

I can emulate Ishiguro’s use of mechanical and spatial language to craft my own artificial voice.

New
New
Year 11
Eduqas

Emulating Ishiguro's use of an artificial voice in 'Klara and the Sun'

I can emulate Ishiguro’s use of mechanical and spatial language to craft my own artificial voice.

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Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. The narrator of Ishiguro’s ‘Klara and the Sun’ is an artificial intelligence companion for children.
  2. In order to emulate Ishiguro’s use of an artificial voice, we might describe the character in mechanical terms.
  3. They might offer a description of their surroundings that focuses on spatiality rather than sensory language.
  4. You could also show how the character doesn’t fully comprehend social situations or interactions.

Keywords

  • Mechanical - operated by a machine, or connected with machines or their parts

  • Artificial - made or produced by human beings rather than occurring naturally

  • Sensory language - the use of words to create a connection to any of the five senses: sight, touch, sound, taste, smell

  • Spatial - relating to the position, area, and size of things

Common misconception

That you just need to say that your character isn't human to create an artifical voice.

To create an artificial voice, you want to consider how your character would describe themselves, their surroundings, and their interactions in a way that shows they are not human.

It might be useful to read the first chapter of Ishiguro's 'Klara and the Sun' to help pupils see how Ishiguro has crafted an artificial voice.
Teacher tip

Equipment

You will need a copy of the 2021 Faber and Faber version of ‘Klara and the Sun’ by Kazuo Ishiguro for this lesson (not provided).

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2024), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

Lesson video

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6 Questions

Q1.
'The use of words to create a connection to any of the five senses: sight, touch, sound, taste, smell' is the definition of language.
Correct Answer: sensory
Q2.
If someone is smiling, then we might assume they are...
scared
unhappy
Correct answer: cheerful
Q3.
Which of the following sentences uses the sense of touch?
The delicate scent of lavender filled the air.
Correct answer: The breeze felt cold against my skin.
The murmurings of the stream felt instantly relaxing.
Q4.
'Klara and the Sun' is a novel written by...
Atwood
Correct answer: Ishiguro
Dickens
Q5.
'Made or produced by human beings rather than occurring naturally' is the definition of something...
organic
Correct answer: artificial
genuine
Q6.
'Intelligence exhibited by machines, particularly computer systems' is the definition of intelligence.
Correct Answer: artificial

6 Questions

Q1.
In Ishiguro's 'Klara and the Sun', Klara is...
a human girl who has been genetically enhanced
a regular human girl with no enhancement
Correct answer: an artificial intelligence companion
Q2.
In Ishiguro's 'Klara and the Sun', Klara describes herself as which of the following in the opening sentence?
modern
lonely
Correct answer: new
normal
Q3.
'Operated by a machine, or connected with machines or their parts' is the definition of which word beginning with 'm'?
Correct Answer: mechanical
Q4.
Which of the following descriptions feels mechanical rather than human?
My eyes glistened and welled up with tears.
Correct answer: My eyes had a shiny, chrome finish.
My eyes were blue with grey flecks.
Q5.
'Relating to the position, area, and size of things' is the definition of...
temporal
celestial
Correct answer: spatial
Q6.
Which of the following descriptions focuses on spatiality?
The plush bedsheets were 1000 cotton thread count.
Correct answer: The bed was centred in the room in front of the wardrobe.
The bed was made of mahogany wood.