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Critical Theory Into Action 1

Gathering Blue: An Examination of Disability & Dystopia

Jamie Forde

Colorado State University


Context, goals, and theoretical framework

Context

This theory into action plan will be addressing a unit for seventh grade Language Arts

students. As part of the seventh grade curriculum in some school districts, educational facilitators

teach Gathering Blue by Lois Lowry. The novel portrays a dystopian society in which a Council

of Elders controls the town through various oppressive strategies. In the town, the weak and

disfigured are left out in a field which surrounds the town - - they are left as meals for vicious

creatures. The protagonist of Gathering Blue has a twisted leg and must learn to survive. When

she reaches maturity, she must convince the Council of Elders that she is a valuable member of

society. She does this through embroidery - - the Council decides that her usefulness will be in

updating the town’s robe which records the society’s history via pictures. The robe depicts

pictures because only higher authorities, or selected men, are allowed the luxury to learn to read

and write. Gathering Blue will be the basis of a critical examination of ableism/disability

oppression, as well as an examination of modern dystopia.

Goals

Currently, Gathering Blue is taught as a dystopian novel, but little is done to

contextualize the content to the lives of learners. Dystopian novels are intriguing to adolescent

readers because they portray conditions like environmental disaster, political apocalypse,

technological obsession, and social tyranny in ways that young readers are able to recognize and

process (Blasingame & Serafini, 2012). Gathering Blue could be better contextualized and serve

as a unit that integrates transformative multiculturalism since personal engagement with the

novel is far more effective and meaningful than an initiate, respond, evaluate model (Blasingame

& Serafini, 2012).


My first goal is to create lessons that engage learners in exploring and deconstructing

ability/disability in Gathering Blue, as well as our current communities. There are different

models of ableism and disability oppression. For the purposes of this theory into action plan,

learners will use the model offered in Readings for Diversity and Social Justice in which

oppression is an “all-encompassing system of discrimination and exclusion of people who live

with developmental, medical, neurological, physical, and psychological disabilities” (Castaneda,

Hopkins, & Peters, 2010, p. 455). When deconstructing ability/disability, learners will engage in

placing themselves within the model of developing intercultural sensitivity (Bennet, 1998).

Gaining an understanding of their personal biases and feelings about systems that oppress people

who are disabled will enable learners to place themselves within the discussion, thereby

personalizing the experience.

My second goal for learners is to understand dystopian society in Gathering Blue and

apply the concepts to our local, national, and global communities. It is important to connect the

content to society at large because application allows learners to process and generate meaning

of their own world (Blasingame & Serafini, 2012). In order to accomplish my goals, the

curriculum will need to further explore the following: (1) the treatment of the weak and disabled

in Gathering Blue; (2) a connection between the treatment of the disabled in Gathering Blue and

the treatment of the disabled in today’s society; (3) historical exploration of dystopian society;

and (4) analysis of dystopia in local, national, and global communities. The application of

dystopia to modern society is relatable to learners because they, many times, view society as a

system in which information is confused with knowledge - - resulting in institutions that oppress,

terrify, and coerce in order to destroy curiosity (Bussey, 2009). Gathering Blue is a good

starting point for examining this particular type of dystopia since the novel centers around an


institution disseminating fear in order to coerce submission and acceptance of the government’s

laws. As learners understand dystopian society, they will make connections to oppressive

systems in order to realize that oppression is meant to appear stable in order actually limit

individuals and their imagination in order to prevent them from seeing beyond their limitations

(Johnson, 2006). In other words, learners will realize that oppressive systems are in place in

order to keep individuals from thinking outside of their restrictions/limitations, which allows a

few people in society to hold all of the power.

My third, and final, goal is to create systemic change as a result of deconstructive

engagement. In order to generate systemic change, the learners will apply concepts learned

around power, privilege, and oppression to their own lives and communities through critical

inquiry projects. In order to generate a more social justice element, learners will produce projects

revolved around either the treatment of the disabled in today’s society or their analysis of

dystopia in local, national, and global communities. The types of projects created will be at the

discretion of learners (but they will have to get approval from the facilitator). The deconstruction

of society, as well as the incorporation of the local community, is important because oppression

restricts self-development and self-determination in order to bind the imagination and the ability

to support individual rights and aspirations (Bell, 2010). Together, learners and community

members can begin to break-down oppressive systems and work towards creating a more just

society.

Theoretical foundation

The theory into action plan draws upon dimensions from two multicultural models. The

first model is Dr. James Banks’ five dimensions to multicultural education (Banks, 1998). I will

be drawing upon level three (transformation) and level four (social action). Since Banks focuses


on creating curriculum changes in order to promote multiculturalism and social justice, his model

is important to reference to provide the tools for making my plan successful. The second model I

will be drawing upon is Christine Sleeter and Carl Grant’s multicultural model (Sleeter & Grant,

1988). The dimensions I will incorporate from the model are that education is multicultural and

Social Reconstructionist. These aspects will be incorporated through the presentation of learner

projects.

My reasoning behind implementing the critical, transformative aspects of

multiculturalism represented by Banks, as well as Sleeter and Grant, is that I believe an

integration of social justice into education is crucial - - especially at the secondary level. I feel

that most social justice takes place at a collegiate level, but it could have a greater impact on

younger learners who are still developing their societal attitudes. Adolescent learners feel

controlled by adults and empowered to alter society but are usually given little societal context to

make changes (Lea, 2006). The theory into action plan implements Banks’ model and Sleeter

and Grant’s model because “social difference, social identity, social location, and social inequity

calls for appreciation of the multiple, complex, fluid, and cross-cutting aspects of social

identities, and awareness that the inequities experienced by any and all disadvantaged groups

warrant attention and remedy” (Adams, Blumenfeld, Castaneda, Hackman, Peters, & Zuniga,

2010, p. xxvi). By making personal connections and examining how ableism and disability

oppression operates in their own lives and communities, learners will engage in social critique.

Plan of action

Learners will respond to critical questions as they read the novel - - the entire novel will

be read as a class with learners and the facilitator taking turns reading. Even though learners

could read parts of the novel at home rather than in class, I feel Gathering Blue should be read


together. One reason is that many learners will not complete the reading, which will result in less

meaningful and critical discussions on the part of all learners. I also believe synthesizing

information as a class while the novel is being read can lead to critical discoveries and eye-

opening moments. Learners will then participate in class discussions and class activities on

ableism and dystopia as it is reflected in personal lives and communities. Afterwards, learners

will complete a research project that examines issues of ableism in relationship to the novel.

Then learners will engage in social action via a class blog and through efforts to develop a

critical inquiry project which engages community members by deconstructing disability

oppression in order to imagine a more just society.

Implementation preparation

In order to implement the theory into action plan, I will need to prepare certain elements.

First, the lesson plans I have prepared will need to be completed in more detail in order to be

practical and effective. Also, in order to implement each of my planned discussions, I should

have a prepared list of questions and talking points to assist in the facilitation. In order for

learners to successfully develop a blog, I must have the blog set-up and accessible prior to the

beginning of the unit. Since learners will be performing research upon completion of Gathering

Blue, I, as the facilitator, should have preplanned websites to guide learners in their research.

Outside of more in-depth lesson planning, I will need to plan the discussions to revolve around

specific topics - - topics like dystopia and ability/disability deconstruction. After learners

complete their final projects, I would like to involve the surrounding community in the

presentations. To do this, I will need to plan an event and practical space to host learners and

community members.

Duration


The Gathering Blue unit will take 25-26 days - - 90-minute classes, five days a week (see

Appendix B lesson plans).

Steps/Activities

The Gathering Blue unit consists of three major sections - - anticipatory sets, discussions

and activities, and a final unit project. The anticipatory sets are intended to set-up support for

learners in seeing social justice issues in relationship to the novel. The discussions and activities

(such as ‘Stop, Jot, Reflect, & Discuss’ and blog development) are aimed to engage learners and

assist in meaning making and critical readings/critique by guiding learners’ attention to specific

passages in the novel, namely those addressing disability in the village. The final unit project is

designed to create societal change, especially in regard to ability/disability, in order to imagine a

more just society.

Anticipatory sets. An anticipatory set includes activities that serve as a warm-up before

reading the novel to engage learners. The following are examples of anticipatory sets the

Gathering Blue unit will incorporate:

Four corners. This anticipatory set is a position-taking activity that consists of each

corner in the room representing a position and students moving around according to their opinion

for each statement. The statements will be related to topics associated with the reading of

Gathering Blue.

Tea party. A tea party involves learners being given slips of paper with quotations from

Gathering Blue which they will share with other learners as they walk around the room. As they

share, learners will begin to predict and make meaning of the quotations.


A free write. A free write allows learners to write for a few minutes in order to create

thoughts. Some examples of free write topics include the following: coping/survival, freedom,

loss/closure, power of words, treatment of disability, and change.

A startling or unexpected statement. This particular anticipatory set can be selected from

the day’s reading in order to put learners into a certain mindset.

Stop, Jot, Reflect, and Discuss (see Appendix A for hand-out). The learners will keep a

journal to write down thoughts as they read aloud. Each ‘stop’ will be pre-recorded for the

learners - - they can choose to write directly on the hand-out or in their notebooks (in order to

allow for more writing space). At each stop, learners will ‘jot’ down their initial thoughts for a

couple of minutes. After learners jot down their thoughts, the class will discuss important plot

events in order to ensure student comprehension. At the end of each class, learners will

participate in a discussion about their initial thoughts and begin the reflection process together.

As homework each night, learners will complete the ‘reflect’ portion of the process. The

reflection is meant for learners to make connections and explore the larger implications. These

reflections will be discussed in activities after Gathering Blue has been read in its entirety.

Discussions. The discussions will be based on the reflections completed throughout the

readings. Discussions are a crucial activity because learners benefit from exploring their opinions

with other learners through conversations, writings, and response logs (Blasingame & Serafini,

2012). The discussions are broken into two parts - - general meaning making activities and

critical meaning making activities. The critical transformative aspects of Banks’ model, as well

as Sleeter and Grant’s model are realized through the Gathering Blue activities and discussions -

- especially the discussions geared towards critical meaning making. Through the reading

discussions, the hope is that learners will gain a new understanding of the systems which create


power and privilege, especially in regard to ability/disability. By the completion of the

discussions, learners will hopefully comprehend the integrative nature of oppression and wonder

about the ways in which individuals can help create positive transformative change.

Meaning making discussions. The first type of discussion is meant to generate general

meaning making.

Round table discussions. A round table discussion allows participants sit in a circle and

complete a traditional discussion.

Found poems. These poems are created through careful selection and organization of

words and phrases from existing text writing. Found poems provide a structured way for students

to review material and synthesize learning.

A Socratic seminar. A Socratic seminar helps learners understand ideas, issues, and

values reflected in the text. Students facilitate a discussion around the ideas in the text rather than

asserting opinions.

Pair-and-share. A pair-and-share consists of pairing up and sharing thoughts and then

joining another pair to discuss. Finally, everyone comes together as a large group in order to

share the information gathered as pairs and small groups. .

A gallery walk. This activity explores multiple texts/images that are placed around the

room.

Graffiti boards. Graffiti boards are written discussions in which a large sheet of paper is

placed on the wall for students to record thoughts. This form of discussion provides an

opportunity to express written and visual language. It is important for learners to be able to

communicate their ideas in different ways because language shapes thinking and self-expression

in order to comprehend the content of a culture (Smith, 1994).


Critical meaning making discussions. The second type of discussion is meant to assist

learners examine the political and social structures, meanings, and discourses. The discussions

are intended to create critical dialogue in order to help learners dig deeper into the

sociocultural/sociopolitical contexts.

A fish bowl. A fish bowl has four to five chairs arranged in the inner circle while the

remaining chairs are circles around the outside. A few participants engage in the fish bowl and

the rest of the class sits in the outside circle. Any member of the audience can take the spot of a

participating member by tapping on their shoulder - - the participating member will wrap-up

their comment and then move to the outside. The fish bowl discussion will be geared towards

ableism and disability oppression. As part of the discussion, learners will reflect on the five faces

of oppression in regard to disabled people (Young, 2010). The five faces of oppression are

exploitation, marginalization, powerlessness, cultural imperialism, and violence (Young, 2010).

A debate forum. A debate consists of speeches for and against certain aspects/topics.

Iceberg diagrams. Icebergs are visual images that help learners remember the importance

of looking deeper.

Blog. Upon completion of Gathering Blue, learners will develop a blog which they will

pose questions, thoughts, and comments that relate to class discussions and research. The blog

will serve as an opportunity for individual learners to explore ability/disability, as well as

dystopia, while connecting these concepts to their communities.

Blog development will also involve applying the cycle of socialization to the personal

lives of learners, as well as the cycle of liberation (Harro, 2010a; Harro, 2010b). The cycle of

socialization is based on the premise that individuals are born into certain sets of social identities

(Harro, 2010a). Bobbie Harro identifies the socialization process as consisting of the following


elements: the first socialization (socialized by those we love and trust), institutional/cultural

socialization (unconsciously sent messages from institutions), enforcements (system of rewards

and punishments to enforce the rules), results (internalization of patterns of power), and the

continuation (do nothing and the cycle continues) (Harro, 2010a). The cycle of liberation, on the

other hand, is based on critical transformation and characterized by shifting perspectives (Harro,

2010b). The liberation process consists of the following elements: waking up (incident which

creates dissonance), getting ready (self-empowerment), reaching out (seek experience and

exposure), building community (building coalitions), coalescing (organizing and educating),

creating change (critical transformation), and maintaining (integration) (Harro, 2010b). The

process of analyzing the two cycles will assist learners in deconstructing their experiences while

searching for solutions.

Besides analyzing the cycles of socialization and liberation, learners will engage in

connecting white racial identity development (Helms, 1995) to disability identity development.

The white racial identity development model is comprised of six separate stages: contact,

disintegration, reintegration, pseudo-independent, immersion/emersion, and autonomy (Helms,

1995). The contact stage is exemplified by the myth of meritocracy. In the disintegration stage,

individuals begin to see the role of race in society, and in the integration stage, individuals notice

white entitlement. The pseudo-independent stage is about unlearning racism, which often results

in white guilt. In the immersion/emersion stage, individuals feel an alleviation of their guilt.

Finally, the autonomy stage is exemplified by self-actualization and taking action to combat

prejudice (Helms, 1995).

Final unit project. The final projects can be completed individually or in groups of two

to three. Learners can choose from the following projects: creation of an alternate society to


Kira’s village (taking into consideration jobs, homes, families, social roles, etc.); redesign the

Council of Guardians (taking into consideration laws, spirituality, authority, etc.); write a sequel

to Gathering Blue (taking into consideration Kira’s impact on the future and the inner workings

of a new society); or creation of a project of your own choice (must be approved by the

facilitator). Projects can take on the form of a three-dimensional representation, in-depth poster,

paper/essay, journal, mini-novel, and etcetera. The learner must get their project idea and design

preapproved by the facilitator. (Refer to Appendix B for more in-depth lesson plans.)

Accomplishment of goals and objectives

The theory into action plan accomplishes the first goal of exploring and deconstructing

ability/disability in Gathering Blue, as well as our current communities, through the class

discussions and activities such as ‘Stop, Jot, and Reflect,’ research, blog development, fish bowl,

and the final unit project.

The second goal of understanding dystopian society in Gathering Blue and applying the

concepts to our local, national, and global communities is accomplished through three main

avenues. One avenue is through class discussions and activities - - particularly the iceberg

activity on day nine, the Socratic seminar on day ten, and the discussion on day twelve (see

Appendix B). Another avenue is the research done in class by the learners on day thirteen (see

Appendix B). The third and final avenue is the blog development completed throughout the

entire unit.

The third goal of creating systemic change as a result of deconstructive engagement is

accomplished near the end of the unit. Day fourteen particularly focuses on systemic change

through the gallery walk that allows learners to visualize examples of societal change, as well as

the research the learners complete (see Appendix B). The presentation of the final unit project


focuses the most on systemic change since the learners will be presenting their work to

community members.

Limitations

The first major limitation is time. Since Gathering Blue will be read entirely in class, the

time allotted for discussions will be limited. I wanted to keep the unit limited to a month in order

to be practical and implementable - - realistically, the novel would only be given a month for

exploration within a school district.

The next major limitation to the theory into action plan is the variety of activities I have

planned for learners. I feel that I do not have enough of a variety to engage all of my learners.

For the most past, the activities are auditory-based with some visual elements. The final project

and a few other activities allow for hands-on learning to take place.

Another major limitation is the risk of simplifying issues and creating stereotypes,

especially in regard to ability/disability. Learners dissociate from the disability experience by

focusing on one aspect of the disability experience - - the struggle for disabled individuals to

overcome society’s view of the disabled as inferior (Kreston, 2003). In order to avoid

simplifying issues, guest speakers can be brought in to assist in clarifying the complexities and

social model perspective.

The final major limitation to the theory into action plan is the community involvement. I

will need to engage community members in meaningful yet effective ways.

Implementation preparation

Obstacles

One obstacle I will have to overcome is learner engagement. In order to engage learners

in the reading of Gathering Blue, I have planned to read the entire book aloud in class. I will also


need to find ways to engage learners in class discussions, as well as the blog development. In

order to address the obstacle of engagement, I have tried to incorporate activities that are new

and interesting to learners. In order to achieve engagement with the blog the learners will be

developing, the learners should work cooperatively with another school/district.

Another obstacle I will have to overcome is community engagement. In the theory into

action plan, learners will be presenting their final unit projects to community members. The

engagement of community members is key to the social justice element of my theory into action

plan. My hope is for learners to shed light on the issues surrounding ability/disability, as well as

dystopia, through their plans. If community members are going to learn and participate alongside

learners, I will need to ensure engagement. To begin overcoming the obstacle of community

engagement, learners will present their projects on a parent night, which they can turn into a

community open house.

A third obstacle will be maintaining relevancy for learners. I foresee learners becoming

involved in the unit but soon forgetting the importance of the issues discussed as time passes. In

order to overcome this obstacle, curriculum changes would have to be made among all grades - -

this would ensure that learners continually engage in societal deconstruction.

Sustainability

In order to sustain the theory into action plan, the Gathering Blue unit will be taught

every year to learners. My hope is that, over time, the unit will develop and grow into a larger

platform for creating social change.

Assessment

The Gathering Blue unit will be assessed as it is being implemented, as well as at the

conclusion of the unit. Each activity will be assessed, not by the final outcome, but by the


learners’ willingness to participate in meaningful ways. The final unit project will be assessed

through a series of benchmarks that ensure that learners complete the tasks necessary to reach

their desired outcome. In order to assess my own effectiveness, I will have learners complete

anonymous evaluation forms.


References

Adams, M., Blumenfeld, W., Castaneda, C., Hackman, H., Peters, M., & Zuniga, X. (Eds.).

(2010). Introduction. Readings for Diversity and Social Justice (pp. xxvi-xxxi). New

York, NY: Routledge.

Banks, J.A. (1998). Multiculturalism’s five dimensions. Educating Citizens in a Multicultural

Society. Teacher College Press.

Bell, L. A. (2010). Theoretical foundations. Readings for Diversity and Social Justice (pp. 21-

26). New York, NY: Routledge.

Bennet, M. J. (1993). Towards ethnorelativism: a developmental model of intercultural

sensitivity. In Paire, R.M (Ed.). Education for the Intercultural Experience. Yarmouth,

ME: Intercultural Press.

Blasingame, J. & Serafini, F. (2012). The changing face of the novel. The Reading Teacher

(vol. 66, issue 2). (pp. 145-148). Retrieved from

http://ezproxy2.library.colostate.edu:2093/doi/10.1002/TRTR.01113/references. Doi:

10.1002/TRTR.01113

Bussey, M. (2009). A utopic reflection. Social Alternatives. (Vol. 28, Issue 3). (pp. 57-59).

Retrieved from Academic Search Premier.

Castaneda, C., Hopkins, L. E., & Peters, M. L. (2010). Ableism: introduction. Readings for

Diversity and Social Justice (pp. 457-463). New York, NY: Routledge.

Hardiman, R., Jackson, B. W., & Griffin, P. (2010). Conceptual foundations. Readings for

Diversity and Social Justice (pp. 26-35). New York, NY: Routledge.

Harro, B. (2010a). The cycle of liberation. Readings for Diversity and Social Justice (pp. 52-58).

New York, NY: Routledge.

http://ezproxy2.library.colostate.edu:2093/doi/10.1002/TRTR.01113/references


Harro, B. (2010b). The cycle of socialization. Readings for Diversity and Social Justice (pp. 45-


Helms, J. (1995). Six stages of white racial identity development. A Race is a Nice Thing to

Have. Content Communications.

Johnson, A.G. (2006). Privilege, Power, and Difference. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.

Kreston, R. (2003) Disability as part of the diversity curriculum. Teaching Diversity: Challenges

and Complexities, Identities and Integrity. (pp. 169-187).

Lea, S. G. (2006). Seeing beyond sameness: using The Giver to challenge colorblind ideology.

Children’s Literature in Education. (Vol. 37, Issue 1). (pp. 51-67). Retrieved from

Academic Search Premier. Doi: 10.1007/s10583-005-9454-2

Lowry, L. (2000). Gathering Blue. New York, NY: Delacorte Press.

Sleeter, C. & Grant, C. (1988). Critical multicultural education. (pp. 9-33). Sunypress.

Smith, P. (1994). Multicultural Issues: Dilemmas and Hopes. Art Education. (Vol. 47, Issue 4).

(pp. 13-17). National Art Education Association. Retrieved from

http://www.jstor.org/stable/3193484

Young, I. M. (2010). Five faces of oppression. Readings for Diversity and Social Justice (pp. 35-


http://www.jstor.org/stable/3193484


Appendix A

Stop, Jot, Reflect Hand-out

Stop Jot Reflect

(Page # & Quotation) (Initial Thoughts) (Connect & Explore Larger

Implications)

Chapter 1

p.3 "Fear was always a part

of life for the people."

p.6 "Your strong hands and

wise head make up for the

crippled leg."

p.9 "People from the Fen

were oddly different."

p.11 "They aim to build a

pen there, to keep tykes and

the fowls enclosed so they

don't be having to chase

them all the time."

Chapter 2

p.16 "You don't belong in

the village anymore. You're

worthless, with that leg.

Your mother always

protected you but she's

gone now. You should go

too. Why didn't you just

stay in the Field?"

p.20 "If only she was

allowed to stay."

Chapter 3

p.21 "The story of the past

was filled with warfare and

disasters. Most especially it

was frightening when it

recalled the Ruin, the end

of the civilization of the

ancestors."


p.26 "She was imperfect.

And fatherless as well. She

should not have been kept."

Chapter 4

p.34 "Kira was accustomed

to stares. She had been

taunted throughout her

childhood."

p.36 "They all knew about

her twisted leg. Why did

she have to do this in front

of them, to submit to their

humiliating stares?"

p.41 "The community cloth

was drab, all no-color; the

formless shifts and trousers

worn by the people were

woven and stitched for

protection against the

sudden occasional rain,

thorn scratch, or poison

berry."

p.43 "No one wants a

cripple. She takes up space,

and food, and causes

problems."

Chapter 5

p.50 "People and dogs

together would shove and

grab."

p.54 "She broke her arm

real bad. Can't be fixed.

Can't be made straight. No

more good for weaving.

Her hubby tried read hard

to straighten up the arm

'cause he needs her. For the

tykes and such. But she'll

probably go to the Field."

Chapter 6


p.58 "She had always

known she would not marry

- - her twisted leg made it

an impossibility; she could

never be a good wife, could

never perform the many

duties required - - but

certainly she could manage

alone."

p.62 "You don't be captive

here, do you?" "No, she's

not a captive," Jamison

reassured Matt. "Why

would you think that?"

Chapter 7

p.68 "It was interesting,

Kira decided, that they

found a way for water to

enter the building, but

impractical and unsanitary,

and there was no place to

bury waste."

p.70 "Somehow the

guardians heard about my

work. They came to our

cott and admired it." So

similar, Kira thought.

"Then," Thomas continued,

"Not long after, my parents

were both killed during a

storm. Struck by lightning,

both at once."

Chapter 8

p.81 "But you must learn

the dyes. There are other

things they'll want of you."

p.86 "I have nought. Other

do, but they be far away."

Who be others?"

Chapter 9


p.89 "She turned her eyes

away quickly so that she

would not learn it, would

not be guilty of something

clearly forbidden to her."

Chapter 10

p.100 "Kira had not been

much in the world of men.

They led very separate lives

from those of women."

Chapter 11

pp. 109-110 "I can't run at

all. My leg's a useless

thing." She looked down at

it, ashamed. The old

woman shrugged. "It

brought you here," she said

… "There be no beasts."

Chapter 12

p.117 "Ruin. Rebuilding.

Ruin again. Regrowth. Kira

followed the scenes with

her hand as larger and

greater cities appeared and

larger, greater destruction

took place. The cycle was

so regular that its pattern

took on a clear from: an up-

and-down movement,

wavelike."

Chapter 13

p.123 "It occurred to Kira

that Jamison had been her

defender, had been the one

responsible for her being

here at all in this new life.

So there was really no

reason to huddle here in the

dim hallway, hiding from

him. Yet she was oddly

fearful."


p.124 "Both of them? At

the same time?" Kira and

Thomas looked at each

other. They both knew loss.

But it had happened again?

To another tyke?"

p.128 "It's dangerous for

her to speak that way. Her

mind is beginning to

wander."

Chapter 14

p.132 "She be only a small

tyke, you know? But when

she singed, she had

knowledges of things that

wasn't even happened yet."

p.137 "Now tykes were

penned there, enclosed by

thorn bushes. It seemed

cruel. But at least they were

not isolated."

Chapter 15

p.142 "It was to keep me

safe, I think. And to make

me pay attention. I was

young and I didn't want to

work all the time."

p.145 "Well, it doesn't

matter much, does it? We

each have a good life now.

Better tools than we did

before. Good food. Work to

do."

Chapter 16

p.150 "I be climbing trees

sometimes in the Fen. But

me mum, she hits me when

I do because she say I be

breaking me legs and them

they take me to the Field."


p.153 "Suddenly Kira knew

that although her door was

unlocked, she was not

really free. Her life was

limited to these things and

this work."

Chapter 17

p.156 "The Fen," Kira told

him. He looked at her

quizzically. "That filthy

place? Why would you

want to go there?" "I've

never been there. I want to

see where Jo lived,

Thomas."

p.159 "On the other side of

the stream, beyond the

thick poisonous oleander

bushes that were such a

danger to tykes, lay the area

known as the Fen … But it

was darker here, with the

trees thick overhead, and

festering with dampness

and an odor of ill health."

p.159 "Why must there be

such a horrible place?" Kira

whispered to Thomas.

"Why do people live like

this?"

p.159 "We're the ones who

will fill the blank places.

Maybe we can make it

different."

Chapter 18

p.173 "She wanted to

please him. He had been

her protector. But she didn't

want to keep doing this

forever."

Chapter 19


p.175 "The people seemed

solemn and expectant."

p.177 "It's not true. I need

all of you. We need each

other."

p.180 "Kira could see the

broad blank expanse across

the Singer's back and

shoulders, the blank that

she had been picked to fill.

The future that she had

been chosen to create."

Chapter 20

p.187 "A square of filthy,

wrinkled cloth. Nothing

more. And yet it was

everything."

p.188 "Them be all broken,

them people. But there be

plenty of food. And it's

quiet-like, and nice." What

do you mean, broken?" He

gestured towards her

twisted leg. "Like you.

Some don't walk good.

Some be broken in other

ways. Not all. But lots. Do

you think it maken them

quiet and nice, to be

broken?"

p.189 "Pain makes you

strong."

Chapter 21

p.191 "Kira, watching,

remained motionless and

silent, overwhelmed with

her new knowledge and a

heavy feeling that

combined dread and terrible

sorrow."


p.193 "She had never seen

anyone with destroyed

vision before, though she

had heard of such things

happening through accident

or disease. But damaged

people were useless; they

were always taken to the

Field."

Chapter 22

p.201 "How could it

change? It's the way it is.

It's what tykes are taught, to

grab and shove. It's the only

way people can get what

they want. I would have

been taught that way too,

but for my leg."

p.203 "Kira was astonished.

In her lifetime in the

village, she had never done

such a thing. She knew no

one who would be willing

to soothe or comfort or aid

a grievously wounded

being. Or who would know

how."

p.204 "The village of the

healing has existed for a

long time," he explained.

"Wounded people still

come. But now it is

beginning to change,

because children have been

born there and are growing

up. So we have strong,

healthy young people

among us. And we have

others who have found us

and stayed because they

wanted to share our way of

life."

Chapter 23


p.212 "The guardians with

their stern faces had no

creative power. But they

had strength and cunning,

and they found a way to

steal and harness other

people's powers for their

own needs. They were

forcing the children to

describe the future they

wanted, not the one that

could be."

p.213 "I know you can't be

getting a hubby because of

your horrid gimp … I been

wanting to tell you that

them other people - - them

broken ones? They gets

married."

p.215 "The blue was

gathered in her hand, and

she could feel it quiver, as

if it had been given breath

and was beginning to live."

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Gathering Blue: An Examination of Disability & Dystopia ...jamieforde.weebly.com/uploads/1/4/1/3/14132141/... · The protagonist of Gathering Blue has a twisted leg and must learn