They say DON'T Judge a Book By its Cover, But I'm About to...

The intended purpose of all of the covers below is to persuade the audience to read the book. Each cover uses different tactics to attract the audience's attention. In addition, each cover portrays the book in different ways.

   

The intended purpose of the above cover is to display an abstract image of Kathy, the narrator of the book. This form of art is in between a clear image of a human girl and a blob of color, so the audience has a blurred image of what she may look like. This cover allows for interpretation, so that the audience can envision the character of Kathy however they see her in their minds. This cover also includes the accolades that this book has received. "The top ten bestseller" and "man Booker Prize" show how well received this book has been. By providing information like such on the cover, it allows the audience to judge the book as a whole, positively because they good associate awards with a good book, which would be an additional tactic to persuade people to read it. The color yellow is bright which grabs attention and in a way also jumps out at people, engaging them to read it.

The intended purpose of the cover above is to provide a realistic image of what the book is like/about. Using context clues, I would also assume that the girl pictured is Kathy. This is similar to the first cover because both covers include the main female character, Kathy. However,  these covers are different because the first one is abstract and this one is clear and realistic. Thus, this cover does not allow for as much interpretation because it is clear what Kathy looks like.This cover is different from the first because the girl is surrounded by nature, where as the first had a yellow background. Seeing this natural looking cover is weird to me because reading the beginning of the book so far has put different images into my mind. I have pictured everything less natural and beautiful and more so dystopian. But I guess now I can associate this natural environment with the garden that Kathy visited frequently at Hailsham. This cover is also different because the title is above the author's name. It is similar to the first because it includes rewards received and different because it provides a quote from a critic. Overall, this cover portrays the book as natural and peaceful.

The intended purpose of this cover is to allude to the dark dystopian society that is described within the book. This cover is much different than any of the covers examined previously. It does not have a resonating peaceful or carefree tone or mood.The colors presented are dark grays and blacks which make me think of darkness and eerie vibes. Unlike the other covers analyzed thus far, there are little words included on the cover. This allows for the audience to focus on the visual aspects of the cover. The wire looking thing that frames the cover appears to be barb-wire. This can symbolize the fence that the Hailsham students are kept in within Hailsham. It is similar to the second cover because the title is displayed above the author's name. In addition, the title is much larger text than the author's name which attract their attention to the title. It is similar to the first cover because it is abstract and less real than the second.

 

The intended purpose of the cover displayed above is to represent the book in an eerie manner. Throughout the book, the author uses the technique of changing the mood within the setting and atmosphere. This is excellently represented on this cover because it displays a boat floating in a body of water. But the fog in the upper part of cover symbolizes an eerie mood within the setting. This cover is very similar to the second one because it displays a real image of something instead of something abstract like the first and third one. It can also be closely compared to the second cover because at the top of both it says, "Man Booker Prize" and at the bottom it includes a quote from a well-known company. It is similar to the first cover because the title is underneath the author's name. In both covers, the authors name is larger than the title, which places heavy emphasis on the importance of the author.

The two covers that I have chosen to closely examine include:

When looking at the cover on the left, the first words that come into my mind are, carefree, wild, running away, hazy, blurred, and abstract. This makes me think of art and free form artwork. I think of creativity and creation. If I hadn't read the book, this image would make me think it was about a cable girl from Madrid, Spain in the 1920s. However, now that I have read some of this novel, that obviously is not the case. This image is most likely of the main character Kathy, who narrates the book. And earlier when I said that it makes me think of creativity and creation, those themes can be seen throughout the novel because the Hailsham students are probed and pushed to create unique and creative things and artwork. There is also the idea that they have been created for a purpose. Kathy seems to be portrayed, which makes sense because the book is through her point of view.  This image of the woman does not show her face, where as in the other image, you can see the face of the woman, it is depressed. So by not showing her face, it is allowing the audience to interpret her emotional state for themselves. This image sparks some ideas about the culture of the book because within Hailsham they value creativity and this abstract cover appears to have taken some. This blurry image can also allude to the reasons for the certain structure of the book. Since the book relies on Kathy's memory, it can be blurry sometimes and not as organized. The kinds of people that would make this book would be writers with a vast imagination and a creative mind because the cover is so creative. People who may like this book would be people who like reading fiction.

When analyzing the cover on the right, the first words that come to my mind are, natural, greenery, tranquil, depressing, and realistic. This makes me think of natural scenery and the scenes in the Hunger Games in District 12 when Katniss and Gale go hunting in the woods. It also makes me think of the scene in the Sound of Music when she is singing in the meadow on the mountain top. This image of the woman shows her sad face, where as in the other image, you cannot see the face of the woman. So by showing her face, it is allowing the audience to see exactly what she is feeling emotionally, so there isn't as much left for interpretation by the audience. If I hadn't read any of the novel, this image would make me think the book was about a girl who's father died and she is depressed so she visits his grave in the woods to get away and be in a calm environment. But, now that I have read some of this book, I know this is not the case. This image can be related to the garden at Hailsham. I can associate this natural environment with the garden that Kathy visited frequently at Hailsham. Gardens are typically associated with tranquility and peace, so this can be seen as Kathy's get-a-way from all of her studies. Kathy is the character being portrayed which makes perfect sense since the book is from her lens. This image does not really spark any ideas about the cultural concentration of the book. The kinds of people that would make this book would be writers who like writing about sadness due to the look of the person on the cover's depressed face. People who may like reading this book would be people who enjoy reading fiction as well.

Works Consulted 

Ishiguro, Kazuo. Never Let Me Go. CNIB, 2005.