What do these words mean?
Why does Snowman collect them?
What is their significance in the context of the novel?
Group 1: pp. 84-85 “Tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow…” OR “sere” and “incarnadine”
Group 2: “cork-nut”
Group 3: p. 148 “mephitic, metronome, mastitis, metatarsal, maudlin”
Group 4: “bogus” and “awesome”
Group 1:
Sere
-Merriam Webster “being dried and withered; archaic”
-While he was watching Anna K.
-Talking about suicide and death
-”grateful for her because she’d been a doorway of sorts. Think what he might not have known if it hadn’t been for her”
-A natural succession of plant or animal communities; ecological selection (dictionary.com)
-Thinking of the word because of how his world is now
Incarnadine
-Merriam Webster “having the pinkish color of flesh; red, especially bloodred”
-degrading society; watching explicit content on the television is normal; not making friendships normally; depraved behavior
-Learning things through a “porn star”
-Thinking about people dying; they bleed this color
-Blushing?
(Wynnter, Andrew, Peter, Katie, Sophia)
Group 4:
Crake uses the word bogus in talking about the incidents of the people being executed on the website. He has a theory that they are getting paid for their reactions so it is not genuine and rehearsed for entertainment. Also when Crake tells Jimmy that you never know what is reality, but Jimmy dismisses it as bogus. Bogus is a significant word since it questions whether something is in reality or fake. Jimmy thinks it should not be hard to tell apart fake from reality, but it may not always be the case.
Group Work:
Cork-nut- first referenced when Alex the class parrot randomly came up with this word. The meaning for the word is almond. The word he liked to use before he got sick of the conditioning lessons and flew out the door. “Five stars for Alex”. Then Jimmy picked up the word and used it against anyone who wasn’t a girl. It became a special word for him as only Jimmy and Alex knew what the word meant. Because of this Jimmy was considered medium-cool among the kids. This word is also seen to be passed down to the generation of Crake children.
The word Cork-nut initially meant almonds to Jimmy and Alex, but then turned into a slur or an offensive term against men.
When the other kids started using Jimmy’s word it shows how they are similar to parrots. Simply repeating the word without any meaning.
The children then use it when they say, “Watch watching over says the small child’s voice it’s a pun you cork-nut”. Here we can see the Crakes trying to imitate the Snowman and something he might say. The Crakes probably don’t even know what a pun even is. Just like a parrot, these Crakes simply repeat after Snowman without any idea of what it means.
An interpretation of the novel would suggest this whole story as a parody of Paradise Lost and the rebirth of a new world. Some of the words that are used after the rebirth might have completely different and maybe offensive connotations but now carry a new meaning.
Mephitic – means smelly, foul,
metronome – keeps a consistent beat in time
mastitis – breast tissue infection
metatarsal – bone in the toe
maudlin – self pitying, usually as a result of drunkenness
Snowman collects these words during his past scotch hangover in an attempt to retain as many of the words of his language as he can. He even references himself as a past erudite so he recognizes the idea that now he is the scholar and responsible for collecting and retaining the knowledge of humanity. Some of the words can be directly linked to the way he feels as a result of drinking. Others are just following the “m” pattern in his foggy, hungover attempt to use knowledge as his hangover remedy.