Jᴀᴄᴜʀᴜᴛᴜ - Tʜᴇ Cᴀsᴛ Oᴜᴛ

The person who takes the banal and ordinary and illuminates it in a new way can
terrify. We do not want our ideas changed. We feel threatened by such demands.
"I already know the important things!" we say. Then Changer comes and throws
our old ideas away.
-The Zensufi Master

At the age of two Miles Teg knew he was a ghola, although he didn't know what that meant. He likes to play in the orchard and goes on walks there with Odrade. At the age of seven the orchards touched somethign deep inside him and this was the first time he felt his original memories. At that time he began studying the life of Teg and Odrade explained how she took cell samples from fingernail scrapings and brought him back to life. He learned how they had taken a sandworm from Rakis which died and produced santrout which made the desert grow and how the Bashar had died when the Honored Matres destroyed Rakis. He was disturbed by gaps in his studys, he often new the names of things before he was told, especially weapons. He is awed by the a Reverend Mothers but Odrade, who everyone calls Mother Superior, is the only one who shows him affection and he just calls her mother when no one else is around.

POV CHARACTER: Miles Teg Ghola

THEMATIC ANALISYS: The first level of meaning in this chapter is GROWING. Teg begins at 2 years, and we see him progress quickly. Odrade is constantly teaching him, not only with lecturing (which she seems specially adept at combining with his circumstantial interests), but also for example making it clear that she sees his attempt to change subjects when displeased with the lesson.

Interwoven with that, there are many topics touched upon, that in a way seem to reinforce the idea of growing. First there is the gardens and the way the BG deal with all the process of life, culminating in the reference to the ecological circle (which to me is unclear whether exactly we should see as a danger because it is "closed" or as a need...). I think maybe the reference to recycling in the first chapter is an introduction to that... In fact, this chapter seems to develop a lot on how the BG deal with planting and growing, the very idea of SUSTENANCE.

Then there is the idea of PROPERTY, which might be read as a common pitfal in the process of growing, a tendency to overattach to persons and things. And Teg's uncounscious tendency to that is not treated as a misdeed, it is dealt with subtly. It's first manifestation is seen in a way he refers to a friend (which would definitely be seen as overly picky in almost any other setting, but we are talking about BG sensibility -- and i love it!).

Odrade goes on to teach how names can be just ways to attach to things, to try and possess them, but they can also work as tools (interesting remembering devices -- what are the original words?).

The final phrase of the chapter puts a twist on that, on how you can turn traps into tools: there are weapons you can only hold in your mind.

Revised