Seeing the domed building at its center, Konstance realizes that Argos is not a ship at all. Argos is an interstellar generation ship thats on a mission to get to planet Beta Oph2. Anna is nearing the end of the story, though the pages are deteriorated there and often illegible. This chapter opens with an excerpt from Folio M of Cloud Cuckoo Land. A middle-aged Zeno translates it, and adapts it into a children's play. It's a big puzzle that satisfies a reader's quest for answers and meaning across time and space, up to and including the final scene. Seymour thinks about how he just wanted to damage the Edens Gate offices and now things have gotten out of control. Mrs. Boydstun sells him that his dog Athena passed away while he was gone. Theres also a preface that notes that the story consists of 24 folios, the exact order of which is debated by scholars. However, eleven days into it, their truck is attacked. She also asks if Zeno build all of this for them. One afternoon, Rex suggests that he and Zeno attempt to hide in empty petrol drums to try to sneak out of the prison camp. This chapter opens with an excerpt from Folio of Cloud Cuckoo Land. They are pressed up against a chainlink barrier as soldiers fire weapons towards them. and in which Pisthetaerus, a middle-aged Athenian, persuades the worlds birds to create a new city in the sky to be named (Nephelokokkygia) or Cloud Cuckoo Land Wikipedia). The preservation of knowledge and the importance of storytelling were key themes throughout the novel, and the escape of Konstance at the end mirrored Aethons desire to return to Earth, bringing the story full circle. However, he then sees Marian headed back to the library. "Cloud Cuckoo Land" is told in a series of manuscripts that has survived through the centuries by the sheer will of those to whom the story has touched - and which over the centuries ends up . Konstance instructs Sybil to send him a message, but he doesnt respond. When Konstance is 7, she sneaks out when her mother is sleeping to visit Farm 4, where her father, Ethan, is working. The kids then take a break from rehearsal. She also mentions that Natalie Hernandez, one of the kids from that day, is studying Latin and Greek in college. Bunny takes out a payday loan for quick cash. Compare the library in Lakeport and the one aboard the Argos. Seymour thinks about all their unpaid bills and how his medicine alone costs $119 a week, but she reassures him itll be okay. In the courtyard of the palace, he tells tells the guard that he has come with a gift for the learned men of this place. In 2020, when Seymour sets off his bomb while the kids are rehearsing, Zeno grabs the bomb and runs to an empty area to save the kids, killing himself. He ends up shoving the book in the fireplace. Cloud Cuckoo Land - National Book Foundation Throughout the novel, Doerr employs vivid and evocative language to describe the natural world, drawing on his signature talent for capturing the beauty and fragility of the environment. Mrs. Boystun is diagnosed with Huntingtons. This chapter opens with an excerpt from Folio K of Cloud Cuckoo Land. The two then continue to travel together, and she helps him to ward off suspicions of being a deserter (since she seems like a prize he has won in battle). Soon, Zenos father leaves for military boot camp, and Zeno is left living with Mrs. Boydstun. When Omeir asks what is being constructed there, hes told that it will be the Destroyer of Cities, a thunder catapult that will change history forever. Shes with her mother in Compartment 17, their family compartment. When he's 6, they move into a double-wide that Bunny inherits, located on plot of land next to a forest. She dashes over and takes the roasted bird. The characters are: Anna and Omeir in and around 15th-century Constantinople; Zeno and Seymour whose plots converge in 2020; and Konstance, who lives in the future. When the forest is demolished by housing developers, Seymour becomes obsessed with climate change. The children help Zeno to figure out that the tale ends with Aethon returning home to pass on his story (since the text is illegible toward the end). In 2020 in Lakeport, Idaho, Zeno Ninis is an octogenarian who brings a group of kids to the library afterhours, where they rehearse for an upcoming performance of Cloud Cuckoo Land (adapted as a play). Chryse cuts off Annas hair to try to make her less attractive to them, but she thinks that Anna could possibly evade them, so she tells Anna to try to run. Patti takes the opportunity to jokingly poke him with her fish sticks, and finally Seymour is overwhelmed and flips out with a rage (that has chewed at the edges of every waking minute since he found Trustyfriends wing). It tells of a shepherd, Aethon, known by. This chapter opens with an excerpt from Folio of Cloud Cuckoo Land. Rachel narrates to set the scene: Its a foggy night on the island kingdom of Tyre [] and the writer Antonius Diogenes is leaving the archives [] . By nighttime, Seymore is still incensed about it. The party is loud and flashy, and Zeno feels overwhelmed and out of place. She is no longer as free-spirited after the incident with the pages being burned. On the nightstand, she sees a book called Cloud Cuckoo Land by Antonius Diogenes. in 2021, Seymour is in prison. On Konstance's 276th day in isolation, she reaches for the owl drop box and realizes she's able to grasp on to it, unlike other things in the Atlas. Despite everyones warnings, Aethon embarks on a journey to find the utopia. Cloud Cuckoo Land, excerpts. Anthony Doerr's novel Cloud Cuckoo Land is divided into 24 numbered and titled sections. His teacher, Mrs. Onegin lets him wear them during Recess, Snacks and Reflection Time. In this section, Aethon has arrived in Thessaly, and he looks for a witch who can transform him into a bird. As she finishes reading, she thinks about the place the Italians had described of a library that could contain every text ever written. The ending of the Cloud Cuckoo Land reveals that the Argos was a seed pod waiting for Earth to cycle back to a safe climate. However, he's stopped by Sharif, one of the library staff. He immediately begins arranging his trip to London in May. The weeks later in June, the twenty youngest prisoners including Zeno and Blewitt learn that their release has bee negotiated. In this section, after Aethon watches the witch/owl fly out of the window, he rushes into her room. Nearby (within viewing distance of the library), Seymour Stuhlman, 17, is asleep in his Pontiac Grand Am. This snowy late afternoon at 4:30 PM, he walks 5 fifth graders (Alex Hess, Rachel Wilson, Natalie Hernandez, Olivia Ott and Christopher Dee) from the elementary school to Lakeport Public Library. 3 comments. One day, Zeno and Blewitt are instructed to empty out an isolation box a coffin-like box with a wooden lid that contains a nearly-dead man. She makes Seymour promise to stay in the home after he gets off the bus at school, but each day he heads out into the clearing in the forest. She is also introduced to she ship's library, assessible via a virtual reality device (Vizer). By now, Anna ihas realized that perhaps this story is too fantastical to be a realistic account of someones travels. At the end of April, Anna looks out to see that the priory on the rock is on fire. One day, after a series of storms have deluged the area with rainwater, the cottage is flooded. She thinks about what the Italian trader had said about books being destroyed: Day after day, year after year, time wipes the old books from the world. That night, Anna starts reading the story to Maria to distract her from her woes. He says that the potential of whats lost haunts you since you dont know what it could have been, just like youll never know what those boys could have become. That spring, Mrs. Onegin introduces him to a book about owls, and he recognizes Trustyfriend as a great grey owl like the one depicted on the cover. By 2146, she has a 3-year-old son and is pregnant with another child. In the book, Aethon-the-crow looks down at Earth from above, feeling hopeless. He also starts to feel aware of his own body and how deficient he feels. He stops to ask about their farm, and the mans servant warns him of a ghoul or a mage (Omeir) in their midst. She looks it up to see that Scheria is a mythical island of plenty from Homers Odyssey. In the library, the kids have their dress rehearsal for their performance tomorrow. By now, Constantinople looks farther away, but everywhere else is darkness. Seymour seems to have some type of sensory processing disorder which had been suggested earlier, and the earmuffs help to mute things so loud noises dont irritate him as much. Meanwhile, everyone at the convent talks about the Sultans possible upcoming attack on Constantinople and the fort that hes been building upstream. He finds comfort in the forest outside their home, especially with his beloved Trustyfriend. In the weeks since she discovered the old Lakeport library hidden in the Atlas, Konstance has been able to copy three-quarters of Zenos Cloud Cuckoo Land translation onto scraps of sackcloth (from the food powder bags). That December, Pearl Harbor is bombed. Human life is fleeting but the memories can live on in the pages or texts of a book, as such, worth preserving. A few weeks later, Konstance turns 14. He makes the determination of whether the boy will live or die and the family accepts his authority and judgment. In her father's hometown, she sees people clamoring for water near a water truck as men with guns shoot at the crowd. As she bleeds out, Kalaphates burns the pages in the fire. The bombardment is concentrated at the walls, though occasionally a cannonball flies deeper into the city. He feels panicked. However, Zeno is unsure about the plan and doesnt go along with it. When she awakes, he gives her some food. Seeing the city in the distance, she realizes she has only traveled a few miles up the coast. In May 1971, Zeno makes the trip to London. As the other kids go to play a game, Konstance decides to visit Thessaly in the Atlas. What Does Cloud Cuckoo Land Mean? - Writing Explained Zeno sees that the man has carved some lines in a mix of English and Greek onto the back of the wooden lid. Once hes retired, he spends his days working at the public library. During the siege of Constantinople in 1453, she must accept that her city is not infallible. That summer, Seymour sneaks into the clearing each day after Bunny leaves for work. Hes also off his meds so hes feeling things a lot stronger right now. There, she sees a copy of the book Cloud Cuckoo Land, translated by someone named "Zeno Ninis". In this section, Aethon describes the fantastical and heavenly sight of Cloud Cuckoo Land. It is an epic of the quietest kind, whispering across 600 years in a voice no louder than a librarian's . He find himself visiting Edens Gate and then he heads to the library. However, a storm suddenly starts, and the winds cause the paintings protective covering to rip off. This section describes Aethon-the-crow at the gates of Cloud Cuckoo Land. 10 months ago. Over time, Anna stops noticing Omeirs cleft lip. He talks about how after Aethon-the-donkey made his escape, he went searching for a rose. Required fields are marked *. The redacted documentation in the library regarding the habitability of the planet and the inability of the Argos to survive in space for a long journey indicate that hibernation and preservation were the best hopes for humanity in the face of relentless human-induced climate change. By the time she gets out of the Atlas and off the Perambulator, she is exhausted and hungry. He then gets eaten by a large sea creature. Seymour attempts a bombing at the Lakeport Public Librarythe building that neighbors the housing developers responsible for the forests destructionon the same night that Zeno and the children are doing their dress rehearsal. Afterwards, they go to visit the Italians to sell the stuff, but they find the place emptied out. As the oxygen disappears from the room, Konstance reasons with Sybil unless Sybil opens the door to Vault, then Konstance will die from lack of oxygen. He suggests that she help him to steal some things from there and they can split the proceeds, otherwise hell tell on her. At the convent, the women discuss how the Italian republic could save them if they wanted, but they only care about trade and they have contracts with the sultan. It is a cylindrical vault with Sybil suspended in a tube in the middle. That season the family has their most productive harvest since leaving their village. Seymour hasnt seen Janet since he smashed in the RV and bolted. He doesn't know what happens to Rex. When he awakes, he sees its 4:42 PM and that hes been asleep for the last 15-20 minutes. When the man starts to frown at his partially-unzipped backpack, Seymour panics and pulls out his pistol. Konstance asks to be let out, and once again Sybil refuses. Instead, Konstance wants to find the copy that her father had read from. It propels him past the moon and into the stars. By August 2146, she has a 3-year-old son and is pregnant with a second child. One day, Anna returns to her cell to find Kalaphates violently confronting Maria after having found the pages that Licinius gave to Anna. That same afternoon, Tree and Moonlight are part of the ox train hauling cannonballs when Moonlight stops walking, lowers himself down and dies. This time, she notices that it says Translation by Zeno Ninis. However, shes unable to find confirmation of the feasibility of their mission and whether the technology available at the time was prepared to meet the challenge of getting to Beta Oph2. Throughout the narrative, the contents of Cloud Cuckoo Land is interwoven in bits and pieces. This chapter opens with an excerpt from Folio Y of Cloud Cuckoo Land. I don't think this was because the world was uninhabitable, but because it was clearly heading that way in the long term (based on what the owls reveal in the atlas) and humankind needed to do the long term research to be able to evacuate at some point in the future. Hell then drive off and set off the device at 6 PM. Idaho State Correctional Institute / 2021 2030. Against Janets protests, he lifts the rock to throw it at the motor home. It follows three sets of characters in different time periods who all come across a (fictional) ancient Greek tale called Cloud Cuckoo Land by Antonius Diogenes. Later, Hillary writes to him informing of Rexs death. Seymour ended up pleading guilty to all the charges, and received a sentence of 40 to life. Sharif motions wordlessly for him to head back up and away from the area. Before he arrives back in town finally, he feels anxious. He tells the owl about his troubles at school and how the other kids think hes weird and scary. As everyone does needlework, Anna helps to fetch things. Zeno and Seymour meet in 2020 when an attempted act of environmental terrorism by Seymour goes awry. 'Cloud Cuckoo Land' by Anthony Doerr: Across Time and Space Diogenes says he did not invent the story, but instead instead discovered it in an ancient tomb in Tyre, inscribed upon twenty-four cypress-wood tablets. This chapter opens with an excerpt from Folio E of Cloud Cuckoo Land. The themes of knowledge preservation, storytelling, and the magic of seeds were interwoven throughout the novel, culminating in a poignant ending that tied together the various storylines and characters. The Immortal Story of 'Cloud Cuckoo Land' - Book and Film Globe Marias vision is totally gone now, and she has difficulty speaking. In sixth grade, the teacher is unaccommodating of Seymour's condition and refuses to allow Seymour to wear his earmuffs in class. Back at home, Seymour breaks into one of the Edens Gate homes when no one is home and takes their Wi-Fi password. Finally, when thats done a test run is set up. 1 segundo ago. They continue to hide the manuscript in the old tree trunk, checking on it to ensure it is dry and safe. Omeir, Tree and Moonlight are taken to a field on the outskirts of the capital where they are directed to haul charcoal each day to a large tent where a pit has been excavated. There are many parts of the text that have been added in brackets by the translator, Zeno (including the key part where the goddess produces a rose). Upstairs, the kids knock over a few dozen root beer cans, and Seymour hears the noise. Anna thinks that perhaps she needs to drink more holy water. At the same time downstairs, a 17-year-old boy named Seymour drops off a bomb in the library. This chapter opens with three excerpts from Seymours school assignments from eighth-, ninth- and tenth-grade. Nine Miles from a Woodcutters Village in the Rhodope Mountains of Bulgaria / 1453 1494. Then, in October, on Arcady Lane, which is the road home, he sees a sign indicating that Edens Gate Reality is developing properties in that area. The mother then learns that her husband has died on his way home shes told that his horse mustve slipped in the river. Zeno tells Seymour he needs to use Seymours phone (which is on the ground next to Seymour) to call an ambulance for Sharif, and the boy doesnt protest. He exits the car to head for the library. At night, Anna reads from the goatskin codex. As the trips to the priory continue, she admits to herself that perhaps there is a part of her that enjoys the process of stealing the manuscripts. Right now, we dont know who The Bishop is, though it seems like Seymour is hoping this person can get him out of this mess. A month later, Anna has been stealing chickens and selling them to collect money to someday buy a blessing to restore Marias vision, but shes only collected a measly six coppers so far. He moves to open the emergency exit door, but it sounds an alarm and he stops. Then, he goes home and sets up the smart speaker for Bunny to use. Still a donkey, Aethon is driven north. Cloud Cuckoo Land Anna learns that the foreigners she sells the manuscripts to are from Urbino, Italy and that their master has dreams of building a magnificent library with all the texts ever written. Transformed now into a bird, Aethon-the-crow flies happily across the sky. Hes interrupted by a man (Sharif) who stops him, saying he cant leave his backpack here. In 2057, Seymour is 58 and is now on work-release. With each assignment, he gets more skeptical of what hes being taught in school and questions the extent to which were failing to understand the impact that human actions have on the environment. In Constantinople, there are worries that the new boy sultan of the Saracens is planning on capturing the city. [I don't think they knew they were on Earth. Flowers gives her the tour. This is the challenging and ambitious aspect of the read. If you would like to change your settings or withdraw consent at any time, the link to do so is in our privacy policy accessible from our home page.. Anna is instructed, along with hundreds of other children to help patch up deteriorated sections of the citys outer wall. Zeno thinks about the other worlds hes read about and how theyre out there somewhere. He also wonders if hes really willing to die for this cause (to give voice to the innumerable creatures that humans have wiped off the earth). In the book, Seymour gets the name Trustyfriend from a kids cartoon. He fetches a bunch of supplies (such as food powder, a food printer, etc.) Bunny is called in, and the school counselor suggests that Seymour may have sensory processing disorder or attention deficit disorder or hyperactivity disorder or some combination thereof. He loses whatever bravery he began with when Rex is slow to respond. That night, Zeno thinks that with regards to his translation hes gotten too bogged down in things being overly precise and finding clever allusions. He is slowly radicalized by Bishop, an internet persona who advocates for extreme retributive actions against climate destruction. By now, the children have figured out that there is something wrong and that they are in danger. Emily Clement I made the assumption that Ilium set up the Argos experiment as a test, unbeknownst to the occupants. Back in the boat, Himerius is unhappy with what shes brought back, which appear to mostly be old recrod-keeping registers filled with tallymarks. Konstance falls asleep, and when she wakes she finds that her father is equipping her with a suit and an oxygen hood that hes been making out of a plastic curtain in their compartment. Faced with the choice between staying forever in Cloud Cuckoo Land and returning home, Aethon realizes that his life needs balance to be fulfillingsomething he cannot achieve in the utopia. Meanwhile, Konstance notices something in the room that reads erasure and destruction. He stops taking his pills. At the reception after the funeral, Pastor White tells Zeno what a hero his father was. It was bitterly cold. Konstances mother frets that Konstance is going against their mandate to look forward instead of back. The weeks pass, and the siege continues and waves of men are sent in to fight. Cloud Cuckoo Land - Ending Explained Maria continues to have headaches and is losing her sight due to her head injury. As Aethon's story continues, Aethon-the-donkey is told he needs to eat a fresh rose to undo the transformation. The story flashes back to the day at the library on February 20, 2020. He wills himself to pull the pin, but finds that hes unable to do so. The Argos / Mission Year 64, Day 21 Day 45 Inside Vault One. The plan would require the help of Bristol and Fortier, the two prisoners who are in charge of loading the empty drums to be taken to Pyongyang. Ilium later develops a treadmill prototype for navigating the map. She knows that there should be fire extinguishers embedded in the ceiling according to the schematics. It serves as an embroidery house run by Master Nicholas Kalaphates. There, he learns to code. They agree to meet on the next foggy night. Everything around him also irritates him, and he finally loses his temper and screams. That night, he tells her about Aethon arriving in Thessaly and peeking into the room of the innkeepers wife, who is rumored to be a witch. However, before he can, he is captured by bandits who use him to haul stolen goods to their hideout. Rex also mentions that he and someone named Hillary are hosting an event for his birthday in May, and he invites Zeno to come visit. Sybils directive is to keep the crew safe, and Sybil believes that Konstance is safer in Vault One. Time passes. Without the story, all was chaos and death. While Bunny owns the double-wide, she still has as loan on the acre of land it sits on which is $558 a month. Sure enough, its soon destroyed. Zeno names her Athena and he takes her with him to the library each day after school. The next day, in the toolshed, Seymour soon finds a pistol, ammunition and a crate containing 25 M67 hand grenades. In 2057, a remorseful Seymour compiles Zeno's translation into a book and gives it to the kids that Zeno saved. Seymour sees the clouds and trees decorating the stage. Anthony Doerr's Optimism Engine. Anna knows she should say something but is too scared to do so. Moreover, Zeno thinks that he should have taken more risks in general in life. It requires going through a decontamination chamber to enter, and it has a separate thermal, mechanical and filtration system from the rest of the ship. Neat trick if you can do that in 9 years. Zeno finishes fifth grade, and the war ends. After Anna dies, Omeir deposits Anna's damaged-but-treasured book (Cloud Cuckoo Land) in the library of the ducal palace in Urbino. She then pulls up any files the Library has on her father. Zeno then refocuses on learning and translating Greek. As a neurodivergent child, Seymour does not fit in. Translation by Zeno Ninis.. While Diogenes is very much a real Greek writer, the story of Aetheon is fictional, invented by Doerr for this book. There, she sees that the owl drop box still stands, though the library is no longer there. These manuscripts had been storied for centuries at the ducal library in Urbino and then had been moved to the Vatican library. By now, the Eden's Gate Development now consists of over 30 homes. The greatest joy in it comes from watching the pieces snap into place. In this section, Aethon provides an answer (saying he knows nothing, and the owls agree that is the right answer), and the gates to Cloud Cuckoo Land swing open. Konstances life aboard the Argos is fraught with existential dread when she learns that she will never live long enough to reach the spaceships destination. Lakeport, Idaho / August 2019 February 2020. Your email address will not be published. The library director Marian has painted an city in the clouds on the back wall of the stage. In Chapters 16 - 20, outside Constantinople, Anna rows out until she is exhausted. He died when he was 86 on February 20, 2020. As he works on the play with them, Zeno realizes that he finally feels fully awake again. Seymour comments that that man hates him and Bunny and wants them to sell their property so more houses can be built. Rex says that the bureau mustve misfiled his letters, since he received three letters at once. Marias vision seems to clear a little and she feels better for a few days, but soon her vision blurs and her headaches return. Zenos story is one of resilience, courage, and the power of human connection in the face of adversity, and his journey culminates in a surprising and emotionally resonant conclusion. Shes brought into a room with three men, and they ask if she knows how to read old Greek. He acknowledges the pain he caused, but he also asks about what happened to the translation and play that Zeno had been working on.
