ENGLISH LITERATURE FORM 2 :ONE IS ONE AND ALL ALONE

Synopsis of One is One and All Alone

“One is One and All Alone” by Nicholas Fisk is a science fiction story, set in 2045. The main character is Trish, an 11-year old girl who is the only child on a spaceship to Trion. Her father is the Executive Officer of the spaceship and her mother is in Trion helping to set up a space station. She will only meet her mother in mid January 2047. 

After three months, she feels lonely and bored as she does not have any real friends to talk to except her private, multi-functional diary: the VoicePrinter (VP). VP is an intelligent computer which keeps Trish entertained with its ability to perform many functions. 

Through her dialogue sessions with VP, Trish learns about clones and the cloning process. The idea of cloning fascinates Trish and she soon decides to create a clone to keep her company in the spaceship Biolab without her father's knowledge. She names her new identical twin “Clo” and initially it becomes her perfect friend and companion. They have fun playing and sharing their time together. 

However, certain mannerism of Clo begins to irritate Trish as the clone behaves and thinks like her. Soon they start to argue and disagree with each other over trivial matters. The last straw happens one night when Clo starts referring to Trish's mum as her mum and this upsets Trish as she feels her privacy is being invaded.

The next day, Trish opens up her diary and confides in VP that she does not like to be “swamped, invaded and taken over.” At that instant, she decides to dispose off Clo forever through the “DISPOSAL” hatch near her cabin. 

The story ends with a twist when it is Trish who is disposed by Clo. Clo then assumes Trish's identity and Trish's dad is not aware of the change at all. Clo then enjoys being “one is one and all alone” and her new lease of life as Trish in the spaceship.

Source: Curriculum Development Division. Ministry of Education Malaysia. 2010

Analysing the Characters in One is One and All Alone

Trish

·                     Main character.

·                     11 years old; the only child on the spaceship heading towards Trion.

·                     Lonely and bored.

·                     Misses personal interactions with her parents as her Dad is busy with his work and Mum is away.

·                     Relies on the VoicePrinter (VP) for companionship and information.

·                     Intelligent: she masters the cloning technology and created a clone of herself.

·                     Short sighted as her cloning plan backfires.

·                     Clo becomes a nuisance to her.

·                     Clo in turn gets rid of Trish through the Disposal Hatch instead.

Clo

·                     Identical twin created by Trish in the Biolab using cloning technology.

·                     Trish's friend and companion before she "got sick" of her.

·                     Quick thinking as she out manoeuvres Trish and gets rid of her creator.

·                     Cautious, as she assumes Trish's identity at the end of the story.

Trish's Dad

·                     Executive Officer of the spaceship.

·                     Busy and preoccupied with work as the captain of the spaceship.

·                     Tries to spend time with Trish, his daughter at the diner; indulging her with chocolate milkshakes.

·                     Does not realise that Trish has been replaced by Clo at the end of the story.

Voice Printer

·                     Versatile and intelligent computer.

·                     Tutor and companion to Trish in her lonely days.

·                     An avenue for Trish's private thoughts, feelings and opinions.

Source: Curriculum Development Division. Ministry of Education Malaysia. 2010

MORAL  VALUE

• we must learn to be self-sufficient.
• we must not expect perfection.
• we must value friendship.
• we must think carefully before making decisions
• we must thankful for what we have

• LITERARY DEVICE

SIMILE

• Suddenly you're as bright as a button

Repetition

• i'm sick of me.I'm sick of being the only child on the ship .I'm sick of computer images and sounds.