The Giver
Are things as good as they seem?
Are things as good as they seem? This is the reoccurring question I ask as I read Lois Lowry’s “The Giver.” As the story begins, Jonas, the main character, is having trouble finding the “precise” word to describe his feelings about the communities upcoming, Ceremony of Twelve. His determination to find just the absolute, exact word causes an uneasiness, a sense of something “not quite right”, it foreshadows future predicaments and turmoil ahead in Jonas young life.
In Jonas community, everything appears perfect. The community is so meticulously ordered, the choices so carefully made. (Lowry 48) Everything ugly, bad, or painful has been done away with, moreover, when Jonas ancestors chose sameness, they also lost color, choice, music and even
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(Lowry 85) They do not have climate or true emotion or feelings. Accordingly, I ask myself again, are things as good as they seem? You see in Jonas’s community, at age twelve, a board of elder’s assigns individuals their life’s work. Likewise, at the appropriate time people may apply for a spouse. Couples are allowed two children, but these are not biological. The community has positions called “birth mothers”. Consequently, new children are raised by nurturers in the nurturing center until they are one year old. Then in a Ceremony of one, they’re assigned to their family. (Lowry 49) People’s entire lives are governed by similar Ceremonies, Rules, and accepted customs. At the highly anticipated Ceremony of Twelve, Jonas receives the highest, most respected position in the community. He is to be the next Receiver of Memory. When Jonas community chose sameness they gave up memories. But, as the Giver tells Jonas, memories are forever. (Lowry 144) Jonas now would accept the collective memories of the people from the Giver. He would use the knowledge he acquired from them to assist the elders
And choose wrong?" Then Jonas continues to laugh about the prospect of being allowed to choose other things in life. This shows that even with feelings, they are still hard to comprehend, after spending so many years without them. Since Jonas left the community, he gave the future generation chance to experience the feelings that other
The Giver’s job is to show Jonas all the memories from the past and to teach him how to guide the Council of Elders using the memories that the Giver passes to him. Throughout the
Giver Essay “The Giver” by Lois Lowry is about a boy, Jonas who has been chosen to be the receiver of memory in his community. The elders see Jonas as their next receiver of memory because he has the intelligence, courage, honesty, kindness, and curiosity, These traits help him gain the position of receiver of memory. The Giver is one of the smartest elders in the community is the only one with Jonas who has the memories. The memories were kept by the two people because the community couldn’t handle them so only the two people have to feel the pain and happiness in the memories. The community also eliminates the freedom of choice from the people because the elders decide everything for the people who live there.
Jonas’s society is extremely different than the one we live in today. The first difference between The Giver and our society is the number of family members. In the book they can only have two kids, one boy and one girl; however, in America we are free to have as many kids as we would want. The second
However, The Giver has a memory of the past, color, and emotions. The Giver transmits these memories to Jonas, and the two of them are the only people in their community with this knowledge. In the novel, The Giver by Lois Lowry, the author proves that knowledge has the power to change a person's opinions, likes, and dislikes through the memories that The Giver bestowes upon Jonas. Once The Giver had given Jonas memories of the community's past, Jonas's opinions of how everyday life in the community should be changed. After The Giver had transmitted the memory of hills, sleds, and snow, Jonas immediately wanted to be able to get rid of Sameness.
Imagine living in a world with no freedom, choice, individuality, and color. Would you want to live in a world like this? Most of you would have said no, but a boy named Jonas has no choice, but to adhere to his community’s rules. In the book and the movie, “The Giver”, by Louis Lowery, Jonas finds it difficult to accept his community’s way of life. However, after he becomes the receiver of memory, he challenges the community after discovering what the world used to be like before sameness.
In Jonas’ community you they rules and punishments which have both benefits and drawbacks. Some rules and punishments no bragging, and people can’t look at other people’s nakedness. They can’t cut in line anywhere. None of the nurtures can look at the babies’ names
The most important assignment in the community. He must receive memories from the current receiver. The chief elder made the decision to make only one person bear the burden of the memories. Everyone thinks the community is perfect, a utopia, but Jonas sees all the flaws .Jonas changes throughout The Giver and as a result, tries to change the community.
Literary Analysis: The Giver Imagine a world where everything seems perfect but truly it is not as pleasant as it appears. In The Giver by Lois Lowry shows us a community in the future with no feelings at all. Jonas a twelve year old boy knows his life as it is and one evening he learns the truth about the community. Jonas set’s off into a adventure to change it all. Character,conflict,and symbolism makes the reader see thru the eyes of a twelve year old in a place of slavery disguised without anyone knowing it.
In Jonas’s society memories are held by one person, The Giver. The Giver is selected by The Committee of Elders after being observed very closely; The Giver is the one who holds all the pain so the people of the community don't have to feel them. According to the novel, the narrator states, “‘Jonas was identified as a possible Receiver many years ago. We have observed him meticulously. There were no dreams of uncertainty”’(Lowry 62).
Jonas is selected to be the next Receiver of Memory. He receives memories from the current Receiver, who is now called the Giver, about what life used to be like a long time ago. Jonas learns about the pain that used to exist, and all the emotions that people had. In Jonas’s society everyone is equal in everyway, but in order for this to be achieved, people had to give up many things. Although the idea of altering society to a utopia seems ideal, the result would still be dystopian because of the loss of control
They asked Jonas if he understands, Jonas say yes but does mean it. He didn't understand why that didn't feel that way toward him, the way he did for them. The Giver explains that the people of the community don’t feel emotion and feelings the way the two of them did because of sameness. (chapter
Jonas, a twelve year old boy, is the protagonist of The Giver. He was assigned to be the receiver of memory or the highest position in the community. The people in the community don’t need to make any decisions, their future are all decided by the giver (receiver). Jonas learns that with leadership comes responsibility. Jonas learns that with commitment, he must continue training as the receiver, or else the community will have trouble making a choice.
Outline Is it a honor or a punishment to be a receiver of memory. In a world where life is perfect and everyone and everything is also perfect. What happens when a twelve year old child in an utopia like society gets chosen for his most traumatic experience of his life yet. He has has to suffer physical pain from the Giver, no more time to do anything with his life, and can not apply for a release even if he does not want to. Jonas has the receiver of memory and it is a punishment to be a receiver of memory
First, Lowry accentuates the characters’ absence of common knowledge. As the Giver introduces Jonas to memories, he begins imagining life if everyone felt what he could. When expressing this to the Giver, Jonas says, “But why can’t everyone have the memories? I think it would seem a little easier if the memories were shared.