Imagine a word with no love, no affection, and no biological families. Well in the dystopian society in The Giver by Lois Lowry. This is their everyday life, which makes the protagonist Jonas wonder why is this the case. Jonas’ society and modern day society have close to nothing in common. While Jonas’ society is emotionless, experiences sameness, and does not have choices, Modern day society consists of love, celebrates individuality, and has freedom to choose.…
The American writer, Lois Lowry in her novel, The Giver, claims that in creating a utopian society the creator manufactures a dystopia, since the individuality of a person contradicts the creator’s idea of a utopia. She develops her claim by first creating a utopia where the residents lack individuality conforming to the criteria of sameness, then presenting the absence of intense emotions, then convey the reader’s thoughts of the utopia by placing a main character who gains his emotions and individuality, and finally declares that the utopia lacks morality spawning a dystopia. Lowry’s purpose is to criticize conformity in order to state that to enjoy life one must suffer to appreciate life. She establishes a thoughtful tone for the audience…
In The Giver, the citizens in Jonas’ community are living in a dystopian world due to the fact that they do not possess any freedom nor rights as a human in the community for the greater cause.…
“No one in the community was starving, had ever been starving, would ever be starving.” (Lowry 89). The Community in The Giver is called a utopian society, what is a utopian society? Webster Dictionary says, “an imaginary place in which the government, laws, and social condition are perfect...” Even though they may be “perfect”, utopian societies never really work out, and usually people have to take risks in order to change the society. In the novel The Giver by Lois Lowry, Jonas takes risks by, helping family members, doing what he thinks is right, and helping friends see the truth.…
A fulfilled life means that you are ready to die because you are satisfied with your accomplishments and your life. However the question is; can you live a fulfilled life in a supposed utopia, if you are restricted and not given the freedom of decision. In the world of The Giver there is perfect balance, but no choices and sameness is strongly enforced. In Harrison Bergeron everyone is equal but those who are beyond others are restrained. In All Summer in a Day everyone lives on an alien planet in space, but are kept isolated underground except for a few hours every seven years. One cannot live a fulfilled life in a perfect world if they are restrained, isolated, and taken away the freedom of decision. You cannot live a fulfilled life…
Freedoms of hair color, religion, sexuality, where they live, the career they want to pursue, etc.. In ‘The Giver’, they don’t have any of that. Every person is more or less the same. They have no self-think, self-worth, or individuality. Everything they do is an instruction starting as early as birth. As said by The Giver in the book, “It’s the choosing that’s important, isn’t it?” Jonas was frustrated that he didn’t have the choice of whether or not he would wear a blue tunic or a red one. The strange thing was, it didn’t really matter to Jonas would color of tunic he wore. It was more important to him about having options to choose from. The freedom of choosing gives one empowerment. The government should not create a society where individuality and the right to choose freely is stripped away. It goes against the constitution, and everything that this brass country symbolizes. America is looked upon by other countries as a free land; a free land with opportunities. By conducting such communities with restrictions on everything, the country won’t be looked upon in a positive manner. Other countries may start something similar because of our country's bad example. This is yet a reason why constructing such communities would…
A hero is a person or who, in the opinions of others, has heroic qualities or has performed a heroic act and is as a model or ideal. In Lois Lowry the book “The Giver”, Jonas goes on an archetypal hero’s journey through both positive and negative experience during his departure, initiation and return in this story I would consider Jonas as a hero because he took on many challenges such as being the receiver of memories. This is a huge job and he took the responsibilities. He rescued Gabe and went through many obstacles to reach his destination in the end. He underwent the harsh training of the job Receiver and survived.…
Unlike a utopian society, the citizens have no ability to chose. They do not get to decide what life will be like for themselves, but instead they are each given an "assignment" when they reach twelve at the Ceremony of Twelve. Each citizen is expected to follow the strict set of rules and regulations, including precise speaking and shared feelings at dinner. Every person receives a bike when when they reach nine and that is the only method of transportation allowed. It is against the rules to use a bike before you reach that age. A formal apology is necessary under all circumstances. Having strict laws and regulation eliminates a place for free will. No one in the community is given the ability to chose. Even the Giver did not chose his position. The Giver states, "'It's the way they live. It's the life that was created for them. It's the same life that you would have, if you had not been chosen as my successor'" (Giver 153). By this he explains to Jonas that the people who created the community determine how each individual lives. Jonas is one of only a couple who didn't have to follow this predetermined path.…
¨Take pride in your pain; you are stronger than those who have none¨. (Lois Lowry). You may think that, the quotes means nothing to you. In reality it really does. The society we live in, we hold memories. In The GIverś society, they also hold memories but only one person does.…
“I’d never just want to do what everybody else did. I’d be contributing to the sameness of everything.” -Captain Beefheart. In The Giver, by Lois Lowry citizens are forced, without knowing, to live according to the Committee of Elders’ standards. They choose what the people do, say, wear, etc. This is truly unfair for the Committee of Elders to use sameness to completely control the community. This is shown in the lack of authentic relationships in the family unit, the concept of sameness, and the absence of free will and choice.…
Within “The Giver”, there is a world designed to be and function flawlessly. Life is supposed to run smoothly, such as assigned jobs based on skill and even far as having no suffering or pain. Following this design, there are certain words used by the society that justify regulations and ultimately effects on the people. Three words used by the people are “Elsewhere,” Stirrings”, and “Comfort Objects”. When read, words may sound misplaced but they are created with purpose and make sense.…
The Giver’s society will not let you do what you want. “He had been trained since earliest childhood,since his earliest learning of language, never to lie.”(Lowry 67) This text supports my answer by stating how in this society people can not lie at all.“You’re starting to see the color red.”(Lowry 89)This sentence from The Giver supports my thesis by saying that there is no color and they will not let you see color in the society in The Giver.“I want to wake up in the morning and decided things!”(Lowry 92)This text states that people can not decide things in the society of The Giver.…
Imagine a community where there is no love, sadness, anger, color, choice and everyone is suppose to be the same. In the book, The Giver, written by Lois Lowry, a 12 year year boy named Jonas, goes beyond his community. Jonas lives in a false bubble of reality-quite different from ours. The town, is literally called, The Community, which infers positive aspects of social life. However, what is hypothesized is a very unhealthy place because community leaders promote sameness, lack of emotion, and having no choice or say in the community people are supposed to feel ownership. Potential explanations for The Community being an unhealthy place for people to live are detailed below.…
Members of the ‘community’ don’t have the privilege to have a bike before the age of nine and don’t have the choice in what job assignment they receive for life or who their spouse is. Jonas as well as ‘The Giver’ questioned the rights towards citizens of the community, having choices, whether important or not; “How would you know if you didn't try? So what if we make the wrong choices?” said ‘The Giver”. Jonas also had words to say when he retorted to ‘The Giver’ sometime later; “If everything's the same, then there aren't any choices! I want to wake up in the morning and decide things!” Choices are of extreme importance as well as privileges and limiting them builds a weak and unsuccessful…
Imagine a place where you have no freedom, no choice, and forced to be the same.…