The Giver: Creating A Problem Free Society

“Life here is so orderly, so predictable-so painless. It's what they've chosen” (Lowry 103). Imagine a world with no control over who you marry, what your job is, what you wear, or what you get to eat for every meal. This is what it’s like in The Giver by Lois Lowry. The people live in a community that is severely more controlled than ours. We have the freedom to have a pet, have as many kids as you want, and say what you want. The people in The Giver do not have those freedoms. The people in the community don’t even know what love is. In our world love is each individual’s choice, but not in The Giver. In other words, they don’t get to experience the precious parts of life, such has having a wedding and giving birth to your child. No society is perfect, but citizens of every community have an

Jonas’ community appears to be a utopia, but, in reality, it is a dystopia. The people seem perfectly content to live in an isolated wreck—in a government run by a select few—in which a group of Elders enforces the rules. In Jonas’ community, there is no poverty, starvation, unemployment, lack of housing, or discrimination; everything is perfectly planned to eliminate any problems. However, as the book progresses and Jonas gains insight into what the people have willingly given up—their freedoms and individualities—for the so-called common good of the community, it becomes more and more obvious that the community is a horrible place in which to live. You as a reader can relate to the disbelief and horror that Jonas feels when he realizes

Lois Lowry’s The Giver is set in a futuristic, dichotomous society, one that is both utopian and dystopian. In response to the overwhelming destruction and chaos in the world, the Elders have attempted to create and maintain a peaceful and orderly utopia, but this security comes at a price. The citizens of the community have sacrificed their individuality and freedom. Although most adult members have some knowledge of the hypocrisies involved, they choose to perpetuate the deception, allowing the community, as a whole, to continue on blissful ignorance. When young Jonas is confronted with all the truths of the present and all the memories of the past, he must choose for himself

In today’s society there are many authors who write dystopian novels. They write these novels to give knowledge and to tell how our world is very different from dystopian life. Lois Lowry shows readers how people can suffer in dystopian society. In The Giver, Jonas’ community appears to be a utopia, but in reality it is a dystopia because everyone is under the illusion that there is freedom, dehumanization, and their strict regulations.

b) How can a society or culture ever improve if people will always disagree on how to improve?

“That citizen sinks further into apathy, anonymity, and depersonalization. The result is that he comes to depend on public authority and a state of civic-sclerosis sets in” (Alinsky, 1971). This statement perfectly describes what is happening to the people today. People are no longer concerned with what is happening around them. The world today is living in an individualization phase where there are more people who know more stuff about the celebrities, latest fashion and gadgets, rich lifestyle, etc. rather than the continuous welfare problems. Because the world has reached the technology era, people are blind and deaf to the oppression that is happening. In this world full of complex networks of problems, where should the people start?

The right way to live as an individual in society is an important theme set in this

The World Council in Anthem demonstrates this by trying to unite everyone so they no longer feel, or even know of, the concept of individuality. This stops them from wanting to be different from their “brothers”, in fear of punishment and scorn from the World Council and everyone else. In turn, this douses the flame of rebellion by striking fear and resentment of being the only one standing in the face of an issue. The Giver demonstrates this is a less obvious way, not by directly forcing people to adhere to these laws, but by pushing them bit by bit to follow schedules and plans so they do not stray from a set path planned for them. The community believes it is “what is best for them”, but it is really to keep them from getting ideas about going against laws in place. The sameness and how much it is accepted and forced upon the people is a common, yet terrifying theme in dystopian literature like both of these

Society has problems, that's for certain but many can be fixed. During the mid-1950's; in the midst of the red scare, people were being convicted left and right of being communists. After being arrested, Arthur Miller took to writing a play to express his anger towards the actions of those involved. Comparing what had happened to the Salem witch trials, he wrote the Crucible. A historic play taking place in 1692 Salem Massachusetts. The inability to accept the consequences of one's actions is society’s greatest flaw. The downfall of society is represented through the actions of Abigail Williams. That is why I firmly believe that society's greatest flaw is its inability to accept the consequences of its actions.

How would it feel if this world didn’t let people have choices, didn’t let people share, or if they didn’t let people celebrate birthdays, holidays, or just celebrate anything? Well that’s what it was like for Jonas in The Giver. Jonas lives in the future in a community where The Giver is the only one who knows everything, but soon all that changed for Jonas. He became the the community 's new Receiver of Memory, and soon Jonas learns the terrible secrets of this “utopian” community. Later on as he learns some more about the community’s secrets he makes a plan to leave the community, and to take Gabe with him so he wouldn’t get released.(which means they die, but the community doesn’t understand that) In this book choices, sharing, and celebrations would have made The Giver community more positive.

We will always live in a world where there is still problems and people are still trying to protest about what’s lacking in American society. Some people thing that American society has charge like technology has change but, it hasn’t. but it’s their opinion and it’s their lives that is changing not all of society. We still have problems with people who thing that they can fix what’s going on in this society but, we can’t unless we all come together but that want to happen because people have different views about American society.

Image a world with no color, no feelings, and no freedom of choose? Well, in the community found in The Giver that’s just what you’ll find. One similarity is that you can have your family and your job. But on the other hand on the Giver the chief of the community controls your personal life. For instance the Chief Elder chooses your job, family, and your children.

Imagine a society with no pain, no worry. A perfect place. That would be the opposite of modern day society right? There's no freedom, no happiness, no love. There are very little similarities between the society in the Giver and modern day society.

Our generation seems to be in trouble. People are more focused on matteralistic things than what truly matters, such as kindness, love and family. The media have detoriated into nothing more than advertisements of things we do not need, but many feel they do to feel complete. News has become nothing more than depressing stories, Tragadies need to be covered, in the news, but I feel that positive things do, as well. This generation watches television shows, which, in a false manner, teaches them what being an adult is. Instead of having responsibilities and working hard, everyone just wants as much money as possible, with as little effort that can be mustered.

More and more people have seemed to come to accepting their current status or standard of living, rejecting and avoiding changes that would break this balance their comfort zones. Some are afraid to lose face, lose control, whereas others may encounter self-doubt, convincing themselves way before they even try. Fight Club, a novel by Chuck Palahniuk, tells a story of a man who finds his identity in society and in life after experiencing a series of disastrous events. The message that the author conveys is to be more accepting of chaos, and things we see as disastrous because only through those things we can be redeemed and change. Even though chaos and disasters possess the power to influence and change a person, I believe that it can be unrealistic