The Giver Dialectical Journal Essay

“’Memories are forever”’ (Lowry). People make new memories every day without even realizing it. Some good some bad, that’s just the way of life, but in The Giver nobody knows what happened before them. People barley remember what their childhood was like, they don’t understand the importance of memory and that memories are forever. Aspects of life, rules, and prosperities between our world and Jonas’ world are very different yet have some similarities. Things that are crucial to the characters in The Giver are not as meaningful to the people in our world.

     Jonas is helping his family take care of a problem newborn. His name is Gabriel, he had problems sleeping at the Nurturing Center. Jonas helps Gabriel sleep by transmitting memories to Gabriel. They become really close. Jonas finds out that Gabriel is in danger of being released. He talks to The Giver and finds out that release means the same thing as death. Jonas gets really mad knowing that his father killed the babies. That was his father’s job. Jonas wants to create a plan to change the community forever.

He shows this in the last section of the book after he watches his own father mindlessly kill a child. He also finds a way to save Gabriel before he is going to be released. (SIP-A) Jonas has finally realized what’s going on. Nobody in his society knows what death is. They think that people just go somewhere else, elsewhere, like they’re still alive. He couldn’t take it anymore so he decided to escape to elsewhere. (STEWE-1) Jonas starts to realize that Fiona is working at the house of old, and is being trained on how to release the elderly. "’And what about Fiona? She loves the Old! She's in training to care for them. Does she know yet? What will she do when she finds out? How will she feel?’ Jonas brushed wetness from his face with the back of one hand. ‘Fiona is already being trained in the fine art of release,’ The Giver told him. ‘She's very efficient at her work, your red-haired friend. Feelings are not part of the life she's learned’” (Lowry 153). This is a problem for Jonas because he realizes that red isn’t all that great of a color now that Fiona is associated with it. He also has no more feelings for her. (STEWE-2) On the opposite end of the spectrum, Jonas’s family’s newchild, Gabriel, has been scheduled for release. His parents didn’t feel they could take care of him. He was a struggle. “‘He cried all night, apparently. The night crew couldn't handle it. So, we obviously had to make the decision. Even I

Jonas has to learn more about death and pain than he already has. Death was something that wasn’t talked about in the community. The community “releases” members when they are old or if there is a set of twins or something wrong with a baby. Release is something celebrated within the community. Jonas had no idea that what release really means is to murder someone. He watches the release of a baby boy who was part of a set of twins born into the community. His father is the one performing this release because his father is a nurturer. This knowledge left Jonas devastated and in shock that his father could do something so terrible. He leaves the Giver’s and tells him that he can no longer continue receiving the memories. He takes a few days and collects himself. Fiona, his childhood friend talks him into to going back. Love is another emotion new to Jonas. He falls in love with Fiona. Falling in love is a big step that usually happens in adulthood. Another thing Jonas does that proves his progression in maturity is he decides to leave the community. When you grow up, you leave your mom and dad’s house which is how I connected this part of Jonas’ life with that of a real life

Ordinary World “Who wants to be first tonight, for feelings?” Jonas’s father asked, at the conclusion of their evening meal. pg 5

The Community is a horrible place compared to our country. Read more to find out why. A utopia is a world or place that is perfect in every way, and a dystopia is a world or place that has major flaws and is horrible. (The Giver) is a dystopian society and that is because they kill the smallest of any one twin, also they have drugs that keep them from hitting puberty. The Community in (the Giver) and our society are similar and different because parts of the world and the Community have people that make decisions in society, and MOST of the nations do not kill twins like the Community does.

The novel, The Giver, by Lois Lowry, is an everlasting story that shows the importance of individuality. This novel is about a young boy named Jonas who was elected as the Receiver of Memories, a person who is given the memories from the world that existed before their current society, Sameness. In this society there is no individualism. People can not choose who to marry, or what they want to do for a living. Over time Jonas becomes more and more wise, and realizes that the supposedly perfect community actually has some very dark and negative aspects. The author, Lois Lowry is a 76-year-old writer who focuses her writing on helping struggling teenagers become individuals. Lowry had a very tragic childhood. After both of her parents were

1. Jonas is an upstander because he makes the decision to save Gabe's life and flee with him. Jonas risks his life to move to a new society where there are things like color hills and snow. He figures out that Gabe is going to be released in other ways get killed and decides to protect Gabe and give him a better future. Jonas realizes what release means after he watches his father release one of the twins on a screen with The Giver. He decides not to go home and stay and sleeps over with The Giver, upset at his father for what he did. On the journey, Jonas has to transfer memories of heat to Gabe and trying to hide from planes that pass by. At first, it is easy because he has tons of memory but as the journey goes on Jonas continues to risk his life trying to grasp those memories of warmth.

In Document B, The Giver transmits a memory of hunger to Jonas. It states, ““I didn’t. I used my wisdom, from the memories. I knew that there had been times in the past — terrible times — when people had destroyed others in hast, in fear, and had brought about their own destruction.” This document can be used as evidence that Jonas’ community is a utopia because it show how much pain the community has to go through versus what the rest of the world has to go through.

Mary Radmacher once said, “courage doesn't always roar. Sometimes courage is the quiet voice at the end of the day saying, I will try again tomorrow. ”In The Giver jonas gets selected to be the Receiver Of Memory. So the community don’t have to feel the pain, just jonas.

Jonas learned about the lies that the elders have told him and the community. When Jonas finds out about all the horrible stuff the elders have done, he gets confused and furious with them which causes him to leave the community. According to The Giver, Pg. 107, “But why can’t everyone have the memories? I think it would seem a little easier if the memories were shared.” Jonas thought that having to bear all the pain from the memories was unfair and thought everyone should have the memories. When Jonas learned about

The protagonist also becomes a symbol of salvation for humanity, not only as a character in the story but also in the real world, because Jonas ' attempt to share the memories of the past with everyone is a sign of people 's unification. In the scene when he and the Giver are united in the mission to share the memories with everyone in the community, Jonas states, “Together we can think of something” (Lowry 142). Despite their differences, both the characters had a common goal that brought them together.

And, because of this Jonas risks his life by leaving the community with few resources to have the rest of his community have the memories like he does. This is because, when he received the memory of love, he truly wished that everyone could experience it. After he receives this memory Jonas and The Giver have a conversation, “‘What did you perceive?’ The Giver asked. ‘Warmth,’ Jonas replied, ‘and happiness.

Being the receiver of memory he gets many feelings and memories that the other people in the society don’t get. For example he gets the memory of pain, sadness, color, happiness, etc. but nobody else does. Jonas learned that if he were to be released for break the rules and leave the society, everyone would get back the memories he has. And he wants everyone to not only have the good memories but the bad ones too.

Imagine a world without love or color. Jonas the protagonist in The Giver he ran away and left comparing his community to our society. In our society we aloud to love whoever we want and we free to love. In jonas society love is a word that is prohibited no longer said for example abandoned no longer mentioned because they don't know what it means.