Chapter 12

In this chapter there are some situations you see the typical structures and conventions (Sitten) of the community.

The first situation is on breakfast, while Jonas’ family tells their dreams. His mother asks Jonas if he had dreamed something. Jonas is really happy that it is not necessary to lie. “Jonas simply smiled and nodded, not ready to lie, not willing to tell the truth.” (p.73,ll 3+4) It fits in the character of the community: He grew up with a lot of rules and now, since he is the Receiver of Memories, he has to change this. You can say, Jonas lives in the character of the community and it is hard to leave this and become someone different.

The second situation is when Jonas meets Fiona. She tells him that she had looked for him the day before to ride home together. The following convention is shown in some parts in the book: It is to be polite. For that Jonas apologizes for making Fiona wait and she answers the typical phrase: “I accept your apology.”(p.74, l 16) This automatic answer shows that the community members did not only learn the rules –they live them. Here Jonas does not have to ‘break’ the rules, because it is not against his Receiver-instructions.

In the whole book you can find hints to this rules and conventions, these are just examples.

Comment:

If I imagine this world as a world which could be, I will be really shocked. The men in the community have no own choice. They have to obey. They can not change their job, if they do not like them…well, they have to like them. They do not know who their parents are, which their biological family is. I would not like a world like that. Sure, I know, that they do not know, that it could change. They worry about every abnormal activity, because they do not know them. In our world you can see airplanes everyday, in their world it is something on the horizon. Our world is very different to their world, but I don’t know, whether you can say, they are humans like we are. Humans are humans because they can think and these people are not allowed to think. Are they humans?

I would be interested in the question if there are any other humans, far away from the community, who live like we? Maybe the community is like the communistic states today, where men live without any real rights, but in “the Giver” they are controlled with a lot of technology and they have not only to do not think in another way as the political system of their state, they are not able to. They have no rights anymore, because they can not use their senses anymore. I think no one would live in this world if he has a choice.

This picture shows the sameness of the community: Everyone has to live in the same house.

sources: http://www.trvth.org/uploaded_images/sameness-741394.jpg

Chapter 11 - First Memory: About snow

Sources: http://www.abendblatt.de/multimedia/archive/00284/Schlitten_HA_Sport__284232c.jpg

This picture shows the scene when Jonas gets the memory about snow and the sled. I think it is chosen well, because the boy seems to be happy like Jonas and he is about twelve years old. Unfortunatly there are colours although Jonas is not able to see the colours this time and he wears clothes the member of the community would never wear. They do not fit in the "sameness".
But Jonas feels the speed and is really happy to have this memory, which is shown in this photo.

Comment to Chapter 9

“What if they had all been instructed: You may lie?

His mind reeled. Now, empowered to asked questions of utmost rudeness –and promised answers- he could, conceivably (thought it was almost unimaginable), ask someone, some adult, his father perhaps: “Do you lie?”

But he would have no way of knowing if the answer he received were true.” (p.60, ll.19-25)

I really like this last part of chapter 9 because Jonas thinks very philosophically about the rules he has to obey. The eighth rule is:  “You may lie.”(p.58, l.22) . Jonas is shocked and confused, because he has learned to be polite, faithful and honest since he was born. Now he asks himself how he could be sure that all the other members of the community do not have the same rules. Maybe, he thinks, everyone he is talking to is allowed to lie. I think Lois Lowry told this part in a really good way, so that Jonas seems to be wise and the reader sees the sides of Jonas which do not fit in the sameness of the community.

You can also see that Jonas gets uneasily the rules, because they are against everything he believed. Because he becomes the Receiver many things change –Jonas has to stand strongly a lot of pain and confusedness.

I think, additionally it shows the influence of the sameness in Jonas life. He does not see himself as a special man and guesses that everyone could have the SAME rules.

Jonas' Diary Entry

It’s already bad that I am Nineteen, ‘cause when I sat in the Auditorium waiting that my number was called, minutes seemed to be hours and I became more and more impatient. It was really nice to see how happy the other Twelves were, getting their jobs, but I even wanted to know which future was expecting me. Well, I waited sitting on my place, Fiona on my left. I guessed she was as excited as I was, although she controlled herself very well.

Our Ceremony began and after the Chief Elder’s speech he called One. There were some Assignments I do not enjoy, but everyone left the stage with a smile in his or her face, and I became surer that the Elders would even know what would be the right one for me.

Asher was really nervous but I think to be the Assistant Director of Recreation is perfectly made for him. When my best friend left the stage he seemed to feel relieved.

The disaster happened later. Again I became more nervous, because Fiona was called to the stage and my sureness was lost. What should I do if the Elders do any mistake? Maybe they were not able to choose an Assignment for me? I did not know WHICH Assignment was waiting for me. And before I reminded this, the Elders shocked me.

Fiona –what a surprise- became Caretaker of the Old. She looked very satisfied when she sat down on her seat, but I was unfortunately excited and strained, waiting to hear my number. Repeating the situation I think it was funny. I pleased for a controlled and normal walk to the stage: That I will not slip or anything like that. In a heart-stopping moment I heart “Twenty”. My first thought was “She skipped me.” and then I was confused about my own number. Or maybe I had heard wrong! But no: Pierre, Twenty, on my right hand moved to the stage and I just wanted to disappear. Far, far away from my family and the other community members who were all surprised and watched me asking themselves if I had done anything wrong, because I knew: The Elders do NOT make mistakes. I was embarrassed and looked forward to the end of the Ceremony. I did not hear what the Chief Elder was telling and who got which job. Although my eyes were open I do not realize what I see, everything was senseless. Again and again I focused on the voice of the Chief Elder while she called number and number, from twenty-one continuing in order. When the last one had his Assignment, the audience applauded and I applauded, too.  Politely but just like an automatic. I waited. It was really hard, because I seemed to know what everyone was thinking and they all, especially me, need an explanation. In this moment the Chief Elder started to speak again I raised up my head.

Then the most exciting minutes follow I ever had. The Chief Elder ordered me to stage now and all of my confusedness and fear was shown in my walk. When I stood next to her, she began o explain and everything she said, every word seemed to be a joke. I still do not really got this. Me –the Receiver of Memory? I did not know whether this could be my future. And the Chief Elder told us that the selection to be the Receiver was very, very rare. How could I am the right one? But I have seen the current Receiver: Watching me intently with his pale eyes –eyes like mine- he was sitting in the group of the Committee of Elders.

The Chief Elder continued and what she told was not like a job I wanted. Alone. Apart. And do I have this intelligence, integrity and courage she was talking about? The Assignment of the Receiver includes pain. She explained this pain as nothing I want to feel. Additionally: Wisdom. How could I be wise? I am a Twelve! I do not have enough experience to be wise.

Then the last one…”Capacity to See Beyond”. What is it? An easy question, but J don’t think that anyone could answer it. How they all looked at me I knew they wanted to hear that I have anything.  But do I?? I wanted already to say: No, I don’t have this attributes. I can’t be the new Receiver. And then, suddenly, when I watched the audience…they changed. They ALL changed like the apple in the game with Asher. In this moment I knew: I have all this attributes, and I CAN also see beyond. This was what I told the Chief Elder and everyone in the Auditorium. She accepted that, they all accepted that. They thanked me for my childhood –as it was the tradition- and then they began to whisper, call, scream my name. I felt wish less happy, knew they were satisfied with my new role, my new life.

Unfortunately there was this bad feeling. Fear. I don’t even know what my future will be like. There are many options and I will not forget how the Chief Elder was telling me about “pain beyond every experience”. I fear this pain and what I have to become.

Analysis of Chapter 6

This text is an extract from the novel “The Giver” by Luis Lowry, appeared in year 1994, and deals with the first eleven Ceremonies, the community members visit on two days each year.

The whole novel is told from the perspective of the main character Jonas, although it is told from a third person narrator.

This excerpt leads up to Chapter 7 and 8 which are about the Ceremony of Jonas. There are some passages written in dialogue, for example in the beginning: From page 38 line 1 to page 39 line 3 Jonas’ Mother and sister talk with him about the following days and the Ceremonies. But instead of this part the mainly part is a narrative passage from Jonas’ view who tells the reader how the Ceremonies are passed.

The chapter is subdivided in two parts. First you get something about the first day and the Ceremonies of newchildren, as the Ceremony of Eight, too. Jonas’ narrative is focused on the Naming because he thinks it is the most interesting and happiest Ceremony on the first day. Additionally it shows how the Ceremonies are structured. The Ceremony of Eight is even told more detailed, because Lily, Jonas’ sister, is involved. This shows the relationship between Jonas and Lily, although they are not biological related.

The second part deals with the following day of Ceremonies and each Ceremony (from Nine to Eleven) is explained with many details. This works to make the reader feel Jonas’ suspense, looking forward to his own Ceremony. For example in lines 25 and 26 on page 42 it is said: “Jonas never found the Ceremony of Ten particularly interesting”. Jonas feels boring instead he is excited because of his Ceremony.

Ater the Ceremony of Eleven the midday meal follows and the author shows the atmosphere of Jonas and the other Elevens who will become Twelves really good: “Yesterday there had been merriment at lunch, a lot of teasing and energy. But today the group stood anxiously, separate from the other children.” (Page 43, ll. 10-12) Afterwards there is a dialogue between Asher, Jonas’ best friend, and Jonas about what will be the choice if you get a job you really don’t like and want. They talk about joining another community and whether it is possible or necessary. This makes the reader thinking himself about this situation and how he would act if he were in this situation, that he is not allowed to choose a job he wants.

In the final part the reader gets some thoughts of Jonas about his job and you see his sureness that the Elders know the right one for everybody of their community.

Like in the Chapters before Luis Lowry uses special speech. There are some word creations you do not use typically in the English language. “For the earliest ceremony, the Naming, the Nurturers brought the newchildren to the stage.” (p. 39, ll.13-15)

“The Naming” is the Ceremony the “newchildren”, that means the babies, the children who are born new (since the last Ceremonies), get their names. Luis Lowry gives the community members this special language to show that they are different to our culture. In Chapter one Jonas has to guess a word which perfectly describes his feelings. All in all this words connect to this explanation of Chapter one: They have to use words cautiously (besonnen) and for example the “Naming” names exactly what it is. In the community the members tell what they mean and don’t need any paraphrases which do not name this exactly.

Finally the whole chapter mentions the structure of their community, as it is even told: “The community was so meticulously ordered, the choices so carefully made.” (p.44, ll.6+7) Jonas is satisfied to live in this community and con not guess what could be a reason to join another community.

It fits perfectly in the previous chapters and forms a transition to the main story of “The Giver”. Here the action becomes less passive and introductory. You can expect the following chapters to be more exciting and showing more about the main idea of the whole story.

Summary of Chapter 6

This extract is taken from the chapter 6 out of the novel “The Giver” by Luis Lowry in year 1994 and deals with the twelve Ceremonies passed each year in the community, where Jonas is living.

In the beginning Jonas, his mother and sister Lily have a conversation. Lily does not like that her mother ties her braids and then they talk about the different Ceremonies, also about Jonas’ Ceremony of Twelve and which job he has to work for his whole life.

In the following part they enter the Auditorium, where they visit the Ceremonies, and its look is told: The Nurturers with the babies looking forward to the first Ceremony, the Naming, stay on stage. Because of the babies Jonas thinks about Gabriel who is not released, although he is not able to pass the Naming this year. Jonas is glad that the young boy got the chance to develop one more year.

The Naming seams to be a happy Ceremony and continues in a “Murmur-of-Replacement Ceremony” because the newchild Caleb takes the place of the child Caleb which died in the river. Last newchild is named Roberto and Jonas guesses that the old man named Roberto had been released. He noticed the differences between Loss and Release, because Roberto does not have a “Murmur-of-Replacement Ceremony”.

Then –after Ceremonies of Two, Three, Four, Fives, Sixes and Sevens and the midday meal were named shortly- Lily’s Ceremony of Eight follows. Jonas sees his sister jealous looking to the bicycles of the Nine although she acts politely.

The second passage is about the day after when Jonas will have his own Ceremony. The day starts introductory where the first passage finishes: In their Ceremony the Nines get their bicycles and one boy from Jonas’ neighborhood is one of them. Although it is against the rules each Nine has ridden a bicycle before.

To midday meal the Ceremonies of Ten and Eleven are passed. Jonas is excited about his Ceremony and feels boring about the other Ceremonies -instead they are told more detailed than the Ceremonies the day before.

Even how the day before they take their midday meal outside, but the situation is different, because the Elevens who will become Twelves are strained and they all look forward to their Ceremony.

Asher talks to Jonas about someone who did not like his job and because of that he left the community by swimming across the river and joining another community. Jonas and Asher talk about the different possibilities if they don’t like their jobs, although Jonas is sure that the Elders who control everything in their community know exactly what job is the right one for him.

Finally there are named some facts about the structures of the community like the perfect organizing of marriages: That a lot of factors have to be checked.

The Chapter ends with the signal for the beginning of the Ceremony of Twelve.

Poem about the Stirrings (Chapter 5)

If you dream something you don’t want to tell

What do you do? What do you do?

If you’re ashamed to speak about

What do you do? What do you do?

There is no ability to be silent

What do you do? What do you want?

And when you talk to them

What will they do? What will they do?

You’re still growing up and develop

Isn’t it easy - isn’t it hard?

Your parents help you to find the right way

What do you do? What do you want?

They tell you this good feeling is bad

What will you do? What will they do?

The Stirrings: You want to feel them again

What do you do? What do you do?

But they were gone when you took the pill

Is it normal or only controlled?

You loosed this dream –like a self kill?

It is not perfect and, sure, not real.

This poem is just out of my own feelings and thoughts, although I know Jonas would not think so, because he has not the freedom to think things like that, to criticize their community and the structures.