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Choice, or rather the lack of it, is the one of the important themes in "The Giver". The people believe that they have chosen to live in a seemingly perfect and blissful society. Ironically, this "choice" that they have made has caused them to give up their ability to make their own decisions. They have in fact lost the freedom of choice without even realising it. For example, adults cannot choose their own spouses. Instead, they are matched according to their personalities. The members of the community have no memory and therefore cannot make any conscious decisions. They live by a strict set of rules which does not allow for free will. With little individuality and no freedom, choice is a foreign concept and considered inherently dangerous.
From the time that they are born, to the time that they are "released", every aspect of a person's life in Jonas's community is governed by a set of rules, many of which seem trivial and pointless. There are rules which require them to share their dreams at breakfast, their feelings at dinner, take a pill to suppress "Stirrings", use the standard apology phrase, and girls must wear ribbons in their hair until they are nine. There are also rules prohibiting them from doing things. For example, children cannot ride a bike until they reach the age of nine, there must be no fighting or lying, or display of physical affection outside the family unit.
I have deliberately chosen a black and white picture of the river to show how Jonas's society is leeched of colour. The river runs through the community and out to "Elsewhere". It symbolises escape from the community which is like a prison. It also represents unpredictability, which is a very alien concept in this society because everything is supposed to follow a routine and give everyone a false sense of security. Nothing bad is supposed to happen. When little Caleb wandered off and drowned in the river, this was a rare occurrence in the community because it was something that could not be controlled or predicted.
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The baby represents the new child, Gabriel, who has been spared from being released because Jonas's father was willing to receive him into their family unit to give him extra attention and care. Jonas becomes very attached to Gabriel and even begins to consider his as his little brother. Gabriel is a symbol of hope and new beginning to Jonas. In Literature, babies often symbolise hope and regeneration. In 'The Giver", Gabriel is still too young to absorb the customs are rules of the community. However, this also makes Gabriel very receptive to the memories that Jonas wants to transmit to him. Jonas seizes the opportunity to do so. At the end of the book, Jonas flees with Gabriel from the community. In doing so, Jonas saved Gabriel's life as Gabriel was supposed to be "released" the next day. This gesture symbolises Jonas's resolve to change things and start a new life.
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Both "1984" by George Orwell and "The Giver" depict a dystopia which is controlled by a powerful body. The state needs to preserve its own stability and power by controlling the behaviour, thoughts and actions of its citizens. However, the principal difference between the two novels is the manner in which such control is exercised. In "1984"'s community called Oceania, this is achieved through the deployment of fear tactics and intimidation by constant government surveillance, secret police and torture. The seemingly omniscient "Big Brother" controls every aspect of human life. Even thoughts are controlled by the "Thought Police". Even thinking a rebellious or disloyal thought is a "thoughtcrime", which is in fact considered the worst crime of all. In essence, the government prohibits freedom of thought and any expression of individuality. Citizens are constantly watched through telescreens which blast a constant stream of propaganda designed to make the failures and shortcomings of the government appear to be triumphant successes. However, in "The Giver", the Committee of Elders maintains power through the manipulation of the people's emotions and behaviour by rigid categorization and societal rules. Members are led believe that they are happy, secure and fulfilled, and that it is their own choice to live in such a society. In reality, this is a farce and the world they live in is far from perfect. In fact, they have been stripped of freedom and individuality, and have become almost like robots. Despite the oppression and harsh control exercised by the government in "1984", the timidly rebellious protagonist, Winston Smith, feels frustrated and loathes the unrelenting dominance which the government seeks to wield over the people. He sets out to challenge the limits of "Big Brother"'s power and purchases a diary in which he writes his "criminal" thoughts. In the same way, Jonas, in "The Giver", questions the strict rules which the community members have to abide by. For example, he could not see why it was necessary to have a rule of not seeing nakedness nor why he had to take a pill to suppress the "Stirrings" because he liked the feeling and wanted to have the "Stirrings" again. These niggling doubts start to grow and trouble him even more so after he begins his training as the new Receiver of Memory. After he gains wisdom from memories, he realises that the community members have given up their freedom for Sameness, and he becomes angry and frustrated. It is clear from these two novels that no matter how much a government tries to eliminate any form of individuality, it is impossible to completely annihilate independent thought, which is the very essence of human nature.
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"Ford, we are twelve; oh, make us one,
Like drops within the Social River;
Oh, make us now together run
As swiftly as thy shining Flivver.
. . .
Orgy-porgy, Ford and fun,
Kiss the girls and make them One.
Boys at one with girls at peace;
Orgy-porgy gives release." This poem is actually sung as a song during a ceremony held by citizens in the society depicted in the novel "Brave New World". The ceremony is called the "Solidarity Service" conducted as part of the religion imposed by the state to ensure that its members conform to the societal rules. It is a very ritualistic society which emphasizes trivial ceremonies in order to reinforce and entrench the notion that they are all indistinguishable from each other.
In "The Giver", the community is also required to participate in various ceremonies. For example, in December Ceremony, children from each peer group move chronologically to the next age group, infants are placed with family units and twelve-year olds are assigned their lifelong careers in the Ceremony of Twelve.
The citizens do not have any choice but to accept their position in the society, the jobs they are assigned, the families they are placed with and how they are to live out their lives.
There is a clear similarity in the two communities depicted in both novels. Both utilize rituals as a mechanism to control their members and suppress individuality. In "Brave New World", anonymity is key and in "The Giver", Sameness is the essence of the community.
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"Alpha children wear grey. They work much harder than we do, because they're so frightfully clever. I'm awfully glad I'm a Beta, because I don't work so hard. And then we are much better than the Gammas and Deltas. Gammas are stupid. They all wear green, and Delta children wear khaki. Oh no, I don't want to play with Delta children. And Epsilons are still worse. They're too stupid to be able to read or write. Besides they wear black, which is such a beastly colour. I'm so glad I'm a Beta." This quote is taken from "Brave New World" by Aldous Huxley. It describes a community which lives by very structured societal rules. Every child has to belong to a particular peer group named after letters in the Greek alphabet. and must abide by rigid rules, for example, the colour of the clothes they are required to wear. Children falling within each category are deemed to have the same characteristics as each other. In "The Giver", children in Jonas's community are also divided into groups according to their age, with each group being named accordingly. For example, all five-year olds are categorized into one group and called "Fives". Each group must conform to established rules regarding their clothing, haircuts and behaviour for that age group."Sameness" prevails over individuality as everyone and everything are predictable day after day and year after year. When children turn eight, they must begin their volunteer hours. Although they are given the choice of where they want to undertake their volunteer work, it is mandatory that they complete a specified number of hours. Even though it appears that they have the freedom to choose, this is actually illusory as they such freedom is controlled, and the purpose of such volunteer work is to give the Committee of Elders the chance to observe each child in order to assign them their lifelong careers.
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'"And that," put in the Director sententiously, "that is the secret of happiness and virtue— liking what you’ve got to do. All conditioning aims at that: making people like their unescapable social destiny."'
This quote is taken from "Brave New World" by Aldous Huxley. Like "The Giver", it depicts a utopian society which in reality is a dystopia. An all-powerful state uses social conditioning to control the behaviour and actions of its citizens so that they believe that they are happy and that they live in an ideal world. Being superficially fulfilled, the people are satisfied with their lack of personal freedom, lack of emotions , lack of self-esteem, and ultimately, their loss of humanity.
The above quote clearly identifies the use of social conditioning as a critical instrument to brainwash people into believing that they are happy with their way of life and the society that they live in.
Similarly, in "The Giver", the members of the community have surrendered their individuality and freedom in exchange for an apparently perfect society. Ironically, in an environment where everyone is ostensibly contented, they have a false sense of security that they have chosen the freedom to think and act for themselves.
In "Brave New World", there is no room for professional competitiveness as the conditioning system employed by the state has eliminated the need for it. Instead, people are genetically bred to do their jobs and cannot desire another. There is a caste system, and within each caste, members receive the same food, housing and rationing as each other. Hence, there is no competition within castes.
Similarly, in "The Giver", members of the community are assigned lifelong jobs by the Committee of Elders after observing the children as they develop in the community. Some jobs are more respected than others, for example, Birthmothers are not considered an assignment which carries much honour. This implies that there is a caste system which exists the in the community. Although Jonas's society appears to be perfect, it is clear that prejudices do exist in some form or another.
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The Giver was really more moving than I expected it to be. To be honest, I did not really look forward to reading The Giver as I have read books with the dystopian theme before and I never really enjoyed it. However, I must admit that the book really left an impression on me.
At first, The Giver made no sense to me. I did not understand the significance of being "released" and why Lily was being referred to as a "Seven". I was also puzzled by the "speaker". The surroundings of Jonas and his community were very foreign to me and I could not relate to it. I soon realised that the world Jonas was living in was a futuristic society that has eliminated all pain, fear, war, and hatred. There is no prejudice, since everyone looks and acts basically the same, and there is very little competition. Everything was standardised. It was supposed to be a perfect world.
As I read on, I soon felt that this "utopia" that Lois Lowry had created did not seem quite right. The mood is foreboding, and I got the feeling that something bad was going to happen. This mood suggests that Jonas' community is far from perfect.
The biggest thing that stood out to me was that Jonas's society had eliminated choice. At the age of twelve every member of the community is assigned a job based on his or her abilities and interests.They were not allowed to choose themselves. What I found most haunting was the concept of "Birthmothers". Their job was solely to give birth. It was as if they were being used until they simply could not give birth anymore. This quite shocking and it left me feeling quite disturbed.
The book left me guessing after I finished reading it. Many questions were left unanswered. What actually happened to Jonas and Gabriel? Do they die? Are they dreaming? Do they go to a house with lights and music? Do they end up back in their original community? This ambiguous ending left me pondering long after I flipped the final page.
Overall, I felt the The Giver was a meaningful read, with a gently haunting touch to it, teaching me to really appreciate the simple joys in life that we all take fore-granted.
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Choice, or rather the lack of it, is the one of the important themes in "The Giver". The people believe that they have chosen to live in a seemingly perfect and blissful society. Ironically, this "choice" that they have made has caused them to give up their ability to make their own decisions. They have in fact lost the freedom of choice without even realising it. For example, adults cannot choose their own spouses. Instead, they are matched according to their personalities. The members of the community have no memory and therefore cannot make any conscious decisions. They live by a strict set of rules which does not allow for free will. With little individuality and no freedom, choice is a foreign concept and considered inherently dangerous.
From the time that they are born, to the time that they are "released", every aspect of a person's life in Jonas's community is governed by a set of rules, many of which seem trivial and pointless. There are rules which require them to share their dreams at breakfast, their feelings at dinner, take a pill to suppress "Stirrings", use the standard apology phrase, and girls must wear ribbons in their hair until they are nine. There are also rules prohibiting them from doing things. For example, children cannot ride a bike until they reach the age of nine, there must be no fighting or lying, or display of physical affection outside the family unit.
I have deliberately chosen a black and white picture of the river to show how Jonas's society is leeched of colour. The river runs through the community and out to "Elsewhere". It symbolises escape from the community which is like a prison. It also represents unpredictability, which is a very alien concept in this society because everything is supposed to follow a routine and give everyone a false sense of security. Nothing bad is supposed to happen. When little Caleb wandered off and drowned in the river, this was a rare occurrence in the community because it was something that could not be controlled or predicted.
The baby represents the new child, Gabriel, who has been spared from being released because Jonas's father was willing to receive him into their family unit to give him extra attention and care. Jonas becomes very attached to Gabriel and even begins to consider his as his little brother. Gabriel is a symbol of hope and new beginning to Jonas. In Literature, babies often symbolise hope and regeneration. In 'The Giver", Gabriel is still too young to absorb the customs are rules of the community. However, this also makes Gabriel very receptive to the memories that Jonas wants to transmit to him. Jonas seizes the opportunity to do so. At the end of the book, Jonas flees with Gabriel from the community. In doing so, Jonas saved Gabriel's life as Gabriel was supposed to be "released" the next day. This gesture symbolises Jonas's resolve to change things and start a new life.
|
|
|
Both "1984" by George Orwell and "The Giver" depict a dystopia which is controlled by a powerful body. The state needs to preserve its own stability and power by controlling the behaviour, thoughts and actions of its citizens. However, the principal difference between the two novels is the manner in which such control is exercised. In "1984"'s community called Oceania, this is achieved through the deployment of fear tactics and intimidation by constant government surveillance, secret police and torture. The seemingly omniscient "Big Brother" controls every aspect of human life. Even thoughts are controlled by the "Thought Police". Even thinking a rebellious or disloyal thought is a "thoughtcrime", which is in fact considered the worst crime of all. In essence, the government prohibits freedom of thought and any expression of individuality. Citizens are constantly watched through telescreens which blast a constant stream of propaganda designed to make the failures and shortcomings of the government appear to be triumphant successes. However, in "The Giver", the Committee of Elders maintains power through the manipulation of the people's emotions and behaviour by rigid categorization and societal rules. Members are led believe that they are happy, secure and fulfilled, and that it is their own choice to live in such a society. In reality, this is a farce and the world they live in is far from perfect. In fact, they have been stripped of freedom and individuality, and have become almost like robots. Despite the oppression and harsh control exercised by the government in "1984", the timidly rebellious protagonist, Winston Smith, feels frustrated and loathes the unrelenting dominance which the government seeks to wield over the people. He sets out to challenge the limits of "Big Brother"'s power and purchases a diary in which he writes his "criminal" thoughts. In the same way, Jonas, in "The Giver", questions the strict rules which the community members have to abide by. For example, he could not see why it was necessary to have a rule of not seeing nakedness nor why he had to take a pill to suppress the "Stirrings" because he liked the feeling and wanted to have the "Stirrings" again. These niggling doubts start to grow and trouble him even more so after he begins his training as the new Receiver of Memory. After he gains wisdom from memories, he realises that the community members have given up their freedom for Sameness, and he becomes angry and frustrated. It is clear from these two novels that no matter how much a government tries to eliminate any form of individuality, it is impossible to completely annihilate independent thought, which is the very essence of human nature.
|
|
|
"Ford, we are twelve; oh, make us one,
Like drops within the Social River;
Oh, make us now together run
As swiftly as thy shining Flivver.
. . .
Orgy-porgy, Ford and fun,
Kiss the girls and make them One.
Boys at one with girls at peace;
Orgy-porgy gives release." This poem is actually sung as a song during a ceremony held by citizens in the society depicted in the novel "Brave New World". The ceremony is called the "Solidarity Service" conducted as part of the religion imposed by the state to ensure that its members conform to the societal rules. It is a very ritualistic society which emphasizes trivial ceremonies in order to reinforce and entrench the notion that they are all indistinguishable from each other.
In "The Giver", the community is also required to participate in various ceremonies. For example, in December Ceremony, children from each peer group move chronologically to the next age group, infants are placed with family units and twelve-year olds are assigned their lifelong careers in the Ceremony of Twelve.
The citizens do not have any choice but to accept their position in the society, the jobs they are assigned, the families they are placed with and how they are to live out their lives.
There is a clear similarity in the two communities depicted in both novels. Both utilize rituals as a mechanism to control their members and suppress individuality. In "Brave New World", anonymity is key and in "The Giver", Sameness is the essence of the community.
|
|
|
"Alpha children wear grey. They work much harder than we do, because they're so frightfully clever. I'm awfully glad I'm a Beta, because I don't work so hard. And then we are much better than the Gammas and Deltas. Gammas are stupid. They all wear green, and Delta children wear khaki. Oh no, I don't want to play with Delta children. And Epsilons are still worse. They're too stupid to be able to read or write. Besides they wear black, which is such a beastly colour. I'm so glad I'm a Beta." This quote is taken from "Brave New World" by Aldous Huxley. It describes a community which lives by very structured societal rules. Every child has to belong to a particular peer group named after letters in the Greek alphabet. and must abide by rigid rules, for example, the colour of the clothes they are required to wear. Children falling within each category are deemed to have the same characteristics as each other. In "The Giver", children in Jonas's community are also divided into groups according to their age, with each group being named accordingly. For example, all five-year olds are categorized into one group and called "Fives". Each group must conform to established rules regarding their clothing, haircuts and behaviour for that age group."Sameness" prevails over individuality as everyone and everything are predictable day after day and year after year. When children turn eight, they must begin their volunteer hours. Although they are given the choice of where they want to undertake their volunteer work, it is mandatory that they complete a specified number of hours. Even though it appears that they have the freedom to choose, this is actually illusory as they such freedom is controlled, and the purpose of such volunteer work is to give the Committee of Elders the chance to observe each child in order to assign them their lifelong careers.
|
|
|
'"And that," put in the Director sententiously, "that is the secret of happiness and virtue— liking what you’ve got to do. All conditioning aims at that: making people like their unescapable social destiny."'
This quote is taken from "Brave New World" by Aldous Huxley. Like "The Giver", it depicts a utopian society which in reality is a dystopia. An all-powerful state uses social conditioning to control the behaviour and actions of its citizens so that they believe that they are happy and that they live in an ideal world. Being superficially fulfilled, the people are satisfied with their lack of personal freedom, lack of emotions , lack of self-esteem, and ultimately, their loss of humanity.
The above quote clearly identifies the use of social conditioning as a critical instrument to brainwash people into believing that they are happy with their way of life and the society that they live in.
Similarly, in "The Giver", the members of the community have surrendered their individuality and freedom in exchange for an apparently perfect society. Ironically, in an environment where everyone is ostensibly contented, they have a false sense of security that they have chosen the freedom to think and act for themselves.
In "Brave New World", there is no room for professional competitiveness as the conditioning system employed by the state has eliminated the need for it. Instead, people are genetically bred to do their jobs and cannot desire another. There is a caste system, and within each caste, members receive the same food, housing and rationing as each other. Hence, there is no competition within castes.
Similarly, in "The Giver", members of the community are assigned lifelong jobs by the Committee of Elders after observing the children as they develop in the community. Some jobs are more respected than others, for example, Birthmothers are not considered an assignment which carries much honour. This implies that there is a caste system which exists the in the community. Although Jonas's society appears to be perfect, it is clear that prejudices do exist in some form or another.
|
|
|
The Giver was really more moving than I expected it to be. To be honest, I did not really look forward to reading The Giver as I have read books with the dystopian theme before and I never really enjoyed it. However, I must admit that the book really left an impression on me.
At first, The Giver made no sense to me. I did not understand the significance of being "released" and why Lily was being referred to as a "Seven". I was also puzzled by the "speaker". The surroundings of Jonas and his community were very foreign to me and I could not relate to it. I soon realised that the world Jonas was living in was a futuristic society that has eliminated all pain, fear, war, and hatred. There is no prejudice, since everyone looks and acts basically the same, and there is very little competition. Everything was standardised. It was supposed to be a perfect world.
As I read on, I soon felt that this "utopia" that Lois Lowry had created did not seem quite right. The mood is foreboding, and I got the feeling that something bad was going to happen. This mood suggests that Jonas' community is far from perfect.
The biggest thing that stood out to me was that Jonas's society had eliminated choice. At the age of twelve every member of the community is assigned a job based on his or her abilities and interests.They were not allowed to choose themselves. What I found most haunting was the concept of "Birthmothers". Their job was solely to give birth. It was as if they were being used until they simply could not give birth anymore. This quite shocking and it left me feeling quite disturbed.
The book left me guessing after I finished reading it. Many questions were left unanswered. What actually happened to Jonas and Gabriel? Do they die? Are they dreaming? Do they go to a house with lights and music? Do they end up back in their original community? This ambiguous ending left me pondering long after I flipped the final page.
Overall, I felt the The Giver was a meaningful read, with a gently haunting touch to it, teaching me to really appreciate the simple joys in life that we all take fore-granted.
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Name: Nicola
Literature Blog:
The Giver
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Tagboard. Maximum width of 700px. Height can be infinite.
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Name: Nicola
Literature Blog, The Giver
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blog post 6: photo montage
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