Journal+Entry+3

pages 50-97

plot outline

Jonas' time has finaly come its the cermony of twelve and Jonas waiting patiently all day has finally got his turn to go up on stage. As before Jonas is filled with feelings of fright and excitment at the same time. Yet all those feelings seem to fade away as adrenaline takes over. As the assignments were handed out to Jonas' friends and peers he grew impatient yet with every new assignment more and more relieved as none the of the assignments given were ones he would have enjoyed. With every passing minute another step closer to Jonas' new job and another exited twelve moved on until the 18th assignment. Jonas being 19 was very exited because he was next but also it was his good friend fiona's turn. He was very proud of Fiona when she was given her assignment but knew it was finally the moment he had anticapated yet at the same time dreaded in a way for months. Little did he know though that the next few moments would be worse than he could ever imagine. The speaker called out another number "20". Jonas heart sank he was confused, and felt ashamed. He didn't know what he had done to deserve this. Qeustions filled his mind, had he failed? Did the speaker make a mistake? Jonas grew light headed for he had never heard of or expected anything like it ever before. The audiencewas clearly unrestless but elders never made mistakes it couldn't have been by accident. Why was Jonas being singled out? As the number of twelve's grew smaller and smaller right up until the last one Jonas knew that eventually someone would have to deal with his situation but he didn't know how or what would happen. Once the last twleve had been assigned there job the speaker bgean to talk again. He apologised for leaviing Jonas last and skipping his audience wich shocked the audience. He continued on to say that Jonas had been given a special job. One in which a select few would ever get to experience. Jonas would be the receiver of memmories. He wouldd become omniscent and gained expeiriences and knowledge which no others would get to have or feel. He would be trained by the giver personally. Jonas was shocked but accepted his task. Like all the other twelves he went home that night and studied the rules and regulations for his job. Yet Jonas were unique to all other's. Jonas would train secluded from any other twelve and would be not be allowed to share his experiences of training with any other twelve's. Jonas was also horbiden to tell his dreams which before was custom and infact manditory. Jonas also could not aplly for medications and could not apply for release. Yet the weirdest part of all that Jonas was exempt from following all rudeness rules and the most shocking Jonas was given the opportunity to lie. This went against all of Jonas' taught feelings and the customs which he was so used to. Jonas was shocked and surprised that after all those years of strict obedience he was forbayed to break rules at his own will. This came as a shock to him yet all the same a welcome shock, although he didn't know if he all of the sudden ready to start lying. On Jonas first day of training he went to the annex and met the old receiver for the first time. The old receiver whom is later refered to as the giver tells Jonas that he may ask any qeustions he desires and that he must never apologies during his training as there is no time to waste on that. Jonas is introduced to completely new idead in which he had never heard or felt before. The giver tells him of memmories such as snow. Jonas is puzzled by this as he has never heard, seen or experiecened snow in his life. The giver tells him to lie on his back and relax. Jonas feels the Givers hand on his back and suddenly he is filled with a cold tingly sensation, one in which he has never felt before. He is suddenly energized and reinvigurated in amusment. All of the sudden he is on top of a hill covered in snow. He's on a sled and slides down the hill fully taking in the exhuilerating feeling and experience of snow. The texture the feel and the temperature that inhabits this new thing called snow. In an instance though the adrenaline filled moment is over and Jonas is back in the annex with the giver. The applie named giver has now given the memmory of snow and sledding and hills onto Jonas. Now that Jonas has experienced snow he truly now what it feels like and what it is like. Jonas' training would be filled with these experiences, except not all of them joyfull. As each memory is passed on from the giver to Jonas its as if a weight has been lifted from the giver. Another day passed and Jonas wasanxious to get back to his training and experience more new things which were new and exiting. Exept Jonas had noticed diffrent and new things which puzzled him. Things which he new to be always the same had been changing resently. Not in shape or texture but something in which Jonas could not put into words. As he puts it "they are just diffrent". He decides to ask the giver what he experiences searching for answers to these weird and enthraling occurences. The giver says test, he tells Jonas to look at his book case and try to look back behind the first layer of books. In an instance for only a fraction of a second it happens again, the book case changes in an indescribable way. The giver comes to the conclusion that Jonas is just starting to experience the coulor. For miniscule points in time Jonas is seing the color red which fits what Jonas tries to explain. Before this time Jonas had only seen in black and white but now, he is beggining to see in coulor even if just for brief points in time. Which is when a new term in the book is reveiled, "sameness". The elders decided that essentialy to make what i beleive to be an ideal and harmonious society they needed to make everything controled and the same, they needed to make everything predictable. The elders made the climate all the same, a perfectly content tempurature which is perfect for growing crops and never wavers. They made people's flesh the same coulor to stop from any diffrences and possibly discrimination. Then the elders took it to the next level and even made everything just in shades with no colour. This just firms up my previous theories that the author is attempting to make a perfect world. Not only a perfect world but an engineered world as sameness also eliminates sunlight and the sun in itself, it introduces thhe idea that scientists create what he feel, taste and see. Essentially things are adjusted for our senses to what the elders deem ideal and perefect. The chapter ends with the Giver just about to bestow Jonas with another memory but this time a memory of a rainbow to help him understand more the concept of colour which is new and puzzling to his young mind.

1. Before the novel, a world was created which is unique in many diffrent ways to the one in which we enjoy today. This world was an engineered modification of the one we know today. It has instituited changes to make it better and more enjoyable. These changes also eliminate variables and diffreneces to life. An ideal world was made in perfect harmony and in peace. Yet in my opinion one in which is boring and bland with no thrill or exitment. One in which eliminates individuality or peoples diffrences which can make life so much more exiting and worthwhile. Yet this world also has many secrets and has many bewildering components about it. Such as the need for fighter pilots in this perfect world which i beleive the author tries so hard to portray and convey to the reader. This diffrent world has rules, which if broken again have an engineered punishment, perfectly suited to the crime, if you will. Also this world has been introduced to a thing called sameness. Sameness makes everyone equal and all surroundings perfectly suitable for life. The climate is even engineered for the growing of plants, as i said to reduce any variabilities or unknown presences to life, if you could even call it that at this point. Every person has the same colour skin to eliminate any discrimination and even to take it a step further all colours have been eliminated. People can only see in shades, again to make people lives more predictable and possibly the goal is to make it less shocking and more comfortable. Even in a way peoples lives are engineered to be idealy suited to serving the community above ones needs. As people's purpose in life seems not to enjoy but simply continue on the existence of this world which is called "The Community". People's jobs are chosen for them and cannot be changed, their families are selected for them in which you apply for children. Thats right given birth in this new world is obsolete instead it is someones job to give birth and then you just apply and are given a child. Of course the setting is one of the most important points of the story but also the characters./ The protagonist is Jonas and he is a special twleve destined to be the new receiver. Jonas was applied for like everyone else's children's were and nothing really too odd about Jonas that is vital to the story. The main p things you need to know is that the world has changed from what people today would recognize it as. It has almost all of its individuality removed and has been engineered and that even people have been changed to idealy suit the main objection of life, to continue on the everlasting perrfect society of the community.

2. In this portion of then book there are many new characters but many of them are very unimportant and only there just for the sake of being there. For example during the ceremoony of twelve there are numerious characters in the crowd but non of them need any introductions. There are also a few characters introduced to the story that serve a practical role but other than that are not pivetal in the story and really are not described in depth from the author. These characters include the speaker in the cermony of twelve and the receptionist of the annex in which Jonas trains. I will breifly describe the characters although they are not critical. The speaker at the ceremony of twleve was the chief elder. The chief elder was elected every ten years. The chief elder is the leader of the community almost a mayor if you will. His job included to make speaches at the cermonies and things of that nature. Although there is no real physical description, simply imagine what you would consider to be an average looking elderly person. Creases on the forehead, wrinkles overwhelming their worn out skin, the look of a tired soul in their eyes and of course the distinct sight of faded hair color. The chief elder's job in the role he played at the ceromony was to make a few open remarks and a short speech individualized to each of the twelves thanking them for their childhoods. The cheif elder was a character that commanded respecct and obeidience yet at the same time could ease the mind of the entire community with only a few short breaths. In one hand you never wanted to get on his bad side and not just because of his authority and in the other he has a soothing and reasuring presence. The next character was the receptionist to the annex. Although I cannot speculate on what the receptionists physical apperance was I can remark on their work. The receptionist was of course polite and curtousy to Jonas when they first met, which is almost expected of receptionists in a way. The receptionist's job was to simply answer the phone and greet people with a smile and hello when they came in, although seldom people ever came in besides herself, Jonas and the giver. Also another part was to tend to the personal needs of the giver himself. Which brings me too the giver, a newly introduced character which unlike the others is key to the story and not simply an extra. The giver was old and had had the job of the giver for a very long time yet not as long as he appeared as the job initself can add the effect of aging. The giver has wrinkled, sagging skin just like the tipicle image of an elederly person would convey. Yet I think there is a very captivating part to the giver. His eyes were percing in their lightness, yet although they pericing and captivating still seemed seemed tired, weary and certainly ready to retire. The area around his eyes were darkened as if they were shadows. He seemed like a hurried man one not to doddle or waste time. A no non-sense type of man, yet at the same time understanding and relaxed. Without a doubt aswell he was very proud of his duty and the hounor bestowed upon him with it. The givers job was arguable the most important job in the entire community. His job was almost like a story teller or a historian, to pass on the knowledge of the past and traditions to younger generations except his task was to only teach Jonas. Exept he taught in diffrent ways in more than one sense. His job was not only to share his people's history but teach Jonas about experiences that used to be and now have vanished. He needs to teach him things in which he had never known before, words which he could not comprehend or understand there meanings. Such as snow, the community has never had and never will have snow so how could Jonas know what it is and what it feels like. That is the givers task to teach Jonas things of that nature. The givers job is one of great honour and in plain terms his job is to train a succusor for himself. The giver also teaches in a diffrent way in the way that he gives his memmories to JOnas, so that Jonas can experience them for himself. So that he can truely know what snow and things like that are, by experiencing them. So you see the givers job is a daunting one but is ine that must be completed.

3. I think this book is idealy suited for ages 10-16. Although readers that are 10 must be advanced readers and also very good with understanding plotlines. I think this book is suited for agers 10-16 partly because of the number of pages. There is only a little over 150 pages which is idealy suited for the advanced 10 year old to the average 12 year old readers. Yet it is still suitable for ages beyond 12 because it is a complex novel which requires very much understanding. It has more advanced ideas which are ideal for readers such as myself who are suited to understand these ideas and even interpret them into their own ideas and meanings. Another reason it might be suited to children around 12 is because the protagonist is 12 and of course there is a quite obvious connection between kids of that age. They are both experiencing the same changes and feelings around that time and have about the same understanding and enterpretation of events. But again it is suited for readers around 15 because it requires the reader to think more about what is being said. Also makes the reader look for more literary devices and metaphors or symbolism in the text. Also of course since this novel itself was chosen as an option for a group of 14-15 year old challenge students I assume it would be suited to that level of reader and personally I think it is idealy suited. Thats why I think this novel is suited for people ages 10-16.

10/10