Corrupt

           Are you content with the way your government is run? Most of us are able to answer this question with a true opinion but citizens of the community from the novel The Giver by Lois Lowry are not. They are unaware of how their government is run. The government controls their every move. The government in this novel is politically incorrect in more ways than one can imagine.

The government absolutely controls every action made by the people belonging to the community. It almost as if the citizens of the community are puppets being controlled by the government, but the people have no idea that they are being controlled. The people of the community have no knowledge of their history beyond their generation. They have never experienced or even heard of some of the things they are restricted from such as both positive and negative feelings, the ability to see color, and even the ability to make their own decisions. The people of the community are sheltered from nearly everything without knowing it.

Our government on the other hand allows us the freedom to do most of the things they couldn’t. For example here our future is entirely up to us, we can decide to pursue almost any career we wish. In the book there is a gathering called the ceremony of twelves(p52). At this ceremony the elders which are essentially the body of the government gives each twelve their role. A role in the community is like a job. The next day all of the twelves go off to start receiving training for their role. Another difference between our form of government and theirs is all of the things we have access to. We can see color, feel the temperature, have feelings, and much more. In the community they do not have access to any of these things. The restrictions of their government help those who aren’t happy with ours realize that it could be much worse.

Also the way their government controls them is not beneficial for the people or the elders. Both the people and the elders are unable to enjoy themselves while being controlled. The government is very strict with all of its rules, if broken you will be released from the community in other words killed. The way the government controls the people is not beneficial to the people.

The way the government runs the community is wrong. It doesn’t allow the people any freedom. They are not even in control of their own lives which is wrong. The Government is politically incorrect in more ways than one can imagine.

The Giver Creative Piece

Authors note: This is a creative piece based on the novel The Giver by Lois Lowry. I decided to add on to the ending of the story because the novel was a cliff hanger. 

 "Downward, downward, faster and faster. Suddenly he was aware with certainty and joy that below, ahead, they were waiting for him; and that they were waiting, too, for the baby.  For the first time, he heard something that he knew to be music. He heard people singing. Behind him, across the vast distances of space and time, from the place he had left, he thought he heard music too. But perhaps it was only an echo."……   Jonas was filled with excitement and joy, he made it. The joy and excitement wasn’t enough to keep him awake, he was exhausted from his journey and was In need of a rest.

Jonas awoke late the next morning. Half awake he tried to stand up and look around but collapsed due to immense pain in his ankle.  He then inspected his ankle. It was both swollen and bruised. He tried to move it, nothing.  Jonas sat up to observe his surroundings,  ignoring the throbbing pain coming from his ankle. It appeared that he was in a bedroom similar to the bedrooms back in the community, but there was something different about this one that he couldn’t pick out. There was a bright beam of warming light coming from the window. Sunshine. Now he started to remember the memories of sunshine the giver had passed on to him. Jonas also saw color, the room was filled with color. Both of which he would never have experienced in the community. Filled with joy Jonas had forgotten about the pain in his ankle, once again he tried to get up. Another unsuccessful attempt. Jonas had nothing to do but wait for someone to come.

Hours passed by then finally two people filed in through the door. Numerous questions were asked, and answered truthfully. After this process Jonas was taken to receive medical care for his ankle. He was lied down in a bed surrounded by machines.  Minutes later the door swung open and a nurse walked in. Jonas didn’t think much about it until he saw the needle in her hand. He panicked, due to his memory of seeing his father release the newborn child. Jonas was off the bed in a flash, trying to escape. He collapsed instantly,  the pain was too much. He was guided back to the bed. The nurse by his side, injected the needle into an IV in his lower arm. The world around him started to slow down, everything becoming dull, then it all went black.

Jonas awoke the next day. This was a surprise to him, he thought it was over. Once again he looked around. He was puzzled when he laid eyes on a tube that was coming out of his arm. What is it, and what was it doing there? Jonas pulled at the cord, but was instantly stopped by a nurse who had been sitting beside the bed. Jonas also had a large brace on his ankle. This gave him the assumption that the strange cord had something to do with his ankle. He was no longer worried, he now felt a sense of relief. The people of this new civilization had helped care for him, a sign that the new civilization was quite a bit different than the community, Jonas liked it.

Quote

Authors note: This is an assigned piece relating to the importance of a chosen quote from the novel The Giver.

            “Jonas has been selected to be our next Receiver of Memory”.  This was very astonishing announcement said by an elder at the ceremony of twelve’s, which is very important to those who live in the community.  It is the time when children receive their assignments, meaning they find out what the elders chose for them as a job.  Jonas was selected rather than assigned.  He was selected to be the receiver which was one of the most honorable and respectable roles in the community.  Jonas’s role as the receiver eventually brought out the conflict created a resolution. The story would’ve dramatically changed if not for this scene.

            This quote introduced the main conflict of the novel. The conflict was that the community was controlled by sameness. Nothing was ever different, there were never any problems, people never got to make their own decisions, and if the strict rules were broken the penalization was death.  When Jonas became the receiver he realized this issue and was determined to change it. My quote is from when Jonas became the receiver, if he never became the receiver the conflict of the story would’ve never been uncovered.

            This quote also led to the solution. As the receiver Jonas gained a large amount of knowledge which led him to the conflict but more importantly led him to the resolution. Jonas used the knowledge he gained from becoming the receiver to find a resolution to his problems. His resolution involved him running from the community. None of this would of happened if he hadn’t became the receiver.

            This quote was the official announcement of Jonas’s role in the community, this later led to both the conflict and the resolution. If this had not happened the plot would’ve changed dramatically. This quote was very important to the story.

The Giver Speech

 The giver is about a boy named Jonas who lives in a place called the community where everything is always the same. He takes on a new role at the community and realizes that he doesn’t like the sameness. He then tries to do something about it. He decided to run hoping that he will find a better place away from the community.

I predict that he will find a better place. One reason I believe this is because Jonas demonstrates courage, bravery, and determination throughout the book. These qualities will help him make it. He was brave enough to go on the mission and he is determined to finish it which means that he will push on until he succeeds. Jonas will make it.

Revolutionary Comparisons

Authors Note: This piece is comparing the movie The Patriot and the book April Morning.

 How are the stories told in The Patriot and April Morning similar, and how are they different?  Both are fictional stories set during the same war yet have many differences.

One thing that these two stories have in common is that they are both historical fiction stories taking place during the revolutionary war.    April Morning is all about the battle of Lexington, which is one of the many battles that took place during the revolutionary war. The Patriot is about the whole revolutionary war.   Both stories related to the revolutionary war.

Another thing these two stories have in common is battle tactics.  In April Morning the local militia ambushed groups of the British while they were marching.  The militia used trees and ledges and rocks for cover while the redcoats left themselves out in the open.   In The Patriot one man and his two sons ambushed a group of British soldiers and used trees and rocks to for cover.   The same over all strategies were used in both books.

Both stories center on a conflict between father and son, and their roles in the war.  In The Patriot, the father was a war hero, but does not support this war, while the son believes in the cause.  In April Morning, the son wanted to be in the war to prove himself to his father.

The number of battles fought in each story varies.   April Morning was only about the battle of Lexington.    The Patriot was about the whole revolutionary war. These stories are about the same over all war but not the same battles.

These two stories have both many similarities and differences.  Both are fictional stories set during the same war yet they have several key differences that make them unique.

Freedom

Authors Note: This piece explains my prediction for the novel The Giver by Lois Lowry.

The Giver by Lois Lowry is about a boy named Jonas living in a place called the community.  The community is surrounded by sameness, everything that happens is the same and strictly planned, people there do not have the ability to make their own decisions or go their own paths.  All is chosen for them by a group of people known as the elders. Jonas was selected to become the receiver of memories by the elders. Over the course of his training he started to recognize the sameness. He hated it. He soon became determined to change this for himself. He set off, away from the community on a search for somewhere better, somewhere were things weren't always the same.
I predict that Jonas will be successful in his mission. One reason I think this is because Jonas displays qualities such as courage, bravery, and determination throughout the book. He decided to go on the journey even though it was said that it will most likely result in death.  This is an example of courage and bravery. During his journey he kept pushing on, which shows his determination to make a difference for himself. Another reason I think he will be successful on his journey is based on the situation right now. He currently has plenty of food left and is making decent progress towards his future. I predict that Jonas will make it to the freedom of a new community.