REMEMBERING PAIN

Jonas has already had his first day of training. When he is walking with Fiona to the Ammex building, he realizes that something about her hair seems to change. Jonas tries to tell The Giver about these experiences he’s having. The Giver starts talking to him and tells him, like the Chief Elder said at the ceremony of December, he has the capacity to see beyond. The Giver explains that he is starting to see something that the old was filled with, something that cannot be described, colors.

 He even tries to transmit the memory of the color red to his friend Asher, by looking at some flowers. But unfortunately it doesn’t work. Jonas is frustrated by the fact that the community had to give up something as amazing as colors. The Giver explains that having colors would want people to make their own choices and decisions. Days went by and Jonas starts learning about this new, wonderful thing known as colors. He knows his world would never be the same again now that he has the memories of colors and even pain. Jonas’s attention is caught on a particular memory, one that some dark skinned men are hunting an elephant. He notices that once there were different flesh colors, and that there was once real life elephants. The Giver finally tells him that today is the day that he would receive his first memory of pain. The memory starts at the top of the hill with the sled, Jonas starts descending the hill when abruptly the sled flips over. Jonas falls on his leg, breaking his bone. When he wakes up, he can still feel the pain!

"May I have relief-of-pain, please?" he begged… But The Giver said no, and looked away. Limping, Jonas walked home, pushing his bicycle, that evening.”

How can you feel pain by remembering?



 He can feel the pain from a memory! Even after he wakes up! Why does The Giver refuse to give him something for his pain, maybe pill or something? What lesson do you learn from breaking a leg? Maybe the pain actually will give Jonas wisdom of some sort in the future.



After some days of learning and receiving memories of pain, Jonas starts gaining more and more wisdom from the memories. Jonas is really confused on why must the memories of pain be transmitted instead of only the happy and joyful ones. He soon realizes that if we have memories from the past, he would know what not to do from our previous mistakes. That’s why they need a Receiver to guide the elders and help them make decisions. Jonas’s father has being taking care of a newborn named Gabriel at nights. One night Jonas suggests that maybe Gabriel should sleep in his room. His parents agree and Jonas puts the crib on his room. Gabe wakes in the middle of the night, crying. Jonas starts patting his back, and while he does so, he remembers a memory transmitted by The Giver of a sail boat. Soon the memory fades and Jonas realizes he accidentally gave Gabe one of his memories.

“He was not aware of giving the memory; but suddenly he realized that it was becoming dimmer, that it was sliding through his hand into the being of the new child. Gabriel became quiet.”

Jonas also as the power to transmit memories! Why was Gabriel able to receive the memory unlike Asher? Does this has anything to do with his light colored eyes? Maybe only people with light colored eyes have the ability to receive memories…or even have the capacity to see beyond.




Jonas has more pain yet to discover. He as many things to find out. There are things that are being hidden from him. Jonas has a whole adventure before him.



THE RECIEVER OF MEMORIES

                 

Jonas has already received his assignment as the Receiver, he realizes that his job would be a very strange and unique experience. When he looks at the responsibilities of his job he realizes that his Job is required to break many rules that he has been thought not to break since he was a little boy. On his responsibilities folder he finds that he cannot participate in the dream telling if he wished not to. He can actually lie to other people! :O ----------------->

 

He can actually break one of the most important rules of the community rules. On his first day of training Jonas meets with the Receiver, he notices that the door of the Ammex building has an actual lock. Jonas has rarely seen a door with locks, mainly because the community is safe there are no locks, but also lock symbolize secrets and privacy, something that the citizens of the community are forbidden to have. The Receiver greets Jonas and tells him to lie down without his shirt. The older man puts his hands on Jonas’s bare back. The Receiver transmits the memory of snow. Jonas is amazed by the new experience. The old man tells him that every thing had to be eliminated, snow, hills and sleds.

 

 

 

 The old man explains that they all took that away because of Sameness, climate was unpredictable and affected the agricultural system. The Receiver also gives Jonas the memory of sunlight and sunburn.

“It was sunburn, the old man told him. “It hurt a lot, Jonas said, but I am glad you gave it to me. It was interesting. And now I understand better, what it meant, that there would be pain. The man didn’t respond. He sat silently for a second.”

The Giver probably stayed quietly because he knew that sun burn was nothing compared to the pain that is yet to come to Jonas. Jonas probably think that sunburn is the kind of pain that was categorized as physical pain. Does the Giver know that there are much greater pain than sunburn? If does why does not say anything to Jonas that there would more pain and that it will be much worse than sunburn?

“But the Chief Elder had said that they had made a selection before, that it had failed. What was she talking about? Both of his parents hesitated….What happened to her? He asked nervously. We don’t know, his father said uncomfortably. We never saw her again. ”

 Why don’t they just tell Jonas what happened, why do they hesitate? Why would the elders make an incorrect or wrong selection, haven’t they spent their whole life watching and observing kids to place an assignment for them? Isn’t this supposed to be a perfect community? Jonas parents are probably hiding something from Jonas, they know something about the incorrect selection that Jonas doesn’t.  Disappeaaaarrrrrr????? Seriously how does any one just disappear???? :O

Jonas has many secrets yet to discover, like the real meaning of pain and what really happened to the female that was chosen and just disappeared. There is something about the community that isn’t right something is happening.

A PERFECT SOCIETY

 

In the book The Giver, the society does not see differences. Difference are not to be pointed out. The government forbids talking and discussing differences to avoid many problems and issues that the world suffers from now-days. For example if differences where discussed in this society there would be many internal conflicts within the community. Because of the acknowledgement of differences many people would feel either superior or inferior from the rest, this is when conflict start to develop. Although in the ceremonies of December the differences are supposed to be celebrated, this is when the twelves' receive their new assignment, which is their job for their entire life.

“But today we honor your differences. They have determined your futures.”  In this community everything meticulously planned, the elders watch and observe the children since birth to see how they behave and react to different problems. Based on this observations, your job is chosen. Jonas gets chosen as the Receiver, which is a very honorable position chosen by the elders. The Chief Elder mentions that the choice to pick Jonas as the receiver has been based on four values:  Integrity, Courage Intelligence and Wisdom.

“Jonas, the training required of you involves pain.” Jonas’s assignment is said to include physical pain and suffering, something that no one else in the community has ever experienced before. At the end of the Chief Elders speech, she says to Jonas, thank you for your childhood, as if Jonas has now given away his childhood, has if he was owned by the Chief Elder.

In this community, everything is planned with precision and accuracy. The citizen of this society know no pain, they cannot make choices. They do not make mistakes, therefore they know no pain nor fear. This is why the government chooses your job and your future.

 

 

ABUSE OF POWER

                                                      Governments Abuse of Power

In the book The Giver, Jonas lives in a perfect community. There are no choices you have to follow the rules. Families are given only two children, a boy and a girl; it is against the rules to have more than two children. You first have to apply to get a child. You cannot choose your child’s name it is given to you. People who do not follow the rules are released. To be released is to be kicked out of the community, it is considered a terrible punishments. At the Ceremony of twelve, which Jonas is really nervous about, each child receives their assignments that they will be working on for the rest of their lives.  Jonas father is a nurturer; he is responsible for taking care of the newborns and helping them grow. There is a baby at the nurturing center that is not growing properly. So Jonas father asks for special permition so he can take the baby home each night to take care of it. This is a very strict and organized community that follows the rules with no exception. The citizens have no freedom at all in this community

“Two children--one male, one female--to each family unit. It was written very clearly in the rules.” This quote means that there are very strict rules that the government creates to control its citizens and control the population inside the society. The government does not give freedom to its people by creating oppressive laws. “It was one of the rituals, the evening telling of feelings.” This quote means that there is the same schedule for everyone each day. Everyone’s day is planned and cannot be changed. People do the exact same thing each day. There are no choices.

Jonas lives in a society where there is no freedom. There are no choices. The government make the choices for you. You cannot decide your career, the government chooses for you. You have no freedom on what you do each day. You cannot choose who you marry, the government chooses for you. Jonas lives in a society where there is no freedom and the government controls everything you do.