Since the dawn of time, throughout history, humans have continuously created society after society in order to create a base of civilization. The organization of leadership is a basic path to follow for most civilizations including the Aztecs, Chinese Dynasties, or the Romans. In Lois Lowry’s novel, The Giver, there is more of a base of societal dehumanization that manifests itself into an idea of a perfect community. It takes the ways of basic human right and completely strips the citizens of them. Although they are given the basic needs to survive, it does not supply them with the luxury to truly experience living.
Dehumanization itself as a meaningless word is defined simply as the psychological process of depriving of human qualities, …show more content…
And medicine, law, business, engineering, these are noble pursuits and necessary to sustain life. But poetry, beauty, romance, love, these are what we stay alive for." -Robin Williams, Dead Poets Society
That quote is purely what defines the meaning of human. Communities of The Giver have almost destroyed any of our feelings that make us truly human. The elders had completely stripped their citizens of their right to love, to feel what is one of the most valued emotions. They use their people as work subjects and nothing more. The citizens are oblivious to what has been stolen from for generation after generation and how much they have lost to dehumanization.
Next, the citizens are objectified solely for the pursuit of progress. Their lives are basically classified into three stages. First, the stages of development after birth are the periods where the children of the are constantly observed in order to become certain of what that child's job is for the next stages of their life. Secondly, the "Worker Bee" stages, which after being selected for a job at twelve, they are further trained and soon certified to work in whatever field they are specified to be in. Lastly, the Elder stages in which people who are too old or weak to further supply to the community come to live out the remainder of their lives until they are selected to be …show more content…
Their lives as a whole are nothing but planned out until their release from the community from birth, their basic human right of choice is stripped from the lives forever. The basic choices most of mankind have learned to take for granted are anything but existent in their so-called “ideal society.” The choice of food, clothes, or even speech has never taken any sort of role in their life. Not to mention, in the book, the certain feelings or as they call it, “stirrings,” that come with maturity are immediately suppressed so that they may not be attracted to any of their fellow citizens. They have all been removed in hope of creating a community consisting of sameness, with anything associated to be different to be
Dehumanization itself as a meaningless word is defined simply as the psychological process of depriving of human qualities, …show more content…
And medicine, law, business, engineering, these are noble pursuits and necessary to sustain life. But poetry, beauty, romance, love, these are what we stay alive for." -Robin Williams, Dead Poets Society
That quote is purely what defines the meaning of human. Communities of The Giver have almost destroyed any of our feelings that make us truly human. The elders had completely stripped their citizens of their right to love, to feel what is one of the most valued emotions. They use their people as work subjects and nothing more. The citizens are oblivious to what has been stolen from for generation after generation and how much they have lost to dehumanization.
Next, the citizens are objectified solely for the pursuit of progress. Their lives are basically classified into three stages. First, the stages of development after birth are the periods where the children of the are constantly observed in order to become certain of what that child's job is for the next stages of their life. Secondly, the "Worker Bee" stages, which after being selected for a job at twelve, they are further trained and soon certified to work in whatever field they are specified to be in. Lastly, the Elder stages in which people who are too old or weak to further supply to the community come to live out the remainder of their lives until they are selected to be …show more content…
Their lives as a whole are nothing but planned out until their release from the community from birth, their basic human right of choice is stripped from the lives forever. The basic choices most of mankind have learned to take for granted are anything but existent in their so-called “ideal society.” The choice of food, clothes, or even speech has never taken any sort of role in their life. Not to mention, in the book, the certain feelings or as they call it, “stirrings,” that come with maturity are immediately suppressed so that they may not be attracted to any of their fellow citizens. They have all been removed in hope of creating a community consisting of sameness, with anything associated to be different to be