The Giver: Utopia or Dystopia?
“I have great honor, so will you. But you will find that is not the same as power.” - The Giver. Lois Lowry wrote a book called The Giver. It’s about a boy named Jonas who was chosen to be the new Receiver of memory at the Ceremony of Twelves. With the help of the Giver, he finds out things he didn’t know about the community. To some people, Jonas’s community would be a utopia, a place that is perfection, but to others it would be a dystopia, a place that is unpleasant. Jonas’s community is a dystopia because they have no feelings, no freedom, and they have release.
To begin with, Jonas’s society is a dystopia because they have no feelings. According to Document B it states, “The Giver sighed. ‘You’re right,’ …show more content…
In the document, “Wrong Choices”, it stated, “But now that I see colors, at least sometimes, I was thinking: what if we could hold up things that were bright red, or bright yellow, and he could choose? Instead of the Sameness. ‘He might make the wrong choices[said the Giver].’ … ‘We don’t dare to let people make choices of their own .’ ‘Not safe?’ The Giver suggested. …. ‘What if they were allowed to choose their own mate? And choose wrong?[said Jonas]’ ‘Or what if’ he went on, almost laughing at the absurdity, ‘they chose their own jobs?” This is important because it shows us how the people of the community don’t get the freedom it choose things for themselves like their jobs or a significant other. If they don’t get to choose in their lives, then they can’t learn from their …show more content…
Release is when the Nurturers inject the person with a shot and then they slowly die, but without the community knowing. For instance, one example is found in Document C where it states, “Well, there was the telling of his life. This is always first. Then the toast. We all raised our glasses and cheered. We chanted the anthem. He made a lovely goodbye speech. And several of us made little speeches wishing him well … He was thrilled. You should have seen the look on his face when they let him go” This is important because it shows us the the community doesn’t think badly about release because they don’t know what is, so they are expected to think happily about it. Another example of release is in Document D where it states, “He pushed the plunger very slowly, injecting the liquid into the scalp vein until the syringe was empty. ‘All done. That wasn’t so bad, was it?’ Jonas heard his father say cheerfully…. Jonas stared at the screen, waiting for something to happen. But nothing did. The little twin lay motionless…. He killed it! My father killed it! Jonas said to himself, stunned at what he was realizing. He continued to stare at the screen numbly.” This is significant because it shows us how Jonas’s father killed a child, and did not feel sorry. This also means that when a citizen is released, the community doesn’t know what they really do because they aren’t exposed to
“I have great honor, so will you. But you will find that is not the same as power.” - The Giver. Lois Lowry wrote a book called The Giver. It’s about a boy named Jonas who was chosen to be the new Receiver of memory at the Ceremony of Twelves. With the help of the Giver, he finds out things he didn’t know about the community. To some people, Jonas’s community would be a utopia, a place that is perfection, but to others it would be a dystopia, a place that is unpleasant. Jonas’s community is a dystopia because they have no feelings, no freedom, and they have release.
To begin with, Jonas’s society is a dystopia because they have no feelings. According to Document B it states, “The Giver sighed. ‘You’re right,’ …show more content…
In the document, “Wrong Choices”, it stated, “But now that I see colors, at least sometimes, I was thinking: what if we could hold up things that were bright red, or bright yellow, and he could choose? Instead of the Sameness. ‘He might make the wrong choices[said the Giver].’ … ‘We don’t dare to let people make choices of their own .’ ‘Not safe?’ The Giver suggested. …. ‘What if they were allowed to choose their own mate? And choose wrong?[said Jonas]’ ‘Or what if’ he went on, almost laughing at the absurdity, ‘they chose their own jobs?” This is important because it shows us how the people of the community don’t get the freedom it choose things for themselves like their jobs or a significant other. If they don’t get to choose in their lives, then they can’t learn from their …show more content…
Release is when the Nurturers inject the person with a shot and then they slowly die, but without the community knowing. For instance, one example is found in Document C where it states, “Well, there was the telling of his life. This is always first. Then the toast. We all raised our glasses and cheered. We chanted the anthem. He made a lovely goodbye speech. And several of us made little speeches wishing him well … He was thrilled. You should have seen the look on his face when they let him go” This is important because it shows us the the community doesn’t think badly about release because they don’t know what is, so they are expected to think happily about it. Another example of release is in Document D where it states, “He pushed the plunger very slowly, injecting the liquid into the scalp vein until the syringe was empty. ‘All done. That wasn’t so bad, was it?’ Jonas heard his father say cheerfully…. Jonas stared at the screen, waiting for something to happen. But nothing did. The little twin lay motionless…. He killed it! My father killed it! Jonas said to himself, stunned at what he was realizing. He continued to stare at the screen numbly.” This is significant because it shows us how Jonas’s father killed a child, and did not feel sorry. This also means that when a citizen is released, the community doesn’t know what they really do because they aren’t exposed to