The Giver by Lois Lowry

Using specific examples from the book compare and contrast Jonas world with your world.

            Jonas lives in a peaceful and structured community where people follow rules and instructions without hesitation (p.1). Most instructions and reprimands are transmitted over the loudspeakers that are placed around the community (pp.

2, 22-23, 37). In Jonas world, children are born to Birthmothers (pp. 21, 53) and are raised in the nurturing center with other newborn infants. Children are given a name and a number and are assigned to couples (p.

13) who are only allowed to have two children, a male and a female (p.8). Underweight infants (pp.148-150), maladaptive citizens (p.7), people who break rules (pp.2 and 9) and the elderly people (pp.7, 28, 31-32) are released from the society.

Children are well behaved and they are not allowed to ride the bicycle until they turn nine (p.13). From eight to eleven years of age, children are required to do volunteer work (pp.26 and 45) and at twelve, they are given their assignments or careers as new adult members of the community (pp.53-60). People in the community cannot see colors (p.95) nor feel pains (p.110) and love (p.126-127) because they chose sameness (p.95). In our world, we have the liberty to choose our professions and our spouses.

Parents nurture and give birth to their own children. Couples can have as much children as they want. We are open to diversity and we accept individual differences. The law in our society does not permit the practice of euthanasia on children with congenital abnormalities as well as the elderly people. Although we are governed by laws, we are not expected to behave in a structured manner. Most people have the capability to see the colors of our environment, to experience joy, sadness, love and pain.

How does the author Lowry use imagery to describe snow and war?

            In describing the snow, Lois Lowry use imagery that relates to the visual, tactile and kinesthetic sensation of the body, e.g. sight of a bright, whirling torrent of crystals in the air (p.81), feeling of cold air and snowflakes on Jonas skin and tongue (p.80-81, 92), and the sensation of going downhill on a sled (pp.81-82, 92). Since Jonas has received so many memories in the past, he was asked to share the painful memory of war that was too much for the Giver to endure (p.118).

The imagery used by Lowry in describing war is more detailed. The images appeal to our five senses – the sight of several groaning men on the field (p118), a boy in uniform glistering with wet, fresh blood (p.119) and witnessing men and animals die (p.120); the scent of the foul-smelling place (p.118); the sense of hearing the thud of cannons and people begging for water (p.119-120); and the sense of touch or feeling as Jonas hold the metal container of water and feel the excruciating pain in his arm (p.119).