The Virtue of Gratitude in the Novels The Giver and All Summer in a Day

Introduction

People ought to be grateful for what they have, typically they think their world should be greater, however, the one thing that they don’t recognize is that it doesn’t last forever. Once they recognize those nice things in their life, it’s already gone. In ” The Giver” and ” All Summer in a Day” each author develops a strong perspective (Perspective offers a unique outlook on how our self being grateful to what we have) about being grateful. Both authors develop this perspective through dialogue and imagery, which are intended to make the reader consider the importance of the concept, being grateful for what you have cause nothing lasts forever. One day it could all change, people should be cherished and happy with what they have now.

The Giver

Lois Lowry develops the concept of being grateful in “The Giver” with the craft of imagery and tone. “From the distance, Jonas could hear the thud of cannons. Overwhelmed by pain, he lay there in the fearsome stench for hours, listened to the men and animals die, and learned what warfare meant,” (Lowry, 151). This illustrates the idea because Jonas was very grateful that he has never been through such pain in his community. The purpose of using this author’s craft to develop the theme is that through imagery the author can describe the pain of the men and animals. The impact on the readers is that it tells them just how agonizing the memories were/are. “Jonas frowned. ‘I wish we had those things, still, just now and then,’” (Lowry, 106). This illustrates the notion because Jonas wants more color and choice. He wishes his life could be more colorful than before, but still, he is grateful for what he has. The reason why the author used this device is that she wants to use tone to show how Jonas wanted and he wished they could have color in their community. But he was still very grateful. The effect on the readers is that it makes them grateful for what they have.

All Summer in a Day

After discussing Lois Lowry’s “The Giver” we’re looking forward to “All Summer in a Day” by Ray Bradbury. For the most part, Bradbury used imagery and tone for the craft, the same as Lois Lowry. “A few cold drops fell on their noses and their cheeks and their mouths. The sun faded behind a stir of mist. A wind blew cold around them. They turned and started to walk back toward the underground house, their hands cut their sides, their smiles vanishing away,”(Bradbury,4).

The author used this craft with evidence to connect the concept. The sun was shining in the sky replacing the “forever” rain, the kids thought that rain would never end. It shows that nothing lasts forever, we should be grateful while things are still there. Using imagery, the author describes the scene putting the readers in the children’s shoes. The second author’s craft is tone. “But Margot remembered. ‘It’s like a penny,’ she said once, eyes closed. ‘No it’s not!’ the children cried. ‘It’s like a fire,’ she said, ‘in the stove.’ ‘You’re lying, you don’t remember!’ cried the children,”(Bradbury 2). This illustrates the idea because Margot was being grateful that she has memories of the sun that other people lack. The purpose of using this author’s craft to develop the concept is that by using tone the author can show how excited and grateful Margot is. She is so grateful and happy to have memories of the sun.

Different Effects

The reason why each author uses different author’s craft is that they want to make the story more interesting and special. If the author just used one author’s craft it would be very boring and the reader won’t be that attentive. If the author chose a different craft, it wouldn’t have much difference because it would still get the concept across, it’d just give readers a different feel. The effect of imagery in “The Giver” is that it tells us how painful the memories were and to be grateful for what we have. The effect of tone in “The Giver” is that Jonas is grateful, even when he really wishes they had color. The effect of imagery in “All Summer in a Day” is showing what it must have been like to have a fleeting moment of happiness and making the reader grateful for what they have. The effect of tone in “All Summer in a Day” is that it touches the reader with how a young girl cares so much for her fleeting memories and is still so grateful. Using author craft is very beneficial for you; it can make the story alluring and it can help the writer better connect the story with their main concept.

Conclusion

Being grateful is a very important part of our lives. In ” The Giver” and ” All Summer in a Day” both authors develop the perspective of being grateful for what you have when nothing lasts forever through the author crafts of dialogue and imagery. You should always cherish what you have instead of longing for more.