Giver

=**THE GIVER BY LOIS LOWRY**=

**//Jonas has a different destiny......//** Jonas's world is perfect. Everything is under control. There is no war or fear or pain. There are no choices. Every person is assigned a role in the Community. When Jonas turns twelve he is singled out to recieve special training from The Giver. The Giver alone holds the memories of the true pain and pleasure of life. Now it's time for Jonas to recieve the truth. There is no turning back. The society has also eliminated choice: at age twelve every member of the Community is assigned a job based on his or her abilities and interests.

“We failed in our last selection,” the Chief Elder said solemnly. Jonas was //selected// not //assigned// to be the Reciever of Memory. "But the Reciever-in-training cannot be observed, cannot be modified. He is to be alone, apart, while he is prepared by the current Reciever for the job which is the most honored in our community." (61). Jonas soon will experience real pain, in which no one else in the community has ever experienced.

Jonas's first day of training was mild compared to what he will be experiencing further down the road. The elder Reciever of Memory gives Jonas the memory and feeling of snow, of sledding down a hill at top speed, something Jonas has never experienced before. Afterward he asks about the pain he will experience, and the Receiver gives him the mild pain of a sunburn in order to get him used to the idea. Jonas finds the experience interesting, if not pleasant. When he leaves, he asks the Receiver what he should call him now that he, Jonas, is the new Receiver. The Receiver, drained from their day’s work, says to call him the Giver. The Giver shares his memory of pain, joy, pleasure, and love with Jonas. Chapters 10-11.

As Jonas's training continues he is learning about the concept of the "release." His whole life he has heard of the release of newborns and the elderly. He was taught to believe that the release was when the elderly and the newborns who are release go to elsewhere. A place that no one knows about. However, the Giver eventually lets him watch a video of a release, and he realizes that those who are released are being killed.

Jonas and The Giver create this bond with each other and eventually decided to change the Community where they live. They decide to change their destiny, to change the destiny of the Community. Together they destroy the "perfect" Utopian society.

1994 Newberry Medal Winner from the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC) [] 1996 William Allen White's Childrens Book Award from Emporia State University [] 1997 Buckeye Children's Book Award (grade 6-8) from Ohio State [] 2007 Margaret A. Edwards Award from the American Library Association [] Indiana Repertory Theater (IRT) adapted the book The Giver to the theater stage []
 * Acclaims:**

//The Giver// has sold more than 5.3 million copies. In the United States and Canada it is a part of manymiddle school reading lists, but it is also on many banned book lists. The novel forms a loose trilogy with Gathering Blue (2000) and Messenger (2004), two other books set in the same future era.

//The Giver// is a classic novel for young adults. This is a novel about a perfect Utopian Society that is taught in every middle school. It is a fast read and is easy for any student from the age of 12 and up to comprehend. There are some concepts that students may not fully grasp if taught at the sixth grade level. It is more suitable to be taught at the eighth grade level.
 * Recommendations for Teachers:**

There are a few themes and ideas in //The Giver// that can lead to powerful discussions and possible debates in the classroom. For instances, using the quote from the book, "We really have to protect people from wrong choices." The students could have the discussion what those wrong choices could be. The teacher could ask the students, "What would you do if you live in a society when all of your choices are taken from you?" "How would you like to live in a world with no pain, no memories of happiness or love?" The students could also discuss why they think Jonas and The Giver decided to destroy their perfect Utopian Society. Another strong topic that could be discussed as well as used as a paper topic, is euthanasia. Euthanasia was discussed in the book, and was referred to as the "release." The very old elderly and the unhealthy newborns were killed as a way to ease their suffering. The students could discuss this topic as a class and the views towards euthanasia in the book.

The themes that can be found is the importance of memory. Lowry was inspired to write //The Giver// after a visit to her aging father, who had lost most of his long-term memory. She realized that without memory, there is no pain—if you cannot remember physical pain, you might as well not have experienced it, and you cannot be plagued by regret or grief if you cannot remember the events that hurt you. At some point in the past the community in //The Giver// decided to eliminate all pain from their lives. To do so, they had to give up the memories of their society’s collective experiences. Not only did this allow them to forget all of the pain that had been suffered throughout human history, it also prevented members of the society from wanting to engage in activities and relationships that could result in conflict and suffering, and eliminated any nostalgia for the things the community gave up in order to live in total peace and harmony.

Another theme that is found in //The Giver// is the relationship of pain and pleasure. This is an important theme because without pain, there is no emotions. The members of Jonas's Community cannot experience the pleasures of life such as love if they do not experience pain, regret, and grief.

The importance of being an indivdual is represented in this book by following the journey of Jonas, who went from being dependant on his Community, to becoming a individual who recognizes his own beliefs, desires, and goals.

All of these themes are important to teach students at the middle school level who are trying to discover themselves, find their own place in life. It is important for the students to understand the importance of memory,of experiencing pain, love, pleasure, of how to be appreciative of the things in their lives.

There are many of different websites on unit plans and lessons pertaining to //The Giver.// The Web for English teachers gives links to many different unit plans such as:

[]- This unit plan gives ideas and instructions for class debates, cross-curriculum activites, essay topics, and pre-reading activities.

[]- This website has a wonderful, detailed unit plan in authority, cults, and Utopian socities.

Lois Lowry was born in Hawaii on March 20,1937. Due to her father's career in the military she traveled a lot. Her older son was a fighter pilot in the United States Air Force. His death in the cockpit was a horrible tragedy and a hard one to heal from. However, it left her with a wish to honor him by joining the many others trying to find a way to end conflict on this very fragile earth. She mainly writes children literature, along with young adult literature. She began her career as a photographer and a freelance journalist during the early 1970s. Her work as a journalist drew the attention of Houghton Mifflin and they encouraged her to write her first children's book, //A Summer to Die//, which was published in 1977 (when Lowry was 40 years old). She has since written more than 30 books for children and published an autobiography. Two of her works have been awarded the prestigious Newberry Medal: Number the Stars in 1990, and //The Giver// in 1993. Lois Lowry wrote about tough concepts in her works such as the holocaust, terminal illness, racism, and controversial topics such as authority in //The Giver.// This book has gained numerous of high, prestigious awards, and has been made mandatory to be taught in many middle school classes, while some schools have banned the book.
 * About Lois Lowry:**

//The Anatashia Series// //The Sam Krupnik Series// //Books About the Tates// //The Giver Trilogy: The Giver, Gathering Blue, Messenger// //The Gooney Bird Books// //The Willow Tree// //Number the Stars// //The Birthday B////all// //The Crow Call// //The Willoughbys// //A Summer to Die// Interview with Lois Lowry Introduction Video to the book: [] Movie Clips made by other students as ideas for projects: [] []
 * Other Books by Lois Lowry:**
 * Additional Resources:**
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