From the Bookshelf of ENGL 3390: Great Works for Middle Grades Spring 2013…
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In the perfect world color doesn’t exist and neither does race. Jobs are assigned and spouses are given. Pain is never experienced and starving is not an option. Everyone and everything is the same, and in Jonas’ world they like it that way or do they? In what seems to be a utopian society we learn that perfection comes at a cost and so does the thought of what could have been. Is it possible to have snow without feeling cold? Can there be love without war. As Jonas ages will he discovers the an
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Jonas lives in a world where there are no worries about poverty, hunger, or pain; and there is no freedom to choose your daily schedule, spouse, number of children, or even to have hormonal “feelings.”
When Jonas receives the great honor of becoming the Receiver, the community’s memory of the past and the world outside, Jonas comes to understand that the perfectly ordered life is not all one might think. Is one allowed to think?
Though there are some aspects of the fair for all community that I fi ...more
When Jonas receives the great honor of becoming the Receiver, the community’s memory of the past and the world outside, Jonas comes to understand that the perfectly ordered life is not all one might think. Is one allowed to think?
Though there are some aspects of the fair for all community that I fi ...more
Lois Lowry details curiosity, growth, and individualistic development as Jonas, the main 12 year old character, is faced with a highly respected Assignment of receiving emotionally tasking memories from the aging Receiver, also known as the Giver. Recognizing his differences in thinking, Jonas is faced with discovering the power of choice and the conflicting idea to either pursue great honor or power. The complexity of Jonas's thinking and development into a character of deep understanding and g
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The Giver by Lois Lowry is a coming-of-age story about a 12 year old boy named Jonas living in a futuristic society where it appears every problem has been solved and perfected. By the community withholding all memory of good and bad, pleasure and pain, and regulating the family unit upon other things, the society responds gratefully for the protection from dangerous outcomes like hunger, divorce, etc. The Giver, an older man who holds all the community's memories teaches Jonas his new job dutie
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The Giver ****
The Giver is the story of a boy named Jonas whose desire is to be given an Assignment of importance in his community of Sameness when he becomes a twelve. Jonas is selected to be the Receiver; he will be given the honor of receiving all of the memories that ever have been then, becoming a sort of counselor to the elders of the community. The book is an easy read but, also has some challenging vocabulary and a story line that will cause students to think. I think that middle grade s ...more
The Giver is the story of a boy named Jonas whose desire is to be given an Assignment of importance in his community of Sameness when he becomes a twelve. Jonas is selected to be the Receiver; he will be given the honor of receiving all of the memories that ever have been then, becoming a sort of counselor to the elders of the community. The book is an easy read but, also has some challenging vocabulary and a story line that will cause students to think. I think that middle grade s ...more
This book takes place in a society that can best be described as one where all residents are on equal levels of intelligence, financial status, and knowledge. These levels were reached by the recurring theme of many rules, which were all obeyed and never questioned by the members of the society. The plot is engaging, while drawing the reader into the many details of a society that has very few details of its own. As a book in a middle grades classroom, this will provide great material for discus
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Jonas turns 12 and receives the highest honored job in the community, but his entire life changes as he learns that life in his community is not what he thought. Jonas begins to realize the beauty of being an individual in a community that makes sure every person is the same. The Giver creates an entirely new world where the reader is constantly surprised and curious as to what will come next. Middle school students will gobble this story up; experiencing a new world and way of life that will ma
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The Giver presents a futuristic society that is striving to offer its citizens a utopia but, as we learn through Jonas and The Giver, is really a distopia. In this society, everyone is the same. Color does not exist. People are assigned roles in the community, spouses, and children. There is a sense of someone always watching as the speakers remind community members when they have had a transgression in their behavior. The most honored role is that of The Receiver -- the role Jonas is selected t
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Jan 25, 2013
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