The Giver / Lois Lowry

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"The Giver" is a story about a boy named Jonas who lives in a very special community. In this community, everything is the same. People don't have to make choices because everything is decided for them. They don't have strong feelings like happiness, sadness, or anger. They also don't know about things from the past, like sunshine, snow, or colors.

When Jonas turns twelve, he is chosen for a very important job. He will become the Receiver of Memory. This means he will be the only one in the community who holds all the memories of the past – the good times and the bad times. An old man called the Giver starts to share these memories with Jonas.

Jonas learns about love, joy, and family, but he also learns about pain, loss, and war. He starts to understand that the way his community lives is not complete because they are missing so much. He begins to feel strong emotions and see the world in color.

Jonas realizes that the memories should not belong to just one person. He believes everyone should know about the past and feel the full range of human emotions. He makes a brave decision to try and share the memories with everyone in his community, even though it is a very difficult and risky thing to do. The story is about memory, feelings, and the importance of freedom and choice.

Talking About "The Giver"

An image depicting a young boy, around 12 years old, with a thoughtful expression, gently holding the hand of an older man with kind eyes and wrinkles on his face. Light is streaming in from a window, illuminating dust particles in the air. The background should be slightly blurred, focusing attention on the boy and the man. The scene should evoke a feeling of the transfer of knowledge and memories. Perhaps a faint, translucent image of a memory (like a field of colorful flowers or a snowy landscape) could be subtly visible in the background, hinting at what the boy is receiving.

 

Study Guide: The Giver / Lois Lowry (Summary)

This study guide is designed to help you review and deepen your understanding of the provided summary of Lois Lowry's "The Giver."

I. Summary Overview

"The Giver" is a story about a young boy named Jonas who lives in a community where individuality, choice, and strong emotions have been eliminated. Everything is uniform and decided for the citizens. People do not experience things like sunshine, snow, or colors, nor do they feel deep happiness, sadness, or anger.

At the age of twelve, Jonas is selected for the highly important role of Receiver of Memory. This unique position entails holding all the community's past memories, both positive and negative. The current holder of this knowledge, an old man referred to as the Giver, begins to transmit these memories to Jonas.

Through the Giver, Jonas learns about the full spectrum of human experience, including love, joy, family, pain, loss, and war. He starts to recognize the incompleteness of his community's way of life due to their lack of these experiences. As he receives memories, Jonas begins to feel strong emotions and perceive the world in colors.

Jonas ultimately concludes that these vital memories should not be confined to a single individual. Believing that everyone deserves to know the past and experience the full range of human emotions, he makes the courageous and perilous decision to try and disseminate these memories throughout his community. The story explores themes of memory, feelings, freedom, and the crucial importance of choice.

II. Quiz

Answer the following questions in 2-3 sentences each.

1. What is the defining characteristic of the community Jonas lives in at the beginning of the story?
2. What is significant about the age of twelve for Jonas in this community?
3. Who is the Giver, and what is his primary role in the community?
4. What types of memories does Jonas receive from the Giver?
5. How do Jonas's perceptions and emotions change as he receives memories?
6. What does Jonas realize about the community's way of life after receiving memories?
7. What is Jonas's brave decision regarding the memories?
8. Why is Jonas's decision considered "difficult and risky"?
9. What are two key themes explored in "The Giver" according to the summary?
10. How does the community's suppression of feelings impact its members?

III. Answer Key

1. The community Jonas lives in is characterized by uniformity and a lack of choice. Everything is predetermined for the citizens, and they do not experience strong emotions or knowledge of the past, like colors or weather phenomena.
2. At the age of twelve, Jonas is chosen for a very important job: he is selected to become the Receiver of Memory. This marks a significant turning point in his life and his role within the community.
3. The Giver is an old man who is the sole holder of all the community's memories, both good and bad. His primary role is to transmit these memories to Jonas, the new Receiver, preserving the past for the community, albeit secretly.
4. Jonas receives a wide range of memories from the Giver, including positive experiences like love, joy, and family, as well as negative ones such as pain, loss, and war. These memories encompass the full spectrum of human experience.
5. As Jonas receives memories, his perceptions begin to change significantly; he starts to see the world in color and experiences strong emotions like happiness, sadness, and anger, which were previously unknown to him.
6. Jonas realizes that his community's way of life is incomplete and lacking because they are missing crucial knowledge of the past and the full range of human emotions. He understands that their carefully controlled existence comes at a great cost.
7. Jonas's brave decision is to try and share the memories with everyone in his community. He believes that these vital memories should not belong to just one person and that everyone deserves to know the past and feel deeply.
8. Jonas's decision is considered difficult and risky because it goes against the fundamental structure of his community, which values sameness and control over individual experience and knowledge. Sharing memories could disrupt their entire way of life and potentially cause chaos or pain.
9. Two key themes explored in "The Giver" according to the summary are memory and feelings. The story also highlights the importance of freedom and choice, as well as the consequences of their absence.
10. The community's suppression of feelings results in a life devoid of strong emotions like happiness, sadness, or anger. While this creates a seemingly stable environment, it also means the members do not experience the full richness of human connection or the depth of joy and love.

IV. Essay Format Questions

1. Discuss how the community in "The Giver" attempts to achieve perfect order and control. What are the benefits and drawbacks of this system as depicted in the summary?
2. Analyze the role of memory in "The Giver." How does the community's lack of collective memory impact its citizens, and how does Jonas's reception of memories challenge this status quo?
3. Explain the concept of "choice" in "The Giver." How does the community eliminate individual choice, and what is the significance of Jonas's decision to act against this norm?
4. Compare and contrast Jonas's initial understanding of his community with his understanding after becoming the Receiver of Memory. What specific changes in his perception and emotions drive his ultimate decision?
5. "The Giver" explores the tension between security and freedom. Discuss how the community prioritizes security and control, and how Jonas's journey highlights the importance and potential dangers of reclaiming freedom and the full range of human experience.

V. Glossary of Key Terms

• The Community: A highly structured and controlled society where individuality, strong emotions, and personal choices have been eliminated in favor of uniformity and order.
• Jonas: The young boy protagonist of the story who is chosen for a very important role at the age of twelve.
• The Giver: An old man who holds all the memories of the past, both good and bad, for the community and is responsible for transmitting them to the Receiver of Memory.
• Receiver of Memory: The singular and highly important job in the community that entails holding all the memories of the past, making the individual the only one with this knowledge.
• Memories: The collective experiences of the past, encompassing the full spectrum of human emotions and phenomena (e.g., love, joy, pain, war, sunshine, snow, colors). These are suppressed from the general population.
• Choice: The ability to make decisions for oneself, which is largely absent in Jonas's community, as everything is decided for the citizens.
• Emotions: Strong feelings such as happiness, sadness, anger, love, and joy, which are largely suppressed or absent among the general population in Jonas's community.
• Freedom: The state of being able to act, speak, or think as one wants without hindrance or restraint; a core theme explored through Jonas's realization about the community.

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