Independent+Novel+Study

http://www.glogster.com/raywu/the-giver-glog/g-6lqereun38h42v27gpbe3a0

Name: Ray Wu

Novel: The Giver

Date: December 2

Pages: 1-49

Questions: 4-6

First Journal Entry

4. What's going on as the story begins?
There’s an 11 year old (or just called an Eleven) boy called Jonas. He is living with his immediate family and his little sister Lily (a Seven). They all live in a society where precision of language is very important. Citizens are released if they make a huge mistake, and it is an overwhelming statement of failure. Release also happens for the elderly and the newborns. We are introduced to Asher, who is one of Jonas’s friends. There is a very important ceremony, the Ceremony of Twelve, when the elevens all become twelves and get “Assignments”, which are essentially jobs. Later on, we are introduced to Gabe, a newchild eventually to be released. In their world, there is only shades, no color. It is told by the quote: “The same nondescript shade, about the same shade as his tunic.” They are talking about an apple having similar shades compared to a tunic, which would suggest that there is no colour in their community or that Jonas is colorblind. However, the community releases newchildren that have disabilities, so Jonas cannot be colorblind, and it is implied that there are no colors in the community.

5. Who is telling the story? How does this person’s perspective effect the way the story is told?
Jonas is telling the story. This affects the way the story is told because he can see more than the other characters introduced so far in the story. It is implied that none of his friends saw the colour change in the apple. The two quotes “But suddenly Jonas had noticed, following the path of the apple through the air with his eyes, that the piece of fruit had - well, this was the part he couldn’t adequately understand - the apple had changed.” and “The same nondescript shade, about the same shade as his tunic.” suggest that only he can see colour, only now and then. Therefore his view is more unique, and will tell more, since he can see more. Also, Jonas is the central character of the novel. He has daily contact with all of the mentioned characters - Asher, Fiona, his parents, Lily, and Gabriel. For this reason too, he can tell more.

6.What is the setting of the novel? Is the setting important or could the novel be happening anywhere? Why?
The setting of the novel is in an unknown location. However, there are only two places in the story: the city and “Elsewhere”. The mood of the setting is cold. It appears that the people have to restrain their emotions and act like robots. There is evidence of that on pages 5-6 when lily gets mad and her parents try to restrain their emotions, and also on page 37, when Jonas dreamt of Fiona, he had to take a pill to “cure” the “problem”. The time is unknown, but it is likely that the people are all genetically engineered (because they can’t see colour), so it has to be the future. This setting is important because the story has to be in a place where people cannot see colour, with a few exceptions. If people could see colour, then there would be too many changes to the story and would change the mood.

Name: Ray Wu

Novel: The Giver

Date: December 9

Pages: 50-87

Questions: 1,3,11.

Second Journal Entry

1. Why did you select this novel?
I selected this novel because when I read the review, it said “ Jonas' 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 receive special training from The Giver. The Giver alone holds the memories of the true pain and pleasure of life. Now, it is time for Jonas to receive the truth. There is no turning back. ”. I thought that there wouldn’t be such a place where everything is perfect. Things seem good in our lives because we have bad things in our lives to compare them to. If everything in our universe was constant and the same, it would remain static and unchanged. The universe would be a matrix of hydrogen, helium, and lithium, without the more interesting higher elements. This is an appropriate metaphor for our lives, because if everything was the same, we’d die of boredom. If Jonas didn’t know the truth beforehand, maybe the book is trying to tell us that there has to be bad things in our lives for the good things to be good.

3. What has happened before the novel began?
Before the novel began, it can be inferred that the human race decided to go to sameness to solve their problems related to hunger, discrimination, etc. For this reason it is considered rude to point out someone else’s diversity (Jonas’s light eyes). They have eliminated colour and music from their ability to perceive. Everybody’s lives are largely the same. They follow a strict method of growing up. No household is “better” than another. There is no detectable or recognizable form of currency. People cannot choose jobs, out of fear that they might make a stupid decision. THat’s the kind of society that these people live in.

11. Comment on the style of the novel. Is it easy or hard to follow the events?
It is easy to literally follow every event and character for me, but I think it is more difficult to understand the deeper meanings of the novel, including what the author implied. The style of the novel is easy to follow and is not complicated at all, especially since in the novel itself precision of language is very important! The novel is clear-cut, with very little grey area for the reader to debate with his friends over what is the “correct” meaning when both are correct, given its pointlessness.

Name: Ray Wu

Novel: The Giver

Date: December 15

Pages: 88-129

Questions: 7,13,14

Third Journal Entry

14. Is there a message or main theme emerging in the book? How is it shown?
The main message is emerging in the book. It is about how there must be bad things in life for one to appreciate the good things. If everything was good, then everything would be the same, making life colorless, exactly like in this novel. In the beginning of Chapter 13, Jonas has stated that it’s not fair tat nothing has color: ””But I want them!” Jonas said angrily. “It’s not fair that nothing has color!””. It’s true; it is not fair to keep humans from seeing all the colors on the spectrum. Also, it states that humans must have emotions to be living their life to the fullest, because in this novel, the citizens are restrained from their emotions and feelings for each other, whereas at the end of Chapter 16, the last paragraph: “The next morning, for the first time, Jonas did not take his pill. Something within him, something that had grown there through the memories, told him to throw the pill away.” Basically it means live the way you wan to live, and do not let anything restrain you from doing what you want in life.

13. To what age group is the novel aimed? Support your answer with evidence.
I think that this novel is directed towards youth who are somewhat lazy and want a life where all they do is their favorite activity and nothing else, because the novel clearly makes the point that there are only good things in life because of the bad things. In the novel, the sled ride was only good because there was warfare. In other words, if Jonas got a sled ride every single day for as long as he wanted, he would almost certainly think of it as fairly normal. On the other hand, if Jonas was constantly exposed to warfare, at the beginning he might be traumatized, but at the and of his training, he simply won’t care. So, Lois Lowry is trying to tell the teenagers to try something new, and that if they don’t like it, at least it will make them appreciate the good things in life more.

7. What is the initial or first problem faced by the main character?
I think that the first real problem faced by Jonas is that he, in his memories, fell off a sled and hurt himself pretty badly. He, Jonas, needed to cope with the pain on his own, without help from his friends and family. It was painful for him, because he know that he had relief-of-pain, but was not allowed to use it. This occurred in the beginning of Chapter 14.

 **Name: Ray Wu ** **Novel: The Giver ** **Date: January 6 ** **Pages: 130 - 162 ** **Questions: 15, ** **Fourth Journal Entry ** ==15. Describe any new characters that are introduced? What is their purpose? == **The only new character that is introduced in Rosemary, who is the Giver’s daughter. She was the previous Receiver, and in the end, she could not stand the emotional pressure from the memories that were transferred to her. Later, she had released herself by injecting herself with a deadly chemical. **

**The purpose of this character is to demonstrate that there were memories that the community has. Also, it is to tell the reader what release meant in a more emotional context. **

20. Is the novel believable?
**I find this novel to be believable because it is very likely that humans will come to the premature conclusion that it would be best to have a completely uniform society, one in which humans are no different than the next. Their logic is correct to a certain extent, except that otherwise the purpose for life would be unclear. ** ==21. Why would you (or why wouldn't you) recommend this novel to a friend? == **I would recommend this book to some of my friends, if they have interest in topics like genetic engineering and such, because this book is based on a society where genetic engineering was extensively used and if they don’t like genetic engineering they will have a negative attitude towards this book so there’d be no point reading it. ** **Name: Ray Wu ** **Novel: The Giver ** **Date: January 13 ** **<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Pages: 163 - end ** **<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Questions: 22, 16, 19. ** **<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Fifth Journal Entry ** ==<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 24px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">22. Why did (or didn't) the novel meet your expectations? == **<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">This novel met my expectations because I found it interesting. It kept me engaged in the story, and last, it was not a series of events, but rather someone’s experience and that’s what makes it a story. **

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 24px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">16. What is the climax of the novel?
**<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The climax of the novel is at the end of the book. It is not clear what happens to Jonas after he left the community. He could die or survive and the book would be adequately written. Some people may argue that the part where Jonas steals away from the community is the climax, but let’s face it, he’s the main character and if he is released, then there’s no story. **

==<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 24px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">19. What message did you get from the novel? How was this message conveyed? == **<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The message I got from this novel is that for there to be good things, there has to be bad things (actually I knew this before, it’s just that I find that the main message of the book, and I think that’s what the question’s really asking me). This is conveyed by the fact that the people in the community is restricted to conformity, and that Jonas and The Giver feel sory for them. Also The Giver spoke of the time when the community went to Sameness, and that part really stood out in terms of conveying the message. **

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 18px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">FOCUS ASSIGNMENT - #3-- YOUR REACTION

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 18px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Write a one page reaction to the novel. In your explanation answer several, but not necessarily all, of the following questions: What do you think the theme of the novel was? Do you think that the author was successful in getting the message across? Why? For whom was the book written? What are the Good and bad points about your novel and why? Did the novel help you in any way? Did you learn anything from the novel? What did you find most interesting? What did you find most bizarre? What was most believable or unbelievable? Would your recommend this book to any one? Why or why not? Will you will read any more by this author?

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 18px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I think that the theme of this novel is about choices. The author is very successful in getting the point across. Almost everyone in the community do not have real choices. At the start of their lives, they are assigned to families, and strict rules apply. Birthmothers (women who have the job of having children) are impregnated via artificial insemination to ensure genetic similarity. I think that the author was successful in getting the point across. Various examples from the text confirm this: <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #0000ff; font-family: Arial; font-size: 18px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">“The Giver shrugged. “Our people made that choice, the choice to go to Sameness. Before my time, before the previous time, back and back and back. We relinquished color when we relinquished sunshine and did away with the differences.” He thought for a moment “We gained control of many things, but we had to let do of others.” “We shouldn’t have!” Jonas said fiercely.” <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 18px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> and <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #0000ff; font-family: Arial; font-size: 18px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">“Well...’ Jonas had to stop and think it through. “If everything’s the same, then there aren’t any choices! I want to wake up in the morning and decide things! A blue tunic, or a red one?”” <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 18px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I think that the book was written for children, because on the front cover there is a Newbery medal award stating “For the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children”. There were many good points about this novel in my opinion. For one thing, it teaches children about the importance of choices. Also, it tells of the reader that “ideal” ways of life are often not so. The bad part about the book is that there is an ambiguous ending and therefore it raised more questions than it answered. The novel helped me understand (and made me learn) about the importance of choices more. I find the fact that humans have intentionally created a negative mutation on themselves very interesting and bizarre, but the book does not explain why. The most believable, yet also unbelievable aspect of this book is that people cannot choose their own jobs. The unbelievable part is that one would think that no one understands them better than themselves, and no one would know what someone would like to do other than that person. Yet this is also believable because many people living in the streets are there because they made wrong choices. (Very few people are born as street people) I would probably recommend this book to most of my friends if they had to do a novel study, because this book is rich in material for such a short book and it keeps the reader interested. I will probably read the sequels to this book sometime. media type="custom" key="12112578"