...Lois Lowry was born on March 20, 1937. She was born on the island Honolulu of Hawaii. Lowry was a shy child that loved to read. She was around 8 to 9 years old when she decided to become a writer. Her father's job occupations led her to live in several places. Lowry's family was later reunited with her father in Japan for some time after the war ended. Lowry took some of her high school years in Japan, but she finished high school in New York City. Lowry is one of America's popular children's book authors (Lois Lowry Biography.com). Lois dropped out of College to get married. She married Donald Lowry at the age of 19. She published A Summer to Die in 1977 as her first book. Lowry finished college while she was living in Maine and...
Words: 980 - Pages: 4
...Imagine a world without any emotions. There would be no sadness, happiness, jealousy, pain, or love. Some might think that this would be a perfect society, but as proven in the book The Giver by Lois Lowry everything isn’t as perfect as it seems. In the book Jonas, the boy who was chosen to be the next Receiver, experiences a society that is different from his own. With the help of The Giver, the man who trains Jonas, he learns that “sameness” isn’t exactly perfect. The Community controls emotions in an effort to create a painless society; the result, however, is a society absent of true emotion. Once someone in the Community begins to develop feelings for someone they are given pills to control the emotions that they are experiencing. The...
Words: 1600 - Pages: 7
...The Giver imagine a world like The Giver where everything was orderly and perfect. Where there was always food for everyone to eat, everyone dressed the same, and nobody had feelings. In the book The Giver by Lois Lowry Jonas, the main character had courage, he took many risks that could have got him into trouble, and he figured out what feelings are. Jonas had courage to overcome many obstacles. For example, when Jonas was escaping from the Community on his bike, he fell and his knees ”were scraped and raw” (Lowry 214). Then he instantly popped up and continued forward. Jonas kept going forward because he was so determined to save Gabe, and get out of the town. Questions were against the rules his whole childhood until he became the receiver. For instance, It was really hard for Jonas to be brave enough to ask. At first Jonas was apprehensive about asking the Giver questions “Jonas looked self consciously into the pale eyes... sir I apologize” (Lowry 95). Since Jonas was courageous, he overcame many obstacles by being courageous....
Words: 499 - Pages: 2
...Imagine your whole life has been decided by elders. the person you marry, who your children are, and what your job is. You do not have the freedom to choose how you live. Life in the community, where everyone was the same, was boring as gray. All of the dwellings and clothes were very basic. You made no choices, unless you were the elders. The novel The Giver written by Lois Lowry shows the theme of avoiding a deal of pain if we are willing to sacrifice freedom. So you must ask yourself, Pain or Freedom? What if every time you fell or scraped your knee you wouldn't feel the emotion, pain. The Community do not feel pain. Whether it is physical or emotional. There was no feeling of pain. For example,"It's the choosing that's important, isn't...
Words: 501 - Pages: 3
...Forcing people into utopia is not only a difficult way to create a utopian society, but also inherently contradictory. One of the best solutions is one in which membership in the society is voluntary, and the size of the society is kept at a manageable number. This solution appears to be the only one that is truly feasible assuming that people are self interested. The world which More created was kind of complicated. As far as laws go, there were very clear cut laws, but lawyers did not exist. Private property was allowed to exist because if there was common property, people would not work hard for the property that they had. Money also did not exist. All people were involved in some sort of farming as well as another trade. All Utopians only worked six hours a day. The other time that they spent was up to them, as long as they did something productive. This is a brief summary of what the conditions were like in More’s Utopia (More, 1852). A more modern literary example of a utopian society is given in the book The Giver by Lois Lowry. Lowry describes a world that is much bleaker. In Lowry’s world, everybody is basically the same in talent and appearance. This makes it so that prejudice cannot exist. War has...
Words: 1439 - Pages: 6
...Joseph Jones Ms. Manchouck Humanities 205 March 10, 2013 The Giver Benchmark Essay In a community where everyone is recognized by age and every age has a task, things tend to stay in perfect order. “Sameness” is a very strict way of life. Every person has a job that is to be done every day. Things must be done the correct way or the violator will be punished accordingly. All of these rules and procedures were put in place to create a simpler life. Life is an assignment to complete each day. When the children become “8s” they begin volunteer work. This is when the Elders start to observe the individuals in order to choose their assignment. From an “8” to a “12” is the time for the kids to search for a job they may enjoy. Upon becoming a “12” they will be given their permanent assignment .When Jonas became a “12” he was given the assignment of being “Receiver”. As Receiver he must hold all memories from the past. Things become clearer as Jonas goes to his trainings with The Giver. The way of life that he and many of his ancestors had been taught was missing so many elements. The Giver explained that all of these things were obsolete in their life of “sameness”. Without the strong community influence this would be a completely different story. As Jonas progresses through his training the memories overcome him. After seeing the video of his Father releasing the smaller twin he burst into tears. This so called “simpler” life that he’s been living is an ugly lie. After receiving...
Words: 776 - Pages: 4
...Before Jonas was The Receiver of Memory, he thought his community was perfect, but then, he found out secrets that were being kept from him and everyone else in his community. When Jonas became The Receiver of Memory his whole world changed right before his eyes. In the novel The Giver, by Lois Lowry, the author shows that being individually different is a good thing. She does this through Jonas seeing colors and seeing everyone in his community different in their own special way. Having the job The Receiver of Memory, is very difficult, because what Jonas believed what was true about his community was wrong, which scared him. Jonas had always believed that everyone is the same and that everyone always told the truth. "How could someone not fit in? The community was so meticulously ordered, the choices so carefully made (pg. 48)." This was what Jonas thought until he became...
Words: 707 - Pages: 3
...Ayn Rand's Anthem depicts a completely collectivist society which is similar to the novel The Giver by Lois Lowry a futuristic society that had removed pain, fear, war, and hatred. Equality 7-2521 and Jonas are both in a society where they had no choice in what job was given to them. Equality was given the job of street sweeper due to his compliance to the council, while Jonas received the job of "The Receiver", which is the most trusted job in his society. It is one person suffering the knowledge of the past to make sure history will not repeat itself. Both characters were given their lives with no control over it. Past and present day societies treat their people in a similar way to Lois Lowry's Giver and Ayn Rand's Anthem's dystopian...
Words: 705 - Pages: 3
...Everybody lived in the perfect world… every person had the perfect assigned jobs, a family unit of one girl and one boy, no such thing as starvation, no fears, and no threats. But did they really live in a perfect world? Jonas and his own community lived in a "utopia." When Jonas was selected to be the Receiver of memory, everything changed. He came to know that his world hadn't always been the way it was. Things were different, there was diversity and there were variations. Jonas learns things that he would have never known. Some things were joyful, while other things were painful. But the most important thing is that Jonas and the Giver learned that they are more than capable to make a difference for difference. In the book The Giver by Lois...
Words: 982 - Pages: 4
...‘Dystopian fiction is less about the powerful and more about the powerless’ To what extent is this true in The Handmaid’s Tale and 1984? Dystopian fiction usually revolves over a power struggle between an oppressor and the oppressed, alternatively this can be given the label of powerful and powerless. However, the exposure given to one of these groups is often inclined to be imbalanced. For example, The Giver by Lois Lowry has biased exposure towards the powerless due to the simple fact of the third person limited narrator perspective from Jonas, a member of the aforementioned sector of respective society. This is similar to the 1984 narrator where Winston is never truly aware of what goes on when he wasn’t physically present. But, it could be for this exact reason that in 1984 the dystopian genre inclines towards the powerful, highlighting the hold over the powerless. Contrary to this, The Handmaid's Tale (THT) has blurred lines as to whether the dystopian fiction prevalent in the novels are more or less about the powerful. This is majorly due to conflicting plotlines and enigmatic characters, significant in both of the books. For example, the character of Nick could be characterized for the powerful and powerless. Nick behaves with Offred in a manner which confuses the reader about his loyalties. Ultimately, this essay will aim to prove an option that is a fusion between the two rivals of dystopian fiction offering the complex concept of the powerful powerless. The powerful...
Words: 2380 - Pages: 10
...____“He stepped down, trying not to look long at her, as if she were the sun, yet he saw her, like the sun, even without looking.” ____“Yet such is oft the course of deeds that move the wheels of the world: small hands do them because they must, while the eyes of the great are elsewhere.” ___“As the hours crept by, the afternoon sunlight bleached all the books on the shelves to pale, gilded versions of themselves and warmed the paper and ink inside the covers so that the smell of unread words hung in the air.” ___“From the very beginning— from the first moment, I may almost say— of my acquaintance with you, your manners, impressing me with the fullest belief of your arrogance, your conceit, and your selfish disdain of the feelings of others, were such as to form the groundwork of disapprobation on which succeeding events have built so immovable a dislike; and I had not known you a month before I felt that you were the last man in the world whom I could ever be prevailed on to marry.” ____Perhaps I've spent too long in the company of my literary romantic heroes, and consequently my ideals and expectations are far too high.” ____“All I wanted was a new life for my son to grow up free, and now you took the only thing that meant anything to me, I will never fly again, I will hang up my wings.” ____“The best love is the kind that awakens the soul and makes us reach for more, that plants a fire in our hearts and brings peace to our minds, and that's what you've given...
Words: 926 - Pages: 4
...The Main Characteristics of the YA Dystopian Fiction Novels and the Reasons Why Teenagers Find It So Appealing Although dystopian fiction is not a new subgenre with its famous masterpieces such as 1984 by George Orwell or Brave New World by Aldous Huxley, it can be stated to be new in Young Adult Literature since House of Stairs by William Sleator in 1974 and The Giver by Lois Lowry in 1993 (article 1 and 5). However, the incredible success of The Hunger Games and Divergent as best sellers on bookshops and movie adaptations on theatres seems undeniable. Especially The Hunger Games has been on the best-seller list of the New York Times for 180 consecutive weeks (article 5) and the opening week of the motion picture adaptation had box office...
Words: 1758 - Pages: 8
...Waking Up” - fanfiction for The Giver ©Lois Lowry-Owner of all rights to original story.No profit will be made from this work. Behind him, across vast distances of space and time, from the place he had left, he thought he heard music too. But perhaps it was only an echo. I was walking toward the lights, Wondering what they are. I entered the city staring in awe at the different colour lights all around me. Then all I saw was a bright white light,I start to walk toward the light as I feel my body starting to glow and become warmer by the second.. I open my eyes. I sit up and observe the room I am in.The room feels familiar but also feels like a stranger to me. I looked right and saw a frail but tall boy,“Asher”I thought as I recognized the boy next to me.I...
Words: 1305 - Pages: 6
...THE GIVER Lois Lowry ← Plot Overview → The giver is written from the point of view of Jonas, an eleven-year-old boy living in a futuristic society that has eliminated all pain, fear, war, and hatred. There is no prejudice, since everyone looks and acts basically the same, and there is very little competition. Everyone is unfailingly polite. 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. Citizens can apply for and be assigned compatible spouses, and each couple is assigned exactly two children each. The children are born to Birthmothers, who never see them, and spend their first year in a Nurturing Center with other babies, or “newchildren,” born that year. When their children are grown, family units dissolve and adults live together with Childless Adults until they are too old to function in the society. Then they spend their last years being cared for in the House of the Old until they are finally “released” from the society. In the community, release is death, but it is never described that way; most people think that after release, flawed newchildren and joyful elderly people are welcomed into the vast expanse of Elsewhere that surrounds the communities. Citizens who break rules or fail to adapt properly to the society’s codes of behavior are also released, though in their cases it is an occasion of great shame. Everything is planned and organized so that life is as convenient...
Words: 18773 - Pages: 76
...The Giver by Lois Lowry 1 It was almost December, and Jonas was beginning to be frightened. No. Wrong word, Jonas thought. Frightened meant that deep, sickening feeling of something terrible about to happen. Frightened was the way he had felt a year ago when an unidentified aircraft had overflown the community twice. He had seen it both times. Squinting toward the sky, he had seen the sleek jet, almost a blur at its high speed, go past, and a second later heard the blast of sound that followed. Then one more time, a moment later, from the opposite direction, the same plane. At first, he had been only fascinated. He had never seen aircraft so close, for it was against the rules for Pilots to fly over the community. Occasionally, when supplies were delivered by cargo planes to the landing field across the river, the children rode their bicycles to the riverbank and watched, intrigued, the unloading and then the takeoff directed to the west, always away from the community. 第 1 页 共 102 页 http://www.en8848.com.cn/ 原版英语阅读网 But the aircraft a year ago had been different. It was not a squat, fat-bellied cargo plane but a needle-nosed single-pilot jet. Jonas, looking around anxiously, had seen others- adults as well as children- stop what they were doing and wait, confused, for an explanation of the frightening event. Then all of the citizens had been ordered to go into the nearest building and stay there. IMMEDIATELY, the rasping voice through the speakers had said. LEAVE YOUR BICYCLES...
Words: 45052 - Pages: 181
