Standing out isn't something very approved upon in Jonas's community. For Jonas it is something he is forced to do or has to do, not only because he is chosen. But because he now had real feelings and knows more about life than even the head committee will ever know. Sometimes standing out IS a good thing, but for Jonas's community, it could very well be a life sentence...
The first time Jonas is forced to be different is in the ceremony of twelve, the skip him in the number order. They went from 18 to 20. Everyone of course noticed it and everyone was wondering what was going on, and meanwhile Jonas was thinking to himself, "what had i done wrong?". Everyone thinks the Chief Elder had made a mistake but then she points our he had not been assigned, but selected. Well everyone is thinking, selected for what, well he is the next receiver of memory. He automatically know he's different.
Another way Jonas knows he's different is the fact that he has feelings and that no one else in the entire community besides him and The Giver has feelings. They don't know what death is and they also don't know what real pain is. They have everything protected for them. Everything is different for Jonas, which makes him different then the rest.
In conclusion, Jonas is really brave in the fact that he knows hes different and that the rest of his life is just hanging there in the balance and he doesn't know whats going to happen to him. He knows he can't go back to the community, and yet he is brave enough to leave... He knows he's different. He knows it very well. But I think that just makes him stronger as a person
Monday, June 13, 2011
Independent Reading Response
Independent Reading Response Jacob Jankowski and Marlena L’Arche met one day at the Benzini Brothers Most Spectacular Show on Earth. What started out as a simple friendship slowly turned into an attraction for each other. But in times like those, simple things like that come at a cost. As karma and life would have it, Marlena was married to August Rosenbluth, who as fate would have it happened to be Jacob’s boss. They wanted to be oblivious to their attraction towards each other but things like that are not easily ignored.
One of the main subplots in this book is his romance and love with Marlena. Both he and she know that something as innocent as a hug could lead to big problems with her husband August who just happens to be Paranoid Schizophrenic. August is not so blind to what is happening between his wife and his circus veterinarian. In fact he knows what they have, they type of bond the two of them share, but being mentally ill, he takes it to a whole new level, one of which ends up in, both them and Marlena getting hurt physically and emotionally.
While all this happens Jacob and somewhat Marlena have inward battles with themselves. They try to keep their feet planted on the ground to try to understand what reality is and what they are really doing to each other. They are trying to keep themselves from losing their minds and trying to keep serenity. That is what keeps them from losing their minds. Their constant attempts to stay away from each other and continuing to try and live their lives centered around a circus where nothing is normal is exactly what this book is about. Trying not to lose control and your mind is their main event. All the small other side shows are just bumps in the road that they encounter. They can’t leave each other. They want each other. They simply cannot let go of each other or else they just lose it. They keep each other from going insane and they are what keeps them going and trying to make life worth living for.
One of the main subplots in this book is his romance and love with Marlena. Both he and she know that something as innocent as a hug could lead to big problems with her husband August who just happens to be Paranoid Schizophrenic. August is not so blind to what is happening between his wife and his circus veterinarian. In fact he knows what they have, they type of bond the two of them share, but being mentally ill, he takes it to a whole new level, one of which ends up in, both them and Marlena getting hurt physically and emotionally.
While all this happens Jacob and somewhat Marlena have inward battles with themselves. They try to keep their feet planted on the ground to try to understand what reality is and what they are really doing to each other. They are trying to keep themselves from losing their minds and trying to keep serenity. That is what keeps them from losing their minds. Their constant attempts to stay away from each other and continuing to try and live their lives centered around a circus where nothing is normal is exactly what this book is about. Trying not to lose control and your mind is their main event. All the small other side shows are just bumps in the road that they encounter. They can’t leave each other. They want each other. They simply cannot let go of each other or else they just lose it. They keep each other from going insane and they are what keeps them going and trying to make life worth living for.
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
Reading Responce Coming of Age.
The book "The Giver" takes on some important issues in coming of age. In a world that is so perfect that, that itself makes it imperfect. Imperfections are what make the world perfect in its own way. For a teen to be growing up and coming of age with a ceremony, this being the most important of all, it is very difficult for a child coming of age to find themselves in a world that is perfect. Finding oneself is very important and an essential part of what is the entire idea of "coming of age". For Jonas, the main character, it must be very difficult for him to find himself in a community that has already defined his entire life.
The community decides everything for him. His clothes were picked for him, his entire life was set in a certain way. But, as life would have it, Jonas meets his mentor and teacher figure, The Giver. The Giver teaches him about how life really is. For Jonas, this was a very big realization. He now has all the knowledge to finally discover himself.
As I think about it I second guess myself. Sometimes, you actually DO need someone telling you what to do. You need someone to guide you and teach you how to actually live your life instead of just pushing you out into the open world without you having the knowledge you need to live. You need someone to give you the tools and knowledge to go and live your life. In some cases, if you are pushed out into the world without the proper tools and knowledge you are pretty much lost. In the community where Jonas lives, they do, in a way, give them what they need to figure out their world but only to some extent. And they DO teach them, but for what? Because in the community that Jonas lives, they teach them only what they need to know in order to survive in a community where they are supposed to be submissive and obey all orders given out through a loud speaker.
It is natural for a human being to rebel against their superiors but the thing is, that after a while, all we want to do is test out limits. Its only natural. Testing our limits is part of what being human is like. In the community, the people who live there are not permitted to do something out of line, or something that is not written in the rules. The rules are everything to them. They follow it to every last detail which makes them in a way, submissive and not even human like. Sometimes, to fund out who you are, you need to break some rules. Breaking rules is what life is sometimes all about.
This book really takes you through the character change with he book. It really shows how Jonas has really become a person out of the ordinary robots that his community tried creating. For taking a leap in order to save himself and Gabe, he put everything at risk and rebelled from the community. That was something un heard of until now.
The community decides everything for him. His clothes were picked for him, his entire life was set in a certain way. But, as life would have it, Jonas meets his mentor and teacher figure, The Giver. The Giver teaches him about how life really is. For Jonas, this was a very big realization. He now has all the knowledge to finally discover himself.
As I think about it I second guess myself. Sometimes, you actually DO need someone telling you what to do. You need someone to guide you and teach you how to actually live your life instead of just pushing you out into the open world without you having the knowledge you need to live. You need someone to give you the tools and knowledge to go and live your life. In some cases, if you are pushed out into the world without the proper tools and knowledge you are pretty much lost. In the community where Jonas lives, they do, in a way, give them what they need to figure out their world but only to some extent. And they DO teach them, but for what? Because in the community that Jonas lives, they teach them only what they need to know in order to survive in a community where they are supposed to be submissive and obey all orders given out through a loud speaker.
It is natural for a human being to rebel against their superiors but the thing is, that after a while, all we want to do is test out limits. Its only natural. Testing our limits is part of what being human is like. In the community, the people who live there are not permitted to do something out of line, or something that is not written in the rules. The rules are everything to them. They follow it to every last detail which makes them in a way, submissive and not even human like. Sometimes, to fund out who you are, you need to break some rules. Breaking rules is what life is sometimes all about.
This book really takes you through the character change with he book. It really shows how Jonas has really become a person out of the ordinary robots that his community tried creating. For taking a leap in order to save himself and Gabe, he put everything at risk and rebelled from the community. That was something un heard of until now.
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