Yesterday, we discussed in our Language Arts groups about the allocation of Assignments in Jonas’s community in class. Through the discussion with my group members and through analyzing it with Ms Li, I learnt that not all the Assignments in Jonas’s community were equal and respected and that the system of allocating the people their Assignments reflected that the society was pragmatic.

Even though the Elders tried to make everyone and everything in the community alike and fair, and to create sameness within the community, it was not possible. All the Assignments in the community were supposed to be equal and respected, but this was not the case. This is evident from the fact that there were certain assignments in the community which were more respected than others and also certain assignments that were looked down on. For example, being The Receiver of Memory was thought to be ‘the most important job in the community’ and whoever took on the job was ‘greatly honoured’. Also, people were not ASSIGNED to be The Receiver if Memory, but were ‘SELECTED’. There would only be one person to be selected as the Receiver but as for other Assignments, many people could be assigned to that same Assignment. Hence, this shows that the Assignment of being The Receiver of Memory was more respected as compared to the other assignments. On the other hand, Assignments such as Birthmothers and Night Crew Workers at the Nurturing Centre were looked down upon. It was thought to have ‘very little honour’ in being a Birthmother and ‘lacking in prestige’. Night Crew Nurturing was known to be ‘a lesser job’ where ‘those who lacked the interest or skills or insight for the more vital jobs of the daytime hours’ would be assigned to. These people lacked ‘the essential capacity to connect with others’. Hence, this shows that there were Assignments in the community which were looked down upon and not all the Assignments in the community were equal and respected.

The system of allocating the people their Assignments reflects that Jonas’s society was pragmatic. The Elders were practical in choosing the Assignments for the people. This is evident from the fact that they chose the people’s Assignments based on their strengths and what they excelled in, and not where their interests lay. The Elders would observe the Elevens ‘at recreation time and during volunteer hours’ so that they could allocate the Assignments before the Ceremony of the Twelves. They were very ‘careful in their observations and selections’. This way, the Elders ensured that every position and role was filled in by the most suitable person in the community so that the community could function well. Thus, this shows that Jonas’s society was a pragmatic society.

After analyzing the allocation of Assignments in Jonas’s society, I feel very glad that I am able to decide what I would like to do and work as when I grow up. I would very much rather choose a job that I have interest for, than what I excel in. This is because to me, to be able to enjoy doing something, one must have love and passion for it. Hence, if I do not like what I work as and what I work for, I would not find joy and happiness while working. Therefore, I am very glad and grateful that I can make this decision of deciding my future on my own.

Family

Family is,
heaven sent from our father above,
bonded by the power of love.
No matter what family has each others back,
when push comes to shove.

Family is,
understanding, never demanding,
all for one and one for all,
I will never leave you alone standing.

Family is,
one in itself, my love is your love,
your pain is my pain, my wealth is your wealth,
I promise to never leave you by yourself.

Family is,
the strongest team, the strongest unit;
if love could be visualized,
family would be the blue print.

Family is,
forgiveness and patience,
it's sweeter than the sweetest fragrance,
the power of family is a reflection of Gods compassion and magnificence.

Family is,
never turning our back, and never shames,
lend my helping hand and not a finger pointing the blame.

No matter what a family bond can never be broken,
even through a nuclear explosion,
if one of us lives we all live.
Forever to eternity,
we are family, my father, my mother, my sisters and me.

Antony Smith


In this poem, the author describes what his family is like and how he feels about his family. Through each stanza, he unravels a little more facts about his family and how much they mean to him.

From the poem, we can tell that the author’s family goes through thick and thin together. They have ‘each others back’ no matter what happens, and they would never leave one another standing alone. This is emphasized by the fact that the author wrote about how a family would never abandon their members in the first, second and third stanza. (First stanza: ‘No matter what family has each others back’; Second Stanza: ‘I will never leave you alone standing’; Third Stanza: ‘I promise to never leave you by yourself’) Hence, we can tell that the author’s family would be there for one another, whether it is the good times or the bad times. They would stand together, through it all.

The author’s family is also very strong. This is evident from the fact that the author can say with confidence that his ‘family bond can never be broken, even through a nuclear explosion’. He knows that they are and will always be a family ‘forever to eternity’. This shows that the author’s family ties are so strong that no matter what happens, they will always be together and that nothing can separate them.

We can also tell that the author’s family is filled with love. The author’s family is ‘bonded by the power of love’, ‘understanding, never demanding’ and there is ‘forgiveness and patience’. The author states that ‘if love could be visualized, [his] family would be the blueprint’. This shows that there is much love in the author’s family, as without love, all these would not be possible. They would also not be a strong family and go through thick and thin together as they would not see the point in doing so. Hence, I can tell that the author’s family is filled with love.

I feel that love is the most important and most essential thing to have in a family. This is because with love, everything else comes under it. With love, family members would be able to understand one another, forgive one another and be patient with one another. With love, family members would be able to stand together. They would have a reason for doing so-because they loved one another. A family would be nothing without love.

However, in Jonas’s community and family, love does not exist. When Jonas asked his parents whether they loved him, they found it awkward and told him that the word love was very generalized and it was ‘so meaningless that [it became] almost obsolete’. Jonas’s parents did not truly understand what love was, they did not know how meaningful it was. Although, they did show care and concern for each other and for their children, they only did so because they were supposed to do and not out of love. They were numb to the feeling of love and thus, relationships and bonds could not be built. If something happened to one of the family members one day, they would not feel the pain. This can be proven from the fact that although Gabe had stayed with the family for quite some time, Father could still release him without feeling any emotions, let alone pain, Also, in Jonas’s community, when the adults became old, they would go to the House of the old where their children would forget about them. If love existed in a family, such things would not happen. Hence, I feel that love is vital in a family as without love, having a family would be nothing.

On Monday, Ms Li guided us through a worksheet whereby we discovered the characteristics of Jonas and the minor characters from the first five chapters of The Giver. I found this worksheet very helpful, as through the discussion with the class, I found out many characteristics of these characters which I would never have been able to do so on my own. This is because although all the evidence can be found in the book, sometimes, I am just not observant enough to identify those as a characteristic. Hence, this worksheet really helped me with my analysis of the characters.

Through this worksheet and the discussion with the class, I also learnt about the similarities between Jonas and the other characters, as well as their differences. Even though Jonas had a lot in common with the other characters (Lily, Asher, Mother and Father), he had certain aspects that made him stand out among the rest of them and the community.

For example, Jonas was questioning while the other characters were not. Although Jonas obeyed the rules of the community, he always wondered why there were such rules. This is evident from the fact that when Jonas had experienced his first Stirrings and had taken the pill, he had tried to ‘grasp [the dreams of Stirrings] back’ on his way to school. He had found the dream to be ‘pleasurable’ and ‘liked the feelings’ of it. This brings across the idea that Jonas had a hint of doubt and puzzlement as to why he had to take the pills to make the Stirrings go away. He did not understand why he had to make the Stirrings go away as he had enjoyed the dream. Jonas also did not understand why there had to be a rule of not looking at each others’ nakedness. He found it ‘a nuisance to keep oneself covered while changing for games’ and found ‘the required apology if one had by mistake glimpsed at another’s body’, awkward. This shows that Jonas was curious for the answer as to why there was such a rule. Hence, we can tell that Jonas is questioning.

On the other hand, the other minor characters did not seem to be questioning like Jonas. They obeyed all the rules without ever wondering why such rules were set. They felt that as long as the rules were set by the Elders, they would be the best choice. This is because to them, all choices made by the Elders were carefully made, and that there would be no mistake, including their choice of rules. Hence, we can tell that these minor characters were different from Jonas as they were not questioning.


Through this analysis of the characters, I also learnt that this characteristic of Jonas made him quite similar to us, the children and teenagers of our country. This is because we always question about things. For example, when tasks and assignments are given to us by teachers, we wonder why we have to do them. When our parents ask us to make our beds, we don’t understand why we have to. These are just a fraction of all the questions we have in our minds. Hence, Jonas is similar to us, as he also has his questions about the rules in his community. The only difference, is that we are allowed to ask and clarify our doubts freely while Jonas is not allowed to do so.

(click on the picture to see the animation)

This picture depicts the scene of a goldfish swimming around and pass the treasure chest at the bottom of its fish bowl. However, because it is in fact a goldfish and has very poor memory, it does not remember that it has already seen the treasure chest before and finds it a surprise each time it sees it. This picture reminded me of one of the themes in The Giver-which is the significance of memory. In The Giver, although the people in the community are not forgetful beings like the goldfish, they are actually in the same state as it. This is because they do not hold memories of the past. The Elders of the community did not recognize the importance of everyone having memories but wanted the people to be safe and protected. They did not want the people to experience the pain and suffering from the past, which would lead to chaos. Hence, they only allowed the receivers of memory to hold the memories. However, they did not understand that if people did not have memories, they would not have something to learn from. They would not remember their errors and would repeat them. The people would be ignorant. Thus, this book brings across the theme of the significance of memory to readers and i certainly agree that memory is essential in the lives of human beings.


This picture is the front cover of The Giver and it shows an aged man with many wrinkles and with pain and sadness in his eyes. This man is actually The Giver, and before Jonas became the Receiver of Memory, he alone was burdened with all the memories of the past. Even though he had pleasant and enjoyable memories, he also had to carry all the pain and sufferings of the past alone and this was what made him age so much. I found this rather unfair as it was not fair to all the receivers of memory to be carrying such a heavy burden all by themselves. They were also set apart from the people as they had the knowledge of the past, while the people did not and I can just imagine the frustration they must have felt when they tried explaining this knowledge to them. If everyone each carried some memories, the receivers of memory would not have to go through such tough times as well as all the pain, alone. I also found it to be unfair to the people of the community as they did not get to hold the memories because of the Elders' decision. They did not get to experience all the pleasant memories, and find out what things like animals and colours were. Hence, I am very thankful to have memories of my own.


This picture illustrates a family chatting after their meal. In The Giver, the people in the community had to go through a ritual called 'the evening telling of feelings' each evening. This took place after their evening meal in their dwelling, and they would have to share their feelings about what happened during the day. It was against the rules to keep their feelings hidden. This shows that in Jonas's community, there is no privacy and there are no secrets. The people had to share whatever they felt (even if they didn't want to) and if they didn't, they would be punished. Hence, I am very grateful to be living in a country where such rules do no exist. I cannot imagine what life would be like for me if I was forced to tell others eveything about myself, whether i liked it or not!


This picture depicts the scene of a memory that The Giver had given Jonas, and which he had unknowingly given to Gabe when he was trying to rock him to sleep. This memory was of a wonderful sail: a bright, breezy day on a clear turquoise lake and above was the white sail of the boat billowing in the brisk wind. This part of the book is one of the key events in the novel, as it is the part where Jonas finds out that he has the ability to give memories to others, and that Gabe had the ability to receive the memories. Jonas was then able to apply this knowledge when he was escaping, by giving Gabe soothing memories to ensure that he slept soundly through the journey and to keep him warm. After reading this part of the book, i felt sorry for the people in the community once more as they never got to encounter such a beautiful scenery and experience what it was like to sail.

This picture shows four people holding hands. These four people look and seem exactly the same-they are of the same colour and size, and are all doing the same thing, that is, holding each others' hands. They have no individuality. The people in this picture resemble the people of the community in The Giver. This is because in The Giver, the community practices sameness. Everyone has and goes through the same thing. No one has more than the other. For example, each famiy unit can only have two children-one male and one female and children can only receive their bicycles at Nine. The people did what they were supposed to do, without any questioning and they were contented with what they were doing and what they had. They did not understand what it was like to be special in their own way. Hence, yet again, I pity the people in Jonas's communtiy and I am thankful to be in a society where differences are accepted. To me, if everything was the same, life would be so boring!

Last Wednesday, Ms Li played the movie, The Handmaid’s Tale, for us to watch. Before she did so, she told us that after watching it, we would really appreciate living the way we are now. At first, I thought that it would just be showing all the things that people in the community would be missing out if leaders tried to perfect their community or country, just like it was in The Giver. However, I did not expect to feel so disturbed after watching those few clips of the movie. This was because in the clips, the feelings of the people were portrayed very strongly. This was different from The Giver, as in The Giver, the author did not express any negative emotions faced by the people in the community, but only showed how happy and oblivious the people were. This was because they had no memories. On the other hand, in The Handmaid’s Tale, the emotions of the people were shown very clearly. This was because they had memories.

The Handmaid’s Tale is also different from The Giver as it did not practice sameness while the people in The Giver did. In The Handmaid’s Tale, men had a higher social standing than women. This is evident from the fact that handmaids were not called by their real names, but by their ‘handmaid names’. This ‘handmaid name’ consisted of the word ‘of’, followed by the name of the handmaid’s commander. For example, the main character of this show was called Kate, but she was called by her handmaid name, which was ‘offred’, whereby her commander’s name was ‘Fred’. Also, women were only treated as instruments for giving birth and were ‘reduced to their fertility’.

The Handmaid’s Tale brings across the idea of ‘a utopia gone wrong’. When the leaders tried to perfect the community, many dystopian factors came in. There was misery among the people and they’d rather die than have to live in such a state where there was no individual freedom and expressions. Much violence was also involved while trying to maintain a ‘perfect’ society. The scenes that left a very deep impression on me were the ones where it showed the different characters in the show screaming in agony (when the people were punished and during the sexual scenes) and their exasperated and tear-stained faces. These scenes made me feel really upset and indignant for the people.

After watching The Handmaid’s Tale, half of me wished that Ms Li had not played the movie for us as I felt very uneasy and disturbed afterwards, and the heartbreaking and thought-provoking scenes kept playing in my mind. But the other half of me was glad that she had exposed us to it, as if she hadn’t, we would not be as appreciative of the way we are living now as much as before.

As I was reading and after I had read this book, the strongest emotion that I felt was sympathy. I felt sympathy for the community, for Jonas, for the Giver and for all the other Receivers of Memory.

I sympathize with the community because the lives they were living were just like that of robots. They did whatever they were ‘programmed’ to do, and did not have the freedom to make decisions and choices on their own. They simply followed the community rules strictly and played the roles they were assigned without even questioning why. As I was reading the book, I was imagining a world without colours, without warmth, without love, without twins, without the freedom to choose what one wanted to do, without… The community really did not know what they were missing out.

I sympathize with Jonas, the Giver and the other Receivers of Memory as when they were at such a young age, they already had to carry such a great burden of holding the memories of the true pain and pleasures of life. In our current society, everyone has been through pain -different kinds of pain, be it physically, mentally or emotionally- but there are always people around us who are willing to go through these times with us. And even though many of us have not been through (for example) wars, we still understand the destruction, pain and suffering it brings about. However, in that community, the Receivers of memory are the only ones who know and understand ALL of these, and worst still, they have to go through it alone.

Reading this book has really made me think a lot and think in depth. As a child, I used to think that if everything was organized and under control, without pain, fear and worries, and with everything taken care of, then that country or community would be a perfect place to live in. Think of it, a world where everything is fair, where no one has more than another and without having to make tough choices, sounds good doesn’t it? But my perception of a ‘perfect’ world has changed greatly. If everyone was the same, if everyone had the same things, if SAMENESS was practiced, where would the word ‘special’ come into the picture? And to maintain that sameness in the community, what would happen to all those children born different? If we carried out whatever we were told to do, without having to make any choices, what would be the meaning to life? Hence, I feel really glad that we’re living in a country where differences are accepted, unlike the community where Jonas was living in. Think of all the innocent lives that would have been lost if our country practiced sameness!