(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!