Independent+Novel+Study

__The Giver __ By Lois Lowry

Journal Entry #1. Pages 1-25 1. Why did you select this novel? 2. How does the author get you to read on or hold your interest? 3. What's going on as the story begins? 4. Comment on the style of the novel. Is it easy or hard to follow the events?

I decided to pick this novel because the title was very short, but at the same time "The Giver" was a very interesting title and hinted a trace of foreshadowing without actually giving away the details of the story. Which is what all great titles do, and I believe this one does so very well, which is why I decided to pick this as my novel.

At the beginning of the story a mysterious plane is flying over the protagonists (Jonas's) community. An announcement comes on that stresses people to find cover in the nearest building and stay there. The author describes how Jonas is feeling, how his feelings are a mystery even to him because he is un-sure what to make of them. The author ends the opening sentence of the novel with "Jonas was beginning to be frightened. Yet afterward the author describes how it actually is not the feeling of being frightened that Jonas is experiencing but something entirely different which is hen Jonas begins being introduced to the reader. He belongs to a family of one sister a mother and a father. But he does not live in a normal place but rather a peculiar one. Every year children have a festival of their age, not a single birthday for themselves but a festival of their age with all the others of that age. These festivals occur in December and when a child turns twelve and has a festival of twelve their profession is appointed to them by a comity. The diversity or profession range from doctor, to lawyer, to architect, to even birth mother. Which is later revealed in the story that the mother Jonas lives with is not his biological mother, in fact no one in his family in actually blood related. His father is a nurturer, and his job is to look after new born children. His mother is a judge and his sister is only seven years old. Both his parents (guardians) were given their profession on the festival of twelve along with all the other adults in his community. Jonas is feeling apprehensive because he is fearing the festival of twelve. He feels uneasy by the idea of a board picking his occupation, the one he would have to stick with for his adult life until he is old enough to move into the "Elders Home."

Something that is brought up several times in the story but kept very mysterious is the "board" which is a group of elders that are in charge of the many rules Jonas's community has as well as choosing the occupations for the children turning twelve. A term that comes up many times is being "released" which is hinted as something very unpleasant. If someone breaks the rules three times they are "released" but the author never out right explains what that term is. At one point the author says when an elder becomes to old or a new born is very sick they are released which would imply that they are put down or put to rest. But at the same time this would imply that if someone broke the rules three times they two were put to rest or killed. The author holds the interest of the reader by keeping these questions anonymous and only hinting their possible meanings. As the story unfolds more and more ridiculous rules are being revealed giving a more and more hostile feel to the community Jonas lives in.

At the end of the twenty five pages Jonas's father brings home a sick new born so he can take care of him overnight because he dislikes how the night nurturers take care of newborns. Jonas's sister comments on how the newborns baby's eyes look just like Jonas's, bright blue and mystifying. Completely different from everyone else's who have dull dark eyes.

The story is very simple to read because it has a smooth flow to it, but is very mysterious and complex which makes it crucial for the reader to pay close attention at all times. Because at any moment the plot can change greatly and an important mystery can be revealed.

By Tom Norman 10/10

**__The Giver__**
By Lois Lowry

Journal Entry #2 Pages 25-72

1. What is the setting of the story? 2. What new things are added to the original problem as the novel progresses? 3. To what age group is the novel aimed? Support your answer with evidence.

This section of the book starts with the festival of twelve quickly approaching and the main character, Jonas, is feeling nervous about his assignment. His family gives him comfort and tells him that he should go do some more community volunteering hours to get things off his mind. So he goes to the Elders Home to lend aid wherever needed. He is assigned to help the elders with their baths and when doing so he notices another girl doing the same. A girl named Fiona who is also an eleven soon to become a twelve. He notices how gently she is being with the elders but thinks of it as nothing. The next morning when Jonas and his "family unit" are telling each other their dreams, as they also do in the morning, Jonas tells of a dream that he had where he and Fiona were standing at the Elders home and Fiona was laughing at him. For he was asking her to take off her cloths and let him bath her. Jonas's mother and father ask him to stay after breakfast and tell him he is experiencing "stirrings" which all adults do. They tell him he now has to take a pill every morning like all the other adults and the stirrings would go away. Since Jonas knows no better, he agrees to this without hesitation and leaves for his lessons.

The festival of twelve has come and all of the twelves are lined up ready to be given their assignments and be welcomed into adulthood. The children are all lined up in their numbers which are given dependent on what order you were born that year. Jonas was number nineteen so he patiently waited for the others while they were given their assignments. While the ceremony was taking place gossip from other almost twelve's were talking about others who had not liked their assignments that they swam across the river to another community. This tells the reader a little bit more about the setting. It was described in earlier chapters that they lived in a small community that the "Comity" was in charge of, but know we know that the community is surrounded by a river and that there are other communities on the other side. Jonas's number was quickly approaching and when his number came the "head of the comity" skipped his number and went straight to 20. The original problem of Jonas being scared and worried about his assignment was now doubled because he believed he had done something wrong and would have to wait another year to get his assignment. After all the numbers had been called the "head of the comity" apologized to the audience and to Jonas for any anxiety she may have caused and explained why Jonas had been skipped. He had been given a special assignment, one that was only given out every ten years to one special child. The person they had chosen ten years prior had done something that went horribly wrong and since then her name was not allowed to be spoken or given to any new borns, which was the greatest disgrace in the community. His assignment was the "Receiver of Memories" He would have to be trained by the previous Receiver of Memories, the one who was in charge of training all the new ones. Jonas was told that he would have to be in total seclusion except for his mentor and would have to go through incredible pains in order to complete his training.

I think this sort of book is aimed for adults and older teenagers because of the level of complication in the plot. Not only that but the rules and way of life the people have to live in the community is better appreciated by those who know how they live in real life and how other live. They can really be fascinated and intrigued by the odd rules because they know no place like this actually exists instead of someone who doesn't know better. The section of the story when Jonas is given his assignment sheet where his rules are given for his training. He was exempt from rudeness, he was not allowed to tell others his dreams, he was to report immediately to the annex entrance behind the house of the old after school hours. And the rule tat most struck Jonas was the last one on his paper tat read, "you may lie." This is how this section ends.

By Tom Norman 10/10

By Lois Lowry
 * __ The Giver __**

Journal Entry #3 Pages 73-108

1. What plot twists or unexpected events happen as the novel goes on? 2. What is the setting of the novel? Is the setting important or could the novel be happening anywhere? Why? 3. What is the initial or first problem faced by the main character?

At the beginning of the chapter Jonas is approaching the annex for the first time. It is the first time he will have a session with the giver and does not know what to expect. When he enters the annex he is greeted by the Giver who is anxious to get started right away. He explains to Jonas deep knowledge of the world they live in and of the past so long forgotten by most. He explains how there used to be such diversity amongst people and everyone lived with their birth families and did unique things. But Jonas finds this impossible to imagine because he was raised by people who have no idea that that sort of life ever existed. The Giver explains his profession, he is in charge of passing down the memories of the life we live today. The Giver explains that they are living in a world controlled by "Sameism" which is a artificial way of life scientists created in an attempt to get rid of the problems in life. The scientists took away all colour, and all of the uniqueness in a person. They created communities for people to live in and co-exist with others around them. This is the first time in the story that the setting is explained to the reader. It gives answers to why everyone does things so strangely and all live so exclusively in their community. It is crucial in the book to have this setting so that Jonas can experience how different his world is from what it used to be since Jonas was raised this way it was literally impossible for him to understand what the Giver was talking about, so he decides to transfer a memory into Jonas for the first time.

The Giver transfer a memory of snow and a sled riding down a hill in the cold winter air. Jonas experiences for the first time snow, and coldness, and wind. When he begins to feel these new things he immediately knows what they are called, only because he was chosen for that job. Soon after other memories are transferred into Jonas from the giver he begins feeling not contempt with his community and wants others to experience what he is. He starts seeing colours and new ways of life and finds in troublesome that everyone else is so contempt with such a meaningless life. As the novel goes on the plot twists more and more and Jonas's reactions grow stronger to the fact everyone around him has no idea of how they could be living.

The first real problem in the story is the internal conflict that Jonas is having with himself to allow other to continue living their lives so dully. He wishes to inform others of the past and let them make a choice, but is not allowed and would never disobey the Giver. The two's friendship grows stronger but Jonas begins wondering why at the ceremony of twelve the head of the comity was talking about so much pain there was in his assignment. His curiosity gets the better of him so he asks the Giver what she meant. Although extremely reluctant the Giver tells Jonas that he was unable to dance around it anymore and that it was finally time for him to understand. The chapter ends by the Giver sitting Jonas down, putting his hands on his back like he always does to transfer a memory to Jonas and begins.

By Lois Lowry
 * __The Giver__**

Journal Entry #4 Pages 109-130

1. What information did you need to know before reading the novel? 2. Describe any new characters that are introduced? What is their purpose? 3. Why would you (or why wouldn't you) recommend this novel to a friend?

We start off this section of the book with the Giver's hands on Jonas preparing to transfer a new memory to Jonas, one much less joyful than the others he had been before. It two started with Jonas on the top of a snow covered hill, but this time the snow was hard, much icier than before. Anxious to experience what he had before Jonas pushed himself down the hill but this time things were different. The sled began to grow out of control, it started turning rapidly and then all of a sudden Jonas was thrown from the sled and on to the hard ice ground. The pain he experienced was nothing Jonas had ever imagined. The memory ended but Jonas could still slightly feel the pain that came with the memory. Every memory that was transferred to him, the joy or sorrow would stay with him even when he was not accessing that memory. I think it is important to know when you begin reading this book that everyone in the community have no idea of these old memories. They have no idea that there is other types of life out there. So it would be extremely difficult to accept having the world you know being crushed and twisted to the point you are no longer satisfied with it. Since the people living in the communities don't know what pain, or wind, or joy, or sun, or a billion other things, and are unable to possibly picture them it creates a difficult scenario for the Giver to try and explain it all to a twelve year old boy.

The giver is not a very old character but he appears that way. The pain that follows him has aged him greatly. The author hints how awful the Giver feels when he has to transfer painful memories to the receiver. He always tries to avoid it, but as curious and brave Jonas is, he always asks the Giver to do what he must do. Several times when Jonas enters the annex for the days work, the Giver is sitting quietly, quenching over in pain. He tells Jonas that there would be lessons for the day and that he could go home. This always troubled Jonas but he was still unable to imagine pain that could transfer so strongly from a memory to his reality, for at that point Jonas had only experienced the memory of falling of the sled.

One day Jonas walks in the Giver is quenched over on the bed, he tells Jonas to leave and that there would be no lessons for the day. But Jonas is unsatisfied with that answer. He asks the Giver if there was anything he could do and the Giver sighs. He tells Jonas there was no way to avoid it anymore so he sat him down and out his hands on his back. It was the memory of war. A young boy, at most the age of 18 was surrounded by dying men, and suddenly he was shot in the chest. Blood began gushing down his chest as the life from his face quickly went away. When the memory ended Jonas was exhausted and in tears. The Giver was to in tears as he apologized to Jonas. Jonas began questioning this way of life for the first time in the story until the Giver explained there was still war, just the communities were kept isolated from it. Days after the Giver was still so upset about transferring the awful memory to Jonas he sat him down and began transferring another. This time it was of a family, all in their living room surrounding their Christmas tree. It was the first time Jonas had learned of grandparents. But that was not what the memory was of. The grandfather bent down and began cradling his newly born grandson. The memory was of love, the first time Jonas had ever heard of it. It was the Giver's favourite memory but he thought it would give jonas motivation to continue his work. This is how this section of the book ends.

I absolutely would recommend this book to a friend. It has an extremely unique story and a an interesting plot. The characters are easy to get attached to and the unusualness of the story line is so compelling that it is hard to put the book down. The book is not relatable, but I think it is so un-relatable that it is impossible to predict the ending, so it keeps the reader on their toes at every new plot twist. Overall a great read, for all audiences.

__**The Giver**__ By Lois Lowry

Journal Entry #5 Pages 131-179

1.Why did (or didn't) the novel meet your expectations? 2.Is the novel believable? 3.What is the climax of the novel?

This section of the story starts off with Jonas questioning the world he lives in more than ever but also questioning the way the world once was. He was warmed by the fond memories of love and compassion and family, but was also disturbed and depressed by the memories of war and hate and pain. Although there were many memories of pain and suffering the ability of choice and diversity or the way things were intrigued Jonas to continue with his training. The Giver was losing more and more memories and the more memories of pain he passed on, the lighter and less beaten down he felt. But he felt awful about making his new pupil have to bare the weight of hi previous pain. The two grow closer than they ever thought they would and as Jonas warms up to him, he finally builds up enough courage to ask him what had happened to the previous Receiver ten years prior. In the ceremony of twelve the "head of the comity" talked about the previous receiver who had horribly failed her training. The "head of the comity" explained how her name was un-speakable and that what happened was never to be spoken again, but exempt from these rules Jonas asked anyways. The Giver told Jonas of his old pupil, her name was Rosemary. She had started her training very quickly and became very relaxed with the concept of different times and different ways of life. But when the Giver transferred his first memory of pain to her she was deeply disturbed. So disturbed she asked to be released. When she was released all of the memories that had been transferred to her went out to the community and all of those who were living there had to deal with them. It was a disaster because no one knew what they meant and were un-able to understand and comprehend them. Jonas then wondered about Release. He asked the Giver about it and instead of trying to explain it the Giver showed him. He had the tape of a Release on a new born child being released. It was Jonas's father who was performing the release on the child so Jonas watched very carefully. His father held the child and grabbed a syringe from the side of the table. He injected the child in the head and as quickly as it happened, the baby was dead. Jonas yelled and screamed in anguish, which quickly turned to a cry. The Giver tried to explain how his father knew no better, it was the way of life and he had no idea of the concept of death. But Jonas was hearing none of it. He was fed up with the life he knew and planned with the Giver a way to escape the communities. The Giver did so without hesitation for he to had been none satisfied by the communities "way of life" for quite some time but was unable to leave until a receiver was trained. They planned to have Jonas escape in the night on his bicycle until he found what he was looking for. He would leave and in the very early morning, when everyone but the city cleaners were asleep. When he got home to his "family" he acted normal and tried his hardest to not show any peculiar behaviors. He would act normal for the next week until the night of his escape came. The next week the Giver and Jonas spent the entire day together, transferring as many memories as possible and saving portions of their food for his journey. When the day came he left early to go home and prepare for his journey. But at his father was holding Gabe, the boy that his father had been taking care of for a little over a year because he was unable to meet the requirements of the nursery to be assigned to a family. Gabe had been there since the very beginning, and late in the night when Gabe was upset and crying Jonas had transferred a memory of warmth to him to calm him down. Jonas asked his father why he was holding Gabe and he explained that Gabe still was not meeting the requirements of the nursery so he was being released the next morning. It couldn't of come at a worse time for Jonas but only added to his motivation to escape. The morning came Jonas sneaked out his house unit to where his fathers bike was hidden. Jonas had more motivation then ever to escape now because he knew now that if he was caught he would be released because he had broken three major rules. One being out past the curfew of everyone in the community, two being stealing an others bicycle, and three, the reason he had taken his fathers bike, because it had a booster seat on the back which he needed for Gabe to sit in. Kidnapping someone was his third rule broken, which gave him motivation to pedal harder.

He passed the bridge of the first community, soon followed by the second community and then the third. The sun finally rose as Jonas's legs were sore and tird from his long ride. But he knew he couldn't stop now, for it was now that the planes would be looking for him. He had to pedal by the side of the road, always ready to ride into a bush and hide as a search plane would pass overhead. The planes would sense heat so Jonas had to transfer a memory of winter and wind to Gabe and him to stay hidden. As each day passed less and less planes would fly by. Even Gabe now would yell out "bird" every time a plane would be approaching which gave Jonas an extra amount of time to get hidden. Jonas had gotten so far, it began getting greatly cold. He was running out of food for him and Gabe. He hadn't seen a plane go by in quite some time now. But he knew the search was not over. Jonas was exhausted, his legs were sore from his long journey of the bike. It was so cold and the two were beginning to think they were not going to make it. Jonas would transfer and access memories of warmth and sunshine to Gabe to keep the two warm but his memories were running out. They came to a large hill. Jonas was no longer on the bicycle anymore, for it was to steep to ride up. He stumbled up the hill, with Gabe wrapped in his tunic up against his chest. He reached the top after a treacherous climb. When he did he felt as if the place was familiar. Jonas gathered the strength and followed his instincts to where the sled was waiting. He climbed on the sled and grabbed the rope. They started down the other side of the hill, almost losing consciousness. He opened his eyes and close ahead he could see lights. He knew they were from houses, the blue the green the red, all the colours he could easily see now. For the first time he could hear something ahead, it was music, he had never heard it before, but he just knew. It was people singing, he thought he could hear music from behind him to, a long way back from where he had just come from, but he thought to himself, "perhaps it is just an echo."

This novel defiantly met my expectation and actually exceeded them. Defiantly very creative and unique with a plot line full of twists and un-expected occurrences and events. The climax of the story is when Jonas witnesses his father "releasing" the new born child. It is the breaking point and the deciding factor that causes Jonas to leave his community in search of better ways and places.

I do not think this book is believable because it has "magic" in it as the Giver transfers memories to the Receiver. But I do believe that the concept of "sameism" is a conceivable concept just not to the length of which this author took it to. Scientists getting rid of colour and music and everything that makes people diverse seems a bit far fetched, but the idea that everyone is assigned to a job and live together in family units and follow a very strict set of rules that keep their days practically the exact same every day seems plausible. So parts of the story is believable but others are not.


 * __Focus Assignment__**


 * My Reaction**

I definitely enjoyed this book very much. The story line was not like any other book I had ever read, and definitely kept me on my toes the entire ride. The overall message of this book in my opinion is being diverse is a good thing, and to not except being someone you are not because you are different from everyone else. I definitely think this theme is portrayed very well and in a unique way as well. A good story gets its theme across to the reader. but a great story gets its theme across to the reader in a new way that keeps them interested the entire time. Jonas's journey to find a better way of life is an extreme act of courage and he also shows great compassion bringing Gabe and saving him from death, even if Gabe had most likely slowed him down. This book seems to be written for an audience that is able to appreciate the way we live today and how diverse we all are. Only then can we appreciate how different and un-satisfactory it would be to live such a meaningless life. I think what I found most interesting about this novel was the concept of each persons way of life and how we live to our potentials each day. In a world that everything is assigned to you and rules are very strictly followed by everyone, it seems a persons diversity is completely shattered. It made me really think of how everyone is so unique and how we all take it for granted. But also it makes me think of how hard it would be if one day I met a man who transferred memories of long before recorded life about how everyone lived the same way as they do in the book. It would be extremely difficult for me to conceive that kind of life, which is another way I can relate to the novel. I think that the creativity of this book intrigues me enough to read something else from this author. She has won many awards for her books (including a great amount for The Giver) so she is definitely an author worth checking out and I would recommend this book to anyone who was looking for a great interesting read. In fact I liked this book so much, when I finished it I went out and bought it so I could have a copy of my own. Overall, one of my all time favorite reads.