| Booktalk
#1
Jonas has a very functional
family in a very safe community. He is waiting for the Ceremony of the
Twelves, when the children are assigned their vocations by the Elders of
the Community. Some will be Doctors, some Food Preparation workers, and
some Birth Mothers. Jonas is assigned to be the Receiver, a very honored
assignment. He is given a list of rules to follow and begins to train with
the former Receiver, who is now the Giver. The Giver begins to give Jonas
memories, memories of all the people back and back for many generations.
The people in Jonas' community have only the memories of their own generation;
it is safer that way. They cannot handle the memories of war or hunger,
so the Receiver keeps these memories for everyone. The Giver gives Jonas
memories of joy and of pain, memories of snow and of love and of colors,
which the others can no longer see. Jonas in turn gives some of his soothing
memories to the young male Gabriel his father has brought home to nurture
and with the memories succeeds in helping Gabriel to sleep well when nothing
else works. Jonas and the Giver decide that they must return the memories
to the people of the community, so they create an elaborate plan of escape.
Their plan, however, is shattered when Jonas learns that Gabriel will soon
be released from the community. Jonas cannot let this happen, so he flees
the community with Gabriel, leaving the Giver to help the people deal with
the memories that will return to them when Jonas is gone. As he goes farther
from the community, he begins to see things from his memories and eventually
has memories of his own as he reaches a new community where there is color
and music.
(Linda Wolfgram, wolfgraml@crpl.cedar-rapids.lib.ia.us,
Middle/High School Media Specialist ,Benton Community Schools, Van Horne,
IA)
Booktalk
#2
Jonas was an eleven.
He believed that his community was one of total happiness and perfection.
During the Ceremony of Twelve, Jonas is assigned his role in the community.
He is to become the new Receiver of Memory. This position is considered
to be one of honor, but in actuality it is by far the most difficult job
of all. As the Elder, the Giver, begins to train Jonas by transferring
memories to him, Jonas begins to experience things sunshine, pain,
and love. He comes to know about war and death, and as the Receiver,
Jonas holds all the memories of this small society to protect its members.
Little does Jonas know that these memories will reveal the ugly truth about
his futuristic society, the truth about his father, and the truth about
“Release.” Follow along with Jonas as he struggles with the weight
of hypocrisy and searches for a place called “Elsewhere.” (Teresa
Reid, teereid97@mindspring.com)
Booktalk
#3
Imagine living in a world with
no emotion, color, or holidays. Well that is where I live. Hello. My name
is Asher. I am one of Jonas' best friends. We have known each other ever
since we were twos, but our friendship started to break up about a year
ago. It all started at the ceremony of the twelves when Jonas was assigned.
Ever since Jonas' first meeting with the giver, he has been different.
He doesn't have time for me anymore and the time we spend together is wasted
because he always tries to explain weird things like color and love. I
don't know what goes on in these meetings but it would change everyone's
life forever. What happens in the meetings? Why does everyone's life change?
Read Lois Lowry's THE GIVER to find out. (Jennifer D., 8th grade student,
Rundlett Middle School, Concord, New Hampshire)
Booktalk #4
What do you want to be when
you grow up? Well, Jonas has no choice. In the Community, every person
is assigned a role based on his/her strengths and weaknessess. While this
may be a convienent way of organizing society, it changes Jonas and his
family's way of life forever. As he adjusts to the role he is assigned,
Jonas must face difficult decisions about the aspects of life he has never
known. This gripping story will challenge your ideas about personal choice
and the roles we hold as members of a society. What role would you be assigned?
(Shellean Morgan, smorgan1@leslie.k12.ky.us)
Booktalk #5
Jonas is eleven and is turning
twelve and couldn’t be more excited. He wants a great job that doesn’t
require too much work, but when he finds out that his job is one of the
most important jobs in the town, he is very mad. He is titled the new receiver
of memory! He has to go through pain and happiness in order for him to
be great. He starts training with the Giver. He receives memory of all
kinds. He receives color, snow, warmth, and a war that he cannot handle.
Jonas and the Giver want everyone to have memory in the town because only
he and the Giver have memory. They come up with a plan to help everyone
receive memory. Jonas and his family are taking care of a baby named
Gabrial. When he finds out that Gabrial is going to be released (killed)
he and the Giver have to come up with another plan to help everyone receive
memory and save the baby. What will the plan be? Will the plan work? What
will happen with the baby and Jonas? Read The Giver to find out.
(Madeline, student)
Booktalk #6
Jonas lived in a world that
was perfect to him…until he found out the truth. An eleven year old
boy named Jonas lived in a community in the future. He has a sister
named Lily and a mother and father. Everything in this community
is the same, although Jonas doesn’t realize this until later. There
is a committee that pairs up women and men for marriage. Once that
couple is married, they can request children, but only two, one girl and
one boy. Every family unit is the same. They have practical
furniture, practical everything. Jonas is awaiting his twelve year
old ceremony. This ceremony is a big deal. This is the ceremony
where the twelve year olds are assigned their jobs for their community.
These jobs will be what they do until they are “released” to the Old community.
Every child is studied carefully so that their job fits them perfectly.
In Jonas’ family unit, his father has the job of Nurturer which takes care
of all of the newborn children until they are ready to be placed.
His mother has a prominent position at the Department of Justice.
On the day of the ceremony, Jonas is given the assignment of Receiver of
Memory. He is very nervous about this assignment. He receives
a folder with the rules and is to begin after his schooling is over every
day. He goes to the Annex where he meets the previous Receiver.
He asks what he should call him and the old man says, “You can call me
The Giver.” The Giver explained to Jonas that the Receiver of Memory
holds all of the memories for the community. Those memories go back,
and back, and back. There is a lot riding on Jonas being the new
Receiver. The last Receiver of Memory was released and it was a big
disappointment for the community. When the training began, Jonas
would take off his shirt and lay face down on the bed. The Giver
would put his hands on Jonas’ back and he would ‘transmit’ memories to
Jonas. For the first time, Jonas knew what snow and cold were.
He found out what hills looked like, what grandparents were, what love
was. He also learned about warfare, pain, hunger, and loneliness.
He began to get frustrated. He wondered why the community couldn’t
have choices when he saw what colors were. This is when he learned
that his whole community and life is lived in sameness. Jonas was
beginning to understand that being the Receiver was a great honor, but
a lonely existence. He could learn about things that others couldn’t
but he couldn’t share his findings or feelings with anyone. Jonas
began to question the Giver why things couldn’t be changed.
(Shannon Cyrus, Student of ACTC) |
