you're a mystery yourself

Wednesday, July 28, 2010

10:02 PM

Hi Miss Li! I commented on

Nilofar's "Initial Response"
Rachel's "First Thoughts" (I made a typo error in my first comment so I deleted it and wrote a new one)
Lillian's "A Short Extract"
Niki's "Poem"
Kimberly Chong's "Initial Response to The Giver"
Sze Hui's "Poem" (the comment is in her tagbox because there was an error when I tried to submit my comment)

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The Sharing of Feelings

4:37 PM

A few days ago, we went through some questions about the Assignments in Jonas's community in our cooperative learning groups. The three questions posed were:

Do you think all the Assignments are equal and respected? Why or why not?
What does the system of allocating people their Assignments reflect about the society Jonas lives in?
The Chief Elder claims that the Assignments are a way of honouring differences. Does this ring true? Based on your knowledge of other parts of the novel, is Jonas's society one that values sameness or difference?

All those questions made me ponder and reflect upon the Assignments given and look at it from a different perspective. When I first read "The Giver", I did not pay much attention to the Assignments tasked out. I did not realise how significant they were until I did this exercise during lesson.

For the first question, all of our answers were the same - no. We did not think the Assignments were equal and respected as for example, in chapter one, Father had complained about night-crew nurturing being assigned to those who lacked the interests or skills or insight for more vital jobs in the daytime. This shows that the night-crew was "a lesser job" and thus proving that not all Assignments were equal and respected.

Before going through this exercise, I never really noticed how the Assignments were not all that equal, especially since Jonas's community stresses on Sameness, and the third question works toward that doubt.

Moving on, what struck me for the second question was that Lowry had actually made a connection between the system of allocating people their Assignments and the society that Jonas resided in. I had known that fact until then.

My group shared the answer that both the system of allocating people their Assignments and the community was rigid and controlled.

The system of allocating people their Assignments was rigid because only the Elders could decide and the people had no say in it. In the community, the people also could not make choices as everything was the same. They also had to follow the strict orders and rules of their community.

When I found out about this link, I was very intrigued and elated to have found out about this fact. I started to think about other links and connections Lowry made in "The Giver". I realised that there were many other connections like the pale eyes and having the capacity to see-beyond.

Lastly, the third question made me agree even more on that a utopia can never exist in this world.

A brief answer for the third question:

No, this does not ring true. The Assignments do not honour all differences as Assignments like Night-crew nurturing, Sanitation Labourer and Birthmother were not really honoured in their community. Furthermore, Jonas's society is one that values Sameness so how can it be that the Assignments honours differences?

This shows that no matter how hard you try to create a utopia, it will never work out. There will still be cracks and flaws in the community and there will eventually be dystopic elements in your "utopia". In fact, in Greek, 'utopia' is a two-part word, as most greek words are. When broken up, 'utopia' actuualy means 'no place'. 'U' means 'no' and 'topia' means 'place' in Greek. Thus, as the word suggests, there can never ever be a utopia in this world.

*Please note that the answers for the questions in this post are my brief answers and not the full one.

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The Sharing of Feelings

3:47 PM

Stirrings. He had heard the word before. He remembered that there was a reference to the Stirrings in the Book of Rules, though he didn't remember what it said. And now and then the Speaker mentioned it. ATTENTION. A REMINDER THAT STIRRINGS MUST BE REPORTED IN ORDER FOR TREATMENT TO TAKE PLACE.

He had always ignored that announcement because he didn't understand it and it never seemed to apply to him in any way. He ignored, as most citizens did, many of the commands and reminders read by the Speaker.

"Do I have to report it?" he asked his mother.

She laughed. "You did, in the dream-telling. That's enough."

"But what about the treatment? The Speaker says that treatment must take place." Jonas felt miserable. Just when the Ceremony was about to happen, his Ceremony of Twelve, would he have to go away someplace for treatment? Just because of a stupid dream?

But his mother laughed again in a reassuring, affectionate way. "No, no," she said. "It's just the pills. You're ready for the pills, that's all. That's the treatment for the Stirrings."

Jonas brightened. He knew about the pills. His parents both took them each morning. And some of his friends did, he knew. Once he had been heading off to school with Asher, both of them on their bikes, when Asher's father had called from their dwelling doorway, "You forgot your pill, Asher!" Asher had groaned good-naturedly, turned his bike, and ridden back while Jonas waited.

It was the sort of thing one didn't ask a friend about because it might have fallen into that uncomfortable category of "being different". Asher took a pill each morning; Jonas did not. Always better, less rude to talk about things that were the same.

Now he swallowed the small pill that his mother handed him.

This extract is found on pages 37 to 38 of "The Giver".

During one significant morning ritual when the family members told their dreams, Jonas shared about him dreaming of trying to get Fiona to take off her clothes and get into a tub. Jonas had said that the strongest feeling he felt in his dream was the wanting. His mother then told him that the wanting he had felt was known as Stirrings in their community.

The Stirrings had to be reported and treated as mentioned by the Speaker. The treatment for the Stirrings was the pills. The pills that were to be taken as treatment is a wonderful example to prove that in Jonas's society, feelings and emotions are rejected. The Stirrings or the wanting shows us that feelings and emotions actually do exist in Jonas's society, however, the community does not want the people to have strong feelings we experience daily in our lives. Therefore, they made everyone who started to have the Stirrings take the pills. Also, in this extract, we find that the true intention of having the dream-telling ritual each morning is truly to monitor the Stirrings. This proves that the lack of feelings and emotions is one of the features of Jonas's

Next, this extract shows that the people of the community were under full control. The Speaker had mentioned that "Stirrings must be reported in order for treatment to take place". Jonas did not know exactly what the treatment was about and thought that he would have to go somewhere else to have the treatment. even though he was reluctant to have the treatment as he did not want to miss the Ceremony of Twelve, which was an important Ceremony to him, he still inquired about it and reminded his mother about the treatment. This shows that the people of the community were under total control of the Speaker and were obedient.

Lastly, this extract shows yet another feature in Jonas's community, and that is there was no individualism. Before Jonas experinced the Stirrings, Asher had already begun taking the pills. Jonas had the urge to question about it, however, he did not because that would had fallen under the category of being different. This shows that there was a lack of individualism in his community and also, this evidence shows that the people were obedient to the rules of their community as Jonas did not inquire about Asher's differences.

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The Sharing of Feelings

5:36 PM

Baby Gabriel is a symbol of hope and starting anew for Jonas. In literature, babies often act as symbols of hope and regeneration because babies are brand new lives. They are untainted, pure and free.

When Jonas takes Gabriel along with him to escape from their community, it suggests that Jonas resolves to change the way things work in his community, to release the memories he and The Giver hold to their community and to Elsewhere. It also shows that he wishes to start a new life Elsewhere just like how Gabriel represents a brand new life and starting over.

The red sled illustrates the training Jonas undergoes and the discoveries he makes along the way. Jonas delights in the exhilarating downhill ride on the sled, just like how he is thrilled to accumulate new memories during each day of his training.

However, the ride on the sled can be treacherous too, with it being the first memory of extreme pain Jonas had to experience. Pleasure and pain are related to the ride on the sled and in the same way, they are related to the memories Jonas receives from The Giver.

Also, the sled is red in colour, which symbolises the new essential world of feelings Jonas discovers.

Lastly, when Jonas was on his way to Elsewhere, he finds a real sled with colours, representing his entry and discovery of another world where colour and emotion exists in reality, not just in memories.

The snow-covered hill that Jonas sled down with Gabriel acts as an entrance to Elsewhere. It signifies his realisation that there is a world not dominated by Sameness outside his community.

The river acts as a boundary between Jonas's community and the outside world. On the other hand, it may also represent escape and change.

The river forms a border of the community. The river is a barrier that prevents the members of the community from escaping and crossing the border. The river took Caleb's life away, thus showing that the danger of escaping into the outside world as it is associated with death.

However, it may also be a gateway to Elsewhere. Lowry uses the river to show us that Jonas had escaped his community. Lowry wrote that "Jonas [had] reached the opposite side of the river, stopped briefly and looked back. The community where his entire life had been lived lay behind him now, sleeping." This shows that Jonas had escaped his community already and put his past behind him, making his journey to Elsewhere.

The river also symbolises change. The community could not predict when Caleb would fall and drown in the river. The community could not control that fact and Jonas and The Giver made use of the river's unpredictable behaviour to try to change the community, by saying that "Jonas had been lost in the river" when actually Jonas had escaped. The community would then have to bear the memories themselves.

In The Giver, light eyes represent the ability to see-beyond and being able to perceive. It also brings out one of the main themes in "The Giver", which is The Importance of an Individual.

Having pale eyes were associated with having the ability to receive memories and feel true, deep emotions. The pale eyes signified 'depth', "as if one were looking into the clear water of the river, down to the bottom, where things might lurk which hadn't been discovered yet." This shows that Jonas is able to see more deeply into objects than others who have darker eyes. He is able to see colour.

Also, the pale eyes bring out The Importance of an Individual. Jonas's community has been dominated by Sameness. In his community, every being had similar attributes and in this case, the darker eyes. "Almost every citizen in the community had dark eyes." "But there were a few exceptions: Jonas himself, and a female Five who he had noticed had the different lighter eyes." Gabriel had lighter eyes too. This shows that it is impossible for the community to control nature completely and make everything similar, therefore showing the need for individualism.

This bathtub brings us back to when Jonas is bathing Larissa. It is only while bathing her that he realises the beauty of touch and intimacy. This brings out the theme of Feeling and Emotions in "The Giver". Nakedness is also related to Jonas's training when The Giver has to place his hands on Jonas's bare back to transmit the memories. This shows the trust between them and also the trust between Larissa and Jonas when he bathes her. Again, it related back to the theme of Feeling and Emotions.

Last but not least, the apple symbolises Jonas's perception of colour and emotions. His perception of colour leads to his perception of the complicated emotions and sensations others cannot perceive. The first colour he sees is red and the apple is red. When he sees the colour red,he not only sees the colour, but he feels it too. He feels, passion, fire and love. all of those emotions are associated with the colour red even in our lives now! For example, Fiona's hair is red and he feels love for Fiona. This shows that he sees and experiences life differently from the others.

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The Sharing of Feelings

5:23 PM

"What did you perceive?" The Giver asked.

"Warmth," Jonas replied, "and happiness. And - let me think. Family. That it was a celebration of some sort, a holiday. And something else - I can't quite get the word for it."

"It will come to you."

"Who were the old people? Why were they there?" It had puzzled Jonas, seeing them in the room. The Old of the community did not ever leave their special place, the House of the Old, where they were so well cared for and respected.

"They were called Grandparents."

"Grand parents?"

"Grandparents. It meant parents-of-parents, long ago."

"Back and back and back?" Jonas began to laugh. "So actually, there could be parents-of-the-parents-of-the-parents-of-the-parents?"

The Giver laughed, too. "That's right.It's a little like looking at yourself in a mirror looking at yourself in a mirror."

Jonas frowned. "But my parents must have had parents! I have never thought about it before. Who are my parents-of-the-parents? Where are they?"

"You could go look in the Hall of Open Records. You'd find the names. But think, son. If you apply for children, then who will be their parents-of-the-parents? Who will be their grandparents?"

"My mother and father, of course."

"And where will they be?"

Jonas thought. "Oh," he added slowly. "When I finish my training and become a full adult, I'll be given my own dwelling. And then when Lily does, a few years later, she'll get her own dwelling, and maybe a spouse, and children if she applies for them, and then Mother and Father -"

"That's right."

"As long as they're still working and contributing to the community, they'll go and live with the other Childless Adults. And they won't be part of my life anymore.

"And after that, when the time comes, they'll go to the House of the Old," Jonas went on. He was thinking aloud. "And they'll be well cared for, and respected, and when they're released, there will be a celebration."

"Which you won't attend," The Giver pointed out.

"No, of course not, because I won't even know about it. By then I'll be so busy with my own life. And Lily will, too. So our children, if we have them, won't know who their parents-of-the-parents are, either.

"It seems to work pretty well that way, doesn't it? The way we do it in our community?" Jonas asked. "I just didn't realise there was any other way, until I received that memory."

"It works," The Giver agreed.

Jonas hesitated. "I certainly liked that memory, though. I can see why it's your favourite. I couldn't quite get the word for the whole feeling of it, the feeling that was so strong in the room."

"Love," The Giver told him.

Jonas repeated it. "Love." It was a word and concept new to him.

This was an extract taken from pages 123 to 125 of "The Giver".

The Giver had transferred to Jonas a memory of a Christmas celebration by an entire family, a family with Grandparents too. They were unwrapping presents found under the Christmas tree and there were cries of delight and hugs. The whole room was filled with warmth, happiness and love. Jonas could feel that but he had not experienced it before.

When he saw the "older, quiet couple", he was puzzled. This was solely because he never had a chance to know and experience the feeling of having Grandparents before. In fact, he did not even know what were Grandparents. He referred to them as "parents-of-the-parents". He was not given the opportunity to know his Grandparents as all the 'Childless Adults' and 'The Old' lived separately from their children and those they were once acquainted with. In fact, they won't even be part of their lives anymore! This proves that 'family' was not really stressed upon in Jonas's community. 'Family' was not as important as living an orderly, controlled and painless life.

Secondly, this extract shows that there was no actual love in Jonas's community.
Even at the age of twelve, Jonas did not know the word 'love'. It was only in that particular memory and conversation with The Giver that he came to know of 'love'. The extract stated that "it was a word and concept new to him". Later on, when he asked his parents if they loved him, they actually replied that the word 'love' was so generalised and meaningless that it had became almost obsolete. Whereas in our world, at this day and age, 'love' is used so frequently to express our feelings for one another. It is understood that it is a tender and passionate affection for another. This suggests that Jonas's community has chosen to be different in a way that has eliminated the feeling of 'love', especially familial love.

Lastly, this extract also expresses one of the main themes in "The Giver", which is the importance of an individual.
In Jonas's community, there is a lack of individualism. In this extract, there are terms such as "Childless Adults" and "The Old". This shows that the peopl were all grouped together and "labelled". Also, the people in the community were "labelled" according to what they worked as. The Giver had been assigned to be The Receiver and since Jonas was selected to be the next Receiver, The Giver had to change his name to be The Giver and was then known, or "labelled", that ever since. Therefore, there is no individualism in their community as people were not given unique names to be known and identified by.

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The Sharing of Feelings

7:49 PM

Two weeks ago, Miss Li showed us a part of a movie called The Handmaid's Tale. It was about a family of three who tried to cross the borders of their community because they did not want to live in a world considered to be a "utopia". Their community was made in a way where the men were always in the right and they were more important than the women. It was set in the future where in their past, women led promiscuous lives, and when they became pregnant, they went for an abortion. Once they got too many abortions, they became barren. Hence, in their community, many were unable to reproduce.

When they tried to cross the border, they were caught and the father was shot dead. "Order Control" then took the mother, Kate, to test her fertility. She was tested "positive" and was taken with other women tested positive to a place where they were trained to be "Handmaids". The "Handmaids" were those who would be kept as concubines for reproductive purposes by the ruling class. Kate was given a placement at Serena and Fred, a commander's, house. She was to bear a child for them and was renamed "Offred".

After watching just that part of the movie, I was very disturbed. Not just because of the disgusting scenes, but also because of the thought that someone would ever think of their community as a "utopia".

What appalled me was that there was absolutely no individuality at all. For example, when Kate was given a placement, she was renamed Offred to reflect that she was of Fred, whom she was to bear a baby with. Also, all the men wear black to show that they are superior in a way. The women wear different colours, according to what their role in their community is. For example, the "Wives" of high-ranking men wear blue, "Handmaids" wear red, "Aunts", those who train the "Handmaids", wear brown and after I continued watching the show, I found out that the "Daughters" of the "Wives" wear white too! This shows that the people are not given the rights to be a unique individual, to be special in their own way. I feel that this is one of the dystopic elements in their community that arose from perhaps the utopic element of "orderly.

Another dystopic element that has crept in was that there is no gender equality. As the community was founded by a male chauvinist, the men in the community were given more rights and authority than the women. They were the only people who were given the power to drive cars, to even own cars, and to handle the Bible. Also, in the movie, when one "Handmaid" confessed that she was raped by six male friends in high school, she had to take the blame instead of the men. Other "Handmaids" were forced to say that it was "her fault" and that she led them on. She was even called a "whore"! This shows that the men in the society were not to be blamed and the women had to take the rap. This shows that there is gender inequality in the community.

Next, there was racism in the "utopia". Although racism was only portrayed in a small part, I feel that it is still not right. The male chauvinist who founded the community was also a racist and thus in the movie, it is seen that the African Americans were all huddled together and brought somewhere else.

Lastly, there is no freedom given to the people at all in this community. The people were not given the choice of whether they wanted to continue living in that community. They could not escape or cross the border. Also, they could not get a chance to choose what they wanted to wear, whether they wanted to be "Handmaids" or not. This shows that there was a lack of freedom in their society.

All in all, I feel that no matter how much you consider or develop a community to be a "utopia", dystopic elements will still crawl in. Just like in The Giver, the memories still had to leak out to the community and they still could not control the pale eyes that were features of the people now and then. No matter how much you try to prevent the dystopic elements from appearing, it will be futile.

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The Sharing of Feelings

4:44 PM

When I first read "The Giver", I was confused about all the terms used in the book, such as "Release" and "Elsewhere". I was also baffled about the Ceremonies, Assignments and living in a world with no memories and colours because I have never experienced living life in the absence of those things before.

Secondly, I was intrigued by the fact that the people in that community could not have their own choices about what to do and what they want to be when they grow up. They did not have the pleasure of being a unique individual, to celebrate their own birthday and to experience love. All these are present in my life and I enjoy their presence. I simply could not imagine how life would be without love and warmth and with everyone having the same things each year. However, leaving the decision of one's occupation and spouse to the Elders did not seem like such a bad thing after all because only then can the chances of the people making the wrong decision be limited.

Thirdly, I was also fascinated by how The Giver could transmit the memories to Jonas by just laying his hands on Jonas's back. Also, it was interesting how once The Giver transmitted the memory to Jonas, he no longer held the memory in his mind.

Lastly, what I enjoyed most about "The Giver" is that I was kept in suspense almost throughout the whole book. For example, the author had kept me wondering what "Release" actually meant. Also, at the Ceremony of Twelves, when it was Jonas's turn to receive his assignment and the Chief Elder had skipped Jonas and gone on to the next person, it kept me on the edge of my seat. When everyone refused to tell Jonas more about the failure in the last selection of the new "Receiver", it also kept me pondering about it. Lastly, when Jonas was on his journey to "Elsewhere", I was very eager to find out what happened in the end. Therefore, I liked "The Giver" and definitely feel that it is a book worthy to be studied during lessons in school.

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The Sharing of Feelings