Log#7

The Giver is a story about a society in which everything appears wonderful, good, and peaceful like utopia. There is no pain, suffering, hatred, bigotry, etc. It sounds great, and much of that is due to the Sameness. Unfortunately, the Sameness didn't only get rid of the bad human emotions. The society also doesn’t experience joy, pleasure, or love. In fact, the Chief Elders who are controlling everything force everyone to give up the memory of those things even themselves except for The Receiver of Memory which Jonas has been selected to be.

As Jonas spends time with the Giver, who gives the memory to him, he learns more about the Sameness and the repercussions of it.  Jonas eventually decides that a society that is living without the ability to experience or remember any kind of emotion isn’t really living at all.

He and The Giver devise a plan: Jonas will fake his own death and run away to Elsewhere, which has music and color and joy, but also violence and poverty. Once Jonas leaves, the memories which The Giver has passed to him will be released to the general community, at which point they'll all just have to deal with the pain. Oh, and also they'll be free, because they'll understand what it means to have choices.

He knows what color your shirt is isn't really important, but he thinks the ability to choose at all is what matters—on principle.

I agrees that people might be wrong by being allowed to choose, but it shouldn’t forbid them to make choice. The meaning of choice is more important than the choice. The freedom will bring benefits and faults, and it’s why the freedom is precious. Being responsible for your choice means to grow from a kid to an adult, which is not just becoming taller or heavier but is mental growth.

For me, when I started to think about being responsible for my life was in my high school, facing college entrance examination. I decided to determine my college by myself not the grade at that time. Recently, I have started to know my parents was becoming old and I need to take the burden from my parents in the future. I think I am anxious and confused about my future but I am learning and preparing myself to deal with this issue.

There was a strong emotion in the Christmas scene that he felt but could not name. He struggles for a bit, and finally The Giver tells him that it was love……

His father explains that such a word has become obsolete, meaningless even.

This confuses him further, since the emotion he felt of love was far from meaningless.

I cannot imagine that my parents explain love like this. If I didn’t know love, I could deviate from path and I don’t know the importance of mental development. Of course I can live happier but in my mind, I don’t know love, forgiveness, and responsibility. I would just play all day long with my friend and take my parents’ care for granted. I am still learning. Learning how to say love to my family. Although we shouldn’t just say “love” and we need act to deliver “love”, sometimes we still can express our gratitude to our family.

On the other hand, if he had stayed… well, Gabriel would have died. Jonas also would have starved in other ways, starved for color and emotion.

I have read an article which says that a nurse recorded the most regretful things from her dying patients said. One is they didn’t really live their lives. They didn’t need to worry about being hungry and running out of money but they lacked courage to stimulate themselves to live more meaningful and colorful rather than other people expected.

In fact, death is regarded as unknown and dark by me so I am afraid of death, too. But I am more afraid of that I don’t accomplish any goal before I die. I cannot be proud of myself and cannot help other people live better. Everybody dies, but not everybody lives. I want I am one of everybody who lives so I try to learn many things to make my life meaningful.