Final Posting

Thank you to all of you faithful bloggers! This has been a highly educational experience for me as well as you (I hope!) I have been very impressed with some of the quality of thought and insights coming from these discussions, both here and in class. I will miss our daily blogs!

Be well

Chief Elder

Daily Question for March 30, 2010

As Jonas flees the community, he thinks of all the rules he has broken. He knows that if he is caught he will be condemned. However, the community cannot "release" Jonas. Why? What do you think would happen to Jonas if he was caught?

Daily Question for March 29, 2010

At the end of chapter 17, Lily tries to joke around that there are twins of everyone in the community in other communities, or Elsewhere. While Lily is not trying to be serious, she is inadvertently pointing out something important about her world. What is the significance of her statement?

Daily Question for March 26, 2010

No question today.

Daily Question for March 25, 2010

After Jonas receives the memory of Christmas, he begins to understand love. When he talks about the memory with the Giver, he admits that he likes the feeling of love and wishes that they still had that emotion. However, he also adds, "I do understand that it wouldn't work very well. And it 's much better to be organized the way we are now. I can see that it was a dangerous way to live."

What do you think Jonas is talking about? What is the danger in loving others?

Daily Question for March 24, 2010

Once Jonas begins to see colours, he becomes angry that he cannot have them all the time. For Jonas, the colours offer a kind of freedom he had never had before: the ability to choose. Soon, Jonas is often angry, even at his goupmates, "that they were satisfied with their lives which had none of the vibrance his own was taking on."

Why do you think Jonas is angry that his friends are satisfied with the simple lives they lead? He is not really blaming them for being colour-blind, but he is upset that they are blind to something else. What do you think it is?

Daily Question for March 23, 2010

In chapter 12, Jonas dreams of the sled-ride down the hill. However, in his dream, "it seemed as if there was a destination: a something--he could not grasp what--that lay beyond the place where the thickness of snow brought the sled to a stop." (Page 88) What do you think that "something beyond" is? Is it somehow tied in with the "seeing beyond" that Jonas possesses, or are they separate?

Daily Question for March 22, 2010

Imagine that you are Jonas and you have just read your instructions for "Receiver". The final instruction says that you may lie. Upon reflection, you realize that every other person may have been given the same permission. What do you think this would do to your perception of your world? How would you react to such a mandate, given that you have been so thoroughly trained to NOT lie?

Daily Question for March 18, 2010

During the Ceremony of the Twelves, the Chief Elder recalls how Asher had some difficulty with saying his words. As she speaks, Jonas remembers, with chilling clarity, the events that transpired when Asher accidentally said "smack" instead of "snack". Why do you think Lois Lowry would include this incident in her novel? (What was her purpose?) How did this incident change your opinion of the Community, or conversely, strengthen your opinion?

Daily Giver Question fir March 17, 2010

As Jonas works to bathe Larissa, she recounts the release of an old man, "Roberto". Jonas is curious about what happens to those who are released. Larissa tells him that she does not know, just that they go through the special doors for release.

Create a short scenario for Jonas. Tell him what he would find if he went through the doors. Use descriptive language to fill in some of the details of your paragraph.

As a start, you may choose to begin with, "As Jonas walked through the doors he saw..."

Question for March 16, 2010

For Jonas and Lily, animals such as elephants and bears are thought to be "imaginary". Obviously, there are no animals at all in this community. If you could bring back one animal into the community, which animal would you choose? Why? How do you think having animals would change the community?

Question for Thursday, March 11, 2010

The novel opens with the protagonist, Jonas, seeing a plane in the sky. For us, this is a normal occurrance, but Jonas had been frightened by it. The reader soon learns that planes are not allowed to fly over the community Jonas lives in. In fact, it would seem that the community is strangely sheltered from seeing planes. Why do you think that the community is kept from contact with planes? What kinds of impressions does this tell you about the community that Jonas lives in?

Hello and welcome