Name: Emily Humanities
7th Grade The Giver
Is Ignorance Bliss?
Imagine a world where everyone is ignorant. . In the book The Giver by Lois Lowry not everything is as perfect as it seems. This book is about a boy named Jonas that changes his community for happiness of everyone. He lives in a controlled life until he turns twelve. When he is 12 he receives his job that no normal kid would get, and while he is learning from the Giver he notices all the pain and joy of being knowledgeable. In the process he notices all of the horrible things that has happened in the past. He notices that no one should live in bliss and starts to rebel. He gets help to break the orderly fashion. This society is a utopia and dystopia because everyone is kept safe and no one has pain, but it is unfair because everyone has no emotion and is controlled in the bliss that they are in.
In the community the Elders keep everyone ignorant. The Elders take away pain, memories, and knowledge to keep everyone in bliss. They have rituals that only the Elders understand in an effort to contain happiness. For example they keep everyone ignorant by not telling them what “release” really means. Lowry writes on page 2, “Needless to say, he will be released, the voice had said, followed by silence. There was a ironic tone to that final message, as if the speaker found it amusing; And Jonas smiled a little, though he new what a grim statement it had been,”(Giver P.2). Since Jonas smiled a little, he definitely did not know that release means death. This proves that everyone is ignorant because they do not know what punishments you get. Without knowing all the horrible and painful things, that makes them feel safe, but that also means they don’t have very much joy; they are locked away from emotions. Performing rituals and keeping people ignorant maintains happiness and organization, but it traps everyone in a place where they rely on other people because they are in bliss and blindly following the order. This makes it easier for people to live so therefor it could also be a good thing because everyone feel safe and does not know of the real troubles of life. The community is kept ignorant, but the select people who contain memories have all the power and knowledge.
In the Community the Elders have all the knowledge. Select Elders keep memories like the Giver and the Receiver. Jonas learned that having all of the pain and other memories opens you up to a new colorful world. Jonas gets a lot of the knowledge from the Giver and notices the pain and joy of knowing. Lowry says on page 102, “There are so many good memories, the giver reminded Jonas. And it was true. By now Jonas had experienced countless bites of happiness,”(Giver p.102). The Giver is giving memories to Jonas and he is learning and getting happiness. These feelings that Jonas is getting are making him knowledgeable. Jonas not only is smart because of books, but all of the memories he gets makes him wise and able to see the real world. This could be a bad thing because he has all the horrible pain of war and other horrid things. After he saw that memory he had a lot of trouble seeing the world the same. Jonas and the Giver are very knowledgeable because they hold all of the memories.
Everyone in Jonas’s community is kept in bliss to protect the happiness and safety of the community. But in the process of keeping the community perfect, horrible things happen behind everyone’s backs. Knowledge is a good thing to have, but sometimes you can run into challenges which is what this community is trying to stray from. Ignorance is certainly bliss, there is no pain, no war, but ignorance also take away all of the joys. Jonas was happy until he saw horrible things of the outside, but while seeing some painful sights he notices all the joy that he is not getting to live for. If joy, pain, and knowledge is what makes life a unique utopia, then is it worth living in a “utopia”?
TEMPLATE
Name: Emily Humanities
7th Grade The Giver
Outline for GIVER LITERARY ESSAY
Themes: Ignorance and knowledge
Paragraph #1: Introductory Paragraph (GIT)
Grabber Statement (G):
Imagine a world where no one knows what is happening around them, In the book the Giver by Lois Lowry nothing is as it seems.
Introduce Plot Summary (IN): This book is about a boy named Jonas that changes his community, for happiness of everyone. He lives in a controlled normal life until he turns twelve. When he is 12 he receives his job that no normal kid would get,and while he is learning from the giver he notices all the pain and joy of being knowledgeable. In the process he notices all of the horrible things that happen behind his back. He notices that no one should live in bliss and starts to rebel, he gets help to break the orderly fashion.
Thesis Statement (T):
This society is a utopia and dystopia because everyone is kept safe and no one has pain, but it is unfair because everyone has no emotion and is controlled in the bliss that they are in.
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Paragraph #2: Thematic Analysis
Topic Sentence (T):
In the community the Elders keep everyone ignorant.
Explanatory Sentence (E):
The Elders take away pain, memories, and knowledge to keep everyone in bliss. They have rituals that only the Elders understand in an effort to contain happiness.
Evidence (E):
For Example they keep everyone ignorant by not telling them what “release” really means. Lowry writes on page 2, “Needless to say, he will be released, the voice had said, followed by silence. There was a ironic tone to that final message, as if the speaker found it amusing; And Jonas smiled a little, though he new what a grim statement it had been.”
Analysis (A):
Since Jonas smiled a little, he definitely did not know that release means death. This proves that every one is ignorant because they do not know what punishments you get. Without knowing all the horrible and painful things, that makes them feel safe, but that also means they don’t have very much joy; they are locked away from emotions. Performing rituals and keeping people ignorant maintains happiness and organization, but it traps everyone in a place where they rely on other people because they are in bliss and blindly following the order. This makes it easier for people to live so therefor it could also be a good thing because everyone feel safe and does not know of the real troubles of life.
Concluding/ Transition (C): The community is kept ignorant, but the select people who contain memories have all the power and knowledge.
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Paragraph #3: Thematic Analysis Continued
Topic Sentence (T):
In the Community the Elders have all the knowledge.
Explanatory Sentence (E):
Select Elders keep memories like the Giver and the Receiver. Jonas learned that having all of the pain and other memories opens you up to a new colorful world.
Evidence (E):
Jonas gets all of the knowledge from the Giver and notices the pain and joy of knowing. Lowery says on page 102, “There are so many good memories, the giver reminded Jona. And it was true.By now Jonas had experienced countless bites of happiness.”
Analysis (A):
The Giver is giving memories to Jonas and he is learning and getting happiness. These feelings that Jonas is getting are making him knowledgeable. Jonas not only is smart because of books, but all of the memories he gets makes him wise and able to see the real world. This could be a bad thing because he has all the horrible pain of war and other horrid things. After he saw that memory he had a lot of trouble seeing the world the same.
Concluding/ Transition (C): Jonas and the Giver are very knowledgeable because they hold all of the memories.
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Paragraph #4: Concluding Paragraph (ROC)
Reflection of Thesis (R):
Everyone in Jonas’s community is kept in ignorance to protect the happiness and safety of the community, but in the process of keeping the community perfect, horrible things happen behind everyone’s backs.
Overview of Main Points (O):
Knowledge is a good thing to have, but sometimes you can run into challenges which is what this community is trying to stray from.
Concluding Sentence– Comparisons and Connections (C):
Ignorance is certainly bliss, there is no pain, no war, but ignorance also take away all of the joys. Jonas was happy until he saw horrible things of the outside, but while seeing some painful sights he notices all the joy that he is not getting to live for. If joy, pain, and knowledge is what makes life unique utopia , then is it worth living in a, “utopia”?