Posted in The Giver

Today is the day that we begin reading The Giver. Make sure to read chapters 1-2 and then come back to the blog for discussion. I will have the notes and discussion questions posted as soon as I can!

Happy reading!
~Sylvia

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Discussion Notes

I have never read this book before (and I know pretty much nothing about it), so I'm coming into this quite blindly. These first two chapters gave me an interesting first impression, and I'm already looking forward to reading this and discovering the answers to all of the questions that chapters 1 and 2 raised for me.

The setting is all very intruiging. Have any of you ever read the book Twenty-One Balloons by William Pene du Bois? If you have, then you'll probably understand what I mean when I say that the community reminded me a lot of the one on Krakatoa. For some reason, it seemed very...well, I don't know exactly how to describe it. The community almost acted like a well-oiled machine. I decided to make a list of all the things I noticed about it:

1. All of the families could only have 2 children, a girl and a boy
2. There were tons of rules and regulations
3. Everyone seemed to be expected to contribute to the community in the way that they were deemed fit
4. It all seemed very orderly, and the "Elders" managed things maticulously
5. Lily's stuffed elephant was called a "comfort object"...kinda weird, don't you think?

Also, I kept wondering throughout the whole reading--where do the "newchildren" come from? And what does it mean to be "released?" It sounds ominous. But, if a community is going to work like that, anyone who might cause trouble would have to be disposed of.

It also interested me how close Jonas was to his parents and sister. They all seemed to have very good relationships. I noticed how each of them was very sincere; there was no trace of cynicism in their conversations.

So...those are my first impressions! It will be interesting to hear yours. ;)

Discussion Questions

1. What was something that you noticed about the community that seemed distinctive to you? Could you add something to the list that I made above?
2. What do you think of Jonas's family?
3. What do you think of the "Elders?"
4. I found this quote interesting:

"Jonas sighed. This evening he almost would have preferred to keep his feelings hidden. But it was, of course, against the rules."

Did you notice that he didn't even consider lying about his feelings? There are just so many things in these two chapters that have such a different feel to them. I'm looking forward to finding out more as we keep reading.

Tomorrow, don't forget to read chapters 3-4. On Wednesday we'll read chapters 5-6 and I'll post a discussion.
I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!

Regards,
Sylvia