I did not see the movie. And I had not read the book, until last night. My 8th grader scrounged her bedroom for her copy and promised me it would be a "quick read". I knew exactly what she meant. It would be an ignore-the-dinner-dishes-and-read-until-midnight kind of book. And it was.
The only negative thing I experienced with this book was that after finishing it (at midnight), I almost raided my daughter's room for the sequel and risked waking her. Lois Lowry, I will be back for more!
I forced myself to not read any reviews of The Giver both before and after reading the book. I wanted my review of it to be my own uninfluenced thoughts.
The story takes place in some sort of futuristic utopia gone wrong (dystopia), except at first you don't realize anything really is wrong. The protagonist Jonas, a 12 year old boy, lives in a tightly controlled community where only "Sameness" exists. What "Sameness" really means is fed to the reader in bits and pieces until it all comes together.
The religious symbolism in The Giver was not lost on me, or maybe I just imagined it. I'm not sure. I felt that the apple represented the first instance of Jonas's awakening from his state of innocence. Thus, I likened Jonas to the Biblical Adam and Eve. Once Jonas's eyes are opened, he sees that while there is much pain in life, the good experiences and emotions can outweigh the bad. When Jonas awakens to the truth about his community and its leaders, things begin to happen.
The Giver himself, to me, represented a God-like or Savior-like personage. This was magnified in his gentleness with Jonas, his patience and love for him. The Giver also speaks of the unimaginable "burden" that he carries for the good of all others in the community. And yet, while he exists only for the purpose of helping the people and Elders of the community, he is largely ignored and so he is unable to bless their lives in unfathomable ways.
There are other parallels that can be drawn from this book such as conformity, authority, cults, dictatorship and genetic engineering.
I could see ways to use this extraordinary book in the middle school school classroom. The book can be used for reading and writing connections, as well as cross-curricular in social studies and science.
For perhaps grades 7-8, an English or reading teacher could use this book in the following ways:
Classifying: Making Choices.
To stimulate an oral discussion on freedom of choice, invite students to brainstorm things they do every day. Then have students classify each activity as 1) one that is totally their choice, 2) one in which they have some choice, or 3) one in which they have no choice. Students might work individually or as a group to chart their answers. Have students look for patterns in the types of items that appear under each heading. Conclude by revealing to students that the freedom to choose is an important issue in the novel they will read.
Connecting to Real Life: Book of Rules.
Begin a discussion about whether it is important to follow rules and the reasons for rules in our society. Then ask students to create, independently or as a class, a list of rules they follow at home, at school, or in their community. Ask them to divide the rules into two groups: those that they believe are important and essential and those that are not important or are unnecessary. Suggest that they display their two lists of rules in a collage on a bulletin board or other wall area to use in later comparisons with the rules of Jonas's community.
A Great Debate.
Have students debate the question "Is it better for all people to be alike or for people to be different?" First assign students to one of two groups: Pro-Sameness or Pro-Diversity. To prepare for the debate, have each group brainstorm ideas to support their side and organize their best defense. You may wish to allow time for students to find facts that support their position from the novel, from almanacs, and other sources.
Act it Out.
Ask students to consider what would happen if the freedom to make any choice were suddenly taken away from them. Instruct a group of students to write a skit in which the characters are without freedom of choice; have a second set of students perform the skit.
Compare.
Research another utopian-like community, such as the Shakers. Write a comparison between that community and the one presented in The Giver, in which you consider the rules of conduct within the community as well as its relationship with the outside world.
The following idea would be great to use in a science class:
Genetic Engineering.
The Community has been genetically altered for Sameness. Instruct students to research genetic engineering and tell whether they think it is right or wrong to tamper with nature in this way. Have them write a persuasive essay on this issue, using examples from their research as well as from The Giver.
Classroom ideas retrieved from https://www.classzone.com/novelguides/litcons/giver/guide.cfm
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