Answer the following prompt, using the close reading activity and your outline to assist you:
What do you think is the central message or theme that Lois Lowry wants her audience to take away after reading The Giver? Use specific details, quotes, and examples from the text to support your response.
To determine the central message or theme that Lois Lowry wants her audience to take away after reading The Giver, we can start by engaging in a close reading activity. Close reading involves carefully analyzing the text, paying attention to details, symbols, and themes, and using evidence from the text to support our interpretation.
First, let's look at the text and identify any key quotes or details that might help us uncover the central message or theme. The Giver is a dystopian novel that follows a young boy named Jonas who lives in a society that appears to be utopian on the surface but is revealed to be deeply flawed. One quote that stands out is when Jonas says, "If everything's the same, then there aren't any choices! I want to wake up in the morning and decide things!" This quote highlights Jonas's realization that the absence of choice and individuality in his society is stifling and unsatisfying.
Another significant detail is the role of memories in the novel. Jonas is selected to become the Receiver of Memory and learns about the past from the previous Receiver, known as The Giver. Through these memories, Jonas experiences pain, joy, love, and other emotions that were suppressed in his community. This process helps him understand the importance of individuality, emotions, and human connection.
From these details, we can extract the central message or theme of The Giver: the necessity of individuality, free will, and the value of human experience. Lois Lowry appears to advocate for the idea that a society that suppresses emotions, choices, and personal freedom ultimately loses what makes us human.
To support this interpretation further, we can also analyze other significant events and characters in the novel. For instance, Jonas's bond with a baby named Gabriel and his journey to escape the community indicate his rejection of the controlled and emotionless society. Additionally, the character of The Giver himself exemplifies the importance of preserving memories and individuality even in a seemingly perfect world.
By engaging in a close reading of The Giver, examining key quotes, details, characters, and events, we can deduce that the central message or theme Lois Lowry wants her audience to take away is the significance of individuality, free will, and the value of human experience. It is through these elements that we find fulfillment and authenticity in life.
In Lois Lowry's novel, The Giver, the central message or theme that she wants her audience to take away is the importance of individuality, emotions, and human connection. Throughout the book, Lowry emphasizes the dangers of a society that suppresses these essential elements of being human.
Lowry consistently portrays the absence of individuality and emotions in the community. The citizens are given numbers rather than names and are assigned specific roles in society, suppressing their uniqueness. For example, the protagonist, Jonas, notices his community's lack of individuality when he says, "They were considered females ... not girls. He liked the feeling of safety here in this warm and quiet room, however. He liked the expression of trust on the woman's face as she lay accepting the needle." (94) Here, Jonas's use of the word "expressions" demonstrates his growing awareness of the importance of showing emotions and uniqueness, which is lacking in his society.
Furthermore, Lowry shows how the community in The Giver eradicates emotions to prevent disunity and disharmony. The society's leaders believe that emotions are disruptive and unnecessary, leading them to remove the capacity to feel pain, love, turmoil, and joy. However, through Jonas's experiences with the Giver, he realizes the importance of emotions and begins to value them. For instance, Jonas says, "But now he had experienced real happiness. He had felt overwhelming, gut-wrenching love. He had seen the terrible beauty of someone taking a risk, even if he had been forced to do it himself." (156) This quote demonstrates Jonas's newfound appreciation for emotions and the beauty that they bring to life.
Lowry also emphasizes the significance of human connection in The Giver. In Jonas's strictly controlled community, there is minimal interaction and intimacy between individuals. For instance, his father, who is a Nurturer, has little emotional attachment to the babies he cares for, as demonstrated when Jonas realizes that his father "had never looked at Gabriel with admiration. Jonas understood that. He had never done anything remarkable himself." (154) This lack of human connection highlights the negative consequences of a society that isolates individuals from genuine relationships.
In conclusion, Lois Lowry wants her audience to understand the central message that individuality, emotions, and human connection are integral aspects of being human. Through Jonas's journey in The Giver, readers witness the dangers of suppressing these elements and appreciate the importance of embracing them. Lowry uses specific details, quotes, and examples from the text to support this theme, creating a thought-provoking narrative that urges readers to value and cherish their own uniqueness and emotions.
To determine the central message or theme that Lois Lowry wants her audience to take away after reading The Giver, we can analyze specific details, quotes, and examples from the text. The close reading activity and outline will assist in gathering relevant information.
1. Begin by examining the text for recurring ideas and symbols. Take note of the controlled and emotionless society depicted in the novel, where individuality is compromised in favor of sameness.
2. Gather specific details from the text that support the theme. For example, the absence of color, choice, and personal connections in the community emphasizes the theme of conformity and uniformity. Jonas, the protagonist, begins to understand the impact of this controlled society as he receives memories of the past from the Giver.
3. Look for quotes that express the theme explicitly or implicitly. One quote that illustrates the theme is when Jonas questions the assignment of roles in the community, saying, "It's the choosing that's important, isn't it?...We really have to protect people from wrong choices."
4. Analyze key turning points in the plot. When Jonas learns about release, a term used to disguise killing, he begins to question the society's values and principles. This pivotal moment emphasizes the importance of individualism and the danger of sacrificing it for the illusion of stability.
5. Consider the ending of the novel, where Jonas escapes the community, taking with him the burden of the memories. This conclusion reinforces the theme that individuality and personal experiences, both positive and negative, are essential for growth and humanity.
By following these steps closely and referring back to the close reading activity and outline, we can build a comprehensive response that highlights the central message or theme that Lois Lowry wants her audience to take away after reading The Giver.