Nick Long blog #10 The individual

Blog #10 - Grant

Release:

Jonas waited as the airplane passed the sky. The bush he was concealed under was a very dark green, the leaves covering the branches were thin like paper. The sound of the plane disappeared after a few minutes.

After about five minutes of waiting in the bush, another plane approached. That was two in less that 10 minutes, Jonas thought. 

"Plane! Plane!" Gabe muttered.

Gabe began to crawl out from under the bush. He made his way toward the road, the plane was now only seconds from them.

"Gabe, come here Gabe." Jonas whispered as he stood.

The baby was now on his feet. By the time Jonas was up and moving, Gabe had already made his way back onto the road; out in the open. Jonas broke out into a run toward the baby. The plane zoomed overhead as Jonas ran into the road, grabbing the baby. The plane continued on its course. Jonas believed that he and Gabe were unseen. Suddenly, the plane halted and turned drastically. A siren blared as the plane faced Jonas.

"No!" Jonas shouted as he firmly gripped Gabe and entered the woods. Jonas could hear the plane approaching. It was only a matter of time until the plane would be overhead. Jonas remembered that the plane had heat-seeking devices within them that could identify any type of body heat. Jonas dove into a bush hidden under a thick layer of canopy. The plane was now overhead. The tree branches and leaves all began to disperse as the plane lowered its descent close to the trees. Jonas knew that his plan had now failed.

Jonas peered his vision upward, holding on tightly to Gabe as the wind blew harder and harder. He could see two men on a rope, attached to the plane, reaching down closer and closer to the ground. 

Thomas changes his point of view to Gabe, "I'm sorry Gabriel. I only wanted the best for you." he spoke. It was the first time he ever called the child by his assigned name, and probably his last as well. It was different. Jonas felt as if he failed everyone of the world. The Giver, his father, his mother, Lily, Asher, Fiona. The men touched down beside the two. One grabbed Gabe from his arms. The other took hold of Jonas. Jonas felt a slight prick on his shoulder, then after a few seconds he was asleep.

Jonas awoke in a room of all white. He sat in a chair to which both his wrists and his ankles were strapped too. Jonas began to stir and struggle in the chair. The door opened, it was The Giver.

"The Giver!" Jonas shouted as he jumped in his chair against his restraints.

"I'm sorry Jonas, I have failed you." The old man replied. He looked about 10 years older than when Jonas had left him.

"It's more like I have failed you, sir."

The Giver shook his head, peering down at his feet.

"Jonas... You are-" he hesitated, "you are being released." 

"I understand, I know this is more painful for you than it will be for me. So I'm just going to get it over with." 

The Giver took out a needle, the needle was very familiar to Jonas. It was what his father used to release the twin. The Giver approached the boy and gently placed his hand down on this wrist, prepping Jonas for the injection.

"I'm so sorry." The Giver spoke.

The Givers robe once purple began to fade, the color was no more than a light shade of black. Thomas' flinched as the needle penetrated his skin. Thomas looked up at The Giver, the man was hunched over him looking at the needle. He shifted his view to Jonas' eyes. A tear streaked down his face and fell onto Jonas' arm. Jonas smiled back at him as he began to black out.

Yey or Nay?

The Giver:

Our group has decided that we all liked the novel as a whole; however there were few parts that we disagreed with. Grant believes that since the book set in a futuristic world, that a bicycle is not the most efficient way of transportation within and between communities. Thomas didn't like that after Jonas left, he was never able to see the Giver again. Abbie disliked the fact that near the end of the book, Jonas never got to go back to his community, and see everyone again. Nick disliked that the author never went into full detail of how communities interact with each other. But along with all these things that our group disagreed with, there were many aspects of the novel that we all enjoyed: The plot was well thought out and had amazing structure to support it. For Grant, it is probably both the most sophisticated dystopian novel (in means of how to world was set up, and how everything was regulated; the world as a whole), but also the simple novel as well (it was very very simple to understand what the author was trying to get across the the reader. The setting was also well described by the author by both dialogue and the interactions between the characters and their surroundings. As a group, we've giver the book 4.5 out of 5 stars. We all recommend the novel to really any age group. The book was no where near as complicated to understand as any other novel we have read all year. All in all, the book was entertaining for our group to read and only took a short amount of time to complete.

A New Life - Blog Number 10 - Thomas

 Behind him, across the distance, from the place he had left, he thought he heard music too. Maybe it was only an echo. It was difficult to concentrate with the adrenaline pump from the ride. But just as he remembered that, the sled came to a nice peaceful stop. He got off and forced his hurt legs to move. The pain was almost unbearable, but he knew it was necessary for their survival. I have to keep going for Gabe, he thought to himself. Pick it up, put it down. Over and over he told himself this so he wouldn't stop moving. Jonas could see the first house. He was so happy that he started to run even though it hurt really badly. His feet were very heavy. He tripped and started to fall. Jonas threw his hand out to stop himself from crushing Gabe but his arm gave out and he fell right on top of Gabe. It didn't hurt Gabe too much. The ice and the snow were deep, but as Jonas stood up chunks of snow fell down his jacket, freezing Gabe. It didn't bother Jonas too much since his body was numb but Gabe started to cry! Jonas got the snow out best he could and started walking to the house. He placed a foot onto the neatly shoveled step. He put a hand out to steady himself. Too late, he passed out.

 Warmth filled his body. "Mom, how'd you know I wanted a brother?" There was group of people laughing; maybe four people or more? Jonas started to open his eyes then squeezed them closed again. It was very bright. "Go turn the lights down; he wants to open his eyes." The darkness got darker behind his eyes. He opened his eyes and looked around. There were five people, a family. There was a tree in the corner with different colored light hanging over it. He was lying down on his back and everyone was staring at him. "Hello, my name is Betsy." She looked like she was the mother of the three children he could see. "Where’s Gabe?" His voice seemed tired. One of the children left and then came back with a glass of water. "The baby? Oh, he’s asleep in one of our cribs. He's doing great! Don't worry about him. He's being kept nice and warm. "Here you go," the girl said as she handed the cup of water to Jonas. He took a sip of the water. Feeling refreshed, he started to tell his story. By the end of his story, everyone was sitting in disbelief, just staring at him. Finally Jonas knew that he would be living a whole new life. A different life from the one he had been used to. His eyes began to hurt and he burst out crying. "Oh you poor baby!" Betsy yelled and she grabbed Jonas and gave him a big hug. "Betsy, don't smother the kid!" The father figure put a hand on Betsy’s shoulder and she moved back. "Well, I think both of you will like this place a lot." "This is where your new life will begin."

Let Me Introduce Myself

RAP LINK ---
http://www.smule.com/p/205623204_44852650

The Individual - Nick

Individual - Thomas

The Individual - Grant

The Giver:

The Giver obtains the job of the Receiver of Memory in our novel. In his community, everything is controlled; fear, pain, love, and life. The Receiver of Memory is responsible for holding the burden of pain in the community. This job is honored the most as it is the most important of the community. Long ago, the world resorted to Sameness. Thus doing so, they eliminated pain. To do so, they contained all the memories of the whole world and concealed them into one person, The Receiver of Memory (this applies to every community). Jonas (the main protagonist of the novel) has been newly selected to be the Receiver if Memory in his community at the Ceremony of 12. Jonas must now begin training for his assigned job. He must receive the memories of the world and contain the pain. The Giver, his teacher as one may say, must give these to him. The Giver is burdened by being knowledgeable. The memories that he alone holds frightens him. He wishes to share his knowledge with his community, but it is against the rules. The memories of pain hurts him. The memories of joy/love brings happiness to him (like the memory of the family on Christmas, sitting by the fireplace). His wisdom is what sets him as the base of the novel. In the navel, Jonas asks the man what his name is, and he only replies for him to call him "The Giver". Later in the novel, the reader learns that he had once trained a girl to be the new Receiver of Memory, but she failed. After that you learn that this girl was The Giver's daughter... The release of his daughter saddened the man and set his melancholy attitude during the time of the book. 

The Givers physical appearance:

• on the front cover of the novel, a picture of a real life representation of the man is shown
• he has a long, grey beard
• he is bald
• he is very old but looks older than he really is
• the burden from all the memories and pain as what has caused his drastic aging

 

The Receiver of Memory must have the qualities of intelligence, integrity, courage, wisdom, and the Capacity to See Beyond. This applies to the present receiver, any new receiver, and to all the past ones as well.
I myself have only two of these, intelligence and courage. Like him, I am knowledgeable. I know I am not all knowing as he is, but I know of past and presents events that have shaped society currently. Not only am I knowledgeable I am a courageous person as he is as well. It takes courage to not only obtain the memories but to also bear through the pain that comes with them. I chose these row particularly because they're most relatable to my life and to others as well. Most people don't have the Capacity to See Beyond as it is only a made up quality within the novel. 

iMovie Trailer - link

THE GIVER - iMOVIE

Who's Who?

Jonas - Jonas is the main protagonist in the novel. He is eleven years old when the book begins, but turns twelve at the ceremony held each year by the community. At this ceremony Jonas is given the job as the Receiver of Memory. As the book progresses, you find that Jonas has his own way of thinking; he shows great interest in the well being of his family, and also feels that it would be nice to be closer to people overall. When Jonas begins his training for becoming the Receiver of Memory for his community, he learns more, and becomes more aware of the world around him.

Lily - Lily is Jonas’s seven-year-old sister. (she turns eight over the course of the first 48 pages) She enjoys talking, but can get very talkative at time. She enjoys sharing her feelings and dreams to her family. Lily is very bright and knowledgeable girl for her age.

Jonas's Father - Jonas's father works with infants as a Nurturer for the community. He is tenderhearted and very caring, but takes his job seriously and will do whatever is best in the long run. He refers to his children by calling them playful nicknames, as he does with the children in his care at his job.

Jonas's Mother - Jonas's mother works at the Department of Justice. She's very intelligent and cares for her family. She very often helps Jonas and gives him advice about his fears and worries as he grows. With Jonas's father being tenderhearted, she gives a firm foundation to their overall family unit.

Gabriel (Gabe) -  Gabe is the new child brought into the family by Jonas's father. Gabriel needed extra care for growth and development, therefore Jonas's father begged to keep him and bring him home after hours to give him the extra care needed. Gabriel is fun and well alive in the day time, but has trouble sleeping in the nighttime so Jonas comforts him.

Asher - Asher is Jonas's best friend. Asher is known for talking to fast and getting his words mixed up easily. At the Ceremony of Twelve, he is assigned to be the Assistant Director of Recreation.

The Giver - The Giver is an old man known as the Receiver of Memory in Jonas' community. He helps the Elder Chief make important decisions. Although The Giver knows all, he is troubled because he believes his acquired memories belong to those in the community.

Fiona - Fiona is one of Jonas’s friends. She has red hair that only Jonas can see, and she was assigned to work as a caretaker of The House of The Old . She is very calm and patient. Jonas’s first stirrings come from an erotic dream about Fiona.

Larissa - Larissa is a woman living in the House of the Old. Jonas shares pleasant conversation with her while he gives her a bath during his volunteer hours. Like many inhabitants of the House of the Old, she enjoys gossip and looks forward to her release.

The Chief Elder - The Chief Elder is the elected leader of Jonas’s community. She too shows genuine affection for all of the children at the Ceremony of Twelve, knowing of their names and an anecdote about each one.

The First 48

CASE FILE: Jonas’ Father

 Overview of the Case:

One year after Gabriel was given an additional year to develop and grow, right before he was named and placed into a family unit, Jonas’ father became attached to the child and refused to give him back as the time approached. Jonas’ father is now held guilty for breaking the laws of the community.

Crime Scene:    

Baby Gabriel and Jonas’s father was found in the home of Jonas and his family unit after the communities law enforcers broke inside. The house, besides the two, was empty. Only one bike was found at the house. The whereabouts of the rest of the family is currently unknown. This has brought up a whole new case. Baby items such as: baby food, clothes, and toys were also found inside the home.

Suspects:      

Jonas’ father is the prime suspect and the only suspect in the case. Jonas’ father is the father of Jonas (12 years old) and Lily (8 years old). He is married to Jonas’ mother who holds a high position in the Department of Justice. Jonas’ father is a nurturer at the Nurturing Center, and was caring for the child at the time of his ‘kidnapping’.

Evidence:      

There is plenty of evidence to prove that Jonas’ father is guilty of the kidnapping of 1 ½ year old Gabriel. One, Gabriel was found under the care of Jonas’ father at his home.  One week ago from yesterday, Gabriel went missing from the nurturers. If this alone isn't enough evidence itself, then one could go on about the baby items found. Cabinets inside the homes kitchen and in the refrigerator were filled will baby food/milk. Like most one year olds, the child obtains a comfort object at the Ceremony of One. Gabe's, a hippo, was also found at the house. By taking ‘Gabe’ home and refusing to return him, he violates two rules: kidnapping and overloading the family unit capacity. The community is still investigating the disappearance of the rest of the family. Jonas’ father is a prime suspect once again in this new case.

Conclusion:  

Based on the evidence, it seems more than likely that Jonas’ father is guilty of the kidnapping of young Gabriel. Gabriel was found in the suspect’s home, right alongside with the suspect. The house was filled with items intended for babies, such as Gabriel. His children Jonas and Lily are not of the age to use such things so we know that they aren't for them. The suspect being the only one, is 100% guilty of the crime. IF found guilty, Jonas’ father will most likely be released due to this.

Who Did It?

The author of our novel is Lois Lowry. She is 77 years old, born on March 20, 1937 in Honolulu, Hawii. She currently lives in both Maine and Massachusetts. She has been writing young adult literature since 1993. She graduated from Brown University, studying literature and art. Soon after she graduated, she married a male officer in 1956; together they had four children. Lois has taken her love for young adult literature and used it to win 2 Newberry medals for the books: Number The Stars (1989) and The Giver (1993). She also recieved the Hans Christian Andersen Award, the highest award that can be given to children book novelists.

Where are We Again?

The Giver takes place in an unspecified date in the future. Everything takes place in a community in which is ruled by a large society (much like the World State in Brave New World) which is thought to be a utopia. Further into the novel, the reader learns that the society is very corrupt, being a dystopian society. The reader also infers that the community is on Earth. The community in which the main protagonist, Jonas, is living in is very well managed. Jonas lives in a place that is regulated so that nothing unexpected happens, ever. In this community, everyone has a perfect family, the perfect job, and the weather is also perfect. There is no war, no pain, no fear. Everything is "perfect".

Are We There Yet?

What would we like to know about our Novel?

 1) In the beginning of the book, when Asher arrives late at school, he has to apologize to the class and explain why he was late. How does this correspond with how the rest of the society in The Giver acts?

 2) When Jonas first goes home, he talks about a "family unit" rather than just a family. What exactly is a family unit and why does the government get to choose?

 3) What is the job of the Giver and why is it so important?

 4) If something happens in the community, whether it be a child gone wrong or old age, a person from the community can be released. Where do you go when you are released?

 5) Is it possible to leave your own community and join another?

And Then What?

The book we were given, The Giver, seems to also be another claimed utopian society. The more I read, I believe it will turn into a dystopian world overtime, like Brave New World. According to the back of the book, the world is "perfect". War, fear, and pain are no more. Hence the title, I believe this will involve something being given to someone. Possibly knowledge of the truth, possibly material items?