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Class Discussion
Thursday, July 29, 2010 My day on 27th July started off with the class discussion about The Giver on whether the statement, the Chief Elder claims that the assignments are a way of honouring differences, is accurate. In my opinion, the assignments are not a way of honouring differences. Assignments are given based on one’s abilities. One will be observed carefully and will be given the assignment that the Elders think is most suitable. Hence, this suggests to me that the community is stereotyping, giving jobs based on one’s capabilities instead of honouring differences between individuals. Not all assignments are honoured. Some assignments like birthmothers, night crew, street cleaners and food delivery people are being looked down upon. These assignments are seen as low class jobs. The second discussion topic is on whether Jonas’s community values sameness or difference. Well, the answer is obvious. Jonas’s community values sameness. For example, during the standard ceremonies held for children, everyone is promoted to the next level at the same time. Also, all children of the same age are given the same type of object. This shows that the community has no sense of individuality and likes to standardise things. Besides this, the community controls their environment. The weather and climate are all adjusted to best suit humans. Colours are controlled where the whole environment is black and white. The community also promotes sameness through the family unit. Spouses are assigned and every family is given a maximum of two children. The family unit is fixed throughout the community. On top of this, people take pills to stop “stirrings”. “Stirrings” are natural and emotional feelings. The pill makes it such that everyone is emotionless, cold and heartless. Hence, we can conclude that the community values sameness a lot and tries to standardise things in every aspect of life.   Despite the community’s efforts in trying their best to promote sameness throughout the society, there are still flaws in Jonas’s community’s utopia. The irony about the assignments is that a hierarchy is created. The reason being some jobs are highly respected while others are not as respected and honoured. For example, the receiver of memory is looked at differently. It is very highly respected and honoured. Other jobs like birthmothers, labourers, and night crew (etc.) are being looked down upon. Lily’s mother scolded her when Lily said that she wanted to be a birthmother as Lily’s mother feels that there is little honour in this job. In conclusion, the assignments are dystopian elements, making the community’s utopia an impossible ideal.  I feel that utopias do not truly exist. No matter how much people try to create an ideal community, dystopian elements tend to surface out. Utopias do not last long because of the many difficulties and problems people encounter when making one. Hence, creating a utopia is impossible. |
