• Literature Notes
  • What Are Utopias and Dystopias?
  • Book Summary
  • About The Giver
  • Character List
  • Summary and Analysis
  • Chapters 1-2
  • Chapters 3-5
  • Chapters 6-8
  • Chapters 9-10
  • Chapters 11-12
  • Chapters 13-15
  • Chapters 16-17
  • Chapters 18-20
  • Chapters 21-23
  • Lois Lowry Biography
  • Critical Essays
  • Major Themes in The Giver
  • Style and Language in The Giver
  • A Note about Infanticide and Euthanasia
  • Full Glossary for The Giver
  • Essay Questions
  • Cite this Literature Note

Critical Essays What Are Utopias and Dystopias?

The word utopia comes from the Greek words ou , meaning "no" or "not," and topos , meaning "place." Since its original conception, utopia has come to mean a place that we can only dream about, a true paradise. Dystopia , which is the direct opposite of utopia, is a term used to describe a utopian society in which things have gone wrong. Both utopias and dystopias share characteristics of science fiction and fantasy, and both are usually set in a future in which technology has been used to create perfect living conditions. However, once the setting of a utopian or dystopian novel has been established, the focus of the novel is usually not on the technology itself but rather on the psychology and emotions of the characters who live under such conditions.

Although the word utopia was coined in 1516 by Sir Thomas More when he wrote Utopia , writers have written about utopias for centuries, including the biblical Garden of Eden in Genesis and Plato's Republic , about a perfect state ruled by philosopher-kings. More's Utopia protested contemporary English life by describing an ideal political state in a land called Utopia, or Nowhere Land. Other early fictional utopias include various exotic communities in Jonathan Swift's famous Gulliver's Travels (1726).

The idea of utopias continued to be popular during the nineteenth century. For example, English author Samuel Butler wrote Erewhon (1872) ("nowhere" spelled backward) and Erewhon Revisited (1901), and William Morris wrote News From Nowhere (1891). In the United States, people have attempted to create real-life utopias. A few of the places where utopian communities were started include Fruitlands, Massachusetts; Harmony, Pennsylvania; Corning, Iowa; Oneida, New York; and Brook Farm, Massachusetts, founded in 1841 by American transcendentalists. Although the founders of these utopian communities had good intentions, none of the communities flourished as their creators had hoped.

Dystopias are a way in which authors share their concerns about society and humanity. They also serve to warn members of a society to pay attention to the society in which they live and to be aware of how things can go from bad to worse without anyone realizing what has happened. Examples of fictional dystopias include Aldous Huxley's Brave New World (1932), Ray Bradbury's

Fahrenheit 451 (1953), and George Orwell's Animal Farm (1944) and Nineteen Eighty-Four (1949).

Lois Lowry chose to write The Giver as a dystopian novel because it was the most effective means to communicate her dissatisfaction with the lack of awareness that human beings have about their interdependence with each other, their environment, and their world. She uses the irony of utopian appearances but dystopian realities to provoke her readers to question and value their own freedoms and individual identities.

Jonas' community appears to be a utopia, but, in reality, it is a dystopia. The people seem perfectly content to live in an oli-garchy — a government run by a select few — in which a Community of Elders enforces the rules. In Jonas' community, there is no poverty, starvation, unemployment, lack of housing, or prejudice; everything is perfectly planned to eliminate any problems. However, as the novel progresses and Jonas gains insight into what the people have willingly given up — their freedoms and individual-ities — for the so-called common good of the community, it becomes more and more evident that the community is a bad place in which to live. Readers can relate to the disbelief and horror that Jonas feels when he realizes that his community is a hypocrisy, a society based on false ideals of goodness and conformity. As Jonas comes to understand the importance of memory, freedom, individuality, and even color, he can no longer stand by and watch the people in his community continue to live under such fraudulent pretenses.

Previous Style and Language in The Giver

Next A Note about Infanticide and Euthanasia

the giver utopia essay

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Welcome to the LitCharts study guide on Lois Lowry's The Giver . Created by the original team behind SparkNotes, LitCharts are the world's best literature guides.

The Giver: Introduction

The giver: plot summary, the giver: detailed summary & analysis, the giver: themes, the giver: quotes, the giver: characters, the giver: symbols, the giver: theme wheel, brief biography of lois lowry.

The Giver PDF

Historical Context of The Giver

Other books related to the giver.

  • Full Title: The Giver
  • When Written: Early 1990s
  • Where Written: Maine
  • When Published: April 16, 1993
  • Literary Period: Contemporary
  • Genre: Dystopian novel
  • Setting: A managed community in a futuristic society. The community is cut off from the outside world, which is referred to as "elsewhere."
  • Climax: Jonas learns that when his father "releases" newchildren, he actually kills them. Jonas decides to leave the community.
  • Antagonist: Jonas's community and its system of Sameness
  • Point of View: Third-person limited, through Jonas's eyes

Extra Credit for The Giver

Awards: The Giver won the 1994 Newbery Medal, considered the most prestigious award for children's literature.

Banned Book: Although The Giver tops countless school reading lists, it has also been banned by some schools, which claim that some of the material, like euthanasia and suicide, is inappropriate for children.

One of Three: Lowry has written two more books set in the world of The Giver and including some of the characters from The Giver . The three books together are often described as a "loose trilogy." The second book in the series is Gathering Blue and was published in 2000. The third, The Messenger , was published in 2004.

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Introduction to The Giver

Summary of the giver, major themes in the giver, major characters in the giver, writing style of the giver, analysis of the literary devices in the giver, related posts:, post navigation.

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The Dichotomy of Dystopian and Utopian Societies in "The Giver"

The Dichotomy of Dystopian and Utopian Societies in "The Giver" essay

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Is the Society of The Giver a Utopia? Anonymous 8th Grade

Ever since the species of man has existed, men have looked for improved states of society. Searching for food, shelter, and safety have been major problems, even in today’s world: naturally, authors would write books about utopias that provide for the common needs of people and that ensure true social harmony. Lois Lowry’s book The Giver presents a controversial utopia. A utopia (defined by Oxford dictionary) is “an imaginary place in which the government, laws, and social conditions are perfect.” Perfect (also defined by Oxford dictionary) is “having all the required or desirable elements, qualities, or characteristics; as good as it is possible to be.” The society created by Lois Lowry in The Giver is a utopia due to its government, laws, and social conditions being as good as it is possible to be.

Lowry’s society as presented in The Giver has a very efficient and stable government: the society has a committee that governs by coming to a consensus, and if the committee is backed up in a tight spot, they ask the Giver to solve a troubling issue/problem. Therefore, the committee doesn’t waste time in getting the issue solved. For example, when the community petitioned to be able to receive a third child, the committee asked The...

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the giver utopia essay

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Examining Utopia & Dystopia in The Giver

Utopian flying machines, France, 1890–1900.

Utopian flying machines, France, 1890–1900.

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Throughout Lois Lowry’s The Giver , the main character Jonas realizes there are more elements to life than he has been led to believe. The Community, a seemingly utopian society with strict rules about everything from behavior to birthday presents, does not include important aspects like color and emotion. Jonas also realizes that the Community does not allow books, other than government approved text books. As he begins to gain knowledge and memories from the Receiver, Jonas realizes that the utopian society he has been part of might not be so perfect. This lesson explores how The Giver addresses issues of personal identity, memory, and the value of reading and education.  It also explores how this newer read relates to other famous classics in this genre and books that students have read on their own.

Guiding Questions

How does The Giver complicate the differences between utopia and dystopia?

What is the significance of personal and communal history, memories, and reading throughout the novel?

How does Lowry critique contemporary society through the creation of an alternate society?

To what extent does The Giver relate to other classical texts that deal with the importance of reading and education?

Learning Objectives

Analyze how the Community relates to students’ own communities, institutions, and serves to provide social commentary.

Compare The Giver to other texts and how each text discusses the overall value of literature in students own lives.

Evaluate the decisions made in the book about preserving and sharing information to inform the creation of a personal list for the Receiver.

Lesson Plan Details

A popular book in classrooms since it was published in 1993, The Giver is a novel that at first appears to be set in a utopian society. As the story unfolds and the protagonist, 12-year-old Jonas becomes more aware of what is happening, we learn that he is actually living in a dystopian world.  Teachers and students can access a complete digital version of  The Giver   and an audiobook version to assist with listening skills (searchable by chapters).

A film adaptation of The Giver was produced in 2014. Engage students in a comparative analysis of the book and the film using the following scenes:

  • Opening scene from The Giver (2014)
  • Final speech from The Giver (2014) 

What is the meaning of utopia and dystopia?

A few resources to assist students with understanding the concepts utopia and dystopia are provided:

  • Definition and meaning of utopia
  • Introduction to the book Utopia by Thomas More
  • Definition and examples of dystopia from ReadWriteThink
  • List of other middle grade dystopian novels

Discussion and reflection questions:

  • What would your perfect society include?
  • From your perspective, what would you consider to be dystopic?

An Introduction to Lois Lowry

  • Lois Lowry website
  • A Conversation with Lois Lowry
  • A Video Interview with Lois Lowry

A Thematic Introduction

Start a class discussion using the following questions. Ask students questions about their own experiences with thematic elements of the novel (memory, truth, community, individuality, courage, etc.). Have students write down important ideas to think about throughout the novel.

Warm Up Questions:

  • What are some of your most important memories?
  • Are there any memories that the class shares with one another?
  • Are there any memories that all people share?
  • Are these collective memories more important than individual memories?

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.R.1. Read closely to determine what the text says explicitly and to make logical inferences from it; cite specific textual evidence when writing or speaking to support conclusions drawn from the text.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.R.2. Determine central ideas or themes of a text and analyze their development; summarize the key supporting details and ideas.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.R.3. Analyze how and why individuals, events, or ideas develop and interact over the course of a text.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.R.4. Interpret words and phrases as they are used in a text, including determining technical, connotative, and figurative meanings, and analyze how specific word choices shape meaning or tone.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.R.5. Analyze the structure of texts, including how specific sentences, paragraphs, and larger portions of the text (e.g., a section, chapter, scene, or stanza) relate to each other and the whole.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.R.6. Assess how point of view or purpose shapes the content and style of a text.

Activity 1. Read Aloud

As a class, read pages 72-74  of The Giver out loud, which features the first time Jonas sees The Receiver's office filled with books. To involve students in the process of rereading, use one of the following strategies:

  • Popcorn Reading : Have a student read a section, then 'popcorn' to another student who continues reading.
  • Choral Reading : Have students read it aloud together to practice verbal skills.
  • Role Play : Assign a few students roles (including a narrator) and have students read their part aloud.

Activity 2. Small Group Synthesis Discussion

Hand out passages from Fahrenheit 451 and 1984   and discussion questions that have a similar theme to  The Giver . Organize students into small groups and have them read the two passages aloud. Have the students discuss the question that goes along with each of the passages in their small groups using the discussion questions below. Have each group share at least one idea with the class from their discussion.

Fahrenheit 451

  • Using specific evidence from the text, what does Montag realize about the power and fear associated with books?
  • How does this relate to what Jonas realizes in The Giver ?
  • How does Montag’s realization compare with what Jonas realizes in The Giver ?
  • How is changing language similar to the elimination of books in the other stories?
  • To what extent do Winston and Jonas have similar experiences?

Activity 3. Drafting Receiver Lists 

On their own, have students draft a list of books and media they have read that they would pass along if they were The Receiver of Memories. Their list should include (at least) five books, television shows, movies, or other pieces of media, along with a reason that each should be included on the list. Students can also provide two memories from their own lives that they would like to pass down to future generations on their list.

If there is time, have students share one of their choices and reason with the class or small group. If students do not finish their list in class, they can take it home to continue brainstorming ideas.

Book Review Bingo

Have students write a book review of The Giver that includes at least 2-3 quotes from the book they find valuable. In small groups, have students brainstorm important story telling elements, themes, and words in the novel that they should include (ex. utopia, dystopia, identity, memory, community, narrator, setting, etc.). Create a bingo card of the words that students need to address in their review as a guide. Have students include one row of those words in their review.

Create Their Own Utopia

Have students create their own utopian world. What issues would they solve that are presented in the book (those related to memory, uniformity, choice, individuality, and community)? Have students cite specific passages and how they would change the issues in those passages in their own society. Have students consider some or all of the following when building their society:

  • Laws/Rules/Regulations
  • Social Expectations
  • Technological Improvements
  • Arts and Literature

Essay Prompt

 In an essay, have students compare and contrast the communities in each of the three texts used in the activity. How do they relate to one another? What themes or characteristics occur in all of them? Have students make a judgement about the ethics of uniformity in these books.

To continue this lesson throughout the school year, post student’s lists somewhere in the classroom. When students read new books or find new pieces of media they want to add, encourage them to add it to their list. At the end of the school year, have students write a letter to your next set of students with recommendations on books to read or things to watch for during the upcoming school year.

  • NEH 'We the People' Bookshelf: Books About Freedom
  • NEH Reading List for K-8 Students

Materials & Media

The giver--activity three handout, related on edsitement, a wrinkle in time : the board game, a trip to wonderland: the nursery alice in wonderland, a literary glossary for literature and language arts, william golding’s lord of the flies.

Black, white, and blue illustration of the outline of three heads with whispy hair

by Lois Lowry

What aspects make the community in The Giver a dystopia?

Quick answer:

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I have been an attorney for over 25 years and decided to change careers one day. Between us, my late husband and I have had five children and nine grandchildren.

While Utopian fiction is a peek into a future in which society is working very well, dystopian literature is that which gives us a look at a future that is not working out at all.  A dystopian work shows us a future that is dysfunctional, usually because mankind has made some dreadful mistake or miscalculation.  While on the surface, the society in The Giver seems quite successful, it is clear by the end of the book that it is profoundly dysfunctional in ways that only the Giver and Jonas are privy to because they are the only fully human people in the story.

The mistake that the community has made is to have given up what makes its people human in exchange for security and stability. They must conform to the rules of Sameness, which takes away most of their choices. They have given up the sense of color and music.  They have given up emotions such as happiness and love.  They have given up memories of anything that happened before their lives began.  They have no choice in mates, child-bearing, or in work.  In exchange, they have a sterile, climate-controlled existence, which seems to keep them free of disease and food or housing insecurity. They are safe, but while they have traded away unhappiness, they are not capable of happiness, either. 

While there may be some who do not see this as dystopia, I think most people understand that this is a bad bargain, that giving up choices and differences, giving up color and music, giving up all the best of human emotions, is a choice that leads to a community of essentially robots, who follow the leaders unquestioningly.  The Giver and Jonas understand the cost that the community has paid, even though the people themselves do not see it. 

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Cite this page as follows:

Caplan, Lorraine. "What aspects make the community in The Giver a dystopia?" edited by eNotes Editorial, 25 Dec. 2015, https://www.enotes.com/topics/giver/questions/how-did-community-giver-dystopia-what-making-that-581671.

Popular Questions

Latest answer posted January 03, 2020 at 10:50:24 AM

What gifts do children receive at each age from 2 to 12 in "The Giver"?

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Home — Essay Samples — Literature — The Giver — The Dystopian Society in “The Giver” by Lois Lowry

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The Dystopian Society in "The Giver" by Lois Lowry

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the giver utopia essay

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The Giver : Dystopia or Utopia?

In this activity, activity overview, template and class instructions, more storyboard that activities, this activity is part of many teacher guides.

The Giver Dystopia

Utopian and dystopian literature is a rapidly growing sub-genre of popular fiction. Authors often use utopias to convey a message about the world we live in today.

Dystopias are extremely flawed societies. In this genre, unlike other literature genres , the setting is often a fallen society, usually occurring after a large-scale war, or other horrific event, that caused chaos in the former world. In many stories this chaos gives rise to a totalitarian government that assumes absolute control. The flaws in this sort of a dystopia are centered around oppression and restrictions on freedom by central authorities.

Jonas’ Community

Have your students create storyboards where they choose a stance on the community. Is it dystopian or utopian? In the storyboard, the student can depict the elements of a utopia or dystopia, and explain their reasoning.

This storyboard uses examples from the article " Teaching Dystopia ".

Examples of Dystopia in The Giver

ELEMENT EXAMPLE
No Independent Thought Dreams are suppressed through medication.
Oppressive Government Elders are revered and chosen to make decisions that are best for the community.
Lack of Free Will Choices are taken away from the people for fear that they cannot handle the consequences.
"Sameness/Uniformity" All houses are the same, inside and out!
Perfect Society Although everyone is happy, Jonas stresses that because they live in ignorance, their society is far from perfect.
Citizens are Under Surveillance The Elders can listen and speak everywhere.

(These instructions are completely customizable. After clicking "Copy Activity", update the instructions on the Edit Tab of the assignment.)

Student Instructions

Create a storyboard that shows the six elements of a dystopia in The Giver .

  • Click "Start Assignment".
  • Identify events or characteristics of the story that fit into the elements of a dystopia
  • Illustrate the examples for each event or characteristic.
  • Write a short description below each cell that specifically relates The Giver as a dystopia.

Elements of Dystopia Template

Lesson Plan Reference

Grade Level 6-8

Difficulty Level 4 (Difficult / Complex)

Type of Assignment Individual or Group

Type of Activity: Elements of Dystopia

(You can also create your own on Quick Rubric .)

Proficient
33 Points
Emerging
25 Points
Beginning
17 Points

How To Teach the Concept of Dystopia

Define the vocabulary of a dystopia and give examples.

For many students, the concept of a dystopia is new, so clearly define the relevant vocabulary and give examples of it in The Giver. As students get farther into the world of Jonas and his "family," continue offering examples.

Discuss Examples of Dystopias

Use books, movies, and television shows to lead a discussion about dystopias that the students already know, and how that type of government functions or doesn't function.

Have Students Create a Storyboard

Students will best understand dystopian principles in The Giver by creating a storyboard of specific examples and moments from the story that fit into the dystopian ideal. Assist each student as needed.

Frequently Asked Questions about The Giver: Dystopia or Utopia?

What is a dystopia.

A dystopia is a society that tries to eliminate the chaos of a crisis or horrible event by granting total control to the government. Unfortunately, this often leads to oppression and restrictions for the people who live there.

What are some important elements of a dystopia?

In a dystopia, characters do not have free will or independent thought, but are subject to the will of the government. Being uniform or the same as others is applauded, and the government watches carefully over its citizens.

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The Giver: Utopia and Dystopia

Trang Le Antarctica – March 10, 2010 The Giver Essay Lois Lowry’s The Giver is set in a futuristic, dichotomous society, one that is both utopian and dystopian. In response to the overwhelming destruction and chaos in the world, the Elders have attempted to create and maintain a peaceful and orderly utopia, but this security comes at a price. The citizens of the community have sacrificed their individuality and freedom. Although most adult members have some knowledge of the hypocrisies involved, they choose to perpetuate the deception, allowing the community, as a whole, to continue on blissful ignorance. When young Jonas is confronted with all the truths of the present and all the memories of the past, he must choose for himself …show more content…

At the Ceremony of Twelves, the children get their job; they are given a specific job that fits their actions and by where they had spent most of their volunteer hours. Everything is chosen for you, you can’t make a choice that’s important by yourself, and someone else is to choose for you. The Release of the Old and the Release of some of the unfortunate infants may seem very benign but it isn’t. Other folk believe Release to Elsewhere would nice but what they think is wrong. The workers actually use a syringe and inject fluids into the innocent elder, infant, or voluntary victim to kill them. Jonas’ father had to Release the innocent twin brother because he was identical but was smaller than his sibling. Jonas believes that the people that Release others have no feelings; that they have no regard that they are killing an innocent life just because they were born that way or that they were getting too old. Jonas discovers what is really beyond his community, beyond all the rules and policies they have to follow; he decides to leave and give all of his memories to the rest of the community so they would know about what they have not seen or experienced before. Jonas discovers that the community has decided too many things for everyone. He realizes Sameness is not right, that it cannot last any longer. He thinks of all the what-ifs. What if the Elders choose a wrong spouse? What if the Elders choose the wrong job for someone?

The Giver Dystopia Essay

To me a utopia cannot be achieved, a utopia would be “perfect world” where everyone is satisfied. A dystopia can be very far from perfect, as it is in The Giver. The world in The Giver by Lois Lowry is a dystopia because no world anywhere can ever be perfect, the people who live there will never be truly happy and because without choice life can be very boring, as it is in The Giver.

Quotes In The Giver

The giver follows the life of a young boy named Jonas. In the future, society is different from now, emotions, colour, pain, and liberty are all things of the past, in this alleged dystopian novel. Thorough explanation of this is left out in the novel, what we know is some war or tragedy due to all the emotions, opinions, cultures etc. led to great measures being taken. Thus eliminating all feelings both good and bad, which in turn dehumanized the whole population almost making them in to living robots, just so that the chance of another catastrophe is narrowed down to almost zero. Liberty is merely an illusion in this novel since no choices are made by the people only by the “elders” who aren't explained a lot either

The Giver-a Dystopia Essay

Jonas’ community appears to be a utopia, but, in reality, it is a dystopia. The people seem perfectly content to live in an isolated wreck—in a government run by a select few—in which a group of Elders enforces the rules. In Jonas’ community, there is no poverty, starvation, unemployment, lack of housing, or discrimination; everything is perfectly planned to eliminate any problems. However, as the book progresses and Jonas gains insight into what the people have willingly given up—their freedoms and individualities—for the so-called common good of the community, it becomes more and more obvious that the community is a horrible place in which to live. You as a reader can relate to the disbelief and horror that Jonas feels when he realizes

The Giver As A Dystopian Society

In today’s society there are many authors who write dystopian novels. They write these novels to give knowledge and to tell how our world is very different from dystopian life. Lois Lowry shows readers how people can suffer in dystopian society. In The Giver, Jonas’ community appears to be a utopia, but in reality it is a dystopia because everyone is under the illusion that there is freedom, dehumanization, and their strict regulations.

Dystopia In The Giver

One reason why Jonas hates this community is because of the rules. If you make one small mistake, you can get in serious trouble, also known as being released (killed). “ When an unidentified aircraft had overflown the community twice….Needless to say, he will be released.” (pg. 13) This suggests that the rules in the society can have a major impact on someone if they make just a slight error. The fact that the person did not follow the directions well enough and got killed is appalling. These unpleasant and ridiculous rules support a dystopian novel because they show how unpleasant living in this community can be.

The Giver Dystopian

The Giver strives to be a utopian society but the still can’t be perfect. The Giver is a book with the main character being Jonas, Jonas has no last name; however, no one else had the last name in their society. The Giver is a Dystopian because they get their memories erased, they are all equal, and they get assigned jobs when they are 12.

The Giver Dbq Essay

Jonas is not able to share the memories with any friends or unit family members and he has to deal with the fact that his friends and his family unit always ask him and he has t lie to them tellings them that they just walk all the time and he learns new

The Giver Dystopian Community

Jonas’s community is a dystopia because the citizens have no choices. For instance, in The Giver it states that seven year old girls have to wear hair ribbons in their hair. Because of this they are not allowed to go anywhere without the hair ribbons in their hair. Another example is that the children need to do all of their voluntary hours. In the text it states that they have to do the voluntary hours in order to receive the ceremony of Twelves. Meaning that if they didn’t do enough hours of voluntary work then they could not

The Giver: Why A Flawed Utopian Society

Is it true that we accept the life in which we are presented? In The Giver, Jonas does not question his society at all, because to him, his perfect life, is perfectly normal. He believed that until the current receiver of memory, or The Giver told him how life was before the flawed Utopia’s existence. That’s why the Utopia in The Giver is linked with our society. However, how different is Jonas's society from our own.

The Giver: Living In A Utopian Society

Living in our world is superior to living in a utopian society. Living in a utopian society can turn the world upside down. People could lose their freedoms and choices, everything could be the same and dull, and the world could even fall into ruin. In a utopian society he or she could lose their freedoms and choices.

The Giver Utopian Society

Lois Lowry’s, The Giver is a unique perspective that is highly regulated to fit the idea of a “utopian” society. This society allows the government (also known as the Committee of Elders) to take ultimate control, deciding which humans should be “elsewhere” and which children are appointed to each “Assignment” .In this world humans become older, moving through stages and achieving new responsibilities at each stage. At the Ceremony of Twelve, adolescents are appointed their “Assignments”. When Jonas becomes old enough to be assigned his position in the society, he is told that he will be given unique training to become the next “Receiver”.

The Giver Essay: The Destruction Of A Utopia

The idea of altering a community may sound intriguing, however, the long term effects could be brutal. In most cases, the previous condition1s would suffice, and a sudden change could possibly lead to larger destruction. In The Giver, the seemingly perfect society is extremely flawed due to the fact that emotional freedom is taken away from all individuals. Basic hobbies and freedoms are non existent, unlike present day where we have the ability to control our own lives. This situation not only connects to the novel, but also Hitler and Nazi Germany. In the Giver, we see an example of how the desire to create a utopia ultimately resulted in the oppression of the human spirit. A parallel can be drawn with the rise of Hitler and Nazism in the

The Giver: A Dystopian Society

The Giver was a dystopian society because, it seems like a perfect world but it really isn’t, if anything is it very unpleasant or bad. Some of the ways The Giver is a dystopian society is that for one, you don’t have have feelings like love, sadness, loss, and pain so you don’t really feel anything for anyone or anything. Another disadvantage is that you can’t see color. When you see color it makes it so beautiful and you can relax but, it’s all black and white. The Third disadvantage is that you get executed if your a twin, too old, or you have been naughty.

V For Vendetta Movie And Book Comparison Essay

All ready we are seeing the government taking control at a young age giving people assigned positions so that everyone can live in peace and harmony. Jonas was given the role of being the keeper of all memories and as he learns more about the past and what people actually do the more he want to expose them. Like how he isn’t actually a product of his parents as the government made him to be a perfect child. He also learns that his parents professions aren’t what they say they are. Instead of working in the nursery, they actually release people (kill people with a lethal injection).

Community In The Film Jonas

The community in the movie believes that memories, decisions, color and freedom are social dysfunctions that cause strains in society. The factors stated above led to the destruction of the community, feeling of pain and sadness. As a result, changes and laws were set to maintain a stable society to protect the citizens. This community prohibits all memories, it’s black and white, the right to make personal decisions is nonexistent, and everyone must obey the rules set by the chief elders, who is also a form of government in this community. Children receive a job from the elders when they turn the age of twelve. The protagonist in the movie is Jonas. He is nervous about his future because he feels lost. Unlike like his friends Fiona and

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The Giver Dystopia Essay

The Typical Dystopia Everyone fears to live in a dystopian world. A dystopia is an imperfect world where everything is unfortunate and disastrous. Many people argue that the community in the book The Giver by Lois Lowry is an example of a utopia, which is a perfect world. But all of those people don’t seem to see all the negative things that the society of The Giver includes. Looking at the correct side of the argument it is very clear that the community is a dystopia . Characters aren’t allowed to feel emotions, they have no freedom, and they aren’t treated fairly. Characters are not allowed to feel emotions. In The Giver all the characters that are part of the community get Stirrings. Stirrings are kind of like puberty they are a feeling of wanting that usually starts with a dream (Lowry 47). When a character gets Stirrings they are forced to take pills as treatment to prevent them from feeling any emotions. “He remembered that there was a reference to the Stirrings in the Book of Rules, though he didn’t remember what it said. And now and then the Speaker mentioned it. ATTENTION. A REMINDER THAT STIRRINGS MUST BE REPORTED IN ORDER FOR …show more content…

It is a rule in the story that all characters have to take pills as a treatment to prevent anyone from feeling emotions. Which doesn’t follow the human right about believing what you want. Characters in this community do not have freedom in making their own choices. This goes against three human rights. People in this society are not treated fairly since a lot of characters get killed for no good reason. Which means that those characters are not getting the right to life . A lot of people don’t seem to notice all of the harmful things in the society of The Giver. Though taking a closer look it is very obvious that this community is definitely a dystopia. It is very scary to live in a

The Importance Of Rules In A Dystopian Society

What if there were no rules in a dystopian community? We live in a world without the overstated rules, without order, without having to be impeccable, but we have freedom an individuality. “Dystopia” is defined as a fictional world where people live under a highly controlled totalitarian system, where individual identity is suppressed and families no longer exist. Rules and orders are negatively portrayed in dystopian societies and are acclaimed to take away the freedom, choice, and individuality. Henceforth, to inhibit the control within the community, the rules should be restricted.

The Giver's Dystopian Society

The society is run by the Elders. It is free of deep emotion, with only the Giver and Receiver of Memory having these emotions. They try to keep their community members “safe” from the dangerous outside world. Without the natural human will or individuality, the community failed. The Elders decided that the community would be better without these human emotions and actions, so they use the injections to suppress them.

The Giver Compare And Contrast Essay

Imagine living in a world with no freedom, choice, individuality, and color. Would you want to live in a world like this? Most of you would have said no, but a boy named Jonas has no choice, but to adhere to his community’s rules. In the book and the movie, “The Giver”, by Louis Lowery, Jonas finds it difficult to accept his community’s way of life. However, after he becomes the receiver of memory, he challenges the community after discovering what the world used to be like before sameness.

Three Reasons Why The Giver Is A Dystopia

The community in the novel The Giver is a dystopia. I think that this community is an example of a dystopia for three reasons. The three reasons are first nobody gets to chose their own job, second if someone does something wrong three times then they get released, and the third reason is that the community is in a state called sameness. My first reason was that they do not get to chose their own jobs.

How Does The Giver Contribute To A Dystopian Society

Those who also lived in the fantasy book The Giver were also living in a dystopia since they lived in a world with no history or choice. Saying that leads me into the two main elements that contribute to a dystopian society,

Society And Social Issues In The Giver By Lois Lowry

INTRODUCTION Society is a collection of people that influences individual’s life and behavior. It is generally the groups of people that are complying with the same rules and laws that allows them to live altogether. All over the world, talks about society and its issues that are prominent and inevitable. This paper intends to presents different points about social issues.

Dialectical Journal For The Giver

Lea Vilna-Santos Mrs. English, 7th September 1st, 2015 The Giver, by: Lois Lowry Log Entry 5: Chapters 9-10: Question 7: In chapters 9-10, Jonas realizes from reading the last rule in his list that allows him to lie, that what if what people say isn’t the truth, despite what everyone in his community learns about the importance of telling the truth. He was even chastised when he exaggerated as a Four. He said that he was starving, but he was only hungry. His teachers made sure he understood that even though it was an unintentional lie, it was still a lie because as long as he lives in their community he will never be starving so they didn’t want him to ever say anything like that again.

How Does The Giver Create A Dystopian Society

The giver came out in 1993.This book by Lois logway gave us a society and not like is society it gave us a dystopian society was that when kids were 14 instead of having fun and playing video games and not worrying about work, They had been giving jobs and elders(a person of greater age than someone specified.)Had to pick the jobs and have look at them grow up since they were born. Hats one difference from our society from there’s. Jonas and the giver gave us a view of their society and now we 're going to compare it our society what’s the difference what’s the same. In the book, the giver baby was checked and was taken care of until they were ready to be sent to their new families and they would never meet their mom’s real moms, one thing to add is that men and woman get there suppose chosen by the elders.

Examples Of A Dystopia In The Giver

A dystopia is an imagined place or state in which everything is unpleasant or, typically a totalitarian or environmentally degraded one .A very good example of a dystopia is a book called “The Giver.” In this book,by Lois Lowry,a boy named Jonas is selected by a cheif elder in his ceremony. As people read ,“The Giver,”they say ‘ that is not so bad’well read beyond the lines and see what is going on. I say that this is a place all about sameness. They are a dystopia because you have to sign up to get a spouse and kids.

The Giver Dystopian Examples

The dystopian and utopian writing have many different books and writing pieces. One example of that is the giver. In The Giver by Lois Lowry they give subtle hints about freedom but it's not really there that is an example of dystopian literature. Next,The Giver is an example of dystopian literature because it has government control over everyone in the community.

Literary Analysis: The Giver By Lois Lowry

Literary Analysis: The Giver Imagine a world where everything seems perfect but truly it is not as pleasant as it appears. In The Giver by Lois Lowry shows us a community in the future with no feelings at all. Jonas a twelve year old boy knows his life as it is and one evening he learns the truth about the community. Jonas set’s off into a adventure to change it all. Character,conflict,and symbolism makes the reader see thru the eyes of a twelve year old in a place of slavery disguised without anyone knowing it.

The Giver And Fahrenheit 451 Essay

In The Giver, there are people assigned as birth mothers. The children they provide, are nurtured to be given to selected family units made up from a designated mother and father that are not in love because they are chosen. This cycle happens over and over. The cycle creates the population of the community. People are so used to this because they are told that life is created like this is natural and better for the success of the community.

Analytical Essay On The Giver

In Lois Lowry’s novel The Giver that is the reality. The catch? The catch is freedom. There is no room for being different, no room for spontaneity, no room for experimentation and breaking the rules.

Figurative Language In The Giver

In The Giver it is impossible to feel emotions, see colour or be your person. Emotions are quickly silenced as well, they are not acknowledged like on page 16 “She held up a clenched fist” Lily held up a clenched fist to symbolize her anger about a young boy pushing in front of her in line, after she told her family about her anger her father quickly dismissed her anger and convinced her that he did not know what he was doing and made her apologise, the young boy could’ve known what he was doing pushing in front of Lily, the father knows his job is not to let his children express themselves or feel emotions so he just shuts them down so that they feel the same way as everybody else. People in the society of The Giver must abstain from falling in love and when people start to develop sexual desires they are forced onto hormone blockers so that they can not fall in love with somebody and start a family and genuinely love a person. Lowry warns us to not limit our emotions or others' emotions and to instead notice them and not try to suppress them and let them build up, she tells us that it is ok to love other people and have

Identity In Brave New World

In Aldous Huxley’s book, Brave New World, an unimaginable dystopia has been created. The World State was formed on three principles: community, identity, and stability. These three principles dictate how members of this society live and interact with one another. In modern society, there is an emphasis on the importance of motherhood, commitment, and countless other ideals that are rejected in the World State. Throughout the novel, the principle of community is shown with castes and hypnopaedic slogans, such as everybody belongs to everybody else.

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Essay On The Giver A Utopia Or Dystopia

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Imagine a world without color, pain, or feelings. It sounds terrible. The Giver is a book about a community that people in the community do not have to be worry about anything. In other words, they never experience the joy of life and success. Jonas’ community is a strict community to avoid negative emotions. However (TRANS), there are many things that citizens are not allowed to do by themselves. The purpose of this paragraph is to contrast the Jonas’ community to our community. First of all, in Jonas’ community everyone lives by the community’s rules. It means their food, their family, their decisions are chosen for them because they are under the community’s control. However, in our community people can make their own decisions and choose their favorite food to eat. Second, in Jonas’s community the Elders control the population. It means that kids are not raised in a house. They are raised in a center for a year and will be given to family, but (TRANS) the Elders are the ones to decide who can be assigned to care for children. However, in our community people have their own children and it does not matter how many children they want to have (INF). Another difference is that when they turn twelve, the children are given a job assignment and start training (GER) for their job, and after that, they work more till they become a responsible adult. By way of contrast, in our community people can start working (GER) whenever they want, and they might want to work (INF) less when they get older (COMP). In conclusion, we would realize that our decisions, emotions, and differences might make our life harder (COMP), so it would be great to be happy with the present life. Never make your life as same as (COMP) Jonas’ community because you are never going to feel the life. A world without color, pain, or feelings should be a destination you would never…

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  1. The Giver Utopia and Dystopia in Literary and Historical Context

    The Giver is a novel by Lois Lowry that explores the concept of utopia and dystopia in literary and historical context. In this study guide, you will find a biography of the author, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis of The Giver. Learn how the novel challenges the idea of a perfect society and the role of individuality, memory, and ...

  2. What Are Utopias and Dystopias?

    The word utopia comes from the Greek words ou, meaning "no" or "not," and topos, meaning "place."Since its original conception, utopia has come to mean a place that we can only dream about, a true paradise.Dystopia, which is the direct opposite of utopia, is a term used to describe a utopian society in which things have gone wrong.Both utopias and dystopias share characteristics of science ...

  3. The Analysis of Utopian Society in "The Giver": [Essay Example], 489

    Published: Apr 29, 2022. The Giver is an award-winning novel that tells about a utopian society- a perfect world envisioned by its creators. It has eliminated fear, pain, hunger, illness, conflict, and hatred—all things that most of us would like to eliminate in our own society. The author mentions a lot of rituals that seem to be perfect in ...

  4. The Giver Study Guide

    In the genre of the Utopian novel, which gets its name from Sir Thomas More's 1516 book Utopia, an author describes an ideal society in order to criticize his own society.In a Dystopian novel, an author imagines the worst possible society as a way to criticize their current world. The Giver is a dystopian novel that imagines a future community whose citizens have sacrificed free choice ...

  5. The Giver

    Summary of The Giver. The story starts with a 12 year old boy living in a seemingly 'perfect' community with no war, hatred, hunger, poverty and crime. The community is established to spread sameness among all of its members for justice and fair play. Jonas, the boy, sees that the community elder, the Chief Elder, has assigned a specific ...

  6. The Dichotomy of Dystopian and Utopian Societies in "The Giver"

    This essay provides a comprehensive analysis of Lois Lowry's novel "The Giver," effectively examining the dual nature of the society portrayed within the story. The writer skillfully explores the concept of a utopian and dystopian reality, demonstrating a clear understanding of the novel's themes and implications.

  7. Analysis of Society in "The Giver" as Utopian

    Get custom essay. The Giver society qualifies for a utopia due to how the society makes everyone so happy. The utopia has a stable government that solves issues efficiently, good laws that people like to follow, and social conditions that provide for everyone in the society. It is the "perfect" place to live, and seems very desirable.

  8. Is Jonas's community in The Giver a utopia or a dystopia?

    Expert Answers. Jonas 's community includes qualities of both a utopian and dystopian society. One could consider Jonas's community a utopian society because it is safe, comfortable, organized ...

  9. The Giver Essay

    Lois Lowry's book The Giver presents a controversial utopia. A utopia (defined by Oxford dictionary) is "an imaginary place in which the government, laws, and social conditions are perfect.". Perfect (also defined by Oxford dictionary) is "having all the required or desirable elements, qualities, or characteristics; as good as it is ...

  10. Examining Utopia & Dystopia in The Giver

    Background. A popular book in classrooms since it was published in 1993, The Giver is a novel that at first appears to be set in a utopian society. As the story unfolds and the protagonist, 12-year-old Jonas becomes more aware of what is happening, we learn that he is actually living in a dystopian world.

  11. The Giver: A Utopia Or Dystopia?

    The Giver is a book about just that. It's based in the future, in a community with a forcefield that "protects" the people inside. I think the society that The Giver is based in is a dystopia, which is a virtually imperfect world, disguised as a Utopia, a virtually perfect world. I will prove in this essay that The Giver is in fact a ...

  12. What aspects make the community in The Giver a dystopia?

    The mistake that the community has made is to have given up what makes its people human in exchange for security and stability. They must conform to the rules of Sameness, which takes away most of ...

  13. The Dystopian Society in "The Giver" by Lois Lowry

    The book The Giver is about a supposedly ideal society, however as the book continues it seems to be more of a dystopia with a totalitarian government. Everyday life is the same and almost never changes because the consequence is so severe, which could be public humiliation to releasing. In our Society you can do almost whatever you want within ...

  14. The Giver-a Dystopia Essay

    The Giver-a Dystopia Essay. Jonas' community appears to be a utopia, but, in reality, it is a dystopia. The people seem perfectly content to live in an isolated wreck—in a government run by a select few—in which a group of Elders enforces the rules. In Jonas' community, there is no poverty, starvation, unemployment, lack of housing, or ...

  15. The Giver : Dystopia or Utopia?

    Create a storyboard that shows the six elements of a dystopia in The Giver. Click "Start Assignment". Identify events or characteristics of the story that fit into the elements of a dystopia. Illustrate the examples for each event or characteristic. Write a short description below each cell that specifically relates The Giver as a dystopia.

  16. The Giver: Utopia and Dystopia

    The Giver: Utopia and Dystopia. Decent Essays. 1295 Words. 6 Pages. Open Document. Trang Le Antarctica - March 10, 2010 The Giver Essay Lois Lowry's The Giver is set in a futuristic, dichotomous society, one that is both utopian and dystopian. In response to the overwhelming destruction and chaos in the world, the Elders have attempted to ...

  17. Examples Of Utopian Society In The Giver

    The idea of a utopia, a state or place where everything is perfect, is one that has been fantasized and described by many authors in several different ways. ... The Giver Essay The society of The Giver by Lois Lowry is a utopian society. They don't have to make hard decisions, they don't experience real pain and sorrow, and everything is ...

  18. The Giver' Dystopia: Critical Analysis Essay

    In Lois Lowry's novel, The Giver all of this is reality. They live in a world with no freedom or justice. The distinct set of rules that set out to make the community a utopia actually turned it into a dystopia seizing the freedom from its people. The community enforces a rule called precision of language.

  19. Is The Community Created In The Giver Utopian Or Dystopian?

    In short, beneath the illusion that Lois Lowry's The Giver tried to paint a utopian society through predictability and sameness, deep aspects shows a dystopian community. The Giver's society restricts one's freedom, choices and individuality. Takes away what makes life worth living - the capability to feel real emotions.

  20. The Giver Dystopia Essay

    The Giver Dystopia Essay. 936 Words4 Pages. The Typical Dystopia. Everyone fears to live in a dystopian world. A dystopia is an imperfect world where everything is unfortunate and disastrous. Many people argue that the community in the book The Giver by Lois Lowry is an example of a utopia, which is a perfect world.

  21. Essay On The Giver A Utopia Or Dystopia

    Essay On The Giver A Utopia Or Dystopia. Imagine a place without hunger, fear, pain, or fighting; that is a utopia. A utopia is an idea of a perfect society without faults or blemishes. Now imagine a world that is filled with pain, starvation, terror, and war; that is a dystopia. A dystopia is an idea of an unpleasant and disaster filled society.