Thursday, July 29, 2010 . 11:09 AM
QUOTES
“Feelings are not supposed to be logical. Dangerous is the man who has rationalized his emotions.”
Jonas' society has rationalized their emotions.
“It is the mind which creates the world around us, and even though we stand side by side in the same meadow, my eyes will never see what is beheld by yours, my heart will never stir to the emotions with which yours is touched.”
--George Gissing
--George Gissing
This is what the people in Jonas' society would say to him if they were aware that they did not feel real emotions.
"Given the choice between the experience of pain and nothing, I would choose pain"--William Faulkner
I think Jonas felt the same way, as he decided on the more painful option instead of staying in his community and experiencing nothing.
Jonas probably felt that the emotionless society he escaped from was painful to live in he felt an obligation to do something to change it, even though he would feel the pain of hard work for while, but the hard work be worth it in order to get rid of the pain forever.
Rachel: Memories
The Handmaid's Tale is set in the near future, where war rages across the fictional Republic of Gilead and pollution has rendered 99 percent of the female population sterile. In the opening scenes of the movie, Kate, the protagonist of the story, sees her husband killed and her daughter kidnapped while trying to escape across the border to Canada. She is then forced into being a Handmaid a concubine for one of the privileged but barren couples who run the country as she is not sterile. Although she resists being indoctrinated into this bizarre cult, Kate obeys the orders in order to survive.
After watching a part of The Handmaid's Tale in class, I felt extremely traumatised, and I think many of my classmates were too. It came as quite shock, as I was not used to the drastic-ness of how morbid and unfair the Republic of Gilead was, in comparison to The Giver. After watching the film, society in The Giver, while still an appalling one, seems mild. The amount of violence as well as how merciless the dictators were in classifying the people of Gilead into castes were what agitated and frightened me the most.
Even in the opening scenes of the movie, a man was shot because he tried to escape from this country by not one, but multiple machine guns to make sure he was dead.
The degree of violence in that scene really disgusted me. I felt very sorry for the man as it was a 'lose-lose' situation. If he went back, he would have probably been sent for execution for disobeying the law and he absolutely did not stand a chance when he ran forward, trying to cross the border anyway.
Right after, we saw how the women were taken to a facility where racial and sterile/not sterile segregation took place. Those who were not "ideal" handmaid candidates were either executed or sent away to carry out manual labour.
As the movie went on, we watched how handmaids lived and were treated. Hundreds of them slept together in a huge room, in their own sleeping-bag-like beds, which were arranged neatly and orderly.
I still shiver at the thought of such a controlled and dictatorial society and I cannot imagine how I could stay alive in such a morbid and bizzare place.
Disobedience was not tolerated and those who disregarded the rules were punished by getting their feet beaten and whipped, probably because this method of punishment did not affect their ability to reproduce.
Abortion was also frowned upon. One of the handmaids in training told the rest of the her counterparts and their trainers that she had been raped in the past and aborted the baby as she was not ready to handle it. They all chanted negative words and even used curse words which were directed at her, instead of the people who raped her.
I feel that the punishment is extremely cruel. They abused the people who they expected help from and extorted them to the highest level. I also think that the brainwashing done by the handmaid trainers was very inhumane. I feel that they should have a choice to abort their child if they were not able to provide for it and they were not able to handle it at that point of their lives. Of course, there is always the option of putting the baby up for adoption. Still, I feel that freedom of choice is a human right.
Kate was sent to be a handmaid in the Commander(Fred) and his wife's(Serena Joy's) home. Her name was no longer Kate and was "Offred"(of Fred) instead, which made her a possession of the Commander.
After her first encounter with what her job really required her to do, she was so distressed that she threw a glass of milk across her own room. I cannot believe she managed to live through that chapter of her life. I really admire her bravery and her determination which enabled her to survive.
CAN A UTOPIA EXIST?According to Wikipedia, the word 'utopia' comes from the Greek words : οὐ, "not", and τόπος, "place", which suggests that a utopia cannot exist. The Giver as well as the movies The Handmaid's Tale and 1984 are examples of a failed utopias. In past class discussions, we have also concluded that it cannot exist on this earth. I agree with this statement to a large extent. Firstly, not everybody will agree on whether a element is utopian or dystopian. Secondly, there is an infinite number of views on which features a utopian society should have. Last but not least, it is impossible to co-ordinate every single one of the extremely large group of people that live in this world successfully. However, I think that we could live in our own utopia.
First, not everybody will agree on whether an element is utopian or dystopian. Let's look at a definition of "utopia" from the Merriam-Webster dictionary: "a place of ideal perfection especially in laws, government, and social conditions". This definition, as well as many others are pretty much unclear. There are many views on what "perfection" is. For example, pain is a element which can be both dystopian and utopian. On one hand, it causes suffering. On the other, without pain or suffering, there is no way to learn and progress as a society. Therefore, whether an element is utopian or dystopian, is always open for debate.
Second, the number of views on which features a utopian society should have is countless. I feel that it is not possible to co-ordinate the viewpoints of every single person as there are just too many. Thus those whose views have not been heard would find that the utopia created is a dystopia to them. I therefore think that the infinite number of viewpoints cannot be succesfully combined to form a utopia that is pleasing to everyone.
Finally, I think that the co-ordination of every single one of the 6.6 Billion people on earth to form a Utopia would be beyond the bounds of possibility. With all the contrasting religions, philosophies and beliefs in the world, everyone has different thoughts, practices and rituals. Even in these groups, there might already be disputes. Furthermore, if one rule of the utopia upsets one group and they decide to change it, the other groups would be unhappy and the utopia would then be a dystopia. Hence I think that the co-ordination of everyone on earth would be unattainable.
However, I do think it is possible to live in our own utopias, if we choose to do so. When I took a close look at my life, I could not really find anything to complain about. Sure, my grades could be better. Yes, I've spent many late nights on homework and projects because I have too many commitments and am tired all the time as a result. Of course, I would like to be smarter, more sporty, and so on just like everyone else on the face of the earth. I'm definitely not perfect, but sometimes, I think being perfect is a dystopian element in itself. Everything would be so predictable and uninteresting. I think if we changed our definition of "utopia" and looked at all of our challenges, set-backs and imperfections as a way of helping us to learn and grow, and therefore utopian elements, we would definitely be able to live in our own personal utopia.
In conclusion, I agree that a large-scale utopia is impossible as not everybody will agree on whether a element is utopian or dystopian, there is an infinite number of views on which features a utopian society should have and it is impossible to co-ordinate every single one of the extremely large group of people that live in this world successfully. However, I think that if we change our definition of "utopia", so that we look at everything that happens to us as a utopian element, we can live in our own personal utopia.
Wednesday, July 28, 2010 . 9:23 AM
A POEM
Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening
His house is in the village, though;
He will not see me stopping here
To watch his woods fill up with snow.
My little horse must think it queer
To stop without a farmhouse near
Between the woods and frozen lake
The darkest evening of the year.
He gives his harness bells a shake
To ask if there is some mistake.
The only other sound's the sweep
Of easy wind and downy flake.
The woods are lovely, dark, and deep,
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.
Robert Frost
This poem depicts the journey of a man on a horse during a snowy evening. It describes how he is weary and tired, and is taking a brief rest next to the woods. He knows that he must be on his way soon, as he has "promises to keep" and that there are "miles to go before [he sleeps]".
I chose this poem, as I could easily picture Jonas as the persona of the poem when he was trying to escape from the society.
The setting of this poem was on the road next to the woods, during a snowy evening. Just like in the poem, Jonas' journey took place on a road, and it was snowing towards the end of his journey.
In the first stanza of the poem, Robert Frost writes:
"Whose woods these are I think I know.
His house is in the village, though;He will not see me stopping here
To watch his woods fill up with snow."
This reminds me of how Jonas' destination was the village/community at "Elsewhere", and how he stopped to "[rest] his own muscles and [prepare] himself for more hours on the bicycle".
In second stanza,
"My little horse must think it queer
To stop without a farmhouse nearBetween the woods and frozen lake
The darkest evening of the year."
I can imagine Gabe in place of the little horse wondering why Jonas refused to play the "wrestling game" with him like they often did back in the dwelling. They were nowhere near civilization and Jonas did this as he knew that they both needed to get some rest before continuing on their arduous journey that lay ahead. The phrase "The darkness evening of the year" struck me as an equivalent to this day in the book as it was "the first dangerous day" that Jonas as well as Gabe had been through.
The third stanza reads:
"He gives his harness bells a shake
To ask if there is some mistake.The only other sound's the sweep
Of easy wind and downy flake."
Apart from the noise that came from the engines of the search planes and the occasional speech of the two characters, all was silent as they were isolated on the road, except for the sound of the wind and the snowflakes which "[fell] down from the sky, and [are] very beautiful".
The last stanza of the poem,
"The woods are lovely, dark, and deep,
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.",
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.",
is the most outstanding stanza in my opinion. It is so accurate by coincidence that it seems like it was taken directly from The Giver.
The first line, "The woods are lovely, dark, and deep," is similar to when Jonas "got off [the bicycle] and let it drop sideways into the snow", and how he was so tempted to let Gabe and himself "slide into the softness of snow, the darkness of night, the warm comfort of sleep", just like how the persona in Robert Frost's poem was enticed by the lovely, dark, and deep woods.
Just like the second line of the last stanza, "But I have promises to keep," , Jonas had promises to keep. He made a commitment to go as far away as possible, to "Elsewhere" so that the people of the community would have "to bear the burden themselves, of the memories [he] had been holding for them". He also felt that he had a personal obligation to keep Gabe safe and alive.
The last two lines of the poem describe the long, grueling trip that both Jonas and Gabe had to face. Jonas "rode hard, steadily, willing himself not to tire as the minutes and miles passed".
Photo Montage for The Giver
When Jonas starts to see the colour red, he first sees it in the apple, then in fiona's hair and again on the sled in a memory the giver gave him.
The apple that Jonas was tossing around with Asher marks the first time he saw the colour red. It also marks the first time Jonas broke a rule on purpose, as he was curious as to why the apple seemed different for a split second.
Jonas saw the colour red a second time when Fiona walked away from him. Her red hair is an indication of the unsuccessfulness of total genetic modification to make everyone’s physical characteristics similar. This event marked the point when Jonas started to distance himself from the rest of his friends as he could not share about his work experience with Fiona.
When the giver tried to explain the colour red to Jonas, he asked Jonas to recall the memory of the sled. When Jonas looked carefully, he could see that the colour of the sled was the same as the colour of the apple and of Fiona’s hair.
The giver, Jonas and Gabe all have pale eyes. Pale eyes are very uncommon in Jonas’ society and represents that that person is very different from the others. Pale eyes might also indicate that that person has certain traits that are useful for the position of the giver/receiver.
When the children in Jonas’ society become Nines, they are permitted to ride bicycles. Although there is a rule that prohibits children younger than Nine from riding bicycles, it is often broken. The bicycles are a sign of independence and maturity.
In the book, the people in Jonas’ society are required to take pills to prevent “stirrings”.In this way, the council of elders try to prevent the desire to procreate, thus eliminating babies that have different features from the rest of the society.
Sunday, June 27, 2010 . 7:14 AM
Initial Response to The Giver by Lois LowryIn my opinion, The Giver by Lois Lowry is a very interesting and exciting read which I enjoyed very much. It left me in a reflective mood in which I contemplated whether the society I currently live in is better or worse than Jonas’ “utopia”.
When I first started reading this book, I immediately felt that something was wrong with this particular community. Yes, the people of the community were free of pain, and yes, there was no risk in their lives. These factors are seemingly ideal for a utopia. However, as there was no pain and no risk, there was also a lack of emotional depth in their lives; and the entire population was undiversified and lacking of individualism. I felt that they did not make any real decisions of their own as everything in their lives were calculated and decided for them. They could not even choose what they wanted to wear or when they wanted to learn how to ride a bike. Without a personal stake in their decisions, how could they feel passionate or satisfied about the outcomes?
As I was reading the book, I felt constantly enraged that the Council of Elders had been controlling the lives of so many people to such an unreasonable extent. They controlled their people by eliminating everything they thought posed a threat to their power, such as freedom, emotions, colour, history, memories and even pain, suffering, and so on. I feel that this was inhumane and that what the Council of Elders had done was to essentially turn everyone into living robots, devoid of their own hearts and minds and who operated on auto gear.
I was glad that there was a loophole in the system and that The Giver and Jonas could be catalysts to overthrow the Council of Elders and as a result, destroy the dystopian society they lived in. I admire their bravery, as they were severely outnumbered by those around them who did not realize there was something wrong in the way they lived. Yet they still had the courage to stand up and make a change to better their society for the common good.
p.s. I found it amusing that they released one of the babies if it was a twin. I’m not sadistic or anything and I don’t support the practice. Honestly, I think it’s cruel. It’s just…
THEY ADVOCATE “SAMENESS”.