Dreams and Pills

What I read:
Jonas and his sister Lily are having their ceremonies.  Lily is now old enough to get a bike of her own and the begin with her volunteering hours.  The night before the Ceremony of the twelves, Jonas has a dream that is sexual.  In the dream, he's thinking about his friend Fiona.  He tells his parents and they tell him that it's normal to have "Stirrings,", but that they have to be treated and that he has to take pills to not have the stirrings anymore.





At one of the ceremonies, there is a couple that lost their son Caleb.  Caleb died in the river when he was four years old.  They are assigned a replacement child also named Caleb.  Everyone in the community acts like this is normal.

Jonas continues to be nervous about his ceremony which is coming up.  He's really nervious and you can tell that he is from the way that he acts.

What I thought about:
"Jonas was glad that he had, over the years, chosen to do his hours in a variety of places so that he could experience the differences.  He realized, though, that not focusing on one area meant he was left with not the slightest idea - not even a guess - of what his Assignment would be" (28).

When I read this quote, it demonstrated to me how nervous Jonas is about his Ceremony and his assignment.  Also, I felt nervous about what assignment Jonas will get because if he gets assigned a job that he doesn't like, then the story would be told in a different way.










"Jonas knew about the pills.  His parents both took them each morning.  And some of this friends did, he knew... It was the sort of thing one didn't ask a friend about because it might have fallen into that uncomfortable category of "being different."  Asher took a pill each morning; Jonas did not.  Always better, less rude, to talk about things that were the same" (37-38).

Jonas didn't know about the stirrings, so he didn't know about the pills.  Basically, he didn't know what the pills where for.  Because he didn't know, he didn't want to talk to Asher about them.  This is sort of like our own society.  Some people have something personal that they think is different from other people and so they keep it a secret.  In this quote, Jonas says that he hasn't told his friend that he's not taking his pills.



What I conclude:
At this point, its still uncertain what assignment Jonas will get.  I cant wait to find out! Also, I wonder if he'll get any more stirrings, or if because of the pills he won't feel like that anymore.  What will happen to Jonas if he has a different dream next, even if it's not a stirring.  I can tell that some parts of Jonas's world are connected with ours.  As example of this is when he doesn't talk to Asher about his pills.  This reminds me of the differences around the world, but the way that people have trouble talking about those differences.  Sometimes its hard to talk about things that are difficult to say.

Jonas's Future

What I read:
At the beginning of The Giver, Jonas is an eleven.  He is thinking about his upcoming Ceremony of the twelve in December.  At the ceremony he is supposed to be told what his future will be.  His parents tell him what their experiences were and what future they were given by the Community.

Meanwhile Gabe, a newborn, is in Jonas's house.  Its not official because its illegal to have more than two children in a family in their society.  But Gabe is staying there anyways.

Also, we meet Jonas's best friend Ash or Asher.  Jonas and Ash toss an apple around in a game of catch.  For one second, Jonas thinks that he sees something strange when he looks at the apple.  He's not sure what it is, but it's already happened before 4 times.


What I thought about:
"Instantly, obediently, Jonas had dropped his bike on its side on the path behind his family's dwelling" (2).

Once I read this quote, it demonstrates how everyone in this society is obedient and listens to orders.  This is very different than our world because not everyone acts that obediently.  Some people do, but no everyone.  It seems like in their world, everyone is totally obedient.  Even people like Ash who have some problems following directions get in line with what the society wants.



"Almost every citizen in the community had a dark eyes... But there were a few exceptions... No one mentioned such things; it was not a rule, but was considered rude to call attention to things that were unsettling or different about individuals" (20).
Unlike the last quote, this quote actually does remind me of our society.  The reason is because there are actually more people with dark eyes than light eyes.  Also, and more importantly, this quote reminds me about racial differences and how some people have trouble being open about them.







What I conclude:
I cant be certain exactly what this book will be about.  However, I think that there will be many connections between our society and the society in The Giver.  I also think that there will be many differences between the two societies.  I'm excited to know what future Jonas will be assigned at the Ceremony of Twelve.  I want to understand more about what Jonas saw when he looked at the apple.  Last, I want to know about the changes in Jonas's house now that Gabe is staying there.