What I Liked About The Giver and The Messenger

Overall I think that I liked The Messenger a little more than The Giver. What I liked about The Giver was that it was secret and full of mystery. There were a lot of things I liked about The Messenger. I thought it was cool how Lois Lowry used characters from her other books. Like how Jonas was the leader of the group and how Gabe was a nine now. She also used Kira From Gathering Blue as one of the main characters. I also enjoyed all of the action and drama like how all of the plants and trees then Matty used all of his power to save the forest but ended up dieing. If I had to give The Messenger a review I would give It 5 out of 5 stars

Chapters 21-23

In these chapters Jonas finds out that Gabe will be released. Jonas is so shocked that he decides to take Gabe with him on his exploration. When Jonas leaves he ends up breaking three rules (two of them were stealing). Gabe was sound asleep on the back of Jonas's bike while Jonas rode around the streets of the other communities. When morning rolled around Jonas stopped for breakfast. Jonas decided it would be smarter to sleep during the day so they wouldn't be seen at night. So Jonas slept all day under the cover of trees and shrubbery. Days had now passed and there were search planes flying overhead a lot. Whenever Jonas heard the drone of a plane he ducked to hide himself and Gabe. Gabe had even taught himself the word plane so he could yell whenever he saw one coming near. As Jonas rode on he began to notice things changing. Like he began seeing forests and the sides of the road. He could feel the roads getting narrower and more difficult to travel on. One night as he was riding. Jonas hit a rock and flipped into the air. Gabe was fine but twisted his ankle and it started to swell up. Now that there were no longer any search planes Jonas rode his bike in broad day light. Very soon they ran out of food so Jonas was forced to become a rugged outdoors man. Even though Jonas was able to catch some food the weather was becoming colder and Gabe was becoming very weak. And Jonas was not sure how much longer he would live. The weather then became much colder and now Jonas became weak. But no matter he tough the conditions were Jonas was determined to continue his journey. When Jonas came to a steep hill it started to snow and Jonas was not strong enough to bike it he started to climb. To keep Gabe warm he shared memories of warmth with him. Every step Jonas took became harder and harder. Suddenly Jonas realized that he had been there before. This was the hill from the sledding memory! Jonas grabbed the rope from the sled, placed Gabe on it and began to ride down the place where his future would be there future in front of them.

"Downward, downward, faster and faster. Suddenly he was aware with certainly and joy that below, ahead, they were waiting for him;and they were waiting, too, for the baby. For the first time, he heard something that he knew to be music. He heard people singing.
Behind him, across the distances of space and time, from the place he had left, he thought he heard music too. But perhaps it was only an echo."

What do you think the music was?

Do you think it was okay for Jonas to share his memories?

Chapter 20

In this chapter Jonas was too upset to go home after watching his father kill a child. So Jonas decided to sleep at the givers tonight. That night Jonas and the giver made up a plan for Jonas to go elsewhere. The plan was that Jonas would leave the night before the December ceremonies, and then he would begin to travel outside of the community. For Jonas to leave he would sneak into the giver's room that night and slip out the back on a storage truck. The giver said that he wouldn't come because he still had to protect the community from painful memories.

Chapters 17, 18, and 19

In these chapters there is an annual unscheduled holiday. A couple of Jonas's buddies think that it will be fun to play a game with make believe guns. Jonas does not approve because of his memory of war and how unbelievably painful it was. Then Jonas goes home and his father is talking about how twins were born at the nurturing center and the smaller twin must be released.

Then the next day when Jonas goes to his training sessions with the giver. Jonas asks him what releasing is. Since it is such a sore subject the giver doesn't want to talk about it. After Jonas tries to persuade him for a while the giver finally gives him a tape of this mornings release. This was of course shocking to Jonas because he had to witness his father killing a child. They perform the releasing by lethal injection. After that Jonas couldn't look at his father the same way.

If you were Jonas how would you feel about your father after watching the tape?

Chapters Fifteen and Sixteen

In this chapter Jonas goes to the giver for his training session but the giver is in too much pain. Jonas tells him that he will come back but the giver makes him stay and receive some of the pain. So Jonas decides to lay down on the table and open his tunic unexpectedly. The pain that the giver gave him was much more horrible than anything Jonas had ever felt. It was no wonder the giver wanted to get rid of it. after the memory was over Jonas did not want to go back to his training sessions. He didn't want the honor, the wisdom, or any of the memories he had received. Jonas just wanted to have a normal assignment. Jonas wanted to quit but he knew that he had to finish all of his training sessions with the giver.

In chapter sixteen Jonas goes to receive another memory. Unlike the past few this one is happy. Most likely because the giver felt bad for causing Jonas so much pain. In this memory Jonas experienced what he knew as family. In it was much more than just a mother and a father. There were aunts, uncles, cousins, and grandparents. All of these concepts were very new to Jonas because all he had was three family members. The giver told him the feeling that the memory gave him was love. Jonas then ended his training session and went home. When he got home Jonas asked his dad if he loved him. His dad answered.

"Father? Mother?" Jonas asked tentatively after the evening meal. "I have a question I want to ask you.

""What is it, Jonas?" his father asked.

He made himself say the words, though he felt flushed with embarrassment. He had rehearsed them in his mind all the way home from the Annex.

"Do you love me?"There was an awkward silence for a moment. Then his father gave a little chuckle. "Jonas. You, of all people. Precision of language, please!"

"What do you mean?" Jonas asked. Amusement was not at all what he had anticipated.

"Your father means that you used a very generalized word, so meaningless that it's become almost obsolete," his mother explained carefully.

Jonas stared at them. Meaningless? He had never felt something as meaningful as the memory."

And of course our community can't function smoothly if people don't use precise language. You could ask, 'Do you enjoy me?' The answer is 'Yes,' " his mother said."

Or," his father suggested, " 'Do you take pride in my accomplishments?' And the answer is wholeheartedly 'Yes.'

"Do you understand why it's inappropriate to use a word like 'love'?" Mother asked.Jonas nodded. "Yes, thank you, I do," he replied slowly.

It was his first lie to his parents.

Were you surprised that Jonas's dad did not know what love was?

Chapter Fourteen

In this chapter Jonas receives memories that are unbearably painful. Jonas pleads for medicine but he can't get any because it said so in his rule sheet. Then Jonas gets home and asks if Gabe is asleep because Gabe has been restless the past few nights. Gabe is actually sleeping like a baby so Jonas goes to bed. In the middle of the night Gabe wakes Jonas up so Jonas must tend to him. Jonas puts Gabe on his knee and starts rubbing his back in a circular motion. This does not help much so Jonas does something unthinkable, he gives Gabe a slight memory of sailing. After he does this Gabe falls asleep. Jonas is happy but there is consequence to his actions. Now Jonas can not remember sailing as well as he used to.

Do you think Jonas intentionally shared his memory with Gabe?

Chapter Thirteen

In this chapter Jonas is upset about the fact that no one else can see color. He thinks that it is unfair that he is the only one who can make choices like what color clothes he can where, what color the sky is, or what color peoples hair or eyes are. But both Jonas and the giver agree that it is much safer to keep it the way it is because people could make bad decisions. Then Jonas receives the memory of poachers.

"He could hear noises: the sharp crack of weapons - he perceived the word guns - and then shouts, and an immense crashing thud as something fell,tearing branches from the trees.He heard voices calling to one another. Peering from the place where he stood hidden behind some shrubbery, he was reminded of what the Giver had told him, that there had been a time when flesh had different colors. Two of these men had dark brown skin; the others were light. Going closer, he watched them hack the tusks from a motionless elephant an the ground and haul them away, spattered with blood. He felt himself overwhelmed with a new perception of the color he knew as red.The men were gone, speeding toward the horizon in a vehicle that spit pebbles from its whirling tires. One hit his forehead and stung him there. But the memory continued, though Jonas ached now for it to end.Now he saw another elephant emerge from the place where it had stood hidden in the trees. Very slowly it walked to the mutilated body and looked down. With its sinuous trunk it stroked the huge corpse; then it reached up, broke some leafy branches with a snap, and draped them over the mass of torn thick flesh.Finally it tilted its massive head, raised its trunk, and roared into the empty landscape. Jonas had never heard such a sound. It was a sound of rage and grief and it seemed never to end."

Finally at the end of his training sessions Jonas feel that the memories are overwhelming him and he goes home.

How would you feel if you were trapped in a memory of poachers?

Would you be scared?

Chapter Twelve

In this chapter Jonas is walking with Fiona to his training session with the giver when magically Fiona's hair changes. But again he is the only one that sees it. When he arrives at his training session he asks the giver what happened. The giver then asks him to look at the top shelf of books so Jonas does. Again the books also changed so Jonas tells the giver. The giver tells him that everyone in the village can only so black and white, but because Jonas is receiving memories with color he too is beginning to see color. For the moment the only color Jonas can see though is red.

Were you surprised that no one could see color?

Chapters Ten And Eleven

In chapter ten Jonas rides with Fiona to the house of the old for his first day of receiving. Except when they get there Fiona goes into the front and Jonas goes into the annex. There there is an attendant she tells Jonas to enter a room on the left and that is where he will meet the giver. When he goes into the room the giver basically tells him that he will be receiving the memories of the whole world. Then Jonas and the giver talk about what he will be receiving. Finally Jonas goes home.

In chapter eleven Jonas receives his first memories. His first memory was sledding down a hill in the winter time. This was unlike anything he had ever experienced he could actually feel the snow and the wind blowing in his face. Jonas felt like this was the best assignment ever. His second memory was sun he also liked this one because he could feel the warmth of the sun and it gave his whole body a nice sensation. But the last memory he had was painful. The memory was sunburn. After he received this memory he was in a lot of pain and he no longer liked sun a lot.

Do think it is cool that Jonas can actually experience the memories?

Chapter Nine

In chapter nine Jonas recieve the requirements for his assignment. He opens the folder and this is what it says:

JONAS

RECEIVER OF MEMORY

1. Go immediately each day to the annex entrance at the house of the oldand present yourself to the attendent.

2. Go immediately to your dwelling each day at the conclusion of training hours and do not make any stops.

3. From this moment you are exempted from rules governing rudeness. You may ask any questions to any citizen and you will recieve your answer.

4. Do not discuss your training with any member of the community, including your parents and elders

5. From this moment you are prohibited from dream-telling.

6. Except for illness or injury unrelated to your training, do not apply for any medication

7. You are not permitted to apply for release.

8. You may lie.

Jonas is very surprised at the last rule because lying is strictly forbidden in his community and he thinks that things will be very awkward.

Do you think that Jonas will take advantage of the lying rule?

Chapters six, seven, and eight

In chapter six you learn what happens in all of the ceremonies. You find out what all of the age groups gain and what all of the age groups loose.For example if you are turning one you receive your name. If you turn seven you get your front buttoned jacket but you loose your back buttoned jacket. Jonas is also waiting impatiently for the ceremony of twelve. The ceremonies also start. the newchildren go first. Gabe is not brought up because Jonas's father convinced the elders to let Gabe receive additional nurturing.

In chapter seven the final day of ceremonies start. The ceremonies go up to the ceremony of eleven but then they dismiss for a lunch break. When they return they start with the ceremony of twelve. Jonas is ready to receive his assignment when they get to Fiona who is number nineteen. But then something horrible happens the next person they call is number twenty-one who is Pierre. Jonas feels so embarrassed and ashamed. He does not know why they would skip him. He thinks that he did something wrong not to receive an assignment. Then they call number fifty up and Jonas thinks the ceremonies are over.

Then in chapter eight the chief elder comes up onto the stage with a final announcement. She said that she was sorry for causing everyone a lot of dismay, but Jonas has received the most special assignment of all. Jonas is going to be the new receiver of memory. That means he will work with the giver and receive all of the memories of the past world. Jonas was then called to the stage and something magical happened. All of the sudden every ones face in the audience changed. Only for a brief moment but then they went back to normal and everyone started chanting Jonas Jonas Jonas. Finally after all the commotion Jonas rides his bike home.

Were you surprised that Jonas got a special assignment?

Chapters four and five

In chapters four and five this is what happens. Jonas goes to the House of the old as part of his volunteer hours. He goes there looking for Asher who is one of his friends. He has to bathe the old because they cannot do it themselves. He bathes a woman named Larrissa. When he gets to the bathing room he sees Asher and a girl in his group named Fiona. He starts bathing Larrissa and he asks her how her day was. She tells him that an old man named Roberto was released today. She tells Jonas that they threw him a big party and he told all of his memoirs. Finally he was brought into the releasing room and he was gone.

The next day Jonas wakes up and goes to breakfast. There he must share his dreams. He tells his family that he had a dream about Fiona. They were in the house of the old in the bathing room, he asked her to take off her clothes, and then he kissed her. His mother had a concerned look on her face. She told Jonas that these feelings were called stirrings. Jonas's mother said that there was a simple solution to these stirrings. All Jonas had to do was take a pill and his stirrings would be gone.

What do you think that Jonas's dream means?

Chapter Three

In this chapter Jonas's father takes Gabe the newchild home for the night. When Gabe is at their home Lily points out that Gabe has the same light colored eyes as Jonas. Jonas says that is rude because Lily just broke one of the communities rules. This is a strange thing because everyone in the community has dark colored eyes and in the community everyone is supposed to be the same. In this chapter you will also learn what the ceremony of twelve is. Jonas's mother tells Lily that the ceremony of twelve is when you get your assignment for what you will be doing for the rest of your life. Lily says that she wants to be a birthmother but Jonas's mom tells her that they are dishonorable and become laborers after. When Jonas is at the recreation area with his friend asher Asher picks up an apple. They are tossing the apple back and forth, but when Asher turns and looks away the apple mysteriously changes.

Why do you think the apple changed?

Chapter Two

In chapter two they talk about a lot of different things and here is what happened. First Jonas is at breakfast with his family and they have to talk about their feelings. Jonas's dad is a nurturer for the newchildren and a newchild has come that he likes but they are discussing release for him. They may release the newchild because he has been nurtured and he is still much smaller than the other newchildren. Then Jonas's mother talks about her day. She works at the department at justice and says she has a tough case. Next they start talking about the ceremony of one they say that that is when you recieve your name. Lily Jonas's sister says that she likes the ceremony of one because that is when you get your comfort object. Jonas then goes to school. When he arrives his friend asher is late so he must make his formal apology. Then Jonas rides his bike back to his family dwelling. At dinner his Father says that he is getting really attached to the newchild. He said he even started calling him Gabe. Jonas's father says that he likes Gabe so much they will take care of him at night. He would have taken him as a child but it is community rules that each family can only have one boy and one girl. Then Lily starts talking about how she is amazed with the ceremony of twelve. Finally Jonas's mother sends Lily to bed and asks to have a private conversation with Jonas.

What do you think the ceremony of twelve is?
Why do you think Lily is amazed with it?

How do you feel about the rule that each family unit can only have one boy and one girl

Chapter One

In chapter one this is what happens. The main character Jonas is starting to feel frightened because a plane is flying overhead his community and he doesn't know why. Then a voice comes on all of the loud speakers that says "go into the nearest building, leave your bikes where they are and hide immediately." Jonas had never heard anything like this before so he didn't know what to think. Jonas lives in a "perfect" world. In his community everything and
everyone is the same. Every family has the same contents, everyone wears the
same clothes, and everyone is treated equally. Since Jonas lives in a world like this he is not used to being exposed to excitement or danger. A few moments later another announcement is made this one says "everything is okay the pilot flew out of his route and will be immediately released." When all the excitement is over Jonas rides home on his bike to his family dwelling. When he is riding back to his family dwelling he realizes that he is feeling dismayed not frightened. Then the chapter ends.



How would you feel if you were Jonas and a plane flew over you
Would you be scared?

How do feel about the fact that everything in the community is the same?

Welcome To My Blog

Hi this is my first blog on this site. My name is PJ and I am making this site as part of a challenge for WMS language arts. On this site I plan to tell people a summary of The Giver By Lois Lowry. I am still reading the book and so far I think it is very good. If you are not yet reading The Giver I hope this blog will persuade you to read it and if you are reading it you will learn a lot. Now I will start posting my summaries. I hope you enjoy them!!