Pain of Memories Dear Reader, In The Giver a boy named Jonas is picked to be the receiver. In Jonas’s world everything is chosen for him. When he is finally a twelve, he is picked to be the receiver. The receiver is one of the most respected people in the community. When Jonas is picked, the chief of elders tell Jonas he will experience pain that know one has ever experienced. When Jonas trains to be the receiver, the old receiver named the Giver, gives memories to Jonas. The Giver gives him memories that he never even knew about, like color and love. In the community everything is the same no color, no love, no pain, no feelings. One day Jonas had a memory of snow, a hill and then the pain started. Jonas had a memory of a sun burn, of falling off a sled. He had a memory of breaking a bone. The worst was the memory of war and seeing a solider dying in front of him. Jonas learns things about his community that he never knew about and is unhappy about not making his own choices. So he makes his first and biggest choice ever, and that is to leave.
“Love means exposing yourself to the pain of being hurt, deeply hurt by someone you trust.”
May 15,
Had a training session again with the Giver, he was in pain and I asked him to give me some so I could make it easier on him. I laid on my back and he put his hands on me. Suddenly I had a memory of men laying on the ground, blood everywhere. They were groaning and begging for water, gun shots in the background. I gave water to a solider next to me, he died right after. That’s when I realized true pain. The memory stopped but I couldn’t stop crying, I was in shock and the face of the soldier kept flashing in my eyes.
May 20,
My father was talking about the releasing of one of the twins. I wanted to see it so I asked the Giver. He said that we can watch anything we want so he played back the tape of the releasing. While the video was playing I imaged it to be a nice ceremony and then they let the twin go out the community. Instead my father stuck a needle in the baby’s head, the baby stopped moving. Then he covered him with a cover and put him in the trash saying buh-bye. I released that my father was a murder and I didn’t want to go back home.
June 5,
I made my first choice on my own, I’m leaving. I can’t stand this place anymore; how the community is controlled, all the rules. I want to make my own choices. So I’m leaving, tomorrow with Gabriel. I’m leaving all the bad, painful memories with the people of the community so they can feel how I do. The only thing that I wish could happen is for the Giver to come with me.
I don’t want any pain from you but I accepted your pain
I’ll take the pain from you forever
…………………………………..
Many pains cannot be removed
Many can stay forever and ever
Many think pain isn’t nothing for them
Pain is everything you learn from the outside world
The Receiver Contract
1) The receiver may never share memories with anyone but the Giver
2) The receiver may never miss a season
3) The receiver may never share his/her dreams
4) The receiver may be rude
5) The receiver must lie
6) The receiver must receive memories of pain
7) The receiver may never leave the community
**Any rule that is broken will result in a punishment**
New receiver signature: X__________________
Old receiver signature: X___________________
Pain= The symptom of physical hurt or abuse
"You will be faced, now, with pain of a magnitude that none of us here can comprehend because it is beyond our experience. The Receiver himself was not able to describe it, only to remind us that you would be faced with it, that you would need immense courage."
"Our people made that choice, the choice to go to Sameness. Before my time, before the previous time, back and back and back. We relinquished color when we relinquished sunshine and did away with difference. We gained control of many things. But we had to let go of others."
Reflection
I chose a wanted poster because when Jonas left the community. No one is allowed in or out of the community so when he left he broke the law. The wanted poster represents the chief of elders looking for Jonas and bringing him back to give him his punishment for leaving.
I chose the postcard because Jonas and Gabriel left, and they are writing back to their family saying they are alright. The postcard fit right in with my book because when they left their family must have been worried so it’s showing them that they are okay.
I chose the contract because before he went in to his training he had been given a set of rules. The contract fit because he had to follow by the rules no exception. So, why not have a contract saying that the rules have to be followed by.
I chose diary entries because Jonas shares his thought throughout the book so I decided to put them in a journal. The diary entries just fit great with the book because it was a way to show how he felt and the pain he went through with being the new receiver.
Work Cited
Kejick, Hunter “Pain Poem” Pain. Poemhunter. 2010. 3/24/11.
<poemhunter.com
“Pain”Pain Quote. Thinkexist. 2010 3/24/11. <thinkexist.com>
Pain quote. Pain. Wordnetweb. 2010. 3/25/11.
<wordnetweb.princeton.edu>
“Snow” Snow tress. Googleimages. 2010. 3/25/11.
<googleimages.com>
“Stamp” Stamp. Googleimages. 2010 3/25/11. <googleimages.com>
“Teenage boy” teenage boy. Googleimages. 2010. 3/24/11.
<googleimage.com>
“Wanted Poster” Wanted Template. Googleimages. 2010. 3/24/11.
<googleimages.com>
