Purpose of this exercise

By participating in this round-table blog discussion, students will gain confidence in their understanding of and ability to clearly express their feelings and opinions in English. By doing this in a blog format, rather than through class discussions, the student does not feel shy or embarrassed to share his/her opinion and they will be more likely to open up and express their true thoughts and feelings about the topic because there is much less pressure when you are only facing a computer screen and not other people. Of course, they will practice their reading skills and their critical reading skills, and they will practice their writing skills as well. This is also a good way for students to learn to listen to and rely on their classmates a little bit more, because they will be helping each other formulate their ideas for the final essay.

Topic 3

Despite the community’s emphasis on precise language, language is often used as a tool for social control in the giver. Choose two or three words used in the society (examples are release, newchild, Stirrings) that distort or conceal the meaning of the words we use now in order to promote the rules and conventions of the community, and describe how their use affects the behavior and attitudes of the people in the community.

Topic 2

Consider the community’s repression of sexuality in the giver. What function does it serve in helping the society run smoothly? What dangers does sexuality pose to a structured community, and how are those dangers different from the dangers posed by love? Do you think there is any sense of love within this community, and if so, where and between whom?

Topic 1

One of the more controversial topics that Lowry touches upon in the giver is euthanasia, or the practice of ending someone’s life to ease their suffering. Jonas’s community practices euthanasia on very old citizens as well as upon unhealthy newchildren. Jonas’s horror at this practice motivates him to take drastic measures to reform the society, and yet many people in our own society consider euthanasia to be a compassionate practice and one that should be available to all citizens. Discuss the attitude toward euthanasia as expressed in the giver. Does the novel condemn, promote, or conditionally accept the practice?

Final Assignment

Now that you have finished reading the novel, The Giver, it is time for you to do a final reflection about the book. I will post three more blogs, each with a different essay question, and you can choose one of those questions as the topic for your final essay. The questions are very deep questions that require a lot of thought and also a lot of personal opinion. However, if you would like to ask the opinions of your classmates or share your opinions with your classmates, feel free to comment on the blogs and continue a discussion about the questions. Having a continuous discussion with others may help you when writing your essay.

Your essay should be at least 3 pages double spaced, size 12 font. They will be due 2 weeks from today. If you have any questions regarding the essay topics that you would like for me to answer specifically, when you post a comment on the blog, please specify, "For The Teacher" in your post.

Good luck!

Chapter 4

What do you imagine happens when elderly people are Released? Would you want to have a ceremony before you die to celebrate your life or have a service/funeral after you die for everyone to remember you? Why?

Chapter 3

Compared to your society, do you think birth mothers are treated the same way in Jonas's society? What do you think Jonas saw in the apple that made him so confused and curious?

Chapter 2

Based on what you have read of Jonas's character so far, if you were an Elder, what kind of job would you assign to him? Why? What kind of job would you assign to yourself, based on your character and interests?

Chapter 1

What does the pilot that got lost and flew his jet over the community and the baby who is growing too slow have in common? Why are they both in danger of being released from the community? What do you think it means to be "released"?

Introduction

Hello students!
By now you should have bought your own copy of The Giver by Lois Lowry at the school bookstore or at Kinokuniya. You should start reading chapters 1&2 and finish reading them by next Monday.
In this blog I have created, we will share our thoughts, opinions, feelings or questions about the book and help each other come to a better understanding of what the underlying message of the story in this book is. Each week I will post 2 blogs, each with one question from one of the two chapters that you were assigned to read that week. I would like each of you to comment on each of the two blogs with your answer to the questions and also any other comments you have regarding the chapter or your classmates' answer to the question. You can also ask a question about that chapter in the comment section if there is something that you are unclear about.
If there is a technical issue that you have questions about, you can post those questions as comments to this blog and I will answer them for you.

In this activity, I am not looking for perfect grammar or spelling, I am looking for answers that are well thought out and that show your opinion in regards to the story. I will be grading based on participation (you must comment on every post) and the depth of your answers (answers that show thought and consideration).
Please do not hesitate to write what you think and feel. However I do not want to see any criticism of each others thoughts and answers. Everything you post on here must be thoughtful and constructive.
Now, everyone get to writing and enjoy!!!