Is there such a place that is a complete dystopian society? In Lois Lowry’s book The Giver, the government controls the people in the society with an abundance of rules. They attempt to create a utopian society, but they actually create a dystopian society. Every citizen is assigned a job when they turn twelve, and Jonas is selected to be the receiver of memories. The Giver is a dystopian society for three reasons: they beat little children with wands, they kill babies if they are identical twins or sick, and they abuse the elderly. First of all, The Giver is a dystopian society because they beat the children with discipline wands if they make the slightest mistake. The narrator clearly states, “The discipline wand, in the hand of the childcare worker, whistled as it came down across Asher’s hands. Asher whimpered, cringed, and corrected himself instantly. ‘Snack,’ he whispered”(55). This is obvious proof that they beat children for unnecessary reasons. Children often mispronounce words, and they should not be abused for normal childlike behaviour. Even worse than abusing children, they also kill innocent babies. …show more content…
The second reason that The Giver is a dystopian society is because they kill babies if they are a twin or not perfectly healthy.
The narrator states, “To his surprise, his father began very carefully to direct the needle into the top of the new child's forehead, puncturing the place where the fragile skin pulsed”(149). The narrator also quotes, “As he continued to watch, the new child, no longer crying, moved his arms and legs in a jerking motion. Then he went limp. His head fell to the side, his eyes half open. Then he was still”(149). This innocent baby is murdered because he is a twin and he weighs less than the other twin. The society is brainwashed into believing that they release babies, but this really means that they kill them. In addition to killing babies, they also beat the
elderly. Last but not least, The Giver is a dystopian society because they abuse the aged. The narrator clearly states, “‘You’ve been doing so many volunteer hours with the old,’ Jonas said, changing the subject. ‘There won’t be much that you don’t already know.’ ‘Oh, there’s lots to learn.’ Fiona replied. ‘There’s administrative work, and the dietary rules, and punishment for disobedience --- did you know they use a discipline wand for the old, the same as for small children?’”(90). This is evidence that the discipline wand is used on the elderly as well as children. This type of barbaric behaviour is proof that the society in The Giver is a dystopia. The fact that the citizens are okay with this is proof that they have been brainwashed into believing that their dystopian society is a utopia. In conclusion, The Giver is a dystopian society for several reasons. First, beating children with discipline wands is wrong because it is abusive. In addition, murdering innocent babies is clearly proof of a dystopian society. Finally, abusing the elderly is further proof that the society is a dystopia because the elderly should never be treated in such a manner. The Giver is an important book to read in sixth grade because it makes the reader think about right and wrong. Once Jonas finds out about the truth, he does not go along with it. This book teaches us about courage and standing up for what is right.
Harrison Bergeron and The Sound of Thunder are two short stories in which the authors use a theme of dystopia in creating a futuristic setting. Dystopia is an imaginary community or society that is undesirable and frightening, a community where everyone is scared and lacks freedom. Is there really a world like this? Does this kind of society exist in this modern days?
At what point can a society be described as dystopian? Fahrenheit 451, by Ray Bradbury, tells the story of a man named Guy Montag who lives in a dystopian society where life isn’t as great as the government makes it out to be. Our society is slowly becoming more and more similar to the dystopian society found in Fahrenheit 451 in the fact that many families aren’t as stable as most might desire them to be, the government mostly ignores the country’s ideals and only focuses on its own for the sake of its own benefit, and many of society’s ideas are being disrespected or noted as activities that people shouldn’t be allowed to indulge in while in this country through censorship.
It is commonplace for individuals to envision a perfect world; a utopian reality in which the world is a paradise, with equality, happiness and ideal perfection. Unfortunately, we live in a dystopian society and our world today is far from perfection. John Savage, from Brave New World by Aldous Huxley, V, from V for Vendetta by James McTeigue and Offred, from The Handmaid’s Tale by Margret Attwood, are all characters in a dystopian society. A dystopia is the vision of a society in which conditions of life are miserable and are characterized by oppression, corruption of government, and abridgement of human rights.
Imagine being born in a war zone with a corrupt leader and an educational system that fills people with lies all without even knowing it. Legend, by Marie Lu, is a novel about a thief and an officer who are turned against each other, but find common ground while trying to take down their corrupt government. The Giver, by Lois Lowry, is about a boy who is chosen to be different, but uses the secrets he’s been told by his own community. Although Legend and The Giver both display protagonists who don’t fall victim to dehumanization, both novels are filled with surveillance, propaganda, and the illusion of a utopia. Without the protagonist, these dystopian citizens would continue their meaningless lives without even the right to realize it.
Living in a perfect world is like living in an anthill. An ant does not think on it’s own, make it’s own decisions, and doesn't really have any own identity, just like the utopians. It is not worth living in a perfect world. The utopian society we are introduced to in the book, The Giver, has many different characteristics that make the perfect life unbearable. Examples of these things are The Receiver, the community, and the chief elders.
What determines a society to be either a utopia or a dystopia? Would it be everyone following the rules? In the book The Giver, by Lois Lowry, a new “Utopian” culture blossoms from the previously failed society. The Giver’s nation starts out with the intention of creating a utopian society; however, the strict limitations turn it into a dystopia where there are receivers, like Jonas, that hold the good and bad memories from the past culture. Jonas will experience great pain and great joy through his job as the Receiver instead of the whole community sharing the burden. The Giver’s world is a dystopia because of the following three reasons: they kill people that disobey the rules, they do not get to pick their own jobs, and, above all, they beat children if they do not use precise language.
In a dystopian society, the government watches and dictates everything. It is the opposite of a perfect world in the sense that careers and social status are pre-destined. The government of this society does everything in its power to make the citizens believe that this is the most ideal place to live. The word “dystopia” ultimately roots back to the Greek word “dys” meaning bad and “topos” meaning place (www.merriam-webster.com). Citizens in a dystopian society rarely question their government. Many citizens are brainwashed and others are just too frightened to speak out against injustices evident in their society. The Hunger Games and The Giver are perfect examples of dystopian texts d...
society, everyone wears the same clothes, follows the same rules, and has a predetermined life. A community just like that lives inside of Lois Lowry’s The Giver and this lack of individuality shows throughout the whole book. This theme is demonstrated through the control of individual appearance, behavior, and ideas.
Dystopian America What exactly is dystopia, and how is it relevant today? E.M. Forster’s The Machine Stops uses a dystopian society to show how one lives effortlessly, lacking knowledge of other places, in order to show that the world will never be perfect, even if it may seem so. A society whose citizens are kept ignorant and lazy, unknowing that they are being controlled, unfit to act if they did, all hidden under the guise of a perfect utopian haven, just as the one seen in The Machine Stops, could become a very real possibility. There is a rational concern about this happening in today’s world that is shared by many, and with good reason.
Throughout history, people had made numerous futile attempts to create an Utopian society. The term "Utopia" depicts on an imaginary ideal state. Such a state is describe in The Giver. In The Giver, Jonas's community believes in the renunciation of personal properties, rights, one's unique characteristics and of binding personal relationships (such as marriage). This society is believed to be perfect, free of pain and sorrow; everything is under control and "same". This serene society greatly contradict with the one we live in. Our society is furnished with hatred and warfare, yet in return, we are given freedom and the privilege of having distinctive characters. Given the nature of human beings, our society is more idealistic to live in.
Wright, Juntus. “Dystopias: Definition and Characteristics.” Read Write Think. NCTE, 2011. Web. 25 Jan. 2011
The book The Giver is a dystopian book because you don’t get to make any of your own decisions. You would never know the truth about release. You would never experience life how you should experience it. The world may seem perfect from someone’s view inside the community, but from the outside it is harsh and horrible. Their world could be turned into a utopia eventually, but as of right know it is a
“When I enter the surgery room the main doctor advise me to sit down and wait, but I could not stop walking around, which made my wife hit me and force me to take her hand on my own. After a few minutes I could no longer stand up. It was certainly shocking how a woman can give birth to a child.” When the surgery ended Felipe was instructed to wait in the room that soon his wife would be on, while the doctors and nurses cleaned up his baby boy and his wife. When they finished transferring the baby and Yesenia to the room, Yesenia was instructed on how to give the baby milk and preceded to do so. Afterwards, the baby was moved to the area in where all new born are. “I remember I told my wife to rest while I was making sure to be with my boy. After all it was late and she had a strong experience. When I arrived at the designated area, I saw the nurse that was in charge of the babies sleeping on a chair. I got so mad at her for not taking the adequate means to take care of the babies. Afterwards, I did not move from where my child was until he was allowed to be moved in with his
As the fight and argument between the couple increases, leading to the baby being harmed, but Carver does not mention to what extent. Either the baby’s arm broken or the baby ripped apart (killed), it is up to the reader to imagine and decide. Last sentence is Carver says “in this manner, the issue was decided,” this means in the violence between the couple the infant had to suffer. What happens next is not stated; it feels like story started from the middle and did not have a clear ending. It would be better if none of them got to keep the infant. By the end, the reader is fully familiarized with the subject of the story. When one reads the story between the lines, he/she understands that Carver is talking about the couple throughout the story, but actually the infant is the main
Louis Lowry’s The Giver uses a dystopian society as a metaphor to show how one lives without pain and lacks knowledge of other places in order to give the reader a warring that society will never be perfect. “The Giver offers experiences that enhance readers levels of inquiry and reflection.” (Friedman & Cataldo pp102-112) At First glance the novel's setting seems to be a utopia, where all possible steps are taken to eliminate pain and anguish. Often the difference between a Utopia and a Dystopia is the author’s point of view. The difference between dystopia society and a utopian society is that a “dystopia is a world that should be perfect but ends up being horrible. Imagine dystopia as a world where the government gives everything to everyone for free. You would think it would be perfect, but imagine if that government oppressed everyone. Essentially a Dystopia is a utopia that has been corrupted.” (Levitas p1) A dystopian society is “Any society considered to be a undesirable, for any number of reasons. The term was coined as a converse to a Utopia, and is most used to refer to a fictional (often near-future) society where social trends are taken to a nightmarish extreme. Dystopias are frequently frequently written as warnings, or satires, showing current trends extrapolated to a nightmarish conclusion. A dystopia is all too closely connected to current day society.” As defined in The Giver (Telgan pp162-182). This is why I believe that Lowery is giving the reader a warring about how our world is changing. We have the power to stop it before it happens if we listen to warring signs and act accordingly. If we don’t listen to those signs our society will become a nightmarish environment, to live in. “ The Giver demonstrates how conflict can force us to examine our most important beliefs about what is right and true. Conflicts can change our worldly view of thing.” (Freidmane & Catadlo pp102-112)