The Giver by Lois Lowry

1071 Words3 Pages

Safety and comfort is a choice that most people prefer. However, sometimes familiarity isn’t always the best selection. There are times where having to break through comfort zone is a better choice. Freedom is an element that is essential to life. Personal choice is so significant, a plethora of individuals actually surrender many things to receive it.
For example, take a look at Lois Lowry’s Newberry Award winningbook, The Giver. In this adventurous story, a young boy named Jonas makes a life-changing decision. Jonas lived in a dull, strict, and tedious community. His neighborhood deeply valued discipline and order, so his daily lifespanconsisted of the same activities. He lived a “… life where nothing was ever unexpected. Or inconvenient. Or unusual. The life without color, pain or past” (Lowry, The Giver). Jonas got really exhausted of his community’s customs. Besides the usual events, Jonas was also weary of his community when he realized the true definition of “releasing.” Jonas believed that getting released was just leaving the community, but it really meant something much more serious: death. Gabe, Jonas’s little brother, was sadly going to undergo and experience this bone-shaking act of “releasing.” Jonas was so aggravated, that he made a vast choice, which was escaping his community. He couldn’t just let Gabe get executed, so he brought him along with him. However, he had to give up something very important, his family and friends. Jonas couldn’t ever see his caring mother, young sister, and his father. Jonas wouldn’t really mind not seeing his father because he was the one that was going to kill his poor brother, Gabe. Along with family,he wouldn’t be able to seehis closest friends either. This included Asher, Fiona an...

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... to independence. What is life without being free? All these characters were looking for sovereignty, and an upgraded way to live. Being under someone else’s control isn’t the way anyone should be treated. This precious gift to breathe shouldn’t have any boundaries; anyone should be able to pursue happiness and their independence.

Works Cited

Lowry, Lois. “The Giver”. New York: Dell Laurel-Leaf, 2002. (Page 165)
Lowry, Lois. “Lowry’s Newbery Acceptance Speech.” United States: Springboard Level 3.
Lazarus, Emma. “The New Colossus.” New Jersey, Pearson Education, 2010. (Pages 728-729)
“Enlightenment.” Holt McDougal: United States History, Beginnings to 1877, Florida Edition. (Page. 95)
“Making a Better Life.” Detroit, Achieve3000, March 25, 2008.
EscapeMojo. Colossus of Rhodes: Wonder of the Ancient World. Hulu, Web. 13 Jun 2013. http://www.hulu.com/watch/26062

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