第一名
姓  名 陳宣諭 學  校 國立武陵高級中學 年  級 二 年 二 班

 

 

The Giver

Imagine your life with objects but no colors, with sounds but no music. Imagine your life having a dwelling instead of a home, having units instead of families. Imagine your life without feelings and love but only rules and responsibilities. Jonas, the main character of the book, has been living this life of “Sameness”—a life without any freedom of making his own choices.

In Jonas’s community, each person has precisely the same experience, the same amount of food, and the same education. All children under twelve are meticulously observed and will be assigned a job selected by the Elders. Jonas’s forefathers had acknowledged the danger of giving people the ability to choose—freewill—and how human beings will eventually move toward the path of self-destruction when freedom of choice is permitted. Therefore, they isolated themselves from the rest of the world, gave up the memories of the past, and built the community—a community where people successfully struck a balance among Socialism, Communism, and Fascism. This was the final choice they could ever make.

The committee then went on to monitor the people and suppress their feelings and emotions through medication. Without human rights, they led their lives of Sameness in an effort to maintain a world where unity prevails. However, rights are not granted by another human being. Rights are what no one can take away from you. In the name of peace and safety, everyone (including the Elders) is denied freedom and memories. It’s a fraud. A deception created by their ancestors, and a fraud commonly perpetuated by governments in places around the world. What’s worse, people under such circumstances have no idea what has been taken from them because they had been born and raised in a world like Jonas’s.

But things can be different, it can be changed. As Jonas became the Receiver of Memory, he began to receive memories of the past from the Giver, the previous Receiver of Memory. The “Receiver of Memory” alone holds the memories of the time before the community was built, and knows the true pain and pleasure of life. Jonas experienced warmth and love, as well as war and pain. Unlike the rest, Jonas not only had accumulated knowledge, he started to gain wisdom. Coming up with a solution, Jonas decided to leave the community so memories of the past would be experienced by the people instead of keeping it all to himself.

For centuries, men have been striving to attain a prosperous and highly developed society, but how can we possibly succeed if only one person is not held back. When people have the memories of the past, they are able to learn from the experience and gain wisdom, the power to make full use of the knowledge. Newton once said, “If I have seen farther than others, it is because I was standing on the shoulders of giants.” There will be no limits to our future if we don't put limits on our people, and this is why people around the world have continually fought throughout their lives for freedom and democracy.

Another shocking part of this community is an exceedingly harsh system of euthanasia, which is known as “Release” in the community. For years, people have been debating as to whether or not to legalize euthanasia in their own country. In fact, only 6 countries in the world and 4 states from the U.S. have legalized euthanasia for terminally ill patients who agreed to end their own lives. However, Jonas’s community practiced euthanasia on the infants who didn't conform, the elderly, and those whose errors threaten the stability of the community. Life is irreversible, and I believe no one should easily give up their own lives, not to mention deciding for others on this matter.

For every law written, there will be people trying to manipulate it for their own purposes and benefit. This is the very reason why a system like that of Jonas’ community might appear peaceful and sustainable at first glance. It offers a life without war, pain or hunger. But ultimately we would starve in another way, removed from a hunger for color and music, emotions and love.