Name: _______________________________
The Giver by Lois Lowry
Utopia Notes
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utopia – a perfect place
utopian society
Greek “ou” means no, “topos” means place, “eu” means good
outopia – no place
eutopia – good place
The word utopia is combination of two Greek words – almost a pun on the two words.
dystopia – an imaginary place in which the condition of life is extremely bad, as from deprivation,
oppression, or terror
Chapter 1
1. Based on the information provided in this chapter, what does this society value?
What does this society value?
Evidence?
2. Read and annotate the Preamble to the United States Constitution.
PREAMBLE
We the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, insure
domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure
the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for
the United States of America.
3.
The following are six purposes of our Federal government from the Preamble. Rewrite these
phrases in your own words.
a. To form a more perfect union…
b. To establish justice…
c. To ensure domestic tranquility…
d. To provide for the common defense…
e. To promote the general welfare…
f. To secure the blessings of liberty to
ourselves and our posterity…
4. Write a Preamble for the Constitution for Jonas’s society. Be sure to include the values listed above.
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Chapters 2-6
5. Read and annotate the following poem by Dorothy Law.
“Children Learn What They Live”
If a child lives with criticism, he learns to condemn…
If a child lives with hostility, he learns to fight…
If a child lives with fear, he learns to be apprehensive…
If a child lives with pity, he learns to feel sorry for himself…
If a child lives with ridicule, he learns to be shy…
If a child lives with jealousy, he learns to feel guilt..
But
If a child lives with tolerance, he learns to be patient…
If a child lives with encouragement, he learns to be confident…
If a child lives with [limitations], he learns to be appreciative…
If a child lives with acceptance, he learns to love…
If a child lives with honesty, he learns what truth is…
If a child lives with fairness, he learns justice…
If a child lives with security, he learns to have faith in himself and those about him…
If a child lives with friendliness, he learns the world is a nice place in which to live…
With what is your child living?
6. What is Jonas living with? With this in mind, what is his community teaching him?
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7. What is the theme of the poem? In what way is it similar to a theme in The Giver?
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8. Draw a conclusion about the meaning of the following quote, “It was different only in the addition to it of
the newchild with his pale, solemn, knowing eyes” (25). Predict why the newchild is described in this way.
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Chapters 7-10
9. Thinking about Jonas’s community, complete the chart below.
What sacrifices are
community members
asked to make for this
community?
Who do these sacrifices
benefit?
What rights do
individuals have in this
community?
10. Read the excerpt from The Hunger Games and watch “The Reaping” clip from the film. Complete the
same chart.
What sacrifices are
community members
asked to make for this
community?
Who do these sacrifices
benefit?
What rights do
individuals have in this
community?
11. What rights do you have that Jonas and Katniss are not provided? Use evidence from the texts to support
your answer.
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Chapters 11-13
12. Read and annotate the following poem by Sir Thomas Wyatt.
“I Find No Peace”
I find no peace, and all my war is done,
I fear and hope, I burn and freeze like ice;
I fly above the wind yet can I not arise;
And naught I have and all the world I season.
That looseth not locket holdeth me in prison,
And holdeth me not, yet I can scape nowise;
Not letteth me live nor die at my devise,
And yet of death it giveth none occasion.
Without eyen I see, and without tongue I plain;
I desire to perish, and yet I ask health;
I love another, and thus I hate myself;
I feed me in sorrow, and laugh in all my pain.
Likewise displeaseth me both death and life
And my delight is causer of this strife.
5—“that…prison” that which neither lets me go nor contains me holds me in prison—at the time of Wyatt, eth was used for the third person singular present tense.
9—plain—express desires about love
13—“likewise…life” it is displeasing to me, in the same way, both death and life—both death and life are
equally distasteful to me
13. What situation is the speaker reflecting on?
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14. Why does the speaker in line 11 declare that hating himself is the consequence of loving another?
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15. Why is it ironic that his “delight” is the “causer of this strife”?
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16. How do the emotions of the speaker in the poem compare to Jonas’ emotion in the novel?
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Chapters 14-16
Thematic Statements
17. What does the novel suggest about these aspects of life?
a) Perfection __________________________________________________________
b) Freedom ____________________________________________________________
c) Ignorance___________________________________________________________
d) Conformity___________________________________________________________
e) Fear _________________________________________________________________
f)
Cruelty _______________________________________________________________
A thematic idea is an abstract noun that describes some dimension of the human condition examined by a text. A
thematic statement is a declarative statement that reveals universal meaning and it addresses questions like “What does
the literature say about… What is the life lesson being taught about…? Or What are the author’s ideas about….?
Here is an example of a thematic statement on the thematic idea of freedom.
Freedom should be extremely limited in our world because humans take advantage of freedoms and do harm.
(thematic idea) (assertion about the thematic idea)
(qualifying cause: when, because, unless, etc)
Select a thematic idea from above (a-f) and create one thematic statement that target how Lois Lowry’s vision of the
human experience is revealed.
Thematic idea:________________________________________________________________
Thematic statement (What are the author’s ideas about the thematic idea?):
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(thematic idea)
(assertion about the thematic idea)
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(Qualifying clause: when, because, unless, even, so that, whether, if, etc.)
18. Read and annotate the following poem by Dan Jaffe entitled “The Forecast”. As a Giver, Jonas would
experience a life filled with the best and worst of human experiences. Think about how this poem connects
with the story of Jonas.
1
5
10
The Forecast
Perhaps our age has driven us indoors.
We sprawl in the semi-darkness dreaming
Sometimes
Of a vague world spinning in the wind.
But we have snapped our locks, pulled down
our shades,
Taken all precautions. We shall not be disturbed.
If the earth shakes, it will be on a screen;
And if the prairie wind spills down our
streets
And covers us with leaves, the weatherman
will tell us.
19. The overall mood of the passage is one of
a. nostalgia
b. animosity
c. passionate
d. sorrow
e. curiosity
20. In lines, 5-6, the author uses a(n) ____________ to imply that we are shut away from the world.
a. metaphor
b. simile
c. onomatopoeia
d. allusion
e. alliteration
21. The imagery in the poem would best symbolize what contrast?
a. life vs. death
b. search for love vs. desire to hate
c. inside world vs. outside world
d. self-inflicted isolation vs. freedom of experience
e. desire vs. denial
22. Which is the best theme that is found in the poem and The Giver?
a. True happiness is lost in the selfishness of others.
b. Self-indulgence will lead to the downfall of mankind.
c. The beauty in life is lost in humanities constant need to control their environments
d. Friendship is often found in the most unexpected places.
e. The experiences of the past often determine the success of the future
Chapters 17-19
23. Read and annotate “The Human Abstract” by William Blake. Paraphrase the poem. In your own words, explain
what he is saying.
“The Human Abstract”
Pity would be no more
If we did not make somebody Poor;
And Mercy no more could be
If all were as happy as we.
And mutual fear brings peace,
Till the selfish loves increase:
Then Cruelty knits a snare,
And spreads his baits with care.
He sits down with holy fears,
And waters the grounds with tears;
Then Humility takes its root
Underneath his foot.
Soon spreads the dismal shade
Of Mystery over his head;
And the Catterpiller and Fly
Feed on the Mystery.
And it bears the fruit of Deceit,
Ruddy and sweet to eat;
And the Raven his nest has made
In its thickest shade.
The Gods of the earth and sea
Sought thro' Nature to find this Tree;
But their search was all in vain:
There grows one in the Human Brain
24. Using the poem, evaluate the consequences of seeking perfection.
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25. In the novel, what are the benefits and consequences of this society’s goal of perfection?
BENEFITS
CONSEQUENCES
26. Summarize the events that occurred in Chapter 19.
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Chapters 20-23
27. Read and annotate “The Road Not Taken” by Robert Frost. Paraphrase the poem on the right side.
The Road Not Taken
Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;
Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,
And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and II took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.
28. What are the speaker’s beliefs about choice in “The Road Not Taken” and how are his beliefs developed?
Provide at least two details from the poem to support your response.
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29. Compare the speaker’s beliefs about choice in “The Road Not Taken” to Jonas’ beliefs about choice in The Giver.
Provide at least one detail from both texts to support your response.
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Reading Elements:
1. Looking back at The Giver, answer the following:
a.
How was foreshadowing used in The Giver? Give two examples.
b.
Analyze how Jonas’ point of view is developed and contrasted with the points of view of other
characters in The Giver, and explain how this development and contrast creates a theme of the story?
A Life Without Love
A life without love can be simpler
It can be quieter
It can be peaceful
Love gets complicated
Love can hurt
A life without love can be easier
It removes heartache
It removes loneliness
Never knowing love
Can make life easier
But in a life without love
Means never knowing pure joy
Means never feeling warmth
The warmth that can make sorrow go away
All because you feel loved
A life without love can be tragic
It can be lonely
It can be sorrowful
Love heals
Love creates peace
Love makes happiness
Love fulfills dreams
A life without love
Is not a life at all
-by Marissa Kelleher