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  • Essay / "The Giver" by Lois Lowry as a warning for contemporary society

    The thin line between utopia and dystopia tends to be overlooked by people as they are blinded by the many beliefs and interpretations that construct an idealistic society Lois Lowry published The Giver in 1993 after witnessing the suffering and emotional turmoil her father endured as he battled Alzheimer's disease, which inspired Lowry to create a fictional world in which he did not. there was no pain or painful memories. Author AE Samaan once quoted "All utopias are dystopias." This statement reflects the seemingly perfect world of The Giver. The Giver takes place in a seemingly superficial utopia that follows the protagonist. Jonas as he encounters past memories stored in the mind of the eponymous Giver As the reader progresses, the facade of the perfect society quickly fades as Jonas begins to think about how his community works and. struggling against the strict demands of his society. It is believed that to achieve utopia, many aspects that contribute to human suffering would have to be eradicated. However, it also eliminates the many positive aspects that are closely linked to this suffering and that prevent us from achieving true happiness. The community-controlled lifestyle, lack of emotions, and nonexistent diversity contribute to the dysfunctional nature of the novel, representing the disastrous effect it would have if these elements were recreated in contemporary society. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay Everything from birth to death is decided for you in The Giver society, as it is believed that this will maintain a safe and painless way of life that prohibits people from making their own decisions. Individuals are informed about their choice of clothing, family units, households, occupations, and emotions, allowing them to live predictable and controlled lifestyles, without rulings that “community members must adhere to the rules.” of their age group or their job.” Due to the communities' ignorance, they cannot make their own choices and are governed by a set of harsh regulations. A daily ritual for the community is the discussion of feelings and the recounting of dreams. On the surface, these acts may appear to promote mental health, but the goal of these exercises is to expose the underlying emotions felt by the community so that they can take whatever steps are necessary to avoid any deviation from expected norms . It is mandatory that all dreams and feelings be shared. In the first chapter of the story of feelings, “Jonas would have preferred to keep his feelings hidden. But this is obviously against the rules. Throughout the novel, euphemisms are used to disguise the true meaning of terms that would otherwise cause distress among the population. This is to keep citizens compliant with the committee. The term Liberation is used extensively throughout the book and generally refers to a joyful situation based on the conditions of Liberation to an Elsewhere - a place considered pleasant where the Liberated are sent. However, we discover that the Liberation arbitrates towards death by euthanasia and Elsewhere, it is the afterlife. Community members are not able to understand what death is because of its soft wording. Jonas realizes what liberation is when the Giver shows him his father freeing a newborn baby. His father is completely unaware of what is really happening. "'I know. It hurts, little guy... It's all done. It wasn't that bad, was it? Jonasheard his father say happily. The community's controlled lifestyle allows the committee to brainwash members into compliance, creating a façade of utopia out of a broken and dull dystopia. In order to adapt the community to the Elder's ploy for uniformity, "they took control of many things but had to let others go", removing diversity. The world of The Giver is literally black and white because it lacks color. This is to promote the idea of ​​sameness because they can focus more on work and following the rules instead of worrying about whether their shirt matches their shoes. The color symbolizes emotion, and the committee controls it because it wants to keep the community members in a diminished state. Although color seems like a simple concept, the more you think about it, the more you realize how closely color is linked to individuality. Eliminating color also eliminates color bias. The Giver says: “There was a time when flesh was different colors. Today the flesh is the same. To some extent, this benefits society because people of color would not have to experience racism. However, it could also be argued that their race, and therefore their culture, is what sets them apart from the crowd and is a catalyst for the many different values ​​a person can have. Without the experience of color, you would not be able to experience the world in its true beauty. If everything were the same, there would be no excuse for war or violence. If life were “equal,” it would mean that no one would experience anything better or worse than anyone else. There would be no homelessness, no hunger, no unemployment. However, without the opportunity to explore outside of your comfort zone, it hinders the growth and development of the community as a whole, as they would not know how to appreciate themselves and those around them for their unique abilities. without being able to recognize them. Since its conception, the principle of uniformity has remained unchanged because it takes "a lot" of time to change the rules and "there is nothing to be done", and "it has always been this way... Even before those.” who came before you. We could not become pioneers because many things we create today have a strong influence on society. In an identity community, if one person gains power, they change everything, leading to disorder that an identity society would not be able to handle. By discouraging diversity – of speech, of thought, of action, of expression – we risk locking ourselves into a civility where conformity is praised and diversity is punished. The committee strips community members of negative emotions such as hatred, envy, and pain, but at the same time sacrifices true happiness and pleasure. An individual's emotions are an essential part of what makes up a person and without them, you would be a hollow, empty shell. When Jonas is immersed in his training and discovers the many different emotions, he feels disconnected from the people around him because they could not understand the depth of the different emotions he could feel because "he feels so much love for Asher and Fiona but they I couldn't feel it without the memories he couldn't give. This lack of memory alienates people from each other, preventing independent thought that would lead to preventing actions that would result in conflict and suffering. The sacrifice of nostalgia for things the community has abandoned was necessary to achieve harmony - but memories are still necessary to avoid the repetition of past mistakes. This is why a..