Chapters 7+8: Newscast

Post-Reading task 2

Here is the link to a crossword I created with one question to each chapter.

Post-Reading task: What happened after Jonas left the community (told from Fiona's perspective)

The happenings after Jonas' escape were extremely horrible. Directly, after Jonas' missing was noticed, we heard a speech from the Speakers that we had to assemble altogether in the auditorium. There the old Receiver told us that something would happen to us. Something which would be very hard to bear for us. He said that we would receive memories from the history about things that we wouldn't understand. Nobody knew what he meant by this, but he went on with his explanations. He explained us what we had to do when the memories were there. We should focus on one of the first memories that we got, in the best case one that made us feel good, and then concentrate on it so that we didn't get interrupted by other ones. When we were “ready” with that memory we should went on with the next ones that came in our minds. The Receiver told us, that it would take a long time to go trough all this memories, primary they would appear without any breaks in between. But after a while there wouldn't appear directly a new one when the other memory was finished. He said the beginning was the hardest part of it, however, even after weeks this memories could hit us unexpectedly. Still, sometimes I get a new memory. That was all of our preparation we got before the memories reached us.

Even though I didn't know what exactly I had expected, it was completely different. There were no memories, there were different feelings combined with pictures which dashed through my head. All this picture didn't mean anything to me but every single feeling I got was stronger than the ones I felt ever before. It was so confusing and I couldn't control anything. I tried to watch what the other people did, but all I could see were these pictures. It was like they were real. Then suddenly I saw a picture of myself. With all my consciousness I tried to keep this picture before my eyes. I felt like I was the person riding on a bike, talking to myself. But my voice sounded different, it sounded like the one from a boy. Like the one from Jonas. I remembered this memory. I already owned it. With the little difference that in mine I saw Jonas riding on his bike. But something else was different. In between my hair changed. Today, I know I started to see the colour red. To my own surprise this memory wasn't filled up with strong feelings, it was just like I was accustomed. Later on, after I got a lot other memories, I realized it was because it was a memory from Jonas when he still was a normal community member. But after this memory the pictures and the really strong feelings started dashing through my mind again. It was like my head would burst. I didn't want this any longer. All this emotions made me so exhausted. I forced myself to open my eyes and stand up. The mix of feelings still let me stumble, but I could watch what happened around me. Nearly nobody was still on his seat. Some were curling on the ground, other ones were erring through the corridors with an empty, crazy or hopeless look and some ran via the open doors outside. I followed them and saw how some of them drowned themselves in the river. That frightened me. Were they so desperate because they couldn't deal with this situation or because they had receive some really bad memories? Until now, I didn't know the reason for their mass suicides. When I saw them I knew I had to expose me with the memories. I looked for a silent and secluded place in the wood and sit down. For the next three days I didn't move. I closed my eyes and tried to focus on the first memory I got. This wasn't a good one, I saw how a human killed another one. I felt really sad, because apparently I knew this person, and simultaneously so scared that the murderer wouldn't discover my stash. But I withstand this feelings and after this memory I caught a good one where I had a little baby in my arm and felt so much love for it.

After this three days I felt exhausted but also relieved. Although I didn't know exactly every designation for the things I became acquainted with, I got a really good overview about how life was before Sameness. Although there happened really bad things in the past, it is not fair what our community leaders did to us. They took the ability to feel from us. That haven't been real feelings I felt in my first thirteen years of age. And of course they killed people without being punished for that. I am happy that I escaped from the community like Jonas did but I often think about how they might life today. There must have been changes in their way of life after these revelations. But I wasn't patient enough for them to come. When these three days were over I directly left the community with enough food and clothes and in the end reached your town. After a while I asked myself why I didn't talked to the old Receiver, but I have to admit that this thought didn't came into my mind. And to turn back was no option for me. I am happy here but I think any time I will return to my community to look how they are and how they life. Maybe the community doesn't exist any more. Maybe other people fled as well. And maybe I can find out what happened to Jonas...

Chapter 23: Jonas' escape

When I saw on Ann-Kathrin's side the song text of an Bon Jovi song, I remembered the song “Mad World” by Gary Jules and Michael Andrews (it's a cover version, the original one is from Tears For Fears). I think the lyrics fits very good to the situation in which Jonas is in the last few chapters.

All around me are familiar faces
Worn out places
Worn out faces

Bright and early for the daily races
Going nowhere
Going nowhere

Their tears are filling up their glasses
No expression
No expression

Hide my head I want to drown my sorrow
No tomorrow
No tomorrow

And I find it kind of funny
I find it kind of sad
The dreams in which
I’m dying are the best I’ve ever had
I find it hard to tell you
I find it hard to take
When people run in circles it’s a very very
Mad world
Mad world
. .

Enlarging your world
Mad world

All around me are familiar faces ;Worn out faces : Jonas doesn't feel any longer comfortable in the community. He doesn't want to see his family any longer, especially his father. Going nowhere: He doesn't see any sense in the regular daily routine 
Bright and early for the daily races: He can't understand how this could be enough for the other community members.
No expressions: He is tired of this life without feelings. 
Hide my head I want to drown my sorrow: He doesn't want to feel the pain of the Memories any longer or the pain which his father unknowingly added to him. The rest of the song fits to his escape with Gabe:
No tomorrow: Jonas doesn't know how he and Gabe should survive without any food and thick clothing. 
The dreams in which I'm dying are the best I've ever had: The book has an open ending. Shortly before the book is over Jonas thinks that he sees lighted windows, lit up by Christmas trees. And he heard people singing. We don't get to know whether this is real or just an imagination of Jonas but it seems to be like the place were he ever wanted to be.
When people run in circles it's a very very mad world: In his old community there were no changes or any progression. Every day was the same. 
Enlarging your world: That is what Jonas did with his escape. He couldn't continue his life as being the new Receiver and escaped with Gabe to explore more of the world.

Chapter 19: The first release for Jonas' father

This post is about the first release which Jonas' father had to do.

I don't feel like I'm a murder. I have to do what is the best for the community. And it isn't just me. There are all the other Nurturers and geriatric nurses who also have to take care of this. And of course the Elders who decide about who is going to be released. Nevertheless this introduction first confuses me. A few years ago before I started my training to get a full Nurturer I thought release would mean something different: an entering into a new, better life (if this is possible). And for the twins to get to a good caring family. I still don't know what is going to happen with the body when I'm ready. But I'm not allowed to ask someone or even myself this question. But this is good about the community: they make me not to worry about things like that. The Elders know what is the best to do with the dead body. We don't have to care. Or maybe it's the job of someone else, in any case nothing I have to deal with. And I guess they take the real meaning of release as a secret because the little children wouldn't understand it and maybe get scared. But it is necessary. We can't have two exactly the same looking persons in our community or keep someone who doesn't observe the rules. And for the Olds it is the ending of a wonderful and happy life. What could they want more? I'm ready for this next step in my training.

Chapter 17: Interior monologue of Asher on the pitch

Yeah, I hit him. But why is he still standing? Didn't he notice it? “You're hit, Jonas!” Doesn't he believe me? He still doesn't lie on the ground. Well...I'm just going to shoot him down again. “Pow!You're hit again!” What is he doing there? He must have heard me and seen how I hit him. Why is he shaking now? Does he want to play his role more realistic? Maybe he should have been chosen as an actor and not as our new Receiver. That's enough. He doesn't act like a hit man. He is just standing there and doing nothing. He destroys the whole game. I should go to him and give him a tongue-lashing. “You ruined it”....

Chapter 13

The memories the Giver gave Jonas until this part of the story where just ones which show the good sides of life without the Sameness (even the painful sunburn memory is not that bad-Jonas enjoyed lying in the sun: the sunburn was just a not so good ancillary effect). But the memory in chapter 13 offers Jonas the greedy, brutal side of the human. They hurt an elephant just because of his ivory tusks and let him die in the desert.

Source: http://www.welt.de/multimedia/archive/00616/Elefant08_DW_Wissen_616532g.jpg