Chapters 1-2

In chapter 1 of The Giver, Jonas, the main character, lives in a Utopian world and one day he wonders how he feels. Before he figures out how he feels he thinks he is frightened.

It was almost December, and Jonas was beginning to be frightened. No. Wrong word, Jonas thought. Frightened meant that deep, sickening feeling of something terrible about to happen.

This was a quote from the first page of the book. He first thinks he is frightened and then he decides he is apprehensive.
Jonas lives with his little sister, his mom, and his dad. Everyone in this community is put into groups of how old they are. Jonas is 11 years old and he is in the group with other 11 year olds and that group is called the Elevens. Jonas's sister is seven years of age and so she is classed as a seven.

Every night Jonas and his family sit together and talk about their feelings. Lily, Jonas's sister, talks about being mad. She says that she is mad because today her group was at the play area, and visitors came to the same play area and they didn't obey the rules. Jonas and his family talked to Lily and decided that they might not have known the rules of the play area and they didn't mean to do the mean things the did. Jonas's father explained his feelings. He explained that there was this newborn (they call the newborn babies newborns) that he knew was going to be released and he wanted it to be kept. Jonas's mother talked next about her feelings and then it was Jonas's turn. Jonas said that he was apprehensive about the Ceremony of the Twelve. After Jonas had told his family about him feeling apprehensive, Lily went to bed and his mother and father stayed and talked to Jonas.



In chapter 2 Jonas and his parents talk in a private conversation about the ceremonies and Jonas's father's memory of the different ceremonies. His father first confesses that that afternoon he was working and decided to look at the naming list for the name of the newchild that he was nurturing and the one that he was talking about in his feelings. However, there is a rule in the community that no one is aloud to look at the naming list, but Jonas's father thought that it might be better for the newchild if he says his name while nurturing it. Jonas couldn't believe his father and was very surprised. Then Jonas's father said that he found out that the newchild's name was Gabriel. Then his father talks about how he was very impatient for the Ceremony of the Twelves. He couldn't wait for the day. He also said that the Ceremony of Twelve is most important of all the ceremonies. Everyone at the Ceremony of Twelve receives a Assignment or in other words, receives their career for the rest of their adult life. Jonas's father said that he was so sure what his Assignment was going to be because he would spend all his free time with the newchildren and all the elders knew that he loved the newchildren and the job of it. Then his father started telling about his childhood. Jonas then realizes that a lot of the fun ends at twelve and that he moves into adult life. Then Jonas thinks to himself

Though he had been reassured by the talk with his parents, he hadn't the slightest idea what his Assignment the Elders would be selecting for his future, or how he might feel about it when the day came.

What do you think his Assignment is going to be?