The Giver
Betsy K.
5-23-13
4th Period LA
The Giver In your opinion, is the community in The Giver a utopia or a dystopia? Like many countries such as North Korea or Cuba, the community appears to be a dystopia. The environment of the community may seem impractical, however, there are many places like this in the real world. The community in The Giver is very similar to the country of North Korea. For example, both of the governments in these regions are controlling and predominant. In these societies, the population praises their government because they don’t know any different. This form of government is like a dictatorship. The “Elders” in the community believe that preventing the public from knowing about the outside world will generate a higher quality society. Another example of their similarity is that there are loudspeakers everywhere in both Jonas’ world and North Korea. They all spout a nearly constant chatter about the affairs of society. In North Korea, though, the intent is pure propaganda; it’s nearly all lies. Pure and simple, in North Korea, the loudspeaker is an organ of the state utilized to further the brainwashing of the citizenry. In Jonas’ world, the Speaker (through the loudspeakers) alerts the citizens to matters that will either help them to become “better” members of society or direct them regarding what they must do to be safe. On the other hand, Cuba and the Community and similar in the way that in both places, many of the citizens rights have been taken away and they are not allowed to leave the land. The people of the community are informed that there is an “elsewhere”, but they know nothing about this place, except for the fact that this is where somebody would go if they happened to be “released.” Elsewhere in the Community is similar to other countries, such as the United States, in Cuba; They know this place exists but will be harshly punished for trying to travel to it. As you can see, the Community in “The
5-23-13
4th Period LA
The Giver In your opinion, is the community in The Giver a utopia or a dystopia? Like many countries such as North Korea or Cuba, the community appears to be a dystopia. The environment of the community may seem impractical, however, there are many places like this in the real world. The community in The Giver is very similar to the country of North Korea. For example, both of the governments in these regions are controlling and predominant. In these societies, the population praises their government because they don’t know any different. This form of government is like a dictatorship. The “Elders” in the community believe that preventing the public from knowing about the outside world will generate a higher quality society. Another example of their similarity is that there are loudspeakers everywhere in both Jonas’ world and North Korea. They all spout a nearly constant chatter about the affairs of society. In North Korea, though, the intent is pure propaganda; it’s nearly all lies. Pure and simple, in North Korea, the loudspeaker is an organ of the state utilized to further the brainwashing of the citizenry. In Jonas’ world, the Speaker (through the loudspeakers) alerts the citizens to matters that will either help them to become “better” members of society or direct them regarding what they must do to be safe. On the other hand, Cuba and the Community and similar in the way that in both places, many of the citizens rights have been taken away and they are not allowed to leave the land. The people of the community are informed that there is an “elsewhere”, but they know nothing about this place, except for the fact that this is where somebody would go if they happened to be “released.” Elsewhere in the Community is similar to other countries, such as the United States, in Cuba; They know this place exists but will be harshly punished for trying to travel to it. As you can see, the Community in “The