The Giver - Questions

1. Some of the most important occasions of life in Jonas' society are the ceremony of one, when you become a seven and "get your front-buttoned jacket" (p.40), when you become a nine and get your bicycle, when you become a ten and get your hair cut, when you become an eleven and get bigger trousers with pockets, and when you get assigned at the ceremony of twelve. After you are assigned, some important things are leaving your parents to start a life of you own, going to the house of the elders, and being released. 

2. Jonas was selected to be the next receiver. The receiver was a very rare person who got memories from the giver about the past. Being the receiver was "the most honored in the community" (p.61). Jonas' instruction folder gave him instructions instead of telling him how to do it. 

If Jonas was released he would create big problems for the community. They would not only lose the person they needed, but his parents would be upset, and the community would lose all the memories transmitted to him. These memories would go to the thoughts of those in the community and cause an uproar because people have never known how horrible life used to be. They would then change their life-style dramatically to go with what suited them, but others might object and this could cause a war.