The Giver by Eleanor

The Giver by Eleanor - February 2015 Scholarship Essay

While The Giver isn't one of the most linguistically sophisticated books that high school students should read; it is still a definite must for any high schooler. The dynamic plot of Jonas's journey as the reciever of memories is one filled with the vast emotions and memories that we all have and are forced to remember as we read about Jonas experiencing something as simple as snow for the very first time at age 12. As the Giver sends transmits his memories to Jonas, he grows stronger as he is no longer being burdened by the memories that no one else in the town is able to handle. When Jonas learns about the truth and figures out that his dad's job is to kill the weaker of two twins so that only one may live, Jonas decides to leave the town with the weaker twin in order to save him. Little did Jonas know that his leaving would put not only himself in danger, but also the townspeople.

When Jonas leaves town, all of the memories that he had been entrusted with are released into the town; this forcing the people to face the realities of the real world.

This book teaches people the valuable lesson that you have to let people think for themselves. Memories are what we use to guide our future actions and without them, society will be forced to make the same mistakes over and over again expecting a different outcome. The simplistic language of this books adds to the fact that this book is for anyone and everyone. Knowledge is a powerful weapon that can be manipulated by those who want all of the power to themselves; as long as the public is educated on the ways of the world and how things work, then the government should hold no power over its people other than what was given to them by the people that it was intended to protect.