The Giver Chapters 6-8

Summary 

In the chapters 6 through 8 it was December when the ceremony was coming. Lily is excited because she is going to get her first front-buttoned jacket because the pocket jacket means that she is grown up to care her own mini things. Lily hopes that Jonas is a pilot so he could take her flying. Then they go to the auditorium and the audience sees the families where the newborns get assigned, but Gabriel is given one more year to recover. Then the new children were given their names and Fiona got a brother called Bruno. The elders gave a family another Caleb because the first one died. In the ceremony of loss they murmur the name of the one how died through the entire day. In the Murmur-of-Replacement ceremony the community repeats the name of the one that is dead, for the first time since he died and first they murmur and then they talk louder and louder and then the family that lost the baby will stand up with the new baby like if the baby was resuscitating. Then the ceremony continued with the 1s, 2s, 3s, 4s, 5s, 6s, 7s and 8s. Lily got up in the stage and received her jacket with pockets. Then the ceremony of 9s came and they received their bicycles, then 10 and 11 where they received new clothing and finally the 12s. Jonas was told a story about a boy that didn't like the assignment that the elders had given him and he swam through the river and he was never seen again. Jonas sat at the chair thinking the number that he has given when he was born, number 19. Next to him there was Fiona that was number 18 and in the other side it was Pierre that was number 20. The chief elder started to give the assignments to the first and then the second one and then the third and then Asher. In Asher’s turn she gives an speech about Asher and she gives him the assignment of assistant director of recreation. Then the fifth and then the sixth and then the seventh and then the eight till it was Fiona’s turn. She was number 18 and she was assigned to be a care taker for the old. When it was supposed to be Jonas’ turn, the chief elder called number 20. Jonas was so scared the chief elder skipped his turn, he was ashamed and he asked himself: What had he done wrong? He was humiliated and terrified. When the chief elder finished the assignments, she told everyone she didn't made a mistake and she apologized to Jonas. She said that Jonas was not assigned, he was selected to be the Receiver.  The chief elder told Jonas that he has qualities like intelligence, courage, wisdom and -something no one understands, only he will- the capacity to see beyond. Jonas was terrified, he thought he was not a good pick because he didn't have the capacity to see beyond, but then he saw the same thing that happened to the apple: people changed.  

Text Response

"The first Ceremony began right on time, and Jonas watched as one after another each newchild was given a name and handed by the Nurturers to its new family unit." (43)

This quote shows us that they don't refer to a family, they refer to a family unit like if all families are equal; no body has more or less. Also I think that a family unit is something that is made, it is not natural. Also I think that there should be families that are different and contribute different things to the community, not family units that are made so they are all the same. I think that this community is fake, there is no real love in families because they are just created to the community benefit.

"How could someone not fit in?" (48)

This quote means that Jonas' community is perfect, that there are no differences and no disagreements because they follow some rules and they have been following them since they where little. I think that Jonas has never seen how someone could not fit in because the elders almost every time they made a right decision. Also I think that the community doesn't have to think of fear because they have never felt something like that. 

Final Thought

I think that this book is an imagination of a perfect life because no one is different, everyone is treated the same. Also I think that this commune is a community without love. I know that elders see everything about you and match you with the perfect pair but you don’t decide.  You don’t have your own family; the children are not even yours. They refer to their families as family units and to their houses as dwellings. They don’t ever refer the place they live and where their family is to ‘home’. What do you think about this? Will you like to have all your life solved for you? I think Jonas is going to change this community.