The Giver, By Lois Lowry: An Analysis

Roosevelt describes the definition of liberty which “we are moving forward to greater freedom, to greater security for the average man than he has ever known before in the history of America. ”2 It is interesting to see these promises made by Roosevelt in our text then go on to read about the misery of

Freedom Even though the colonists did not have a clear understanding of freedom because they were under the rule of a tyrant, the Speech in the Virginia Convention and Crisis #1, written by Patrick Henry and Thomas Paine, both motivated the colonists and congress to aspire and achieve freedom. Thomas Paine and Patrick Henry both used very similar quotes to motivate the colonists into realizing that fighting the British king would grant them freedom at last. No matter how many times the American colonists attempted to resolve things through petitions, remonstrations, and arguments the British were right there, smiling insidiously, but only proved to snare their feet. The colonists were tired of these lies and insults, so this is where Paine and Henry step in.

The people of the thirteen colonies during the Revolutionary War, wanted nothing more than freedom from the British crown. As stated in the Declaration of Independence, “That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness (Doc. # 4)”. The Americans wanted the innate rights that everyone should be given from birth. These rights were infringed by the British through incidents such as “Taxation without

“Life, Liberty and the pursuit of happiness”, these words by John Locke shaped the 19th century and beyond and became the key principles to many societies. The colonist battle for freedom against the British during the American Revolution became a global rallying cry for liberty and independence which made a global connection both ideologically and economically. 1776 was the beginning of oppressed people all around the world to stand up and stop what they know is wrong. The beginning of the colonist revolt was a written document written through a magazine article called the “Copy of the Association”.

This was exemplified through the first amendment which states “prohibits the making of any law respecting an establishment of religion, impeding the free exercise of religion, abridging the freedom of speech, infringing on the freedom of the press, interfering with the right to peaceably assemble or prohibiting the petitioning for a governmental redress of grievances.” The British parliament attempted to deny the privilege of freedom to enforce their authoritative role over the states. This was done by taxing the colonies and placing unfathomable acts on the Americans in order to make up for the erroneous acts made by Britain . An additional example of the colonists attempting to gain independence was by including the third amendment which states, “No Soldier shall, in time of peace be quartered in any house, without the consent of the Owner, nor in time of war, but in a manner to be prescribed by law.  

Jefferson said, “We hold these truths to be self-evident that all men are created equal that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these a Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness…” It also stated that Britain didn’t serve the colonies. One example would be that King George Ⅲhad tried to take away people's rights, and made everyone pay taxes. People would be punished if they hadn’t payed the taxes.

The American Revolution is undoubtedly one of the most defining events in American history. The American colonists, after suffering under unjust and improper taxation, decided to revolt from Great Britain and sought to become a nation of sovereign, independent states. “Taxation without representation,” as we have come to know this as, is perhaps the most major cause of the war. The climax of this war, the Yorktown Campaign, perfectly encapsulates the colonists’ desire for independence and their yearning for their own sovereignty (History).

The British believed liberty to be their unique possession and believed that it competed/struggled against the idea of power. Therefore, those who were apart of the British freedom celebrated their liberty as a victory. This idea of liberty was central to two different sets of political ideas that took place in the 1700s. One of the ideas is republicanism, which “[…] celebrated active participation in public life by economically independent citizens as the essence of liberty.” (141) Liberalism posed as the second idea, “whereas republican liberty had a public and social quality, liberalism was essentially individual and private.”

The colonists were justified declaring independence. Ignoring their every plead, speech, letter, King George III didn’t always treat the colonists fair, thus forcing them to live in absolute tyranny. The colonists dealt with numerous hardships accompanied by Great Britain. They decided to turn the other cheek, to walk the dirt path into a new future of independence and liberty. To begin with a vital event with King George III and patriots, taxation without representation.

Throughout the novel, Lowery tries to spot lights on the psychological aspects within a utopic society, which forces the reader unintentionally to compare it to a normal society. A reader can conclude that human nature is the same no matter how different a society is. The debate of man’s will versus fate is introduced since the beginning of creation until this moment. Jonas was orbiting the loop of determining his future job and this made him different and uncategorized unlike his friends. Jonas’s destiny was unclear for him, but because of his different mentality and realization, he was chosen to be the Receiver of memories in the Community.

Throughout the history of the United States, Americans have always strived to maintain their unalienable rights and fight for what they believe to be righteous. They have dealt with various situations in which their freedoms were infringed upon. Strict and oppressive laws have often arisen in the country’s past, and Americans always fight to abolish these unjust restrictions. However, rebelling to acquire more independence is not always proven to be effectual. For example, before gaining sovereignty from Great Britain in the revolutionary era, the Coercive Acts of 1774 shut down Boston Harbor and implemented further restrictions on the patriots as a consequence of the Boston Tea Party.

On March 23, 1775, Patrick Henry presented the idea of fighting against Great Britain for liberty, which Great Britain had suppressed the American colonists for years. Freedom and liberty were necessary for the colonists of the Thirteen Colonies to feel like individual people. Every person should be able to decide the action they would take and the responsibilities they would have. This speech was remarkable and memorable for the start of the bold actions that changed the world forever. Patrick Henry persuade the colonist to fight the British government by using his strong voice as a weapon.

To link back, this reveals how Jonas’ character development influences the theme of memories because Jonas is beginning to consider that memories are needed for people

He is under sameness and the influence of the community. Jonas is chosen to receive feelings, colors, and emotions from memories. As time goes by Jonas sees the community not as a utopia but a horrible place. Jonas wants to change

In the book,everyone has the same attribute’s but one twelve year old boy named Jonas. Throughout the novel,Jonas has suffer and has been misunderstood. Jonas opened his eyes to the reality of the community. This causes tears,anger,lonely’s,confused,unaware and misunderstanding. “He killed it my father killed it”,Jonas said to himself” (Lowry 188).