Since the 7th grade, I have always been placed in some kind of special English class. One time it was called “Advanced Placement” and another time it was called “Honors English”. In summation: reading, comprehension, and creative-writing have always been my thing.
I had the pleasure of reading
The Giver by
Lois Lowry in middle school, I feel in love with it immediately. Aside from the fact that it was the tale of a world outside of my own, it stole my heart because the wordplay provoked such strong imagery and emotion within me. At the end of the semester we were told to hand our books back in….obviously I didn’t do that. I keep the book and paid the “lost book” fee.
I have re-read the book countless times and to this day, I am continuously discovering new themes. Themes that relate to everyday situations, international relations, sexual revolutions, and social interactions.
….Imagine for a minute if you literally held the weight of the world. You and you alone held all the history: each pain, pleasure, color, song, and sin from generations before your own as well as within your own. No one who you call friend knows what you know nor are they allowed to….you are forbidden to share. It is your lone duty to be the keeper of knowledge.
Then image that you are only 11 years old....
Just Imagine.
How could any singular entity live with that kind of weight/responsibility?
One of the strongest themes interlaced throughout the plot of the novel, was the universal mandate that 'children are the future'. A community of pre-teens, preparing for the life-long careers.
That right there is the question that continues to draw my soul to the
The Giver
And I'll close this little harang with a photo of a group of girls playing at a fountain.
The carelessness of youth in nonfiction vs. the impossible burdens of youth in fiction.
Labels: visuals