The Community seems ideal. Everyone has a job for which he or she is suited emotionally, physically and mentally. The elderly are lovingly cared for as are the newest members of this place. Every family has a mother, father, and two children, one of each sex. There is much laughter and obvious joy. There is no rudeness, no crime and no diseases. Even though this may seem like a perfect place to live, it is the mistakes, the diseases and the hard things that make who we are. Getting to experiencing and handle these situations makes us stronger and more individual.

 

In our society we all want to be different. Differences make and show who we are as an individual. We all want to stand out in the crowd and be an individual. We try to dress differently and act differently to be noticed. The people in the Community dress the same, act the same, do the same things and they even furnish their house the same. They have no opportunity to exercise any freedoms. You are not treated as an individual there. You are assigned a number at birth and you are referred to that for the rest of your life. You are not unique and you are not supposed to stand out and draw attention to yourself but blend in with the crowd.

 

It is difficult for us to imagine a world without color, personal freedoms, and love, but in The giver, the people of the Community needs these things in order to make room for total peace and safety. They can’t see colors of land, shapes or people. The land in the Community is also flat because it makes it easier to move around so they have never seen a mountain or a hill.

 

If something really upsets me or I’m sad it feels good to cry. When I get mad, it feels good to yell and scream. Pain makes you stronger! People in the Community can’t show emotions and feelings. The members of the community cannot appreciate the joys in their lives because they have never felt pain. They have never felt scared or afraid because they depend on the Community and they know that it is safe. Whenever a person in the Community hurt themselves in one way or another or get sick they are given a tablet and it makes the pain go away instantly. They have never any kind of pain, it is unknown to them.

 

We cannot choose our own future but we can shape it. We make our own decisions and choices that our future depends on. As a citizen in the Community you do not have the right to shape your future or make your own decisions. The elders will choose your career based upon your skills. Some chosen people will pick your spouse and your kids. You are not allowed to have more than two kids either. You cannot shape your future in any way there. You just have to make it work.

 

These differences reflect the different ideology behind the Community and our own society. The ideology of the Community is communism. They live by the saying “all for one and one for all “. Everybody gets a piece of everything no matter how hard you work. Everyone gets a piece of everything and everyone works together to make the community a better place for all the citizens in the Community, not just themselves. In our society our ideology is mainly based on capitalism because we all work to make our own lives the best. But we are also impacted by socialism. We have to pay taxes. Out of all of the money you make you have to share a little bit with the society. How much tax you pay depends on how much you earn.

 

If you live in the Community you don’t have the opportunity to show who you really are. You are raised to go a long and just do whatever the Community asks of them. You don’t have the chance to show who you really are and what you really stand for. It is a very simple community where you have no responsibility. The Community takes care of all your problems and that does not give you the chance to become an individual.

 

Globalization of the world, have given me a deeper look at the different societies around the world. Every time I get an impression of a society through the media, it makes me appreciate what I have and it makes me realize how lucky I am to live in the society that I live in today. After reading The Giver it has given me some new thoughts but it hasn’t changed my impression of what a good society should be like. We all think that the grass is greener on the other side, but based on my impression of The Giver I would say that in this case it is not!