MEMORY

If you were The Giver, what memory would you give to Jonas?  Choose a memory and write a draft on WORD.  Edit and revise it, making sure that you leave no errors and post it here.  Your anecdote should evoke the feelings and sensations of that memory.  Use as many of the five senses as is appropriate.  (minimum of 300 words) 

Give your memory it's own title in bold

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[Toad]

Memories of the giver

If I was the giver and I had to give Jonas one memory and Jonas one memory I would give him the memory of one of my greatest accomplishments. The accomplishment would be making the Albert Leonard basketball team. The reason that I would give him this memory is because I tried out for the team in seventh grade and eighth grade. In seventh grade I tried but I didn’t make the team.

Then the following year in eighth I tried and I made the first cut. I was so happy when I made the first cut. When I was going to check out the list my heart was pounding. Then the following days after we had more tryouts for actually making the team. After the final tryout the coach called us into his office one by one to tell us if we had made the team. I was waiting and waiting watching everybody come out. Then finally what seemed like a lifetime he called my number. (which was two) I walked into the room sweating and he looked at me. Then he said “I have decided to keep you” I was so happy. After I walked out of the room everybody was asking me if I made the team. I could barely talk I was so happy. Then as in was walking out of the school I saw my dads car in front of the building and I couldn’t wait to tell him the news. My whole family was so happy for me.

I would also tell Jonas about the season. During the season everybody on the team had a great time. In the end we finished at ten and four. So overall we did awesome.

The reason I would tell Jonas these memories is because these memories put a smile on my face when I think about it, and maybe on him.

[Boricua]

Unknown Feelings

When Jonas goes to see the receiver, he tells him he is weighed down by all these memories and he compares it to a sled going down a hill with a sled it the snow. Jonas does not understand the comparison, because he has never seen snow or a sled. The Receiver decides to give the memory of snow to him. He tells Jonas to take off his tunic and lie face-down on the bed. Then he goes to the speaker, which is just like the speaker that transmits announcements in every house, and turns it off, something that no one else in the community can do. He places his hands on Jonas’s back, and Jonas begins to feel the chill of cold air, followed by the feeling snowflakes touching his face. He experiences the wonderful feeling of going downhill on a sled, feeling the excitement of movement and speed even though he has never felt snow or strong wind or even a hill. In his community, all hills have been leveled to make transportation easier, and snow disappeared with the onset of climate control that made living more successful. When the receiver stops channeling the memory Jonas says that he wishes snow and hills still existed, and asks the Receiver why he does not use his great power to bring them back. Then he gives Jonas the memory of sunshine, and Jonas understands the word for “sunshine” at the same time that he understands the feeling of it. Afterward he asks about the pain he will experience, and the Receiver gives him the mild pain of a sunburn in order to get him used to the idea. Jonas finds the experience interesting, if not pleasant. When he leaves, he asks the Receiver what he should call him now that he, Jonas, is the new Receiver. The Receiver, drained from their day’s work, says to call him the Giver.

[The Mistaken One]

Death By Jonas

If I was The Giver, I would’ve gave Jonas the feeling of death. I think that death strengthens you emotionally because of its seriousness. I am talking about death all around and blood everywhere. The only kind of death that doesn’t move you on through life is the death of a family member who you loved unconditionally, such as a mother, father or brother. Death is the one topic that people avoid and try not to talk about it like politics. Both topics of discussion are really sensitive and can get you into trouble easily. Those who talk either are genius preachers trying to console, people who have observed death themselves or complete idiots who attempt to understand the horror and emotional distress that comes along with it.

Death has been personified as the grim reaper and is associated with black. Jonas can use this knowledge of death to propel him further through his journey. I believe that because when you die there are two places to go; heaven or hell. Heaven is good and you have a possible chance of living again, but hell is far too disgusting to be described. Jonas knows that there is always a happy ending for those who have done well except those who were released. Jonas saw the misfortune and trickery involved with releasing a person. With that knowledge, Jonas could understand that Gabriel will find tranquility when they arrive ‘Elsewhere’.

I think that Jonas knew what pain and suffering was all about before he was given his assignment. It is possible that when he saw the apple’s red exterior, he saw his future and all of the obstacles that lay in his path. At least, that’s what I concluded from the way Lowry described the event and the incidents following.

[C.A]

The memory that I would give Jonas would be the memory of playing your favorite sport. There are a lot of sports such as baseball, hokey, basketball, boxing, and soccer. There is nothing like winning a trophy on your favorite sport. Like mine soccer. It like nothing that you have ever felt it is unique just winning something that you have worked on for so long, working on your skill it is once in a lifetime chance it is amazing.

See. What you see is your team all sweaty and happy and juts them calling your name and every body’s else’s name on your team. Then you go up when they call your name and you feel a sensation so sweet so precious. And then them putting the metal around your neck oh my god it is so good to see it. See everything around you the fields the goals your team members your opponents every thing. You also see the shiny gold metal around your neck. It is so nice.

Hear. You hear a whistle blowing each time the ball goes out when they do fouls on you or when you just need to stop. At the end of a game when the whistle will blow because the game is over it is so refreshing. Your like finally I can rest. When you go up one by one to get your medal you hear your team members clapping for you. You hear your medal jingling on your neck. You hear a lot of good jobs a lot.

Taste. When you are in a game playing you taste your sweat rushing down your mouth. You taste the water when you are resting on the bench or Gatorade in your mouth so refreshing so cold. It taste like victory I don’t know how you taste it but I did and I do. When you go to the cooler and take out an ice you feel the ice refreshing your mouth like if you were eating a sweet candy.

Touch. When you are in the game you touch others peoples body. You push with all of your force trying to get the ball. You touch the ball when you are going to throw it in so soft so shiny so silky. When you fall to you touch the ground all muddy so gushy and it hurts but you just get up as quick as possible so you can get the ball again a fight for it like if it was your life. You have to have a passion for it.

Smell. You smell dirt, sweat. At the end of the game you smell VICTORY you smell like finally were here. Victory is sweet, soft, gentle, and much more.

[The Mistaken One]

Loving Jonas

If I were The Giver I would grant the memory of love. I don’t mean love as in a family member or a close friend, I mean love between a boy and a girl. When I was in love with my girlfriend we had lots of fun together and I cared about her deeply. I believe that with a girlfriend or a girl who he really liked that ‘special’ way would encourage him to progress through his perilous journey. The path Jonas has taken in his life is very difficult because he needs to take care of himself and a small child. Jonas would obviously miss his girl almost as much I still miss mine but he could gather the strength to move on. He would know that somewhere out there a beautiful girl loves him and is thinking about his welfare. We as humans expect love from almost every aspect but when you don’t expect love you appreciate it more. What I mean is when Jonas would take the girl out he would be uncertain of whether or not he is wanted. So when he asks her to be his girlfriend he is on the edge of his seat for the answer, if she agrees, he feels like the manliest man on the planet. That feeling can push people to have an inflated ego, like I used to have until she left me all alone and my self- esteem went downhill. That’s another story altogether. With those memories of time spent with her Jonas will become the bravest and will find the power to travel through the vast unknown. Jonas is also similar to a mother, always there and protecting the small child [Gabriel]. Anyway, throughout the entire book I can observe certain times where a girlfriend would come in handy. For example, when Jonas was escaping his abode during the early morning. My girlfriend would’ve comforted me and given me a kiss goodbye. Instead Jonas goes on, unloved and uncared for. Also when he was given the task of the Receiver Of Memories, a girlfriend would’ve given me a hug and told me I could make it and that everything would be all right. That is the amazing memory I would’ve given Jonas if I were The Giver. This piece of writing has made me realize the fool I’ve been reduced to now that my girlfriend is gone.

[J.P]

The Memory of Fall

The memory that I would give Jonas if I were the Giver is the memory of Fall. This would give him a concept of feeling the different seasons and feeling them all in different ways. In the fall you can do many different things like picking apples, or celebrating Thanksgiving and having the weather be perfect.

See: The different color leaves falling and the many bare branches. Your friends hanging out after school and playing soccer, even though you can barely see the ball when you kick it into the pile of leaves. My brother jumping in the pile of leaves my mom just raked and her getting annoyed. The people outside raking and kids knocking on doors and asking for thee job to rake other people’s leaves. Parents running after their kids at the park, and kids playing games with each other.

Hear: The school bell ring and kid’s shouts as they run outside. The sound of the leaves shuffling as people walk on the sidewalk. The sound of leaves being raked and of the sound of parents sighing as they get back to work on the leaves. The sound of the wind on the leaves, pushing them back and forth.

Taste: the taste of apples that you just picked. Or the pumpkins that you grew in your garden. The taste of the water that you keep with you while you play different sports with your friends.

Touch: The touch of the leaves against your skin, and the rake that you are raking with. The hard feeling of the football that you throw to your friend, and the weight of the big bag of apples that you picked with your family. The weight of the pumpkins you got for Halloween, or the feel of the water bottle in my hand.

Smell: The smell of someone burning leaves, and the smell of a freshly baked pumpkin pie. The smell of the leather on the football, and the smell of the sweat on you after the game.

[Z..J]

Zachary Jonas 5/17/07
English Mrs. Hill
MY FIRST TENNIS TROPHY
In April, on an unseasonably warm day, I walked onto a clay court in Sleepy Hollow, New York. I had a great opportunity to watch my opponents play against others and figure out their weaknesses. Even though I’ve played in many tournaments and found out my opponents’ weaknesses, I still felt a little rusty and nervous. As I stepped on to the court I blurred out all the noises including a baseball game played near the court and turned into my one of a kind game mode. After the spinning of the racquet and a chance to serve first I lost two very close scored games in a row. I started to talk to myself. “Come on, Zach! I know this is not how you play, so prove it to yourself, and everyone who is watching you. If you want to become a pro then you are going to lose it unless you kick in your real skills right now.” Luckily it was my chance to serve again. So I stepped up to the baseline full of confidence and remembering my inspiring pep talk, I tossed the ball up into the air and smack a flat serve into the net. All of a sudden I felt fear taking over again. Then I gently hit my 2nd serve in and lost the point. But I didn’t give up so I hit another flat serve just missing the box. Next I hit my second serve in and lost the point again. The raging battle between fear and confidence was currently a draw. Everything depended on the next serve. That very next serve was an unimaginable ace, landing right smack on the left hand sideline at an impossible angle. My challenger attempted to return the serve but failed miserably not even coming close. In fact, the only way for him to return it was for him to lunge at it. But even that was useless because he fell to the ground. Right then and there confidence won the battle and boosted me up totally. From then on it was butt whooping time. Every serve was hit with plenty of topspin and speed. I went on to win this game 6-2.
The Championship Match
In order to win, I had to win more than four games. I remembered what other people said about this challenger. They said that he was a big cheater and warned me not to get frustrated or else I would lose. During one of the games he called a ball out which was clearly three feet in. I went up to the net and asked to see the ball mark. The line judge went to see the ball mark with me. Since the courts weren’t groomed, it was hard to see the ball mark so she told us to replay the point. When served it to me, I smacked a down the line winner and said, “I HOPE THAT WASN’T OUT YOU LITTLE @*&%!” From then on, I was the victorious one filled with pride after winning 6-2. At the end, the head took me and the runner up to a tennis sign and took two pictures of us holding our trophies. These pictures will soon appear in Smash or USTA Tennis magazine. After this tournament, I felt I was one step closer to becoming a tennis pro.

[Anthonio aka Toni]

The Best Memory Ever

If I was The Giver, I would give Jonas the best memory ever. I would give him the memory of ruling the world. If Jonas could rule the world, he would make it a good place to live in. There alot of things you can do when you rule the world like, controling or making new the laws, telling people what to do, or making your world a better place then it was before. The feelings you would feel would be, happiness, sometimes anger, over powering. Jonas would see alot of people getting together with family members and having fun. He would hear kids playing outside with their friends, talking with excitment and joy. He would smell the nice fresh summer air breeze, no pollutin, no litering, no smoking or drinking. Jonas would taste the delightful drinks and foods like, ice cream, pizza, hotdogs, soda, juice, water. Jonas would touch his soft king sized leather chair, on the top of a big green grass hill. Jonas would be touching all the big presents he got from all of his friends and everybody else that supported him.

I think ruling the world would be a great memory that should be given to Jonas. This shows what kind of person Jonas really is and what kind of world would he like to be in. I would love to be in Jonas's ruling world because, he may stop all the violence and wars that are going around the world at this moment.Pollutin and litering are big problems around the world today. It destroys our enviroment, community and animals or people. The drinking has become a real big problem in our world too. People are getting hurt or dying because of drunk people/drunk drivers. This is why I think Jonas should have the best memory ever of ruling the world.

I love the smell of Fear in the morning

If I could choose one memory to give Jonas it would be one of fear. Jonas has already felt pain but not fear. He needs to experience the feeling of standing in the dark by himself with no knowledge as to what is with him. In his society everything he lives for or does is predetermined. He needs to experience the thought of not knowing what is next or truly not being in control (I say truly because he knows that elders would pick what best fits him). Jonas states that his family knows nothing about pain, the truth is that he hasn’t felt pain. The truth is that the strongest wounds are emotional or mental not physical.

I remember when I was 9, my sister and I were doing laundry in the basement. So when she went upstairs she decided to lock me in the basement as a joke. Well I wasn’t laughing. Honestly I was petrified. I was scared of the dark and I’m standing in a cold , dark basement by myself. I was going to die if I didn’t get out. I was lucky that my mom told my sister to open the door . Jonas doesn’t realize how bad it feels to be helpless and not in control.

[Brenda]

The memory that I would give Jonas is the memory of having a close family member being really sick. I know that this is not the best memory to have but it teaches you something about life. I had to learn that the hard way. It teaches you that at anytime to anyone something bad could happen and that anyone could be our family member. So you need to stay close to the people you love.
If I gave Jonas the memory it would be in a hospital there on the bed would be someone that Jonas cared about. On the chair next to the bed would be Jonas looking at the person. The feeling that Jonas would be getting would be sadness, disappointment, and scared. Watching the person on the bed made you feel not even half of the pain that the person on the bed would me feeling. He would wish that he was lying in that bed, that he would be sick. The feeling of this would have overwhelmed him and made him cry. Jonas would want to do something about it, but he would have not been able to do anything and he would know this.

There would always be the feeling of being scared because there is always a chance that the person on the bed won’t make it. That feeling would also be very overwhelming for Jonas and he would begin to cry even harder. Also the feeling he would get when a person that was a role model to him looked like he was not even able to stand up without falling.

Last but not least there would always be a feeling of hope. Believing the person would get better and jet again would be a great role model but know a better one, knowing that the person on the bed was so strong to be able to go through this. With hope all the other feelings of this memory would seem smaller. I choose this memory because this was something important to me not just something pretty or nice.

[I.V.K]

If I were the Giver and I was to give Jonas a memory, it would be the memory of DEATH or losing a loved one. I know it sounds depressing but I'm saying it because I think its a big point in someones life. When your dying I think you get to see the people who really care about you. Everyone all of a sudden realises that this might be the last time you'll see this person. Everyone gets there last emotions out and tell you everything that they have felt about you. Also if you aren't the one dying, and its a close friend/family member, it strengthens you on the inside. I think it teaches you a part of life, and that is to let go of people when its their time to go.

I remember when my grandfather died about 4 years ago and it was horrible, but I think it has helped me in the future and prepared me for other deaths and loses. Seeing other people go through this tragic part of life also helped me through it. You need to realise that your not the only one suffering, its everyone else who was close with this person. I think it helps to have people surrounding you when you lose someone because it also helps to talk to someone. As you can see, death does not only strengthen you mentally, but it does it emotionally as well. I personally think its necessary for one to lose something important to them to live a normal and healthy life.

[Boricua]

The Memoire of Pain

If I were the giver, I would give Jonas the memory of pain. When I was in the fifth grade, I had a pencil holding up my desk. The pencil would usually hold but this time it didn’t. The eraser snapped of and the metal peace at the end dug into the inside of my finger and took off a chunk of skin. It started to bleed and didn’t stop until I put a lot of pressure and ice on it. The nurse at my school wasn’t the best nurse. S all she did was put a band-aid on it. If Jonas could feel that couple minutes of agenizing pain he is going to be happy he can’t feel. When the metal dug into my skin was like taking a knife and slitting your wrist with enormous pressure. This feeling was so brutal and gruesome and so gory it is un describably. When I got back, they had to sterilize my desk and the ones around me because the blood was on my friend’s desk and mine. It lasted for about five minutes more or less and then we continued on with our lesson on symmetry. The rest of the day was really boring and the cut almost got infected. At the end of the I took the bus to the salvation army after a school program where I helped other kids and managed to get my homework done. Half way through my work one of the counselors noticed the cut and cleaned my hand with alcohol and it stung from about 4:00 to 6:00 I was in pain for a good portion of the day. All in all my day was very painful day and that is the memory I would give to Jonas. The memory of pain.