The Giver — Chapter 1

About This Passage

This single sentence crystallizes the weight of the word 'released' in Jonas's community. Lois Lowry uses three parallel phrases — 'a final decision, a terrible punishment, an overwhelming statement of failure' — to teach the reader that release is never a casual event, and the formal, stacked rhythm mirrors the community's serious treatment of language itself.

Narration Prompt

Retell the events of Chapter 1 to someone in your family. Begin with how Jonas searches for the right word to describe his feeling, then describe the evening telling of feelings with Lily, Father, and Mother, and end with why Jonas is 'apprehensive' about the Ceremony of Twelve.

Discussion Questions

1. Jonas decides 'apprehensive' is the right word for how he feels about December, rather than 'frightened.' What does this careful word-choosing reveal about Jonas as a person, and how is he different from his friend Asher in this moment?
2. In Jonas's community, being 'released' is the ultimate punishment, and yet it is also the one word children are scolded for using in play. Why might the community treat the word itself as something that must be guarded so carefully?

+ 3 more questions in the complete study guide