Chapter 13 · The Giver

Copywork

Finally it tilted its massive head, raised its trunk, and roared into the empty landscape. Jonas had never heard such a sound. It was a sound of rage and grief and it seemed never to end. He could still hear it when he opened his eyes and lay anguished on the bed where he received the memories.

With all of his being he tried to give each of them a piece of the memory: not of the tortured cry of the elephant, but of the being of the elephant, of the towering, immense creature and the meticulous touch with which it had tended its friend at the end.

The elephant's roar is “a sound of rage and grief.” Which do you hear more in it, the rage or the grief?

For the educator Two passages: the second elephant's roar in the memory, and Jonas's try at home that evening. The first passage is a whole paragraph and the opening sentence of the next. Its first sentence puts three actions in a row, with commas between them and “and” before the last: “tilted,” “raised,” “roared.” Then comes a short sentence that stands alone: “Jonas had never heard such a sound.” The third sentence joins its two halves with “and” and no comma, so the sound runs on, as it “seemed never to end.” The fourth sentence, which holds the vocabulary word “anguished,” carries the sound out of the memory: Jonas can “still hear it” after he opens his eyes. The second passage is one long sentence, and it holds the vocabulary word “meticulous.” A colon opens the list of what Jonas tried to give; then “not of” and “but of” set what he leaves out against what he chooses. The word “being” comes twice with two meanings: “With all of his being” means with all his strength, and “the being of the elephant” means what the elephant was. The talk prompt asks which the student hears more in the roar. One student may hear rage: the men have gone, and the elephant raises its head and roars “into the empty landscape.” Another may hear grief: it has just stroked its friend and covered the body with branches. Either answer can stand if the student points to the page. Keep the talk on the roar; Lily and her toy elephant belong to the third discussion question. Do not turn the memory into a lesson about hunting.

Discussion

Narration Tell back the chapter in order. Start where Jonas sees colors come and go. Stop where The Giver puts his hands on Jonas's back.

By the end of the talk, Jonas agrees it is “Much safer” not to let people choose. Why is he still frustrated? Inference
Jonas tells Asher he thought the flowers were wilting. Why doesn't he say what he was really trying to do? Character
The bedtime scene ends with Lily “stroking the lifeless elephant.” Why might the writer call her toy “lifeless”? Author's choice
Jonas thinks a life is the things you do each day, but The Giver says his life is the memories inside him. Who is right? Theme
Standing at the bridge, Jonas wonders if Elsewhere has places like the one where the elephant died. What keeps that place on his mind? Character

Make a Connection Think of a story where one person can see something that nobody around them can. How does that person feel about the others?

Vocabulary

glimpse: There would be a glimpse of green—the landscaped lawn around the Central Plaza; a bush on the riverbank. A quick look at something that is gone almost at once.
absurdity: "Or what if," he went on, almost laughing at the absurdity, "they chose their own jobs? " Something so silly or senseless that it seems laughable.
mutilated: Very slowly it walked to the mutilated body and looked down. Badly cut and torn apart, as the hunters left the first elephant.
anguished: He could still hear it when he opened his eyes and lay anguished on the bed where he received the memories. Filled with terrible pain and sorrow.
meticulous: With all of his being he tried to give each of them a piece of the memory: not of the tortured cry of the elephant, but of the being of the elephant, of the towering, immense creature and the meticulous touch with which it had tended its friend at the end. Very careful about every small detail.
array: Jonas glanced around at the astonishing array of volumes. A large, impressive group of things set out together.
counsel: And when I am called by the Committee of Elders, I appear before them, to give them counsel and advice. Careful advice from someone who knows more.
chaos: "It was chaos," he said. Complete confusion and disorder, with nothing under control.
accusation: This was a terrible accusation. A statement that someone has done wrong or failed.

Critical thinking

Ten years ago, memories got out to all the people, and “It was chaos.” Is it a good thing that Asher and Lily did not get what Jonas tried to give them?
Jonas is often angry now, at his groupmates for being satisfied with their lives and at himself for not changing that. Is his anger fair?