Chapter 17 — Teaching Companion

What it asks It asks the student to look hard at one memory. Lily once said, “I felt angry because someone broke the play area rules,” making a fist “to indicate her fury.” Her family talked about the reasons for rule-breaking, and about understanding and patience, “until Lily's fist had relaxed and her anger was gone.” Now Jonas decides it was never anger at all, only impatience. He is sure, because in the memories he has felt rage so strong that talking it over calmly would be “unthinkable.” The student decides whether the talk shrank Lily's anger or whether it was small from the start. It takes up one part of the last written question: Jonas now measures every feeling against the deep ones from the memories, and that sets him apart. Do not settle whether Jonas is right about Lily; the chapter gives his certainty, not a verdict.

One reading

The talking made it small. Lily showed real fury with her fist, and the family kept talking until the fist let go. In this community every feeling is talked over each evening, so no feeling gets the chance to grow deep.

• making a fist with her small hand to indicate her fury
• every citizen analyzed with endless talk

Another reading

It was small to begin with. Her anger was about a broken play area rule, and one family talk ended it. Jonas has felt rage that no calm talk could touch, and Lily's was nothing like that.

• I felt angry because someone broke the play area rules
• He knew that with certainty because now he knew what anger was.

Listen for

• Uses how Lily's anger ended: the family talked until her fist relaxed.
• Sets the family's talk beside the rage Jonas felt in the memories.
• Asks whether talking about a feeling can change how big it is.
• Does not settle that Jonas is simply right about Lily.

If stuck

• How did Lily show she was angry?
• What did the family do, and how long did they keep at it?
• Has talking ever made one of your feelings smaller? Was it still real?

A strong answer A strong response might say the talking made the anger small: Lily showed her “fury” with a fist, and the family kept talking “until” it relaxed, the way every citizen's feelings are handled “with endless talk.” Another might say it was small to begin with: it was about a broken play area rule, and Jonas, who now knows what rage is, is certain it was only impatience. A careful answer may notice that Jonas judges Lily's anger against rage from the memories, which Lily has never had the chance to feel.

What it asks It asks the student to stand inside Jonas as he steps into the game. He has always played good guys and bad guys, “a harmless pasttime.” Today, kneeling behind Asher's bike, he sees it for the first time as “a game of war.” Then: “Feelings surged within Jonas. He found himself walking forward into the field.” The chapter never says he decides to go. In the center he sees again the dying boy who begged him for water, and he struggles not to cry. The student works out what drew him there. It takes up one part of the last written question: the same deep feeling that brings his happiness also brings this. Do not turn the scene into a lesson that war games are wrong; keep to what the moment does to Jonas.

One reading

He wants to stop the game. He knows now what war really is, and he walks in to end it. Afterward he begs his friends not to play it anymore, and he starts to tell Asher why.

• "Don't play it anymore," Jonas pleaded.
• But it's a cruel game.

Another reading

The memory pulls him. The feelings surge before he thinks, and he is back on the field with the dying boy. He does not choose to go; once there, he can hardly breathe.

• Feelings surged within Jonas. He found himself walking forward into the field.
• In his mind, Jonas saw again the face of the boy who had lain dying on a field and had begged him for water.

Listen for

• Notices the words “found himself”: the chapter does not say he decided.
• Uses the dying boy's face, or the field Jonas remembers.
• Uses what Jonas says afterward: “Don't play it anymore.”
• Keeps to what Jonas feels, not a lesson about games.

If stuck

• What does Jonas see in his mind once he stands in the middle?
• What does he ask his friends afterward?
• Have you ever moved before you decided to?

A strong answer A strong response might say Jonas wants to stop the game: he knows it is “a cruel game,” and afterward he pleads, “Don't play it anymore.” Another might say the memory pulls him: the feelings surge, he “found himself” walking, and in his mind he is beside the boy who begged for water. A careful answer may notice that the two can come in order: the memory pulls him in, and only afterward does he find words for what he wants.

What it asks It asks the student to notice something odd. Jonas spoils the game, and Asher is irritated: “You ruined it.” When Jonas pleads with them not to play it anymore, Asher says games aren't Jonas's “area of expertness” and adds, “You can't say what we play, even if you are going to be the new Receiver.” Then he looks at Jonas warily and mumbles, “I apologize for not paying you the respect you deserve.” When Jonas tries to explain, Asher cuts in: “I said I apologize, Jonas.” The student works out why Asher apologizes at all. It takes up one part of the last written question: a polite apology is what Asher gives back when Jonas tries to share what he feels. Do not call Asher cruel or uncaring; the chapter shows him irritated and uneasy.

One reading

It is about Jonas's new place. Asher has just spoken sharply to the future Receiver, and he catches himself. He looks at Jonas warily, as if he has gone too far, and says the proper words.

• You can't say what we play, even if you are going to be the new Receiver.
• Asher looked warily at him.

Another reading

It is about wanting the trouble over. His friend is upset, and Asher does not know why. The apology is the one tool he has to put things back, so when Jonas starts to explain, Asher just says it again.

• I apologize for not paying you the respect you deserve
• "I said I apologize, Jonas."

Listen for

• Notices that Asher, not Jonas, says sorry.
• Uses what Asher says just before: “even if you are going to be the new Receiver.”
• Notices that Asher cuts Jonas off by saying it again.
• Keeps Asher fair: irritated and uneasy, not cruel.

If stuck

• What does Asher say right before he apologizes?
• What is Jonas trying to say when Asher cuts in?
• Have you ever said sorry just to make a hard talk stop?

A strong answer A strong response might say Asher apologizes because of who Jonas is now: he has just said “even if you are going to be the new Receiver,” and he looks at Jonas “warily” before he speaks. Another might say Asher wants the trouble over and has only the polite words for it, so when Jonas tries to explain, he repeats, “I said I apologize, Jonas.” A careful answer may notice what the apology leaves out: it is about respect, and Jonas was trying to talk about something else.

What it asks It asks the student to set two rides side by side. On the field Fiona, “biting her lip with nervousness,” asks Jonas to ride along the river. For a fleeting instant he would like nothing better than to ride beside her, “laughing and talking,” but he knows “such times had been taken from him now,” and he shakes his head. That evening, after “a depressing day,” Gabe's unsteady steps make Jonas brighten. He sets his glum thoughts aside and thinks about starting to teach Lily to ride, so that she can “speed off proudly” after her Ceremony of Nine. The student works out why one ride feels taken from him while the other is something to look forward to. It takes up one part of the last written question: what his deeper feeling still lets him share, and with whom. Do not call Fiona uncaring; she is the one who asks. Do not say Jonas means to leave the community, and say nothing about Gabriel's future beyond the wand and the coming December.

One reading

The rides are different. With Fiona he would be laughing and talking as if nothing had changed, and that easy time is what he feels has been taken. With Lily he is the older one, helping. She does not need to feel what he feels to speed off proudly.

• For a fleeting instant he thought he would like nothing better than to ride peacefully along the river path, laughing and talking with his gentle female friend.
• He thought about starting to teach Lily to ride so that she could speed off proudly after her Ceremony of Nine, which would be coming soon.

Another reading

The moment is different. Fiona asks right after the field, while the dying boy is still close. By evening Gabe's laughing steps have lifted him. The loss is not gone; he has only put it aside for a while.

• Jonas brightened.
• But he set his glum thoughts aside.

Listen for

• Uses what Jonas pictures when Fiona asks, and why he shakes his head.
• Uses the thought about teaching Lily, and what comes just before it.
• Says what Jonas can give Lily, or what has changed in him since the field.
• Keeps Fiona fair, and does not say Jonas plans to leave.

If stuck

• What does Jonas picture when Fiona asks him to ride?
• What has Gabe just done when Jonas thinks of Lily?
• Is it easier to help someone than to be carefree with them?

A strong answer A strong response might say the rides are different: with Fiona he would be “laughing and talking” as if nothing had changed, the kind of time he feels “had been taken from him now,” while with Lily he is the one helping, so that she can “speed off proudly.” Another might say the moment is different: Fiona asks while the field is still close, and by evening Gabe's steps have made him brighten, though he has only “set his glum thoughts aside.” A careful answer may notice that Jonas cannot share the memories with either of them, but teaching Lily asks him to give, not to be understood.

What it asks It asks the student to judge, in writing, how far Jonas has changed. That morning he thinks, “as he always did, about precision of language.” On the field, soon after he stood struggling not to cry, he still corrects Asher's “expertness” to “Expertise” without a thought. Then he tries “to speak carefully, and with kindness,” and what he wants to say is that the game is cruel, a thing he had never seen before today. The student decides how much of the old Jonas is left, and backs it with words from the page. It takes up one part of the last written question: on the outside Jonas still sounds like everyone else, so his friends may not see what has changed inside. Do not say Jonas means to leave or change the community.

One reading

A great deal. His habits hold even now. He still minds his words as he always did, and he fixes Asher's mistake without a thought.

• "Expertise," Jonas corrected him automatically.
• Thinking, as he always did, about precision of language

Another reading

Only the outside. He still cares about exact words, but now he uses them to say something no one else can see: that the game is cruel. He sees war where he once saw a harmless game.

• He was trying to speak carefully, and with kindness, to say exactly what he wanted to say.
• He had never recognized it before as a game of war.

Listen for

• Uses the word “automatically” and says what it shows.
• Sets an old habit beside something new in Jonas.
• Uses what Jonas tries to tell Asher, or the game he now sees as war.
• Writes in complete sentences, with a reason and a line from the chapter.

If stuck

• What does Jonas do “automatically”?
• What is he trying to say when he speaks “carefully”?
• Can a person change inside and still sound the same?

A strong answer A strong response might argue that much of the old Jonas is still there: he thinks about exact words “as he always did,” and he corrects Asher “automatically.” Another might argue that only the outside is the same: he still chooses his words with care, but he uses them to call a game cruel that he had never before seen as war. A careful answer may notice that the old habits may be part of why Asher cannot tell what has changed: Jonas still sounds like everyone else.

What it asks It asks the student to set the chapter's first Elsewhere beside its last. On the holiday morning Jonas sees the river differently, through the memories: “he knew that there was an Elsewhere from which it came, and an Elsewhere to which it was going.” That evening Father says identical twins will be born tomorrow, and Lily chants, “One for here, one for Elsewhere.” Jonas asks, “Do you actually take it Elsewhere, Father?” Father describes a small Ceremony of Release and a wave bye-bye; Jonas asks whether “Somebody from Elsewhere” comes, and Father says, “That's right.” The student decides whether the word means the same thing to Jonas both times, and defends it in writing. It takes up one part of the last written question: where his deeper sight reaches, and where it stops. Do not explain what release is; the chapter gives only Father's cheerful account and Jonas's question.

One reading

The same. To Jonas, Elsewhere is now a real place, out where the river goes, full of light and history. So when Father speaks of the smaller twin, Jonas pictures someone coming from that place.

• and he knew that there was an Elsewhere from which it came, and an Elsewhere to which it was going
• And somebody else comes to get him? Somebody from Elsewhere?

Another reading

Not the same. In the morning Jonas knew about Elsewhere from the memories. At night it is a word in Lily's chant and Father's story, and Jonas has to ask what happens there.

• "One for here, one for Elsewhere," Lily chanted.
• "Do you actually take it Elsewhere, Father?" Jonas asked.

Listen for

• Quotes the river sentence from the morning.
• Notices that in the morning Jonas “knew,” and at night he asks.
• Uses Lily's chant, Father's answer, or Lily's story about Jonathan.
• Writes in complete sentences, with a reason and a line from the chapter; does not explain what release is.

If stuck

• Where does the river come from and go to, in Jonas's mind?
• What does Jonas ask Father about the smaller twin?
• Can one word mean a place you know and a place you only hear about?

A strong answer A strong response might argue that Elsewhere means the same: Jonas now knows there is “an Elsewhere” where the river goes, so he pictures “Somebody from Elsewhere” coming for the twin. Another might argue it does not: in the morning he “knew” it from the memories, while at night it is a word in Lily's chant, and Jonas has to ask, “Do you actually take it Elsewhere, Father?” A careful answer may notice that the memories show Jonas far places but tell him nothing about this one, so he takes Father's word.

What it asks This is the last question the student meets, and it gathers the earlier ones: whether the family's talk made Lily's anger small, what pulled him into the field, why Asher apologizes, what makes the two rides different for him, how much of the old Jonas is left, and the two Elsewheres. Now the student judges the whole day. In the morning the colors stay and his happiness is “deeper” than ever. In the afternoon the game is a war, his friends call it “only a game” he “ruined,” and on the bench his childhood, friendships and security seem to be slipping away. “He felt such love for Asher and for Fiona. But they could not feel it back, without the memories.” The student decides whether the new depth is more gift or more loss, and defends it in writing. Do not settle it for them. No answer may say what release is, that Jonas means to leave or change the community, or that Asher and Fiona are cruel.

One reading

More a gift. The colors stay, the river means something, and his happiness is deeper than ever. Even his sadness is real grief now. Whatever it costs, he will not go back to a world of no feelings.

• On this unexpected, casual holiday he felt happy, as he always had on holidays; but with a deeper happiness than ever before.
• But he knew he couldn't go back to the world of no feelings that he had lived in so long.

Another reading

More a loss. The depth that shows him colors also shows him a war inside a game, and no one around him can share it. He loves his friends, and they cannot love him back the same way.

• His childhood, his friendships, his carefree sense of security—all of these things seemed to be slipping away.
• But they could not feel it back, without the memories.

Listen for

• Takes a side and gives a reason from the chapter.
• Uses one moment from the happy morning and one from the afternoon or evening.
• Weighs what the new feeling gives Jonas against what it costs him with his friends.
• Writes in complete sentences and answers the other side; does not say what release is, that Jonas plans to leave, or that his friends are cruel.

If stuck

• What can Jonas see and feel that morning that he could not before?
• What does he lose that afternoon on the field and the bench?
• Would you take a deeper joy if it meant your friends could not share it?

A strong answer A strong response takes a position and tests it. A student might argue it is more a gift: the colors stay, the river carries “light and color and history,” his happiness is “deeper” than ever, and he knows he “couldn't go back to the world of no feelings.” Another might argue it is more a loss: the same depth turns a game into a war, his friends ride away, and “they could not feel it back, without the memories.” A careful answer may notice that the gift and the loss come from one source, and ask whether Jonas could keep one without the other.