Chapter 20 — Teaching Companion

What it asks It asks the student to stand inside Jonas at the start of the chapter, when his grief turns to rage. The Giver tells the speaker that Jonas will stay the night, and the voice answers, “I will take care of that, sir. Thank you for your instructions.” Jonas copies it in “a cruel, sarcastic voice” and keeps going: old people, newborn people, “I'd be happy to kill them, sir.” He stops only when The Giver grasps his shoulders. The student decides who the mocking is really for. It takes up one part of the last written question: what Jonas now feels about the place he must leave. Keep the talk on the anger; it is not simple rudeness.

One reading

At his father and everyone like him: people who do whatever they are told. The polite voice stands for all of them, and a moment after he stops, Jonas cries out about his father.

• I will do whatever you like, sir. I will kill people, sir.
• But he lied to me!

Another reading

At The Giver too. The voice was thanking The Giver for his instructions, and a few lines later Jonas turns on him. Later he says sorry for being hateful to him.

• What about you? Do you lie to me, too?
• I don't mean to be so hateful. Not to you.

Listen for

• Notices whose instructions the Speaker was thanking.
• Uses what Jonas adds to the Speaker's words: the Old and the newborns.
• Connects the mocking to what Jonas says or does right after it stops.
• Treats the mocking as grief and rage, not as plain bad manners.

If stuck

• What does the voice on the speaker say to The Giver?
• What does Jonas add when he copies it?
• Can a person be angry at someone they love and someone they don't, all at once?

A strong answer A strong response might say Jonas is angry at his father and at everyone who does what they are told, since soon after the outburst he weeps, “But he lied to me!” Another might say some of the anger lands on The Giver, the one giving instructions, because Jonas “almost spat the question” about lying at him and later says, “Not to you.” A careful answer may notice that Jonas does not seem to choose any of it: “He couldn't seem to stop.”

What it asks It asks the student to hear one phrase used twice, on two sides of the chapter's turn. Before the meal, Jonas says, “There's nothing we can do. It's always been this way,” and ends on “Back and back and back,” which the writer calls “the familiar phrase.” The Giver answers that the memories show “it has not always been.” Late that night, The Giver uses the same words: “the community has depended, all these generations, back and back and back, on a resident Receiver to hold their memories for them.” The student works out what the phrase means in The Giver's mouth. It takes up one part of the last written question: why The Giver must stay when Jonas goes.

One reading

A reason to stay. The people have leaned on a Receiver for so long that they have never held the memories themselves. When the memories come back, they will need help, and only The Giver can give it.

• the community has depended, all these generations, back and back and back, on a resident Receiver to hold their memories for them.
• When your memories return, they'll need help.

Another reading

A way out. Jonas used the words to say the past is a wall. The Giver uses them to show how the plan can work: the memories he gave Jonas cannot be taken back, so if Jonas goes, they return to the people at last.

• But the memories tell us that it has not always been.
• There's no way for me to get them back if I have given them.

Listen for

• Finds both places the phrase appears.
• Says what Jonas meant by it first.
• Notices that The Giver agrees it has been this way “for what seems forever” and still sees a way.
• Does not guess what Jonas did “two hours ago”; the chapter does not say.

If stuck

• What does Jonas say when The Giver mentions a plan?
• Who has held the memories for the people, all these years?
• Can the same words sound hopeless from one person and hopeful from another?

A strong answer A strong response might say The Giver uses the words to show why he must stay: the people have “depended, all these generations” on a Receiver, so “When your memories return, they'll need help.” Another might say he uses them to show why the plan can work, since memories given cannot be taken back. A careful answer may notice that he does not deny how long it has been; he agrees it has been this way “for what seems forever,” and turns the long past from a wall into a reason.

What it asks It asks the student to set two of Jonas's thoughts side by side on the night he says yes. Of the plan he thinks, “If it failed, he would very likely be killed,” and then, “But what did that matter? If he stayed, his life was no longer worth living.” Minutes later The Giver reminds him that he can never return, and Jonas nods: “It was the terrifying part.” The student explains why a boy who shrugs at death is frightened of never going home. It takes up one part of the last written question: what leaving will cost Jonas.

One reading

Death is only a risk, but never coming back is certain. If the plan works, he loses his home and everyone in it for good, and he knows it ahead of time.

• If it failed, he would very likely be killed.
• and, Jonas, you know that you can never return

Another reading

He still loves the people he is leaving, even though he cannot bear the life there. Never coming back means living on without them, and above all without The Giver.

• I want you to come, Giver
• Please come with me.

Listen for

• Finds both thoughts: “what did that matter?” and “the terrifying part.”
• Notices that one is a risk and the other is sure to happen.
• Uses how often Jonas begs The Giver to come.
• Does not say whether the plan works; the chapter tells only what “would” happen.

If stuck

• What could happen to Jonas if the plan fails?
• What happens to him if the plan works?
• Who would Jonas never see again?

A strong answer A strong response might say that dying is only a chance, while “you can never return” is sure to happen if the plan works. Another might say the fear is about the people he loves, since he begs again and again, “I want you to come, Giver.” A careful answer may notice that Jonas thinks his life at home is “no longer worth living,” yet leaving it is still the part that terrifies him.

What it asks It asks the student to take apart the argument over whether The Giver should come. Jonas begs him again and again. In one breath The Giver answers, “I have to stay here,” and “I want to, Jonas.” Then he gives his reasons: the community will need help when Jonas's memories return to them, and without him “They'll be thrown into chaos.” Only after Jonas says they need not care about the rest does he add that he is too weak to make the journey anyway. The student works out why he gives Jonas both a duty and a wish, and whether “I want to” is his own feeling or something said for Jonas's sake. It takes up one part of the last written question: what staying means to The Giver.

One reading

Because both are true. Staying is his duty, but it is also the work he has hoped for. For years he has wanted things to change, and now he can help them change.

• For years I've felt that they should, but it seemed so hopeless.
• when I have helped the community to change and become whole.

Another reading

For Jonas's sake. “I have to” could sound as if he is choosing the town over Jonas. “I want to” tells Jonas that staying is The Giver's own choice, not a choice against him. At the end Jonas still asks whether The Giver wants to be with him, and The Giver answers with love.

• But don't you want to be with me, Giver?
• I love you, Jonas

Listen for

• Finds both of The Giver's lines, “I have to stay here” and “I want to, Jonas.”
• Uses at least one reason The Giver gives Jonas for staying.
• Notices that the weakness comes last, after Jonas says they need not care about the rest.
• Keeps both sides of the argument in view, not only the escape plan.

If stuck

• What does The Giver say will happen to the town if he leaves too?
• What has The Giver felt for years about the way things are?
• Can something be your duty and your wish at the same time?

A strong answer A strong response might say both are true: staying is his duty, since without him the community “will be left with no one to help them,” and it is also his wish, since for years he has felt things should change, and his work will be finished only when the community can “change and become whole.” Another might say he adds “I want to” for Jonas's sake, so staying does not sound like a choice against him; when Jonas asks, “But don't you want to be with me, Giver?” he answers, “I love you, Jonas.” A careful answer may notice that he keeps one reason back until Jonas argues they need not care about the others: “I wouldn't make it.”

What it asks It asks the student to test The Giver's own words against the plan. Early in the night he says the worst part of holding the memories is the loneliness, and that “Memories need to be shared.” Jonas, trying to cheer him, says, “I've started to share them with you.” The plan takes away the one person who shares them, but it also sends the memories back to everyone, and The Giver will stay to help the people bear them. The student decides what the plan would do to his loneliness: deepen it, ease it, or change its kind. It takes up one part of the last written question: what staying will cost The Giver.

One reading

More lonely. Jonas is the only other person with feelings, and he will be gone for good. The Giver will be left with people who are only beginning to feel.

• Jonas, you and I are the only ones who have feelings.
• and, Jonas, you know that you can never return

Another reading

Less lonely. For the first time the whole community will hold the memories, and The Giver will help them through it. He will no longer be the only one who knows.

• Their attention would turn to the overwhelming task of bearing the memories themselves.
• I've started to share them with you,

Listen for

• Uses The Giver's line about loneliness and what Jonas says to cheer him.
• Weighs losing Jonas against the memories going back to the people.
• Keeps to what the plan says “would” happen; does not claim it works.

If stuck

• Who are the only two people who have feelings?
• Where will the memories go once Jonas has left?
• Can you be lonely in a crowd of people who are only starting to understand you?

A strong answer A strong response might say The Giver will be more lonely, because he loses the only other person who has feelings, and Jonas “can never return.” Another might say less, because the people would have to take up “the overwhelming task of bearing the memories themselves,” so he would not hold them alone any more. A careful answer may notice that the plan's forecast is all The Giver's own guess: the chapter does not show how the town will really take it.

What it asks It asks the student to tie the last lines back to an earlier one. While explaining why the town will need help, The Giver says, “When we lost Rosemary ten years ago, and her memories returned to the people, they panicked.” He says it as part of the plan. At the very end, when Jonas begs him to come, he says he wants “to be with my daughter,” and then: “Her name was Rosemary.” Jonas is startled; he knew of a spouse but never of a daughter. For the first time in their months together, Jonas sees him look “truly happy.” The student decides why The Giver held this back. It takes up one part of the last written question: what The Giver carries alone. Do not explain what he means by being with his daughter; the chapter does not say.

One reading

Grief. Losing her was too painful to speak about, so he kept it inside, even from the only person he shared memories with. He can speak of the loss as a fact about the town, but not as a father.

• When we lost Rosemary ten years ago, and her memories returned to the people, they panicked.
• You told me that you'd had a spouse. But I never knew about your daughter.

Another reading

Now he can bear to. The plan gives him an end to his work and something to hope for, so for the first time saying her name brings him joy and not only pain.

• When my work here is finished, I want to be with my daughter.
• For the first time in their long months together, Jonas saw him look truly happy.

Listen for

• Finds both places Rosemary is named in this chapter.
• Notices how differently The Giver speaks of her the two times.
• Uses the line about The Giver looking “truly happy.”
• Does not explain what “to be with my daughter” means.

If stuck

• What happened when the town lost Rosemary?
• What does Jonas say when he hears The Giver had a daughter?
• Why might someone find a sad thing easier to say once they have something to hope for?

A strong answer A strong response might say grief kept him quiet: he could tell how the people “panicked” when they lost Rosemary, but not that she was his daughter. Another might say he can speak of her now because the plan gives him an end to his work, and “When my work here is finished, I want to be with my daughter.” A careful answer may notice that the name makes him look “truly happy” for the first time, which is not what a reader expects from such a sad memory.

What it asks It asks the student to write a judgment about a change in Jonas over one night. At the start he weeps, “But he lied to me!” about his father. The Giver answers, “They can't help it. They know nothing,” and “It's what he was told to do, and he knows nothing else.” The next morning Jonas goes home and “lied easily about what a busy, pleasant night he had had.” The very next sentence gives his father the same word: “His father smiled and lied easily, too, about his busy and pleasant day the day before.” The student decides whether Jonas is becoming like his father, or whether his lie is a different thing. It takes up one part of the last written question: what Jonas has already begun to give up.

One reading

Yes, in a way. Hours after hating his father's lie, Jonas lies just as easily, to the same family, and the writer gives both lies the same word. He has begun to hide the truth from the people he lives with, as his father does.

• But he lied to me!
• His father smiled and lied easily, too, about his busy and pleasant day the day before.

Another reading

No. His father lies because he was told to and knows nothing else. Jonas knows exactly what he hides and why: he is keeping a plan safe. He lies the way The Giver may lie, by choice and for a reason.

• It's what he was told to do, and he knows nothing else.
• I am empowered to lie. But I have never lied to you.

Listen for

• Takes a side and gives a reason from the chapter.
• Uses the word “easily,” which the writer gives to both lies.
• Weighs what Jonas knows against what his father knows.
• Writes in complete sentences, and does not let The Giver's “They can't help it” settle the question untested.

If stuck

• Why was Jonas so upset about his father at the start?
• What does Jonas tell his family about his night?
• Is a lie different when you know exactly what you are hiding?

A strong answer A strong response takes a side and tests it. A student might argue Jonas is becoming like his father: he cried, “But he lied to me!” and one night later he lies just as “easily” to the same family. Another might argue he is not: his father did what “he was told to do, and he knows nothing else,” while Jonas knows what he hides and why. A careful answer may notice that the plan itself has The Giver telling the whole town that Jonas was lost in the river, so the plan to give the people their memories rests on lies too.

What it asks This is the last question the student meets, and it gathers the earlier ones: who Jonas is really angry at, what The Giver means by “back and back and back,” why never coming back frightens Jonas more than dying, why The Giver says both “I have to stay here” and “I want to,” what the plan will do to his loneliness, why he kept his daughter to himself, and whether Jonas, lying easily the next morning, is turning into his father. Now the student weighs the two roles. Jonas would leave at night, hide in a vehicle, go on alone to an Elsewhere they are “both sure” exists, and never return, while his name fades in the Ceremony of Loss. The Giver, weak and no longer seeing colors, would come back to a town in “confusion and panic,” lead the chant for a boy he loves, and help the people bear the memories. Do not say whether the plan works or whether Elsewhere is real.

One reading

Jonas's part is harder. He could be killed, he can never come home, and he must face a journey that not even The Giver's memories can guide. At home he would simply be erased.

• If it failed, he would very likely be killed.
• There is no memory of one like this.

Another reading

The Giver's part is harder. He is old and weak, he stays behind without the only person who shares his feelings, and he must face a town in panic and help it through the pain.

• I'm very weakened now.
• The Giver, on his return, would find the community in a state of confusion and panic.

Listen for

• Takes a side and gives at least two reasons from the chapter.
• Uses something from the plan for each of them.
• Answers the other side fairly.
• Writes in complete sentences and keeps to what the plan says “would” happen; does not claim it works or that Elsewhere is real.

If stuck

• What will Jonas do on the night before the Ceremony?
• What will The Giver find when he comes back to the town?
• Is it harder to be the one who leaves, or the one who is left?

A strong answer A strong response takes a position and tests it. A student might argue Jonas has the harder part: “If it failed, he would very likely be killed,” and even The Giver says, “There is no memory of one like this.” Another might argue The Giver does: he is “very weakened,” and he would return to “a state of confusion and panic” and lead the chant that makes Jonas “gone forever.” A careful answer may notice that Jonas asked him to keep the music “to have with you, when I'm gone,” which may show that Jonas, too, has been weighing what staying behind will be like.