Release

Release is an important thing in the novel. It is used for newborns that are not ready for parents, or if there are identical twins, the smaller one gets killed. When The Giver is done training Jonas he will be released as well. Released means that you get injected with a needle and you get killed. Rosemary is a person that has been released. The newborn baby that had a twin was killed by Jonas' father and jonas even saw it himself. "He killed it! My father killed it," this is an excerpt from page 150, when Jonas' father kills the newborn baby with a needle. This is truly why release in important in this novel.

Is it ok to be a quitter?

I've realized that it is not always ok to be a quitter. For example when Jonathan tried to quit on finding the Hessians again he made up the excuse "I want to go home." Since he said that, that makes him a quitter. Now there are sometimes that you can quit. For example if Jonathan would have been hurt that would have been ok to quit, but he wasn't. Since he wanted to go to war you can't quit unless you are hurt/disabled. This is truly why it is not always ok to be a quitter.

How much would you risk for a stranger?

If I were Jonathan I would not help the boy. I wouldn't help him because he could be setting me up to get killed, or he can kill me when we get to the destination. Another example is what if you meet somebody on the street that acts nice to you, but they are only doing that so we can be friends and soon he is going to do something bad to me. "What are you doing here?" the Corporal demanded. Well that shows that a stranger doesn't even care about you so why would you care about them. This is truly why if I were Jonathan I would not help the little boy. Do you agree.

Can what happens in a few minutes have a result that lasts a lifetime?

One has realized that what occurs in a few minutes can have a result that lasts a lifetime. For example Jonathan's pa entered the war and a result he was injured in the leg. "But Jonathan's father no longer spoke of war.During the past winterhe had fought... and had been wounded in the leg," as seen on page 4. Another example is that when Jonathan was in the war actually fighting, he didn't realize that the war would be this hard and as a result he didn't like the war as much as before he knew how harsh it was. "He began to cry," as seen on page 54. This is truly why I believe that what occurs in a few minutes can have a result that lasts a lifetime.

Does risk taker make Jonathan a war hero?

I've realized that Jonathan isn't a risk taker. I believe so because when Jonathan got really afraid that they found him they were probably going to kill him. He jumped up. "Don't shoot me," he cried, as seen on page 59. If he was a risk taker he would have stayed hiding. Also when the Hessians were trying to talk to him in german he might have thought that they were plotting to kill them so he listened to them. "Komm hierer, Junge... he took a step," if he had been a risk taker he wouldn't have listened to them. This is truly why I believe that Jonathan isn't a risk taker.

How important is a decision?

I found it interesting that one's decisions may decide their faith. I think that a decision may lead to death if you make a decision without thinking it through. If you make a decision and you think it through it might be a good or bad decision. "Thought you said we'd ambush them." That is a decision to make. To either believe in everybody or not to believe in anybody. That is the choice that the soldiers had to make. Since the corporal and the soldiers didn't believe in their selves they wanted to ambush their enemies. This is indeed why I found it interesting that one's decisions may decide their faith.

My favorite character

I am not sure why Jonathan decided to go to war. I don't think Jonathan realizes that he can die from being in the war. He is only 13 and 13 year olds usually don't go to war. "'Do it', he told himself 'Go and fight.'" I do not think he made the right choice. I think he is too young to enter the war. He thinks he is an adult, but he is a teenager and teenagers do not fight. This is why I am not sure why Jonathan decided to go to war. Do you think he made the right choice?