Dystopian Literature Books and films like Anthem and The Giver grab the attention of teens because they can relate. The Giver is a film directed by Phillip Noyce based off the novel by Lois Lowry and Anthem is a novel written by Ayn Rand. Teens can relate to the characters in dystopian stories like Jonas or Equality though school, whether it is because they are not allowed off of campus during school hours or because the students have to learn all of the same things and are limited. Everyone has heard that knowing too much can be a bad thing but what happens when one doesn’t enough?…
Would sameness be the best thing in today's society? In the novel, The Giver sameness seemed like the best thing for Jonas (the main character) and his community. How everyone lived the same life doing the same thing and having everything easily handed to them. After Jonas was assigned as the receiver, he eventually realized the reality of what was going on around him. The community he lived in, which could be referred to as a utopia, quickly turned into a dystopia where all feelings were to be suppressed and where everyone had to follow strict rules.…
For example, “My Super Sweet 16” Tv show indicates that wealthy people have spent thousands of dollars to celebrate their child birthday and to recieve the image of wealthiness. Journalist Alvarez implies that American people have change the meaning of a Quinceñera and change it to the age of sixteen. Traditionally, Spanish people have their traditions which is a Quinceñera while American have their sweet 16th party with no meaning behind it. The idea of a sweet 16 birthday party has change the Spanish traditional birthday; therefore, younger generations won’t know the true meaning behind a quinceñera or the differences between a quinceñera and a sweet 16th party. According to Alvarez, “ Some say it is the boom in the Hispanic population, while others point to today’s party-mad, status-driven culture and the success of the MTV show “ My Super Sweet 16.”…
In the “Birthday Cake” by Goodman, it is a story of being old and wishing to be young again such that a man seeing his birthday cake and notices that his cake has a bunch of candles stuck on top of it, which makes him realize how he should just give up living and not have any more birthdays while wishing that he could get the chance to be young again. The…
Benjamin Franklin once said, “They who give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety.” In The Giver by Lois Lowry and the Uglies by Scott Westerfeld, the leaders of both the societies took away basic human rights that belong to the people to create an anodyne and perfect world, forcing the people to live under an oppressive regime that controls every person’s actions, thoughts and individual feelings. In order to live in a seamless, immaculate world we would have to surrender many of our most treasured freedoms. The Giver teaches us that futuristic choices cannot be made without the knowledge of the past.…
I can’t imagine what it is like for a child in school to be invited to their friend’s birthdays and not be able to go. She explained that the Bible never talks about a servant celebrating a birthday, but rather mentions that the day of death is better than the day of birth. I shared with Debra that I never witnessed the children living next door to me in Houston ever feeling deprived or sad at not being able to celebrate. Debra shared that even though birthdays are not celebrated, gifts are still given throughout the year. Debra also stated, “It is more of a surprise to receive a gift at any given day than to expect…
Though in the beginning of the first novel, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, Harry does not yet know how important turning 11 is in the wizarding world (a child’s first year at Hogwarts), he finds his birthday to be meaningful. He is waiting for his birthday to happen and wanting to share it with someone, but he does not have anyone with whom to do so. “[Harry] lay and watched his birthday tick nearer, wondering if the Dursleys would remember at all,” (Rowling, Sorcerer’s 45). In contrast to his 11th birthday, Harry’s 17th birthday in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows is not one about which he cares much.…
Birthdays were always special in the Vanderwaale home but they held even more importance for the last couple or so. Her annual birthday bonanza being the only time during the school year that her peers set aside their vicious vendetta against her, to celebrate her instead.…
It was quite by chance we were all together in one room. Nearly 20 years have past since my brothers, sister, and I had occupied the same space long enough to capture the moment on film. Yet, here we are, four generations strong waiting for the festivities to begin. All around are the signs of celebrations, a birthday as I recall. Balloons and streamers filling every inch of previously barren space on the walls.…
“Birthday Party” features a married couple who goes to a restaurant to celebrate one’s birthday. In an attempt to celebrate the occasion, disaster happens. As it turns out that the person who was suppose to be happy, celebrate and enjoy the moment, ended up hating and disliking the moment. To portray all of the events that transpired, the author Katharine Bush uses various literary devices to achieve her…
The Giver is an exciting tale in which a boy learns about his world of no feelings, difference, or pain. Jonas a twelve year old boy is chosen for what is said to be the job with the highest honor in the community, The Receiver. But this is no ordinary job. Jonas later learns a huge secret kept from the community, and feels pain for the first time through memories he is given. Jonas then tries to escape the community in order to do what he thinks is fair.…
The event started with a mass, although I was not present at the mass, my friend, the birthday girl, told me that the importance of the mass was to receive a blessing from God and ask Him for guidance as she enters a new chapter in her life (adulthood/womanhood). After the mass, family and close…
I remember my brother counting each candle on the birthday cake and told my sister, “everyone can lick the fostering off of each birthday candle.” After everyone finished singing Happy Birthday; we all sat down to eat lunch, dinner, cake and ice cream together as a family. The entire family couldn’t make it to the Birthday lunch and dinner party. So the next birthday year my parents invited everyone to a Denny’s restaurant; where we ate a great dinner.…
The society in the popular utopian/dystopian book, The Giver, may seem the better alternative of our modern day society, the dream land that everyone wishes we could achieve, but when we compare how each society functions, maybe this so called ¨perfect world¨ isn't as perfect as we would have hoped it to be. Modern day society and The Giver have may have some similarities, but when the two societies are compared to rules, family, and figurehead/leadership, it seems these two societies are worlds apart. Maybe, we have it better in our society than we originally thought. For instance, when rules come into play, it seems that modern day society has free range.…
The two novels, The Giver and 1984 have similarities in character settings and they are both dystopian worlds created by the authors. However, the main themes delivered by the two authors are different. Although there are many similarities in the two stories, there is also a difference. The messages the both authors want to tell the readers through the stories are different.…