The Giver(Fiction Review)

English 1201

Literary Terms:

• Point of View – the perspective from which the events are seen, a story is told or an argument is made.– 3rd person: story teller is not a character; uses “He,” ”She,” “They”– Limited: thoughts and feelings of one or a few characters is defined– 3rd person limited (omniscience): though the storyteller is not a

character in the story, the readers are told the thoughts and feelings of Jonas but not the other characters.

• Setting - time, place, and circumstances in which the story or events take place. (almost December, community, family unit, reflection time )

• Atmosphere - the feeling the created by the setting as evoked by the diction (dread outside, comfort with family)

• Plot - the plan, skeleton, framework, sequence of events or storyline. The components are: exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution/denouement.

• Exposition (Ch. 1): the introduction to characters, setting, atmosphere and background information

• Generating circumstance/cause (Ch. 2) : the one event that causes the rising action or conflict

• Foreshadowing: hints or clues which imply the ending or outcome of the story

Character(ization)

• Protagonist: the character who experiences the conflict (Jonas)

• Antagonist: the force that creates conflict for the protagonist which could be another character

• Functions of Minor Characters: (Asher, Fiona, Lily,

Gabriel, Mother, Father, Larissa)– To develop the major character/protagonist– To create conflict– To provide contrast– To advance the plot– To show irony or humor

Literary Terms• Plot - the arrangement of ideas and/or incidents that make

up a story• Foreshadowing - When the writer clues the reader in to

something that will eventually occur in the story; it may be explicit (obvious) or implied (disguised).

• Exposition - Background information regarding the setting, characters, plot.

• Rising Action - The process the story follows as it builds to its main conflict

• Crisis - A significant turning point in the story that determines how it must end

• Resolution/Denouement - The way the story turns out.

• Suspense: The tension that the author uses to create a feeling of discomfort about the unknown

• Conflict: the struggle of opposing forces either within an individual (internal) or outside of that individual (external)

• Symbolism: when an object is meant to be representative of something or an idea greater than the object itself

Fantasy Fiction

• Fantasy novel. Any novel that is disengaged from reality. Often such novels are set in nonexistent worlds, such as under the earth, in a fairyland, on the moon, etc. The characters are often something other than human or include nonhuman characters.

Example: J. R. R. Tolkien, The Hobbit

Utopia

• Utopia: refers to an ideal society, and at first the community in The Giver seems to be such an ideal world. – All children are wanted; – There is no divorce; –No one is hungry or homeless or out of

work.

Utopian/dystopian fiction:

• Dystopian Fiction: A dystopia is a fictional society, usually portrayed as existing in a future time, when the conditions of life are extremely bad due to deprivation, oppression, or terror. In most dystopian fiction, a corrupt government creates or sustains the poor quality of life, often conditioning the masses to believe the society is proper and just, even perfect. Most dystopian fiction takes place in the future but often purposely incorporates contemporary social trends taken to extremes. Dystopias are frequently written as warnings, or as satires, showing current trends extrapolated to a nightmarish conclusion.

Characteristics of Dystopia• a hierarchical society where divisions between the upper, middle

and lower class are definitive and unbending (Caste system)• a nation-state ruled by an upper class with few democratic ideals• state propaganda programs and educational systems that coerce

most citizens into worshipping the state and its government, in an attempt to convince them into thinking that life under the regime is good and just

• strict conformity among citizens and the general assumption that dissent and individuality are bad

• a fictional state figurehead that people worship fanatically through a vast personality cult, such as 1984's Big Brother

• a fear or disgust of the world outside the state (Elsewhere or Release)

Characteristics of Dystopia continued• a common view of traditional life, particularly organized religion, as

primitive and nonsensical• a penal system that lacks due process laws and often employs psychological

or physical torture• constant surveillance by state police agencies• the banishment of the natural world from daily life (Climate Control p. 83)• a back story of a natural disaster, war, revolution, uprising, spike in

overpopulation or some other climactic event which resulted in dramatic changes to society

• a standard of living among the lower and middle class that is generally poorer than in contemporary society

• a protagonist who questions the society, often feeling intrinsically that something is terribly wrong (Choices/colour p. 95; memories provide meaning p. 105)

• because dystopian literature takes place in the future, it often features technology more advanced than that of contemporary society (Climate control p. 83; Genetics, p. 95)

Rising Action – the body of the story

• Rising action is defined as the series of events that lead to the crisis or climax of a story. This means that the protagonist experiences the conflict in many events and each event is considered to be a sequence in the action (events) that build to the turning point (where a change is witnessed in the protagonist).

Ending of the Plot

• Climax: the turning point of the action or the crisis which creates a change in the character; the point after which the conflict is resolved for the protagonist.

• Resolution/Denouement: the result of the conflict being over; tying up the loose plot details. Some stories, which have no resolution but end at the climax are considered to have a surprise ending/ironic twist.

Irony – the opposite happens or is said to what occurs or is expected

• Three Types– Verbal: character says one thing and means the

opposite– Situational: character expects one thing to happen

and the opposite does– Dramatic: the audience or reader sees an irony

about which the character is unaware

Ambiguity in The Giver

• In common conversation, ambiguity is a negative term applied to a vague or equivocal expression when precision would be more useful. Sometimes, however, intentional ambiguity in literature can be a powerful device, leaving something undetermined in order to open up multiple possible meanings.

• Lois Lowry’s ending is intentionally ambiguous so that multiple meanings can be inferred.

Theme – the main idea?

• Theme refers to the author’s main purpose or idea when he/she is writing. It is defined as a “universal truth” which is never stated directly but is implied from the plot, characters and conflicts of a narrative.

• Thematic statement – a full sentence, written by the reader, which exposes the “universal truth” of the novel or selection. It does not contain references to the plot, characters, time of the novel or the reader and his/her time frame. Pronouns should be neutral. Statement should not be cliches (overworked expressions) – nor should they be facts or commands.

Homework: Read Ch. 11-13