Reuter’s Ramblings

The Giver vocabulary list~

14 Apr 2009 1 Comment

by reutersramblings in Homeschool, Literature and more~

Chapter 1-5

Intrigued gravitating apprehensive ritual
adherence abandoned chastise impatient
mystified elders chortled nurturers
obediently serene insight nondescript
ironic palpable transgression infraction
aptitude distraught humiliation remorse

Chapters 6-10

reprieve excruciating indulgently conspicuous
meticulously exuberant anguish benign
integrity independence exemption exasperated
relinquish acquisition scrupulously crescendo
interdependence integral buoyancy exhilarating
prestige transgressions indolence deftly

Austin’s Literature book~

06 Apr 2009 Leave a Comment

by reutersramblings in Homeschool, Literature and more~

Austin is reading The Giver for Literature.

Questions for discussion:

1.  In The Giver, each family has two parents, a son, and a daughter. The relationships are not biological but are developed through observation and a careful handling of personality. In our own society, the makeup of family is under discussion. How are families defined? Are families the foundations of a society, or are they continually open for new definitions?

2.  In Jona’s community, every person and his or her experience are precisely the same. The climate is controlled, and competition has been eliminated in favor of a community in which everyone works only for the common good. What advantages might “Sameness” yield for contemporary communities? Is the loss of diversity worthwhile?

3. Why is the relationship between Jonas and the Giver dangerous, and what does this danger suggest about the nature of love?

4. There are groups in the United States today that actively seek to maintain an identity outside the mainstream culture: the Amish, the Mennonites, Native American tribes, and the Hasidic Jewish community. What benefits do these groups expect from defining themselves as “other”? What are the disadvantages? How does the mainstream culture put pressure on such groups.