So this morning my mother told me something that caught me a bit off guard on our car ride this morning to have photos printed.
She told me she's seen the recent trailer for the upcoming film based on the book called "The Giver".
If you haven't seen the trailer yet, you can watch it here.
She was intrigued by the trailer, and it turned out my sister watched over her shoulder and explained to my mother that the board of education made it mandatory that that book be a part of the curriculum this year. She's in 8th grade. I know a lot can change in the education system in 2 years, but I've only been out of High School 2 years and "The Giver" was a mandatory part of our Senior year curriculum.
When I was in High School our English Classes varied. You were either on a path towards a class that read The Lord of the Flies and The Giver, or you were in a class that read Slaughterhouse Five and A Brave New World. I was in the latter class, so I never read The Giver or Lord of the Flies. So I had no idea what "The Giver" was about until my younger sister explained it to me.
Now keep in mind, this is a book classified as a "children's" book. So I'll give those that haven't read it a shorten version of the synopsis of the book.
It's a story about a young boy of 11 named Jonas, and his journey of being chosen as the "receiver" of memories from a man called "The Giver" - where you receive all the knowledge of "The Community's" past and everyone of the world that the "Community" doesn't get to experience. The "Community" is run entirely by a group called "The Elders". You are essentially entirely the same as everyone else. The Elders tell you who to marry, who will be your child, what job you will have, and your home has a 2 way intercom for the Elders to listen in on your life so they make sure you're following the rules. There is no love or basic emotion, there is no music or color.
Now the most striking part of the book is what makes me question why it's a "children's" book. They practice something called "releasing", where babies that aren't adopted, or twins that turn out smaller or weaker than the other are given lethal injection and "dispatched like garbage". You aren't allowed to have twins in the community because it goes against the policy of "sameness" enforced by the Elders.
This outraged my mother to hear this, and surprisingly it had me taken aback. But the fact that this was mandated for 8th graders in a Middle School is what surprised us most. I wasn't required to read those kinds of books until I was a Senior in High School, and now they're being required for 13-14 yr old's to read.
What is your take on this? Do you think it's good for children in Middle School to be forced to read what is considered by most mature literature not suitable for children? Or are you also taken aback by this being forced on 8th graders to read? If you had/have a child in middle school, would be permit them to read this sort of material?
I'm interested in your thoughts, so please post below.
She told me she's seen the recent trailer for the upcoming film based on the book called "The Giver".
If you haven't seen the trailer yet, you can watch it here.
She was intrigued by the trailer, and it turned out my sister watched over her shoulder and explained to my mother that the board of education made it mandatory that that book be a part of the curriculum this year. She's in 8th grade. I know a lot can change in the education system in 2 years, but I've only been out of High School 2 years and "The Giver" was a mandatory part of our Senior year curriculum.
When I was in High School our English Classes varied. You were either on a path towards a class that read The Lord of the Flies and The Giver, or you were in a class that read Slaughterhouse Five and A Brave New World. I was in the latter class, so I never read The Giver or Lord of the Flies. So I had no idea what "The Giver" was about until my younger sister explained it to me.
Now keep in mind, this is a book classified as a "children's" book. So I'll give those that haven't read it a shorten version of the synopsis of the book.
It's a story about a young boy of 11 named Jonas, and his journey of being chosen as the "receiver" of memories from a man called "The Giver" - where you receive all the knowledge of "The Community's" past and everyone of the world that the "Community" doesn't get to experience. The "Community" is run entirely by a group called "The Elders". You are essentially entirely the same as everyone else. The Elders tell you who to marry, who will be your child, what job you will have, and your home has a 2 way intercom for the Elders to listen in on your life so they make sure you're following the rules. There is no love or basic emotion, there is no music or color.
Now the most striking part of the book is what makes me question why it's a "children's" book. They practice something called "releasing", where babies that aren't adopted, or twins that turn out smaller or weaker than the other are given lethal injection and "dispatched like garbage". You aren't allowed to have twins in the community because it goes against the policy of "sameness" enforced by the Elders.
This outraged my mother to hear this, and surprisingly it had me taken aback. But the fact that this was mandated for 8th graders in a Middle School is what surprised us most. I wasn't required to read those kinds of books until I was a Senior in High School, and now they're being required for 13-14 yr old's to read.
What is your take on this? Do you think it's good for children in Middle School to be forced to read what is considered by most mature literature not suitable for children? Or are you also taken aback by this being forced on 8th graders to read? If you had/have a child in middle school, would be permit them to read this sort of material?
I'm interested in your thoughts, so please post below.
, it almost gave my mom a heart attack this morning.
