The Giver Ch. 2

          Chapter Two begins with Jonas' mother and father talking to him about his feelings.  Jonas just told them that he feels apprehensive about the Ceremony of Twelve that will happen in December.  His parents talk about how they felt during the Ceremonies in the past.  Jonas' mother describes how she felt during the Ceremony of One several years ago, when she got Lily.  When babies turned One, they received a name and they were given to a family.  Jonas' mother said that during the ceremony, when she got Lily, she knew she would get a female baby.  She had already applied and she had been approved.  But she didn't know what her baby's name would be, because babies didn't receive a name until they turned One.

          Then, Jonas' father describes how he felt when he was an Eleven, waiting to become a Twelve, just like Jonas.  He was very impatient when he was waiting for the Ceremony of Twelve.  But, he did not feel nervous, because he knew what his Assignment would be.  Before he turned Twelve, he had volunteered a lot at the Nurturing Center, where he had helped take care of the new babies.  Since he had done almost all his volunteer hours at the Nurturing Center, he knew that the elders (community leaders) would give him the Assignment of Nurturer.

          Jonas' father says that all of his friends got Assignments that they liked, because the elders always watched the children during school and volunteer times.  Because they knew the children very well, the elders always gave each child an Assignment that was very good for him or her.  Jonas says that he feels worried about his best friend Asher's Assignment, because Asher is clumsy and has trouble using the right words when he speaks.  Jonas' mother tells him not to worry, because the elders know Asher and they like him, so they will give him a good Assignment.  At the end of this conversation, Jonas feels better, but he is still a little nervous about his Assignment, because he has no idea what kind of job the elders will give him.



At the end of the conversation, Lily comes back in the room.  She complains that the conversation is very long, and she wants her comfort object before she goes to sleep.  Her comfort object is a stuffed elephant, and the people in this community think that it is an "imaginary creature."



Important Words from this chapter-
receive
apply
be approved
assignment
volunteer
elder

Grammar Point- Simple Past and Past Perfect Tense

When we tell a story about something that happened in the past, we use the simple past tense.
But, when we are talking about the past, and we tell about something that happened before the event (which was in the past, so we are already using past tense)... we use past perfect tense.

In this chapter, all of the simple past tense is in purple.  The simple past tense was used when Jonas' mother and father were telling about their feelings in the past.

But, all the past perfect tense is in blue.  This was used when Jonas' mother and father described things that happened before the other events that they were telling the story about.

For example- " ...when she got Lily, she knew she would get a female baby.  She had already applied and she had been approved."

"Before he turned Twelve, he had volunteered a lot at the Nurturing Center, where he had helped take care of the new babies."

I hope this helps you understand Past Perfect Tense a little more!  Watch for it as you read the book!

Comprehension Questions:
1.  What happened when babies turned One?
2.  Do infants have names and families in Jonas' Community?
3.  Where are infants taken care of?  Who takes care of them?
4.  What is an Assignment?
5.  What is Jonas' father's Assignment?

* Do people in Jonas' Community get to choose their own jobs?