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Examples Of Sameness In The Giver

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The system that the society prides itself most on is the system of Sameness. Sameness was originally intended to bring about order by eliminating differences between citizens of the society. In the beginning of The Giver, Jonas notes that after Asher shows up tardy to a class, he “...remained standing to make his public apology, as was required” (Lowry 3). The fact that a public apology was required shows that citizens take Sameness very seriously. When Jonas is thinking about the Ceremony of Twelve, he corrects himself to maintain “...precision of language, which was strictly enforced.” (Lowry 1). Each dwelling contains a large rule book which dictates every single rule laid out by the system of Sameness. …show more content…

Cheryl Blake, author of The Giver: Encyclopedia of Themes in Literature, writes that “As a result of Sameness, people have lost the ability to see colors, hear music, and even feel deep emotions, such as love.” This destroys their sense of humanity, and when Jonas feels for the first time what love is, he remarks that feeling love again and again is something that he “...would really like to do.” (Lowry 84).. Sameness also destroys an individual’s sense of individuality. In addition to their name, each child has a number that was assigned at birth, showing the order in which they were born.(Blake) When at public events, children are called by their numbers, not by their names, which makes the will of a group more important than the will of an individual.(Hile and Telgen) Thus, the system of Sameness becomes a tragic flaw of the society, which heavily contributes to the rebellion of

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