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The Giver Dbq Essay

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Emma Ashley Ms. Treacy English 8, Section 3 17 October 2023 The Hazards to Perfection Hannah Withall Smith once said, “There is no happiness in the world equal to the happiness of being good.” This quote explains how one cannot be truly happy while living in a state of uniformity. The Giver, written by Lois Lowry, portrays a novel that is seemingly a utopia, when in reality it is a corrupt dystopia. Throughout the book, civilians are forced to follow the strict and harsh rules in order to maintain an indistinguishable society. The Giver demonstrates a society that diminishes the individuality of oneself and makes them into someone they aren't. The Giver depicts the dangers of a perfectly equal world through everyone being the same, the government being an autocracy, …show more content…

This is shown when The Giver, discussing the community, says, “They don’t want change. Life here is so orderly, so predictable - so painless, it's what they’ve chosen. Lowry 103. This quote explains how the community is not aware of how treacherous it is for everyone to be identical. Furthermore, in Document D by Chris Madden, it addresses how everyone continuously follows in the footsteps of everyone else. Stated differently, when one person follows another, other people follow. As a result, when people follow each other and try to become an impersonator, it eliminates one's distinction from others. In addition, the dangers of seeking a perfectly equal world are also shown through the government being an autocracy. This is illustrated through The Giver saying, “Our people made that choice to go to Sameness. Before my time, before the previous time, back and back and back. We relinquished color when we relinquished sunshine and did away with the difference. We gained control of many things, but we had to let go of others.” (Lowry 95). This quote demonstrates how the government made that decision without realizing the impact it had on the

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