EXTRA WRITING ASSIGNMENTS/DISCUSSION QUESTIONS - The Giver

(Interpretative)

1. Was the story believable? Why or why not?

2. Examine Lois Lowry’s use of descriptive language. Discuss some effective examples (at least
5).

3. Could any of the main events be left out without affecting the story much? If so, which ones?
If not, why not?

4. What effect would a different ending have on the story?

5. How would the story change if there were a different narrator?

6. Which character did you learn the most about? Which did you learn the least about?

7. Why didn’t the author give the characters last names?

8. Why didn’t The Giver have another name? How would the story change if The Giver had
another name?

9. The characters spoke in a very formal style. What effect did this have?

10. Discuss the role of color in the novel. What did the author say about the Community in the
way the use of color was presented?
11. Discuss instances of irony in the novel. For example, what was ironic about the job title of
Nurturer?

12. A euphemism is an indirect or vague way or saying something, a way to give unpleasant
things more pleasant names or descriptions. For example, in The Giver the word release
really meant death. It could even have been considered murder. Lois Lowry used several
euphemisms in the novel Find the words and define their real meaning and their meaning in
the novel. Discuss the effectiveness of their use in the novel.

13. What was the significance or symbolism of having a baby in the story?