Until Next Time, My Sunny Friend

          In Ray Bradbury short story "All Summer in a Day" a group of kids that are nine years old wait for the sun to come out, as the scientists predicted. This take place in a colony made in Venus, were all day long it rains, except every seven years when for two hours the sun comes out. From this group of children only one had seen the sun in an age where she can remember, Margot, the only Earth born kid, or girl, she came to Venus when she was four years old, and everyone hates her because of her birth place and for seeing the sun. When the teacher leaves the room briefly, the other kids trap Margot in a closet, so she don´t see the sun and they go for two hours outside, have fun, and when the rains began again, they, humbled because of the sun, release Margot.

     I love how Ray Bradbury use the senses of sight and hearing to enchant his writing, making you see through his letter, make you feel like you are really in the book. There are many examples, however this one is my favorite:

"The children pressed to each other like so many roses, so many weeds, intermixed, peering out for a look at the hidden sun. It rained. It had been raining for seven years; thousands upon thousands of days compounded and filled from one end to the other with

 rain, with the drum and gash of water, with the sweet crystal fall of showers and concussion of storms so heavy they were tidal waves come over the islands."           (Bradbury 1)

     When I read this, I feel as I am one of the kids, trying to see the unseen sun. Tired of a life under the clouds, under the rain that falls day after day, week after week, and year after year. I see, the water droplets going down a crystal of a window, and I hear the never ending drumming of the splash of the rain in the surface, never ending, never ever ending.

      However the people, mainly kids, which live in Venus match the mood of their weather. But Margot is more secluded, but it is not her fault, the other ignore her:

Margot

"Margot stood alone, she was a very frail girl who looked as if she had been lost in the rain for years and the rain had washed out the clue from her eyes and the red from her mouth and the yellow from her hair.......... Now she stood, separated, staring at the rain and the loud wet world beyond the huge glass."                                                                    (Bradbury 2)

     This shows how Margot is frail, not only by seeming colorless, but she stands apart, she secludes herself and the other seclude her. She seems always sad by how she stands alone, and her appearance also gives her that melancholic aura.

       This story is not only about entertainment, but also it gives us a message. This message is that we should not seclude people and at the same time appreciate every precious moment we have. Also the theme is that people must appreciate every moment they have.

The Giver: Revelations (Chapter 17-20)

The Beginning of the End?

Lets think get serious for a moment

     An unscheduled holiday was announced, and one that will change Jonas and his community forever. It was a day in which Jonas felt happiness, not a hollow feeling as the rest, but a real feeling. When he got to the playing field, kids were shouting and making noises such as “Pam”. That is when Jonas realized his friends, Asher and Fiona between them, were playing war and as he finishes it. Asher and Fiona look at Jonas strangely, and leave him ending their friendship. The next day in the Annex Jonas asks The Giver about release, and about the previous Receiver in training. He learns about Rosemary, for it was her name, and learns how the pain succumbed her making her apply for release. Later on The Giver shows Jonas the release his father made, which was killing one of the baby twins. Jonas was scared of this; he became paranoiac and decided to change the community. Alongside the Giver they planned a way for Jonas to flee in the Ceremonies, and that way the community will need to bear the memories. However The Giver needs to stay behind to help the bear the memories, and Jonas will go to Elsewhere. Before Jonas went to his home The Giver told him about his family, and how he had a daughter names Rosemary.

Was Rosemary The Giver daughter

Thinking in depth

     When Jonas was planning to escape the community he wanted The Giver to come with him, but he couldn't because:

“-Remember how I helped you in the beginning, when the receiving of memories was new to you?-

    Jonas nodded –It was scary at first. And it hurt a lot.-

   -You needed me then. And now they will-

  -It’s no use. They’ll find someone to take my place. They’ll choose a new Receiver.-

  -There´s no one ready for training, not right away. Oh, they’ll speed up the selection, of course. But I can´t think of another child who has the right qualities- -

  -There´s a little female with pale eyes. But she´s only a Six.-

 -That´s correct. I know the one you mean. Her name is Katherine. Nut she´s too young. So they will be forced to bear those memories.-”   

How is Jonas getting away from this?

    This had made me see that the community has always tried to keep the memories away. This is because they want someone to bear the alone and be the only to suffer. This person has always been the Receiver, but if the Receiver is not around then who will be the bearer of the memories? This is why the Receiver death or released is taken so seriously. If no one holds the memories then the community will bear the memories and this way everything would change. Feelings, colors, love, everything would return but without anyone to guide them everything would become chaos. That is why The Giver will stay and return things as they are today, and this way everything the dystopia would end. But for this Jonas must escape or the memories burden will still be in him, and they can´t give this burden to Katherine, at least not yet.  

Final Thoughts

     After reading this last chapters I had started to see that The Giver and Jonas are quite intelligent. By making a plan to escape and return the memories to the community they were changing the world. This can be seen as how Jonas and The Giver give importance to the memories and they should be shared. As the Giver stated long ago nothing has a purpose without the memories, for memories help innovate things. Also by giving the memories back to the people, they start to feel feelings again and will start to make decisions. The community will look for guidance, and that is when The Giver will help them learn how to control the memories and will show them the good part of them, at least that is what I think. 

How will the community will think if they don`t have The Giver or Jonas