Utopia or Dystopia?

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The Pill

First thoughts 

Dear Diary,
Today I took my first pill. This was after I told my family unit about my strange dream... My dream was about bathing Fiona, and involved very pleasurable feelings I had never experienced before. When I described it in the morning ritual, Mom told me that I had had my first “Stirrings”. Before I arrived at school, that awesome feeling was gone because of the pill. All grown-ups take the pill in our community, so I feel proud of not being a child                                                                                         anymore.


Final thoughts

Dear Diary,

Lately I haven’t been taking those horrible pills. I don’t understand why the Committee of Elders has made such an awful mistake choosing to deprive us of those lovely sensations... Now, I have started feeling more and more intense emotions... Those stupid pills destroyed love, desire and feelings in our community. Life without them is not worth living. Everything seems to be wrong here. We live in a dystopic world.

Ceremonies

I used to think that ceremonies were something rewarding, something you could feel proud of, in a way. Something you were anxious about beforehand but when they came, they made you happy, especially as you got closer to turning 12, because that’s when you get your assignment. All the rewards, the way they were carried out... it all seemed great!

However, now I know the truth. Ceremonies aren´t good. On the one hand, they are compulsory and you already know what you’re getting each year. And what about having a specific order for getting rewards? Why should I wait until I’m 9 years old to get my first bike? Why should I wait until a certain age to be able to start volunteer hours or training? Why can’t I just start when I feel like it? Kids in the community are not allowed to do or receive many things until they are a certain age, but to me it just seems unfair. Kids should be able to ask for what they want, when they want it and if they want it.


On top of all this, are the assignments. I think it’s good that everyone’s assignments are chosen based on their interests and skills, but there’s no freedom of choice. I think kids should be allowed to choose what they want to do with their lives, even if they make mistakes.

Last but not least, everything about loss ceremonies is one of the worst ideas anyone could ever have. Why? Because people that die are treated as if they were objects! They are “remembered” for a day, only a day, and not only are they forgotten after that, they are REPLACED! It certainly makes you feel like life isn’t worth anything. And don’t get me started on release ceremonies, where people are killed without anyone ever being aware of it! The worst part is they only do it to keep control of population, and not even the ones who are released know they’re going to be killed! It’s really sad that all these truths are hidden from the community. I can´t accept that that is the way it has to be.

Authors: Franco and Agustín

Release

Diary entry – Day 1

Dear diary,

Today when I went to the House of the Old for my volunteer hours, I had a really nice conversation with Larissa, an old woman who lives there. While I was bathing her, she told that her friend Roberto had been released and that they had had a wonderful party. I was glad for Roberto; he had been a great and interesting man.

I´m still wondering what happens when people are released. Are they exiled to another community? Aren´t they scared? I would feel frightened if I had to live life in a different way from the one I’m living.

I might get to know about release in the future,

Jonas

Diary entry – Day 2

Dear diary,

Today I´ve got to know during dinner that my father will release a baby. When twins are born, the baby that weighs less has to be released. I still can´t understand the concept of release. My father told me the baby is going to live in another community but I don´t believe him fully.

I think I am going to ask the Giver about release because he will give me a full explanation. I´m sure he will clear all my doubts,

Jonas

Diary entry – Day 3

Dear diary,

Disappointed is the perfect word to describe myself today. To explain it briefly I will say that Release is death.

Today when I asked the Giver about release, he showed me a video tape of my father at work. You could see my father weighing the babies and taking the one who weighed more into the nurturing center. Then, my father raised the baby in his arms and took a syringe that had some strange grey liquid. He injected it in the baby’s forehead. The baby slowly stopped moving until his body stayed completely frozen. He didn’t even breathe. After that, my father put the baby´s corpse inside a cardboard box and threw it to the bin.

I couldn’t believe my eyes. Now my life will be completely different. Reality hurt but what hurt most was that my father had lied to me.

I hope things get better and I will find a way to advise people about how horrendous our community is

Jonas

Authors: Sabrina & Chiara

COMMUNITY

Dear diary,

I love my community!! its really strange and interesting at the same time. I love how the community treats people. It is always kind and respectful to others. It gives you the option to be released if you feel you don’t belong here. It also Gives you advice to be safe. I think it protects us by communicating with us all the time through the speakers. Simple as that: I love my community.

Dear diary,

I have become the new receiver of memories, now I don’t have the same thoughts about the community as I had before. I have started seeing things that I have never known existed before. Now I know a lot of things about the community that I don´t like. For example, it hides beautiful things from us, such as colours or feelings. I don’t know why they are doing this!!!, hope the community is not hiding more things to me. Now I think I don’t trust the Committee of Elders so much.

Dear diary,

I hate my community!!! I have discovered horrible things about it. The community hides a lot of things from us. I cant believe my dad kills babies, babies!!!! Release means killing people, so now I understand what happened to Rosemary, I also discovered new feelings like pain. It is horrible!

I think the best choice is to leave my community, to help it change. If I leave, the memories will return to the people in the community, and they will realise how they are being manipulated.

Author: Chiara.