Chapter 6 - The Giver

The Ceremony in the community is held for two days and it contains from Naming for new children to Twelves’ ceremony.  During Naming, there was a special new born baby named Caleb with great applause as he was the second Caleb to be given to a family after the first one was lost by an accident. Fortunately Gabriel, Jonas’s Father used to bring home for supplementary care at night, was given another year instead of being released. Lily also stood on the podium for the Ceremony of Eights and now she can participate in volunteer work and wear a jacket with small pocket to take her own things. Meanwhile Jonas is waiting for this ceremony of Twelve and believes in committee’s delicate consideration for his Assignment.  

In this chapter, I couldn’t help being surprised at how well-designed the system of the community is for Children. Children in this society have dos and don’ts by ages. In addition, every rule for this, even clothes, has profound meaning based on Children Education. For instance, 4, 5, and 6 year-old children wear jackets fastened down the back and this is to let them learn interdependence. Also, 8-year-old like Lily can wear jackets with pockets and it reflect their maturity to carry their own belongings. Lois Lowry, the author of this book, seems to have studied on the field of Children Education and we can refer to those rules and apply in an assorted way.

Lily, standing in front of her, fidgeted impatiently.
fidget |ˈfɪdʒɪt|verb ( fidgets, fidgeting, fidgeted ) [ no obj. ]make small movements, especially of the hands and feet, through nervousness or impatience: the audience began to fidget and whisper.• be impatient or uneasy: [ with infinitive ] : he was fidgeting to get back to his shop.
The little girl nodded and looked down at herself, at the jacket with its row of large buttons that designated her as a Seven. 

designate

verb |ˈdɛzɪgneɪt| [ with obj. ]appoint (someone) to a specified office or post: he was designated as prime minister.

She gave Lily's ribbons a final tug.

tug |tʌg|verb ( tugs, tugging, tugged ) [ with obj. ]pull (something) hard or suddenly: she tugged off her boots | [ no obj. ] : hetugged at Tom's coat sleeve.• tow (a ship) by means of a tugboat.noun1 a hard or sudden pull: another tug and it came loose | figurative : an overwhelming tug of attraction.2 (also tugboat )a small, powerful boat used for towing larger boats and ships, especially in harbour.• an aircraft towing a glider.3 a loop from a horse's saddle which supports a shaft or trace. 

She prodded Lily to the front door and Jonas followed. 

prod |prɒd|
verb ( prods, prodding, prodded ) [ with obj. ]poke with a finger, foot, or pointed object: he prodded her in the ribs | [ noobj. ] : she took up a fork and prodded at the food.• stimulate or persuade (someone who is reluctant or slow) to dosomething: they attempted to prod the central bank into cutting interest rates.

Jonas stowed his bicycle beside Mother's and made his way through the throng to find his group. 
stow |stəʊ|

verb [ with obj. and adverbial ]

pack or store (an object) carefully and neatly in a particular place: Barneybegan stowing her luggage into the boot.

throng |θrɒŋ|nouna large, densely packed crowd of people or animals: he pushed his way through the throng | a throng of birds.

It wasn't at all hard to spot the Nurturers' section at the front; coming from it were the wails and howls of the newchildren who sat squirming on the Nurturers' laps. 

wail |weɪl|
nouna prolonged high-pitched cry of pain, grief, or anger: Christopher let out a wail.
howl |haʊl|nouna long, doleful cry uttered by an animal such as a dog or wolf.• a loud cry of pain, fear, anger, or amusement: he let out a howl of anguish |figurative : I got howls of protest from readers.squirm |skwəːm|verb [ no obj. ]wriggle or twist the body from side to side, especially as a result of nervousness or discomfort: he looked uncomfortable and squirmed in his chair.• show or feel embarrassment or shame: he squirmed as he recalled the phrases he had used.

But once a year, they all smiled indulgently at the commotion from the little ones waiting to receive their names and families. 

indulgent |ɪnˈdʌldʒ(ə)nt|
[ADJ] If you are indulgent, you treat a person with special kindness, often in a way that is not good for them. His indulgent mother was willing to let him do anything he wanted. commotion |kəˈməʊʃ(ə)n|
nouna state of confused and noisy disturbance: she was distracted by a commotion across the street 

He had been given an unusual and special reprieve from the committee.
reprieve |rɪˈpriːv|verb [ with obj. ]cancel or postpone the punishment of (someone, especially someone condemned to death): under the new regime, prisoners under sentence of death were reprieved.• abandon or postpone plans to close or abolish (something): the threatened pits could be reprieved. 

They would relinquish him without protest or appeal. 

relinquish |rɪˈlɪŋkwɪʃ|
verb [ with obj. ]voluntarily cease to keep or claim; give up: he relinquished his managerial role to become chief executive.

make (or pull ) a face (or faces )produce a facial expression that shows dislike or some other negative emotion, or that is intended to be amusing:Anna pulled a funny face at the girl.

The audience applause rose in an exuberant swell.  

exuberant |ɪgˈz(j)uːb(ə)r(ə)nt, ɛg-|
adjectivefull of energy, excitement, and cheerfulness: a noisy bunch of exuberant youngsters.
swell |swɛl|verb ( swells, swelling, swelled;past participle swollen |ˈswəʊlən| orswelled )noun a gradual increase in amount, intensity, or volume: a huge swell in the popularity of one-day cricket. a welling up of a feeling: a swell of pride swept over George.

the long and somber day went on 

sombre |ˈsɒmbə|(US also somber )
adjective1 dark or dull in colour or tone: the night skies were sombre and starless.2 having or conveying a feeling of deep seriousness and sadness: he looked at her with a sombre expression.

He knew that his parents cringed a little, as he did, when Fritz received his bike and almost immediately bumped into the podium with it. 

cringe |krɪn(d)ʒ|
verb ( cringes, cringing, cringed ) [ no obj. ]bend one's head and body in fear or apprehension or in a servile manner

podium |ˈpəʊdɪəm|noun ( pl. podiums or podia |ˈpəʊdɪə| )a small platform on which a person may stand to be seen by an audience, as when making a speech or conducting an orchestra.

Fritz was a very awkward child who had been summoned for chastisement again and again.  

summon |ˈsʌmən|
verb [ with obj. ] If you summon someone, you order them to come to you.

But each such error reflected negatively on his parents' guidance and infringed on the community's sense of order and success. 

infringe |ɪnˈfrɪn(d)ʒ|
verb ( infringes, infringing, infringed ) [ with obj. ]If someone infringes a law or a rule, they break it or do something which disobeys it.

The community was so meticulously ordered, the choices so carefully made. 

meticulous |mɪˈtɪkjʊləs|
adjectiveshowing great attention to detail; very careful and precise: the designs are hand-glazed with meticulous care | he had always been so meticulous about his appearance.

but his father had a calmer disposition. 

disposition |dɪspəˈzɪʃ(ə)n|
noun1 a person's inherent qualities of mind and character: a sweet-natured girl of a placid disposition | he has the disposition of a saint.• [ often with infinitive ] an inclination or tendency: the Prime Minister has shown a disposition to alter policies | the judge's disposition to clemency.2 [ mass noun ] the way in which something is placed or arranged, especially in relation to other things: the plan shows the disposition of the rooms.

the Assignments were scrupulously thought through by the Committee of Elders. 

scrupulous |ˈskruːpjʊləs|
adjective(of a person or process) diligent, thorough, and extremely attentive todetails: the research has been carried out with scrupulous attention to detail.• very concerned to avoid doing wrong: she's too scrupulous to have an affair with a married man.