Castellon 1

Byron Castellon
Professor Spitler-Lawson
English 113 B
11 May 2016
Project Text Final
Word Count: 1378
Sameness: The lead to a Lack of Freedom
What is freedom? To have freedom, is to have the right to act, speak, or think with no
limits. Its also a word that is repeatedly mentioned in the United States and in many other
countries all over the world. However, have people really obtained the freedom that is
promised? The answer is no. The world we live in is a world that follows the route of sameness
and routine. This case is seen as well in the novel, The Giver by Lois Lowry, where the
government eliminated all of the communities rights and enforced sameness as if it were to be
the ideal way of living. There are similarities between the community from The Giver and the
society we live in today in forms of societies expectations, enforced laws, and community
limitations.
We are told that we have the right to freedom within this country, but we really dont.
Yes, we physically have the freedom to do certain things, but after a certain point, society starts
to drive the focus on our future. For example, once we hit high school, we are expected to
know what we want to do with our lives. We are expected to start preparing for the future and

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our chosen profession. Some people can disagree, but it is expected that right after we graduate
high school, we should be attending college. We may not know what we want to do for the rest
of our lives, but we still are expected to be preparing ourselves for it. According to the article,
"The Familyschool Interaction: School Composition and Parental Educational Expectations in
the United States." states, "...the patterns between parent expectations and class and race differ,
as socioeconomically advantaged parents show higher expectations, while historically
disadvantaged racial and ethnic groups in the United States also show higher
expectation"(Lawrence 188). Whether some parents are considered to be wealthy or not, they
care about their children's education and provide support to keep them motivated. As years
progress, we can see that African Americans and Latinos, who at some point were least
considered to reach societies educational expectations, some are now even competitively equal
to Whites. "Improving educational outcomes for Latinos must become a national priority."
(Bohon 207). If the focus to improve education for Latinos continues to grow more, educational
success will be seen. The emphasis on the importance of education is always kept alive and is
to be performed to achieve high standards. In the government from The Giver, they enforced
numbers on all the newborns, in which the numbers signify their identity. Once they reach the
age of twelve, they are inducted to the ceremony of twelve, where they are given their
assignment, in other words, the job they must carry on for the rest of their lives. As stated in the
novel, The Giver, Jonas has been selected to be our next Receiver of Memory. (`Lowry 60).
This shows how every kid growing up was assigned different jobs by the government, some
more important than others. Our society mandates that every kid should attend school , and
grow up knowing the true value of education. Its the same with the children from the novel,
once their ideal age comes, they are expected to work according to the expectations of their

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government. Sameness is enforced to the point that in our society everyone is to obtain an
education in order to have a successful career, and in The Giver, they are expected to perform
their assignment and if they dont, they are eliminated. In other words, killed.
The lack of freedom can be applied in many situations, whether its in schools or in a
work environment. In many cases, people are forced to live a lifestyle that society is used to.
There are schools in the United States that force students to wear uniform while attending
school. Many may be supportive of this idea, as it brings a professional and neat look, but in
reality some students can feel pressured from wearing the same exact clothes as their
classmates are wearing. This clearly looks like a controlled act from society, where sameness is
being applied. Its important to take into consideration that some students may feel insecure by
the uniform policies that the school is forcing. The article: "Mandatory School Uniforms and
Freedom of Expression", by Marc Vopat, states, "School uniforms do not violate a childs right
to freedom of expression since children lack the capacities necessary for substantive
expression." In this case, the war concerning uniforms is dealt between parents and school
districts. As children begin growing, they begin to develop and understand what's right and
what's wrong. It's not right that some school districts enforce such a rule that may come to
disturb children. They have to take to consideration that some children at an early age can
develop insecurities. "He knew about the pills. His parents both took them each morning"
(Lowry 38). After Jonas shares his dream where he had sexual desires, his mother quickly gave
him the pill. The pill would eliminate any desires of wanting someone. The people of the
community looked at this act as a normal act due to the fact that they were brainwashed by the
government. In reality, it's wrong in all senses because they are assigned a partner and children

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that isn't even theirs. In comparison to the children, they dont have an ideal way of expressing
themselves. They don't have that voice that'll stand up for them.
Being obligated to do something isn't an act of freedom. When one is obligated, they
feel the pressure to have to keep silent and to obey. "This evening he almost would have
preferred to keep his feelings hidden, But it was....against the rules"( Lowry 9). This shows
how their government applies the pressure of obligation to the community, to do or say
something they may not want to share. Every morning, they share their feelings and dreams
with families. The process of obligations can lead one to commit negative acts. For example, in
the United States, our government forces males to sign up for the "Selective Service System."
This is a law in the United States and if a male fails to do so, it can lead to a male doing jail
time and of being fined. If a male wants to attend a college or a University and expect to
receive Financial Aid, males must have filed registration for the selective services. This comes
to show that, the government will obligate one to register in order to receive other benefits and
curve punishments. " There has not been a draft since 1973, but the law still requires every man
living in the United States to register with the SSS within 30 days of his 18th birthday"
(Stafstrom). Many men fear that a draft like the one that occurred back in 1973, will occur once
again, forcing men living in the United States to go fight a war if they are needed. It's uncertain
whether such an act will occur again, but men are forced to register in case they are needed. In
both the novel and the U.S system, the communities are punished if they disobey their laws.
The novel The Giver, by Lois Lowry, shares similarities with our government in forms
of limitations. The ideal definition of freedom isn't obtained through a controlled system and
this is a constant problem we seem to always encounter. We are told we live in the "Land of the
Free", but when we perform an act of freedom, we are quickly stopped by a law thats enforced

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by our own government. Perhaps we may never reach the true meaning of freedom, but at the
end of the day it'll be a constant battle that will be taken care, both verbally and with action.

Annotated Bibliography
Bohon, Stephanie A, Monica Kirkpatrick Johnson, and Bridget K Gorman. "College Aspirations
and Expectations Among Latino Adolescents in the United States." Social Problems, 53.2
(2006): 207-225.
This article explains how the educational expectations for Latino adolescents in the U.S is
different to those of different races. It can vary by the income that their parents make.
This article is peer reviewed and is a scholarly article from One Search. I will be able to
apply this source to my first body paragraph, where I will write on how society enforces
education and how families bring an impact to that. There is a comparison with The
Giver because they value the jobs that are given to them.
Lawrence, Elizabeth. "The Familyschool Interaction: School Composition and Parental
Educational Expectations in the United States." British Educational Research Journal,
41.2 (2015): 183-209.
This article talks about the academic expectations that families have for their children.
Education is seen as a must and prize jewel in the United States. Families feel the right to
support their children in pursuing a higher education because, at the end of the day, an
education is needed to obtain a stable and well-paid job. The school support is also
beneficial to the success of students. I found this article using the CSUN Oviatt Library
One Search resource. This article will be beneficial in order to show how society's

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expectations on education is valued highly. It will reflect to those in The Giver, with the
jobs that children are assigned at "The Ceremony of Twelve."
Lowry, Lois. The Giver. New York, New York: Dell Laurel-Leaf, 1993. Print.
Stafstrom, Carl E. "Counseling Youth About Military Service Options and Selective Service
Registration: An Integral Part of Anticipatory Guidance of Adolescents." Pediatrics,
119.6 (2007): 1199-1203.
The article provides information concerning the Selective Service Registration. It
provides all sorts of information's such as: who has to apply, how it's mandatory and also
at what age males are required to register. It also includes history from past experiences
that led to the draft in the United States. This is a scholarly and peered reviewed article,
found using One Search. This article will give the ideal comparison as to how the people
of The Giver, are forced and obligated to share their dreams every morning.
Vopat, Mark C. "Mandatory School Uniforms and Freedom of Expression." Ethics and
Education, 5.3 (2010): 203-215.
The article talks about the injustice that some students receive, by having to wear the
same uniforms. Where is freedom being enforced here? Children are innocent and aren't
in their state of mind to express the way they feel about a certain thing. The article also
talks about how children aren't mature yet and they can't voice their opinion. I found this
article using the CSUN One Search section on the CSUN Oviatt Library website. This
article is useful to the connection I will make on how in The Giver, they are forced to take
a pill when getting sexual desires with their partners.

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