The Giver: Ch 9–13

Mackenzie S. (United States of America)
Twelve-year-old Jonas lives in a regimented community that is free from pain and suffering—but also free from joy, independence, and even color. When he is appointed the community's Receiver of Memory, Jonas begins to question everything he has been taught.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Chapters 1–4, Chapters 5–8, Chapters 9–13, Chapters 14–18, Chapters 19–23

Explore other lists of The Giver Quartet here.
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. relish
    vigorous and enthusiastic enjoyment
    He imagined Benjamin, the scientific male in his group, beginning to read pages of rules and instructions with relish.
  2. compel
    force somebody to do something
    Reading it again, however, he realized that it didn’t compel him to be rude; it simply allowed him the option.
  3. deft
    skillful in physical movements; especially of the hands
    It was the same sort of speaker that occupied a place in every dwelling, but one thing about it was different. This one had a switch, which the man deftly snapped to the end that said OFF.
  4. exhilarating
    thrilling or invigorating
    The snow was piled now around it, and he pushed with his body, moving it forward, not wanting the exhilarating ride to end.
  5. tentatively
    in a hesitant manner
    Tentatively he opened his eyes—not his snow-hill-sled eyes, for they had been open throughout the strange ride. He opened his ordinary eyes, and saw that he was still on the bed, that he had not moved at all.
  6. obsolete
    no longer in use
    It wasn’t a practical thing, so it became obsolete when we went to Sameness.
  7. admonition
    cautionary advice about something imminent
    He was very aware of his own admonition not to discuss his training.
  8. wry
    humorously sarcastic or mocking
    Then he smiled wryly. “You’ve come very quickly to that conclusion,” he said. “It took me many years. Maybe your wisdom will come much more quickly than mine.”
  9. sparse
    not dense or plentiful
    There were tufts of sparse grass, a few bushes and rocks, and nearby he could see an area of thicker vegetation: broad, low trees outlined against the sky.
  10. assimilate
    take up mentally
    “They really suffered for a while. Finally it subsided as the memories were assimilated. But it certainly made them aware of how they need a Receiver to contain all that pain. And knowledge."
    "Assimilate" also means "make alike" or "become like one's environment" (Latin "similis" means "like"), which would be a desirable action in a community that "went to Sameness." The Giver is not exactly sure what happened to the memories when they were released, and he doesn't explain how they got assimilated. They couldn't go back to him, so they could have somehow just slowly blended into space and into the people's minds so that they were no longer shockingly different images and emotions.
  11. exempt
    freed from or not subject to an obligation or liability
  12. requisition
    an authoritative demand
  13. furnish
    provide with objects or articles that make a room usable
  14. emboss
    raise in a relief
  15. deftly
    in an agile manner
Created on Mon Sep 09 11:16:57 EDT 2024 (updated Mon Mar 09 09:07:54 EDT 2026)

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