EnglishClub

Pre-listening vocabulary

• dystopia: an oppressive society where people are treated badly
• utopia: a perfect world
• maintain: to keep something in its current state
• restrict: to stop people from doing or accessing something
• memory: something that is remembered from the past
• ban: to stop allowing something

Listening activity

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Gapfill exercise

The Giver is a dystopian novel written by American Lois Lowry. It was published in 1993. The story follows a boy named Jonas who is growing up in a futuristic community. The community is supposed to be a utopia, without war, , or pain. However, it maintains by restricting choice and , and killing anyone who doesn’t fit in. When Jonas is 12 years old, he learns the truth about the community from a man called the Giver, who holds all the memories of the . The Giver is often taught in schools to older children and teenagers. However, it is also one of the most commonly banned books in the United States. 

Comprehension questions

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Discussion/essay questions

1. Why do you think The Giver is commonly banned?
2. Do you think there is ever a good reason to ban a book? Why or why not?

Transcript

The Giver is a dystopian novel written by American author Lois Lowry. It was published in 1993. The story follows a boy named Jonas who is growing up in a futuristic community. The community is supposed to be a utopia, without war, hunger, or pain. However, it maintains peace by restricting choice and knowledge, and killing anyone who doesn’t fit in. When Jonas is 12 years old, he learns the truth about the community from a man called the Giver, who holds all the memories of the past. The Giver is often taught in schools to older children and teenagers. However, it is also one of the most commonly banned books in the United States.