Human Emotions In The Giver And Precision Of Language

When unethical means are utilized to maintain or fabricate a utopia, it is instead plunged into a dystopian state. A utopia is defined as a perfect society, deemed as a paradise on Earth. The prospect of a utopia appears to be glorious and entirely worthwhile; a land devoid of dispute and profuse with tranquility is very much desirable. However, to sustain such a realm, individuality and emotions of its citizens must be foregone, so they do not behave rashly or question their circumstances. People are obligated to speak in a specific manner and essential elements of life (such as death and reproductive impulses) are veiled from them. For instance, in the novel The Giver, by Lois Lowry, the Elders - or government- resort to totalitarian rule,

For example, when Asher appeared late to school, he expressed how he got “distraught” observing a work crew separating salmon. The Instructor then reprimanded Asher, explaining how “‘“Distraught” is too strong an adjective to describe salmon-viewing’” (Lowry 5). The community eliminates strong words from characters’ vocabularies, eradicating emotional value from speech. Indeed, unique human emotions are not incorporated into the people’s psyches, reducing citizens to possess little more than animalistic traits, blindly following their government and rules. Some may claim that “precise” language is morally justifiable, as it allows for the explicit understanding of feelings, allowing the society to function smoothly. However, the reality is that “precision of language” is merely a euphemism for censorship and manipulation of speech. Terms such as “love” are expurgated and deemed “so meaningless it’s become obsolete,” as no true endearment is present (Lowry 160). With no legitimate depth of emotion, words lose their meaning, becoming hollow and useless. When the fundamental right to free speech is restricted, the state of a “utopia” must be questioned; a tyrannized realm fails to fit the definition of a paradise on Earth, as individuals are oppressed and their freedom is