"It was almost December and Jonas was beginning to be frightened." This was the chilling opening sentence of Chapter 1, the Giver. Right away the sentence intrigues you and questions start to form. Why is Jonas frightened? What is so bad about December? When hearing this sentenced I imagined Jonas being in the middle of something (A class in school, a sport, at home ect) and his mind is distracted. Then, he realizes that December is coming and he is struck with fear. Maybe he all of the sudden becomes alert, or his heart rate quickens and his breath gets faster. This makes me feel frightened as well. Although Jonas is a fictional character in a fictional book, the opening sentence immediately makes me worried for him, even if he is not real. This sentence creates a dark tone for the book. I believe that this book will be darker and more mature than what we are used to. From this sentence and the first chapter, the book takes place in a fantasy world where we walk through Jonas's shoes. So many things from his world are extremely different from our world. Terms, people, way of life, birth and even death stuck out to me and made me compare my life to his. Never the less I am excited to read the next chapters of The Giver and find out why the Ceremony of Twelfths is so nerve racking.
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