If knowledge is power and ignorance is bliss, which is better?
In The Giver, Jonas and The Giver are the only 2 community members who are granted the POWER of KNOWLEDGE. The community remains ignorant. Think about how this relates to real life and the question above. You may want to use some of the quotes from The Giver below.
The Giver: "Everyone had access to the memories... It was chaos," he said. "They really suffered for a while... But it certainly made them aware of how they need a Receiver to contain all that pain. And knowledge" (Lowry 104).
The Giver: "I used my wisdom, from the memories. I knew that there had been times in the past -terrible times- when people had destroyed others in haste, in fear, and had brought about their own destruction" (Lowry 112).
About Jonas: "That he had this power frightened him" (Lowry 117).
The Giver, on the community: "They can't help it. They know nothing" (Lowry 153).
The Giver: "My work will be finished... when I have helped the community to change and become whole" (Lowry 161).
it is actually a balance because ignorance makes you happy but knowledge makes you big and powerful. though, i think knowledge weighs a little bit more because with it you can change things, you can make things happen. you can make people sad as you can make them happy. it is actually one of the things that make life interesting. everybody says that money cant buy everything but know a days those stuff are very few and less demanded than before. now a days we all depend on money even though it is hard to say.
ReplyDelete-Gaby
Actually knowledge is bad, cause when we learn more we dammaged more the enviroment and the people, like gaby said " we make them feel bad but we can make them feel happy" TRUE.... We decide ... like a quote says ... "Our Sadness can be the Happiness of the other" This means that very day there's someone that need something and we may have it... And maybe we can give it to him/her to make their day better :D
ReplyDelete-Valerie
My comment got erased TT^TT now I have to think again...
ReplyDeleteAhem.. Gaby is 100% right! Knowledge & Ignorance balance in what we call this 'world'. But the ugly truth is that once we have some knowledge, we always want MORE! We're never satisfied with what we have... as we learn more; we want more; and mostly, that 'more' is power. That's why there's always conflicts between countries!
-Maria A :3
People say that ignorance is bliss because you don't know that you're ignorant so you live happily but when you realize all the bad stuff just like Jonas did, you become unhappier and you want to escape but you can't escape this world, unfortunately...
ReplyDeleteBye!
Danie Eli
The answer is simple. Ignorance is better, because even thought you don't know much, you have a simple life without worring and big problems.
ReplyDeletenavy
Well, when you know everything, you "know" more things to care about = more stress; that's why stupid people are always happy. It's like poor people, they are happy with what they have, they can live with what they've got. But people who have a lot of money always care about their goods and how to keep them or get more and more.
ReplyDeleteKnowledge is something that make people responsible for their acts because they know what's wrong and what's right; but if you are ignorant you don't know what's wrong or right so you don't have any responsibility for your acts.
It's better knowledge because you know more things; I wish I knew things I know now, but I was Ignorant.
-Victor Vargas-
I think they both in their way are good and bad.
ReplyDeleteIf everyone were to be ignorant they will be happy and enjoy life with what they have but, some one, one day will see something new and will be less ignorant which mean will get knowledge and be "superior", but if only one was ignorant will be criticized and will discover there is something better, so will end with knowledge.
But, the other way around, if everyone would have knowledge everyone will be powerful and would always want something better and if one has more knowledge, automatically the other with less will be considered ignorant.
So in conclusion non of them is better, they both have the same level, and I guess everyone should just take advantage and accept what they got: if the "bliss" or the "power"
Charyl
I agree with Victor, but to me they are both good, like Gaby said. Because sometimes being an ignorant can help you through life, like if someone making an offense to you, if ¿you have the ability to be ignorant then you won't care about what they say and move one. But, if you don't have that ability of being ignorant, then you would be ruined, sad, or angry.
ReplyDeleteKnowledge is good and bad, good in the sense that we have to know something, we can't be dumb forever. And bad, in the sense that when people get to know something, they want more and more knowledge...
Ignorance is better.
Marla Moreta <3
well the answer is pretty easy. ignorance is way better than knowledge. because ignorance you can learn it quickly. and beside we all like ignorance because we don like to learn....
ReplyDeleteLUIS ESTEPAN
ReplyDeleteYou don't like to learn? Hmmm...
ReplyDeleteI have to say, I was pretty surprised at the comments so far... they tended to lean towards the idea that a Giver-style community would be "better", in other words, it is better to be ignorant and just be happy with what you have. Were the community members "happy"? Precision of language??
The reason this surprises me is because "your generation" (I feel so old saying that!) uses SO MUCH knowledge that I did not even have the option to have access to "when I was your age" (Okay! I'm old... but young at heart). In 8th grade, I did not have internet or a cell phone, let alone a smart phone. If I wanted to research something, I walked to the library after school to use an encyclopedia (like a real printed BOOK, not wikipedia). No one had facebook, we had non-digital cameras that we used to take pictures, turned in the film to get developed, and made copies of the good ones to exchange with our friends. In other words, my ACCESS to knowledge and the exchange of information in 8th grade (1996) was very limited compared to the wealth of knowledge you have at your fingertips today. Does that mean I had a better experience in 8th grade because I was "more ignorant" than you?
Check out this video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cL9Wu2kWwSY
It's called "Did You Know?" You will be surprised how quickly information has grown over the past few years!
<3 (Youthful) Ms. Nyitray
well, for me, i cant be ignorant. i like to know whats going on. but i do hate little american teenagers cheering the death of a figure they created. they know nothing this literaly means america created its worst enemy and most there people dont even know it.
ReplyDeletethatguy47
Actually, for me knowledge is better than ignorance. It's hard to say it, but smart phones are damaging people now a days, it doesn't bring knowledge to use. By the electronic devices we become more ignorant; we don't mind what other people are telling us just because we have our minds in gossip or the things we do in the cellphone(most of the times). I think knowledge is better, because it brings themes up for people to talk about and it progresses our mind and puts our mind to work; but few people are interested now a days to come up with an interesting theme. People are becoming more ignorant now by the devices they have because their minds are not paying attention to what others are talking about, they're just paying attention to what they're doing on the cellphone.
ReplyDeleteThe Givers' way to express "They can't help it. They know nothing" is not similar, but it's not different of what's happening now. People are not putting their minds to study on the right track, they just do it because it's necessary, but they're not interested on what they do (some people, not everyone). In The Giver it's different because they're destinated that way; they have no knowledge because it will make others to think a lot and it may bring up discussions etc.. but in The Giver it's not wrong, because that's the way it should be in their community.
~Camille Espaillat <3
Ignorance is easier and better , because if you dont know a lot you can have a easier life without precupations and problems. IGNORANCE IS YOUR NEW BEST FRIEND ;)
ReplyDeleteJORGE
Ignorance is good to forget about some things and ignore some problems you may have in your life. but knowledge it's what makes you know whats going on and what happens in the world surrounding you. so you should know what's going on but be able to ignore the irrelevant
ReplyDelete-Jennifer Melo
yes i agree with you meloflow :) being ignorant sometimes is good because you are not aware of the real problems in society.. like for example what happens with the tourists in this country, they only know the great landmarks of the DR but they don't really know the poverty that the country is passing through, that is when knowledge is good, with knowledge you have the power to solve those problems in society.
ReplyDeleteAlfonso Medina
"He who knows fights, he who doesnt lives peacefully." if nobody had rights would you fight for them? If nobody knew about the "cuatro porciento" would they form a strike against the govenment? i doubt it. people defend what is theirs because they know its theirs NOT because its theirs. Theoretically if everybody forgets about rights they cease to exist and such nobody fights for them.
ReplyDelete"That which is forgotten by all ceases to exist. That which does not exist is not worth fighting for..."
Esteban Polanco
i completely agree with esteban and felipe, also if we didn't have knowledge we wouldn't have to fight for our rights, which for me if we were all ignorant life would be similar to sameness and it will be also dangerous because there would be no knowledge for people to know if there are any natural disasters approaching and we will be ... up. sometimes getting incharge of fixing the problems and fights is part of some people's jobs so it will affect them. i like knowleedge because i like to know everything that's going on, it is also topics for us to talk and discuss with our friends.in the end we should have both of them because we dont know how life will be without ignorance or knowledge.
ReplyDeletecamille luna♥
konwledge gives a certainty of ehat you really want in life. It make you be ahead of others. To get better grades at school, get a better job, make a better paper. it gives you power because it makes you superior to others. Also, people follow the one that knows the most, by this i mean that if you wnat to do something and you've got whhat you need to suceed, peplpe will follow you because they good things for themselves too. Power causes competition within those who have knowledge. You may do horrible things just to stay in power. so ignorance is bliss because you just dont know what power feels like. So being unpowerful you is your reality.
ReplyDeletei have learn a lesson in life. It is that people once they get something they want more and more, and they will bot stop till tthey get it. what people is looking for is happiness.
Which brings me to my second idea, knowledge gives you power and power makes you happy, som maybe knowldege is bliss. Life just depends on what your reality is. How you live life. what makes you happy.
-Alba Reynoso
i think knowledge is the same as power cause if you have knowledge you have power and if you have power is oviesly cause you have knowledge... knowledge however is a little better than power cause if you have power well ok good for you, but if you have knowledge you can keep growing on power
ReplyDeletemao