The Giver, a film currently in theatres, has several applicable lessons for Catholic teens. Based on the book by Lois Lowry, the setting is a dystopian society of the future where all of society's bad memories have been erased for a sterile world where language is monitored, roles are assigned, and the disabled--both young and old--are euthanized. Check out several reviews of the movie from Catholic sources:
You may wish to offer viewing the movie as an extra credit assignment in addition to having the students write their own reviews.
An additional lesson to consider from The Giver: Like the movie, the Church also has an official "Receiver of Memories" in her Magisterium. However, point out the key difference: while the Receiver of Memories in The Giver was to keep the memories of the past secret, the Pope and bishops, as successors of the Apostles who were commissioned by Christ himself, are charged with authentically sharing the sacred memories of the past while applying them to the world today with all.
1 Comment
Sugrue
April 13, 2025 at 8:44am
The Giver should not be taught until possibly grade 12, and it certainly is not necessary. Plato’s allegory of the cave should be taught. Intellectual comprehension varies greatly amongst kids and to teach The Giver in a productive manner it requires deep understanding. Otherwise you are dangerously normalizing human indignity with being the school where the kid first learns of suicide, infanticide. keep in mind that they are not smart enough to drive a car until 16. At the very least you could hope for is that the student will get nightmares from the lesson. No one is conveying what their productive goal is here.