LitCharts Teacher Editions. This Study Guide consists of approximately 62 pages of chapter summaries, quotes, character analysis, themes, and more - everything you need to sharpen your knowledge of Gathering Blue. By using our site, you acknowledge that you have read and understand our. In the introduction to Lois Lowry's Gathering Blue audio book and in an interview with Scholastic (see below), the author hints at why she wrote the book. At the same time, it’s apparently a society with almost no compassion—it seems as if no one will be taking care of Kira after her mother’s death, even though she’s a child. Kira's mother, Katrina, had a special and valuable talent. Suggestions Use up and down arrows to review and enter to select. This is a gruesome way to begin a children’s book! Fortunately for Kira, she is very skilled at weaving. Babies born with deformities such as Kira's crooked leg are almost always taken away from the mother and left in the field outside the village to die; it is the Way of her people. Search all of SparkNotes Search. In the Edifice, she meets a boy, Thomas the Carver, who carves the Singer’s staff. Both Kira's grandfather and her mother are respected people in the village. Women are expected to work as laborers, produce children, and little else. Matt says that he recognizes the child, Jo, from the Fen—Jo is a highly gifted singer who mysteriously vanished. Plot Summary. Thus, after Kira’s parents die, she has no protection, money, or property left to her. Copyright © FreeBookNotes.com 2014-2020. Before he leaves, he gives Kira woad, the plant that produces the color blue, and a handful of blue threads he pulled from his shirt. Kira's grandfather had once been a member of the Council of Guardians, the ruling body of the village. Even though she’s lame, she makes up for it with her intelligence and strong fingers. © 2020 eNotes.com, Inc. All Rights Reserved. In order to master the art of weaving completely, Kira will go to the cott of an old woman named Annabella, who also taught Katrina how to weave. We also begin to see why Kira is compassionate: as a child, she never played, due to her leg. A dystopian society is usually understood as a... How does the society in Gathering Blue maintain itself and control its citizens? Matt shows himself to be a useful informant for the first but not the last time in the novel. As such, the style and content of each review will vary. Performance & security by Cloudflare, Please complete the security check to access. Before leaving to collect more fire twigs. (Beacham's Guide to Literature for Young Adults). Cliff Notes ™, Cliffnotes ™, and Cliff's Notes ™ are trademarks of Wiley Publishing, Inc. SparkNotes ™ and Spark Notes ™ are trademarks of Barnes & Noble, Inc. You may need to download version 2.0 now from the Chrome Web Store. Kira saves her own life by reminding them that the penalty for taking a life without the Council’s approval is death. Kira returns to the Edifice, prepared to weave blue into the robe and certain that the future is in her hands. Kira is a teenage girl with a twisted leg who lives in a society that is unforgiving to the crippled. Kira has been to the Edifice before for the Gathering, an annual ceremony that every villager must attend. Run by Focus on the Family, pluggedin.com reviews books from a conservative Christian perspective. With Matt’s help, Kira gathers her remaining possessions from her cott and moves into the Council Edifice. Kira, Thomas, and Jo sit in special chairs. Villagers who become handicapped, either through injury or disease, and children who are born with physical imperfections are almost always condemned to death. Christopher makes plans to take Kira back to the new community he’s joined, and then goes with Matt to rest in a safe place. We also get the first signs of her artistic abilities, which will quickly become the focal point of the novel. As such, reviews cover both the plot and quality of the title, as well as the quality of the audiobook narration. If you are on a personal connection, like at home, you can run an anti-virus scan on your device to make sure it is not infected with malware. 2 by Lois Lowry ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 1, 2000. It is customary for anyone born crippled to be thrown into the Field, where they are killed by the Beasts. The original text plus a side-by-side modern translation of. Sites with a book review or quick commentary on Gathering Blue by Lois Lowry. While the guardians and their functions are rather mysterious to Kira, she... eNotes.com will help you with any book or any question. Kira lives in a village where the sick and weak are dragged off to die in the Field of the Living; after they die, someone is required to watch the spirit leave the dead body for the next four days. 1984 George Orwell. As the Singer sings the narrative, he points to corresponding places on the Robe where the story is embroidered. Kira's mother ignores this custom and raises her anyway. They use force to protect their secret. are 2 Full Study Guides, 2 Short Summaries and 5 Book Reviews. Gathering Blue is the 2nd book in the Giver quartet. On a lower floor of the Edifice, the four of them hear Jamison talking to a small child in an angry tone. ), the resources below will generally offer Gathering Blue chapter summaries, quotes, and analysis of themes, characters, and symbols. Jamison argues that Kira should be allowed to stay, both because she is the granddaughter of a former chief guardian and because she is an accomplished weaver. Like Kira, Thomas keeps a small object he made as a tyke: a beautiful wooden carving. The Council must choose whether Kira is allowed to continue living in their society or is thrown into the Field. Your IP: 188.166.99.171 Start your 48-hour free trial to unlock this Gathering Blue study guide and get instant access to the following:. Ironically, Kira is a little disappointed that her mother’s death doesn’t merit a mass-burning—at least a mass-burning would bring the community together. That night, Kira remembers what she saw at the Gathering: a heavy chain around the Singer’s leg. Her only friend is a boy named Matt, a one syllable boy.