Similarities Between The Randy Pausch And The Giver

The Last Lecture and The Giver Comparison

Paul Bilbrey

King University Two characters that share similarities are Randy Pausch in The Last Lecture and The Giver in The Giver. Both men took an active role in passing on important knowledge to other people. They were very wise in that they could see the potential in others long before those individuals could see it in themselves. There was also a strong devotion to vocation with both of them. Ultimately, Pausch and The Giver knew that their time was limited so they needed to ready their successors. First and foremost, both Pausch and The Giver were both teachers in their own respects. Pausch taught at the University of Virginia, and The Giver was teaching Jonas to be the next Receiver. Their biggest task was ensuring that their students were successful long after they had moved beyond their training. According to Pausch (2008), “in the end, educators best serve students by helping them be more self-reflective” (p. 112). Pausch gave his best when educating his students. He wanted to ensure their education was top notch so that they would be work ready upon graduation.

This is comparable to what The Giver does for Jonas. He is trying to help Jonas realize things that he had been unaware of his whole life. According to Lowry

Where Pausch wanted to leave memories for his family and others, The Giver’s memories were solely for Jonas. According to Lowry (1993) The Giver states, “so there will be a whole part of your life which you won’t be able to share with a family” (p. 129). The Giver is talking about the literature and memories Jonas will inherit as the new Receiver. Jonas was curious if The Giver had a family to which he informed Jonas that he would have to keep aspects of his Assignment a secret from them. These memories were for him to bear so that the people of the community did not have