Progress Is Not Possible Without Sacrifice

In the book, “The Giver” by Lois Lowry, Jonah, the protagonist, and all the members of the community lives a “perfect” live with total security. Everyone is assured a job and all insecurities and choices were eliminated such as music, color and even family members. Nevertheless, Jonah was willing to sacrifice this perfect, black and white world for a life of freedom and choice after discovering so much after given the job of the giver. In the end, when he tried to escape from the community for a hunt for freedom, he was starving and exhausted, but happy because he thought he heard music.

“The Hunger Games” expresses a lot of this theme. For example, when Katniss’s younger sister, Prim was chosen to be in the survival game, Katniss sacrifice herself and volunteered. Katniss knew that Prim was not able to win so Katniss joined to be a tribute to save her sister and maybe win. Fortunately, in the end, Katniss won. Without sacrificing herself in the beginning, she might have lost her sister and have a losing district again.

At the end of July 1941, during the time of the Nazis, there were a few escape attempts of Jews. And because of that, 10 men were chosen by the deputy camp commander to be starved to death. When one of the men was selected, he cried out for his family and Maximilian Kolbe volunteered to go even though they didn’t even know each other. Being a Catholic Priest, he led the men in singing and prayers everyday until he was injected carbolic acid and died. With Kolbe, the imprisoned men gained some hope of getting out and receiving help from God. At a moment like that, hope and faith can make the difference of life and death.