In chapters 16 - 18, it was about some of the memories and the free time that Jonas had. These three chapters relate to the theme of freedom and choice. My reasons are based on evidence from the book.

My first evidence is that when The Giver shared hist favorite memory with Jonas, the one about Christmas, it was such a sonderful time. It had love, joy, happiness, and relationships tooo. It was a type of freedom that Jonas experienced THese feelings were such flexible feelings, that it gave Jonas so much freedom. He had the freedom and choice of who to love and not love. In chapter 18, it describes about the unexpected holiday. At that point Jonas had another choice too. He could go anywhere, do whatever he wanted to do. With all the feelings from the memories, he might have had a better time with his friends, and understand things more too.

The Giver

Would you want your future to be decided by others? Why or why not?

No, I wouldn't. Even though the community the Jonas lives in a "perfect" community, and the Assignments given were carefully chosen by the elders, it is always us who know ourselves the best. They might be carefully chosen, but just by observation and not communicating at all isn't enough to limit or decide someone else's future, especially for the rest of their lives. There can be some mis-understanding or whatever Assignment someone gets might not be the one that they have always hoped for. Evidence is from the book, when Jonas was standing there in the Ceremony of Twelve. He wanted to shout out "NO", that they chose the wrong person, and just run off the stage. I wouldn't that to happen to me. I'd rather choose what I want to be, and I'd rather be the one who is in control of my own future.