Describe two times in the past when The Giver used his memories to advise the Committee of Elders in Chapter 14.

The Giver advised the committee on expanding the population and dealing with the jet plane that flew over the community. 

Jonas asks The Giver what the purpose of the memories is, because he has difficulty with the painful ones.  The Giver explains to Jonas that the memories give them wisdom, and that the community needs to be able to ask for advice. 

An example The Giver demonstrates is when the Elders considered adding more members to the population, and giving some family units an additional child.  The Giver reflects, and experiences memories of starvation and warfare.  He does not tell the Committee this, he just advises them. 

"They don't want to hear about pain. They just seek the advice. I simply advised them against increasing the population." (Ch. 14) 

The Committee members have no idea where the wisdom comes from.  They just know that the Receiver of Memory knows things they don’t.  It is a position of honor, but not power.  They listen to his advice, and then make their own choices. 

Another example is the jet plane that flew over the community.  It was an accident, because a pilot in training was lost.  The Committee had asked The Giver for advice then too. 

“… They prepared to shoot it down. But they sought my advice. I told them to wait."

"But how did you know? How did you know the pilot was lost?"

"I didn't. I used my wisdom, from the memories. I knew that there had been times in the past--terrible times--when people had destroyed others in haste, in fear, and had brought about their own destruction." (Ch. 14) 

In this case, the plane was not shot down.  The pilot was still released.  He committed an error the community considered unforgivable and had to be punished.  Since no one in the community has memories of death, they have no idea what they are doing when they release someone.