The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein is my all-time favorite book. Even thought it is a children book, I think that it is a book for people of all ages, for the universal themes of love, caring and sacrificing are timeless. I associate the giving tree with my grandmother, whose unconditional love and sacrifices made her my idol.
The plot and the language of the story are so simple, yet so deep. The story is about a loving relationship between a demanding little boy and a selfless tree, which made sacrifices all her life just to make the boy happy. From early childhood, the tree was giving the boy everything she had: the apples to eat, the branches to swing on, and the shade to hide from the sun. When the boy was little, his demands were quite innocent. But as the boy grew older, he became more demanding, yet the selfless tree always obliged. So, when the boy became a man he wanted to build a boat to sail away and the tree in an ultimate act of self-sacrifice let the boy cut her down and use the lumber to build his dreamboat. Many years later, when the boy became an old man he returned to the tree, which was nothing more than a stump. The tree was very sad because it had nothing left to offer the little boy. To the tree’s surprise, this time he boy wanted nothing but a quiet place to sit down and rest. Just like the good old days, the tree was more than happy to offer the little boy her stump to sit down on and rest.
This story clearly describes the selfless relationship between parents and kids, where the parents’ unconditional love to their kids propels them to give without any expectation for reciprocity. Even when the kids ask for more than the parent can offer, the parents are always willing to sacrifice every last things they have as they try to satisfy their kid’s needs.
I think this picture book is a very useful material for the high school educational setting. In English classes the teacher can use it, when studying the metaphors, symbolism, and personification and encourage students to reflect on the deeper meanings this simple book carries. It can also be a great resource for students to reflect on their often selfish and self- centered behavior and teach them to be respectful and grateful to their parents. Finally, it can also be a great resource in Health classes for teaching young adults the responsibility of parenthood and the sacrifices parents have to go through in order to satisfy their kids’ needs.
The plot and the language of the story are so simple, yet so deep. The story is about a loving relationship between a demanding little boy and a selfless tree, which made sacrifices all her life just to make the boy happy. From early childhood, the tree was giving the boy everything she had: the apples to eat, the branches to swing on, and the shade to hide from the sun. When the boy was little, his demands were quite innocent. But as the boy grew older, he became more demanding, yet the selfless tree always obliged. So, when the boy became a man he wanted to build a boat to sail away and the tree in an ultimate act of self-sacrifice let the boy cut her down and use the lumber to build his dreamboat. Many years later, when the boy became an old man he returned to the tree, which was nothing more than a stump. The tree was very sad because it had nothing left to offer the little boy. To the tree’s surprise, this time he boy wanted nothing but a quiet place to sit down and rest. Just like the good old days, the tree was more than happy to offer the little boy her stump to sit down on and rest.
This story clearly describes the selfless relationship between parents and kids, where the parents’ unconditional love to their kids propels them to give without any expectation for reciprocity. Even when the kids ask for more than the parent can offer, the parents are always willing to sacrifice every last things they have as they try to satisfy their kid’s needs.
I think this picture book is a very useful material for the high school educational setting. In English classes the teacher can use it, when studying the metaphors, symbolism, and personification and encourage students to reflect on the deeper meanings this simple book carries. It can also be a great resource for students to reflect on their often selfish and self- centered behavior and teach them to be respectful and grateful to their parents. Finally, it can also be a great resource in Health classes for teaching young adults the responsibility of parenthood and the sacrifices parents have to go through in order to satisfy their kids’ needs.
No comments:
Post a Comment