The Giving Tree

The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein is one of my favorite books of all times. This was shared by Mrs. Elliott a while ago. Basically the story revolves around a boy and an apple tree. Year after year, the little boy comes to the tree and asks for something from it. The tree, without any complaints, selflessly sacrfices itself in order to make the boy happy.

I don't necessarily agree with the "devoted"love of the apple tree. The most important message I got out of this books is this: when we face our loved ones who are ungrateful, like the boy in the story, do we need to dedicate so much of ourselves to them to a point that we have sacrificed everything we have for them.  I feel like at times love like this can be harmful to the person providing it (the tree) and the person receiving it (the boy). In our society, if one loves oneself more than others, then that person is often labeled as being selfish.

In the final scene of the book, we see the little boy, now an old man, sit on the trunk of the dying tree. We don't know if the boy is thankful or regretful. The heartfelt writing and illustrations allow the readers to reexamine what the "right" kind of love may be. Although the book can be read in 5 minutes, it is worth rereading over and over again.

Of Mice and Men

For my 20th century novel I decided to reread Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck. This is one of the few books I read at school that I truly enjoyed.

Lennie is an innocent big guy with the mind of a child. He depends on his friends, George, who is a quick-witted man. The two friends, like other migrant workers, move from one place to another as they search for farms that can provide them with job opportunities. Despite of this unstable lifestyle, Lennie and George have a beautiful dream--and that is to earn enough money so they can buy a land and have all kinds of animals, including Lennie's favorite rabbits. Because of Lennie's love for soft objects, he accidentally kills Curly's wife. Knowing what horrible consequences Lennie would have to face, George takes Lennie to the forest and there he retells all the wonderful details of their dream. With Lennie fully captivated by the bright future they envisioned together, George kills him.

The ending of this book definitely surprised me. I would have never imagined that the story would end with a twist like this. I think that in a way Lennie is fortunate that he died in George's hands. He is able to live his last moments with such a joyful and hopeful attitude. I cannot imagine what went through George's mind when he finally pulls the trigger. Not only was he ending the life of his only companion, he was also throwing away him and Lennie's big dream that once kept him motivated in life.

Of Mice and Men is a fast read with a deep messsage that kept me thinking for a long time. The portrayal of the characters' psychological states is extremely detailed and powerful. I would definitely recommend this book to everyone.

The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch

The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch is a book that I read this year as a part of our individual reading project. It was recommened by my former middle school teacher, who said that it changed her views about life and that it would challenge me to think about the purpose of my life. The book, written by a young professor diagnosed with terminal cancer, contains many life lessons.

This book has impacted me in so many different ways. Although it may not be a book with literary merit or extremely sophisticated sentences and vocabulary, the author's writing style makes it easy for the readers to establish a connection with him. With a lighthearted tone, Pausch shares his positive outlook on life and death. He wrote, "We cannot change the cards we are dealt, just how we play the hand." After reading this book, I hope I will be able to cope with not only death, but with all the difficulties I may encounter in the future with courage.

"Hope is a Thing With Feathers"

For my poetry video, I picked "Hope is a Thing With Feathers" by Emily Dickinson. I really like this poem because unlike most poetry, it is very easy to understand. This poem also has a positive and encouraging message.

Hope is the thing with feathers
That perches in the soul,
And sings the tune--without the words,
And never stops at all,

And sweetest in the gale is heard;
And sore must be the storm
That could abash the little bird
That kept so many warm.

I've heard it in the chillest land,
And on the strangest sea;
Yet, never, in extremity,
It asked a crumb of me.

By comparing hope to a bird, Dickinson is able to describe an abstract idea with a concrete example. Hope is a bird and its sweet song is the voice of hope. Hope is described as a precious and essential element in life as it selflessly provides warmth to people. Despite of this poem's simplicity in its structure and vocabulary, the ideas mentioned have a much deeper meaning. With her straightfoward style, Dickinson encourages the readers to always keep an optimistic attitude even when faced with obstacles in life. 

Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro

The novel Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro is written from a first person point of view of the main character, Kathy. With an almost detached and neutral tone, Kathy recounts her memories at the boarding school, Hailsham, and her life as a carer later on.

The story is split into three parts and from hints and details provided by Kath, the readers realize that Hailsham is not an ordinary school and its students are different too. Much later in the story it is revealed that the students, including Kathy, are human clones that are raised to become organ donors. These clones are secluded from the outside world and spend their entire childhood at Hailsham, where they are trained to become donors one day.

The novel is constructed in a way that shows Ishiguro’s thoughts on the idea of imperialism. Like Kathy and her friends, most people live a life that is dictated by a small group of people in power. Through the story of these clones, Ishiguro criticizes those arrogant authorities present in the society today.

In the novel, each Hailsham student is created as lonely individuals controlled by the society. Their emotions are suppressed and their ability to dream has been taken away from them. In the last section, we see Kathy and Tommy, also a student from Hailsham, regain the courage to love and request for a deferral. Although it was too late to change anything, their action showed Ishiguro’s belief that love is powerful enough to overcome the darkness of humanity.