Language is communication and expression of meanings and thoughts... But, how about literature? There should be no right or wrong answer to how one understands a written text. This was the main idea behind this project, conducted by our D Class students; we read a popular story in class and students were asked to provide their own interpretation regarding the symbolisms and the deeper meaning of the story.
Summary“The Giving Tree” is a story written by Shel Silverstein. The narrator talks about a tree and a boy who loved each other. The boy was growing up and his way of thinking changed. He wanted money instead of a friend so, he asked the tree to give him some and the tree gave him apples. The boy took the apples, sold them to make money and left.He came back again after a very long time and, this time, he wanted to start a family so, he needed a house. He asked the tree to give him one and the tree gave the boy its branches to make a house.The boy left once more for a long time and he came back after many years. He wanted to travel away in the sea so, he needed a boat. He asked the tree to give him a boat and the tree gave him its trunk to make one. The boy left again...The years went by and the boy returned to the tree one day. The tree couldn’t give him anything else to the boy, although it wanted to make the boy happy. But the tree was now nothing more than a stump. The boy didn’t want anything more as he was too old and too tired. He only wanted a place to sit and rest. So the tree said: “Come boy! Come and sit down on my stump, rest and be happy!”. And the tree was happy...In my opinion, the story shows the exploitation of the environment by man. People always ask for more and more, usually by taking advantage of nature. Until when? Very soon the water on the planet will run out, as well as oil. Governments should take that into consideration and change direction. Apart from that, the story of the tree and the boy could symbolise the friendship between two people or the relationship between a child and its mother and how one takes advantage of the other. But, it all depends on each person’s personal perspective...Chris Sp.In my opinion, the story is about people’s relationships. As I was watching this story, I felt sad because it brought out a lot of emotions. The story symbolizes people who care only about themselves and don’t consider other people’s feelings and needs.Alex P.I think that the story talk about friendships and what true friends are like. The story made me feel touched and I felt a bit strange because the tree was happy even when the boy went away from it. I believe that the message is that friends should stand by each other through good times and bad...Konstantina H.In my view, the story is about family and our parentswho always try to give us everything. But, children usually don’t stop asking for more so, parents give all they have until they have nothing more to offer. Therefore, the deeper meaning is to stop asking for more. Our parents try to do the best they can and provide us with anything we want until they are no longer with us. The story tries to teach us how to be happy with the things we already have and be thankful for our parents. But, nowadays, a lot of young people aren’t happy with that. They want more material things and forget about the things that really matter.Dimitra Ts.This story is really emotional and I think that it has many symbolisms about life and nature. First of all, that we don’t respect nature and all the things it provides us with. Instead, we destroy the environment and our surroundings. Another symbolism is that people, as they grow older, stop wanting as many things. They need friendship and love instead of material things. I think that when you become older, you start thinking that no one really needs your help, that you are not useful anymore and you see things differently than when you were younger. The only thing that you want is to rest peacefully.Fotis X.I believe that the deeper meaning of this story has to do with friendship. The way I see it, the tree symbolises a friend who is always there for you. The boy who grows up to be a man symbolises all people who, as the time passes and they grow older, they need different things at different stages of their life and they ask their closest friends to help them get them but, without doing anything in return for them. In the end, I think that true friendship is more valuable than anything that money can buy.Thanos L.In my opinion, the tree symbolises God who gives us everything but people only keep asking for more and more. They don’t like what they have and, most importantly, they don’t appreciate what they have, such as their health. The boy symbolises an ordinary person who isn’t happy with his life.Kostas S.In my view, the story isn’t just about a boy and a tree but it’s really about giving things to people who really need them. I believe that the tree symbolises a person who has money and other goods he/she can give to others, whereas the boy symbolises people who are in need because they don’t have money. The story on the whole is quite emotional and I felt touched as, the deeper meaning is to share the things you have with those who need them, in order to make yourself and others happy.Nefeli A.In my opinion, the boy represents modern children and the tree represents parents. We always ask them for things and they give us all they have. But, we never give anything back in return... We just keep on asking and we feel that we never have enough but, as we get older, we realise that what we did was wrong. Also, I think that the fact that the tree was happy when giving the boy what he wanted is the same as what our parents feel; they are happy when we are happy.
| My camera If somebody asked me , 'What is your favourite gadget ?' I would definitely say, 'My camera of course!' I love it ! I take it with me on every trip I go with my family and I always try to take amazing pictures. Why is it so important to me ? It makes me feel I've got something only for myself. The shots I take are not just nice to see them but they also have sentimental value for me. Not only that, you can save yourself from an animal attack by using a camera! How can you do that ? Well, there was a photography team who went to a forest to take some pictures for a magazine. Suddenly, a wolf appeared in front of them and they started shooted him. It couldn't see anything because of the flash and it ran away from them. Finally, I believe that it is a useful gadget and helps you remember moments of the past by looking at old photos. What do you think ? Do you agree ? Nina Fragou Dclass, Davari |
