Unconditional Giving in Shel Silversteins The Giving...

The act of unconditional giving is an attribute that many cultures hold up as the highest form of love. The Giving Tree, by Shel Silverstein, is a classic childhood book that illustrates the selfless act of unconditional giving which manifests as unconditional love, between a tree and a boy. Giving by the tree, to the boy, begins in the boys childhood and continues on until he is an old man. This story is representative of the relationship between mother and child. The story opens with the young boy playing while the tree gives to the boy her shade and branches. Later, when he is a bit older, she gives him her apples to sell. After that, when the boy is a young man, she gives him her wood so he can build a house. Then as an older man,†¦show more content†¦In this childhood favorite, the story opens with the statement, Once there was a tree†¦and she loved a little boy. All that follows illustrates the love the tree has for the boy and the joy that is felt by the tree as she gives and gives to the boy. This is not unlike the relationship between a mother and a child. As a boy, the boy plays amongst the tree and finds refuge in her shade just as a mother gives of her body, time and attention to her child and her arms are a place of comfort and safety. Small children feel safest when their mother is near, and this brings joy to a mother. Later, the tree gives the boy her apples, so the boy can sell them and get money. Mothers may sacrifice and put their needs aside to help their children just as the tree gave of her apples and put her needs aside. The tree gives her branches to the boy so he can build a house and be safe and warm. There is not much a mother wont do to ensure her children are safe and warm and have a roof over their heads. Even in the end, when a mother is old and appears that she has nothing left to give, she is still a source of comfort and peace, just as the tree, now a tree stump, is to the boy when he is an old man simply lookin g for a place to rest. Mothers find joy and happiness giving to their children and wish to feel needed. Sadness comes when a child grows and appears to not need their mother any longer as he or she once did, just like the tree feels sad every time the boyShow MoreRelatedBeloved Poet, Shel Silverstein680 Words   |  3 PagesDo you remember reading comical poetry such as The Giving Tree during your childhood? Its author, Shel Silverstein, was one of the most recognizable children’s poets and poetry icons that has ever lived. He holds a household name due to the fact that despite his past he is able to help form a future in language, poetry, and the arts for the innovators of tomorrow. Silverstein’s works captured the essence of a person’s childhood and changed poetry and children’s literature forever. Sheldon AllanRead MoreShel Silverstein and The Giving Tree1342 Words   |  5 PagesThe boy then visits again asking the tree for a house so he can have a family; the tree then gives the boy her branches to provide what he wants. However, the boy does not stay, he wonders off into his own world with the tree’s branches. As the boy comes back once again the tree is just as happy as before, and although so much time has gone by and the tree has aged she still offers him the same joys he once had as a child. The boy however does not seem interested in playing in leaves instead he