The Giving tree

Here's a lesson that I did with my third year students. Or...I think they're third years but I don't really have a clear idea. We read "The Giving Tree" in class and tried to listen to the following audio (spoken in very slow english, ideal for our students) but technology doesn't like me. Maybe it will work better for you: http://www.voanews.com/specialenglish/archive/2008-01/2008-01-06-voa1.cfm. VOA, in general, is an awesome source for audio clips and the likes. Here are some of the questions I asked:
Giving/taking
• Did the tree give too much? Is the boy happy in the end of the story? The text always says the tree was happy except for when the boy moved far away. Do you believe that she really was happy? Can the Tree be happy in such a diminished state? How would you explain the tree’s happiness? Is this how you would define happiness? Who are we to judge someone else’s happiness?

• Describe the codependent relationship between the Tree and the boy.


• How would you characterize the boy’s love for the Tree?

The stages of the boy’s life
• Describe the boy’s relationship with the Tree. How does it change over time? Consider what he takes from the tree as he ages. Does he ever give back? Why is this significant?

• Compare and contrast the life stages of the boy with those of the Tree. What does this signify?


Parental relationships
• The tree, unlike most parents, never faces the moment in which the boy asks for something that she cannot provide. Is this a realistic portrayal of parenthood or is this relationship a mixture of the human and divine? Should parents aim to be like The Giving Tree, giving, bending, breaking themselves down until they no longer are physically there? Did the Tree spoil the boy? Has she failed as a mother? Or is this a beautiful story of the ultimate parenthood? Do you aspire to be like the tree, to have nothing left but a stump in old age?

• Why does the boy keep coming back to the tree? Is it because he is greedy or because he truly loves her? Clearly, the tree loves the boy, and it is this love that allows him to come and go so many times.


• Is the tree victorious in the end? The boy stays with her, but can she enjoy his presence?

Language of the story:
• What is the significance of the ellipses?
o “And the tree was happy/…but not really”
o “Then you can/Sail away…/And be happy.”
o “I wish I could give you something…/But I have nothing left to give/I am just an old stump/I am sorry…”

• The Boy never grows up, and the reader never knows his name. Why?

The lesson went well because it's a very simple story (linguistically speaking) with a lot of interesting themes/issues to discuss afterwards.