To Give or Not to Give in The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein

718 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Essay on giving

In his early childhood, a boy spends his time playing with his favorite tree, climbing its trunk, and swinging from its branches. As the boy approaches adolescence, he desires money and the tree yields its apples for him to sell. At adulthood, he yearns for a home and the tree offers its branches for the man to build his home. At middle age, he asks the tree for a boat and the tree offers its trunk, which the man cuts to build his boat. During his final years, the old man asks the tree for a quiet place to sit and rest, and the tree offers its stump.
The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein is a simple story but one that poignantly illustrates the complex philosophical discussion concerning the act of giving and taking. The inimitable question: To give or not to give? The decision to give is a serious matter – a crucial question that many wealthy families will ask themselves when considering to incorporate family philanthropic goals in their wealth planning. Family giving is a choice and one that is flourishing in our communities. According to a 2012 Giving USA annual report, charitable giving grew almost 4% and corporate giving rose by 12% . Moreover, the results of the 2011 World Giving Index Report ranks the United States as the #1 most generous country in the world. These study findings clearly illustrate that, even in these hard economic times, the American spirit of generosity is alive and growing. What has changed and is currently evolving is the way individuals give. According to Matthew Bishop, co-author of the groundbreaking book Philanthropcapitalsm, wealthy families are beginning to give at an earlier age and their giving is more impact driven. So what benefits does giving offer? How can wealthy individuals ensure their fa...

... middle of paper ...

... corollary helps the preservation and legacy of the donor’s philanthropic intent.
The intent to give mindfully is an example of one’s excellence. Without rumination and the guidance of a trusted team of wealth, tax, and legal counsel, gifts may become monetary transfers that simply fulfill a lifetime gift exclusion requirement. However, working with your trusted advisors on a mission statement and your philanthropic planning can allow others to understand the motivations for giving and help the giving to be more enduring and impactful. Giving wisely transforms the lives of both giver and recipient, offering opportunities to self-actualize, develop deep connections among family members, perpetuate a multi-generational family legacy, and provide a platform for a family to communicate shared values, and use its wealth to build a meaningful bridge with their community.

Show More
Related

  • Allusions In The Giving Tree

    1292 Words  | 3 Pages

    The Giving Tree was first published in 1964 by Harper & Row and was written and illustrated by Shel Silverstein. Silverstein was a controversial children’s book author due to his long connotation with Playboy and his lack of patience around families. Despite this, Silverstein sold more than ten million copies of The Giving Tree. It remains a classic picture book. It has a prominent green cover but the words and pictures are black and white and displayed in a minimalistic way. There are many interpretations of what the actual relationship of the boy and tree is based on. A mother and son’s bond is one that always circulates through discussions, but a religious view is an interesting way to interpret this book. God is portrayed as the tree giving the young child who grows into adulthood, his unconditional love with little to no return. There are also many biblical allusions from the

    Read More

  • The Simple Gift Sparknotes

    1333 Words  | 3 Pages

    The Simple Gift is a free verse novel and a compelling story of a 16 year old boy, Billy who leaves his abusive fathers home and dull schooling life, anticipating for something better than what he left behind. He finds a home in an abandoned freight train outside a small town. He falls in love with a wealthy girl Caitlin and befriends a fellow train resident, Old Bill. Billy is voluntarily homeless but now has a future that he did not have before. This book is a life-affirming look at the characteristics of humanity, generosity and love.

    Read More

  • Morality of Giving

    1069 Words  | 3 Pages

    How much money is one morally obligated to give to relief overseas? Many In people would say that although it is a good thing to do, one is not obligated to give anything. Other people would say that if a person has more than he needs, then he should donate a portion of what he has. Peter Singer, however, proposes a radically different view. His essay, “Famine, Affluence, and Morality,” focuses on the Bengal crisis in 1971 and claims that one is morally obligated to give as much as possible. His thesis supports the idea that “We ought to give until we reach the level of marginal utility – that is, the level at which, by giving more, I would cause as much suffering to myself or my dependents as I would relieve by my gift” (399). He says that one's obligation to give to people in need half-way around the world is just as strong as the obligation to give to one's neighbor in need. Even more than that, he says that one should keep giving until, by giving more, you would be in a worse position than the people one means to help. Singer's claim is so different than people's typical idea of morality that is it is easy to quickly dismiss it as being absurd. Saying that one should provide monetary relief to the point that you are in as bad a position as those receiving your aid seems to go against common sense. However, when the evidence he presents is considered, it is impossible not to wonder if he might be right.

    Read More

  • Beggars, Homeless and the Professional Panhandling Plague

    975 Words  | 2 Pages

    Most people feel that they should help the needy in some way or another. The problem is how to help them. This problem generally arises when there is a person sitting on the side of the road in battered clothes with a cardboard sign asking for some form of help, almost always in the form of money. Yet something makes the giver uneasy. What will they do with this money? Do they need this money? Will it really help them? The truth of the matter is, it won't. However, there are things that can be done to help the needy. Giving money to a reliable foundation will help the helpless, something that transferring money from a pocket to a man's tin can will never do.

    Read More

  • The Art of Generosity: Finding the Greatness to Give [Science Fair]

    1974 Words  | 4 Pages

    Generosity. It’s what you call when you give, out of your own wealth, whether physical like money, or mental wealth, by just by smiling to someone), to others around you, or even to people halfway around the world who you have no idea exist. This can be in secret, or be publicly announced, but as long as the intention is right, the reward is immense. Many people claim to be generous, saying that they give a big chunk of their wealth to charity, but that does not necessarily mean they are doing it sincerely. They could just be giving to charity so they appear nice to the society.

    Read More

  • Cyranos De Bergerac Wealth

    1127 Words  | 3 Pages

    Through the eyes of the prosperous, a lack of wealth indicates a fault in character, while their own success is the product of self-control. Paul Buchheit, who analyzed seven different psychological studies in his article titled “Ways the Poor Are More Ethical Than the Rich,” found that “ample evidence exists to show a correlation between wealth and unethical behavior, ...wealth and a lack of empathy for others, and…wealth and unproductiveness” (Buchheit). The relationship between wealth and poor character implies that when people become rich, they start caring more about maintaining their money supply and less about the well-being of others. As wealth increases, generosity, integrity, modesty, and other positive characteristics diminish. Paul Buchheit also noted that “low-income Americans spend a much higher percentage of their income on genuine charitable giving, [with] about two-thirds of ‘charitable’ donations from the rich go[ing] to their foundations and alma maters” (Buchheit). This proves that the wealthy are generally self-absorbed because a large proportion of them, despite having an abundance of money, refrain from devoting it to those in need. When donations are made, it’s only for their own personal benefit. Because the wealthy are programmed to be self-centered, they fail to serve others with their money and instead serve

    Read More

  • Wealthy or Rich in Andrew Carnegie's Essay, Wealth

    959 Words  | 2 Pages

    A penny saved may be a penny earned, just as a penny spent may begin to better the world. Andrew Carnegie, a man known for his wealth, certainly knew the value of a dollar. His successful business ventures in the railroad industry, steel business, and in communications earned him his multimillion-dollar fortune. Much the opposite of greedy, Carnegie made sure he had what he needed to live a comfortable life, and put what remained of his fortune toward assistance for the general public and the betterment of their communities. He stressed the idea that generosity is superior to arrogance. Carnegie believes that for the wealthy to be generous to their community, rather than live an ostentatious lifestyle proves that they are truly rich in wealth and in heart. He also emphasized that money is most powerful in the hands of the earner, and not anyone else. In his retirement, Carnegie not only spent a great deal of time enriching his life by giving back; but also often wrote about business, money, and his stance on the importance of world peace. His essay “Wealth” presents what he believes are three common ways in which the wealthy typically distribute their money throughout their life and after death. Throughout his essay “Wealth”, Andrew Carnegie appeals to logos as he defines “rich” as having a great deal of wealth not only in materialistic terms, but also in leading an active philanthropic lifestyle. He solidifies this definition in his appeals to ethos and pathos with an emphasis on the rewards of philanthropy to the mind and body.

    Read More

  • Summary Of Susan Wolf The Meanings Of Lives

    1345 Words  | 3 Pages

    Even forms of human beings preforming selfless acts derives from ones desire to help others, which in a way makes that person feel importance. Blessed Teresa of Calcutta, better known as Mother Teresa, devoted her life to helping those in great need. To many these acts may appear as selfless and gallant acts that are not performed by anyone with any type of ego. Yet when taking a psychological look at why she performed such acts they may appear a somewhat more for herself. Every time anyone does anything, even when for someone else, they are doing it for some type of feeling that they experience. With the holiday season approaching, there will be a specific emphasis on giving unlike any other time of the year. We give yes to show gratitude for someone we love, but also to experience the joy in seeing someone enjoy something they them self-caused. Even while being selfless humans have the unique ability to still be doing something that involves caring for them self. This outlook toward the human condition completely debunks Wolf’s claim that “when caring about yourself you are living as if you are the center of the universe.” When choosing to do anything positive or negative, for others or for yourself, you are still taking your self-interest into consideration, making it

    Read More

  • The Importance Of Individuality In The Giver

    746 Words  | 2 Pages

    We gained control of many things. But we had to let go of others” (97). In the book The Giver by Lois Lowry, no one has seen a rainbow after a storm, no one knew what colors were; what choosing was; what it meant to be an individual. Everyone lived in complete Sameness, and never learned what it meant to be an individual. By eliminating as much self expression as possible in Sameness and society, Jonas's community has rejected the individuality of a society where people are free to move society forward. In The Giver individuality is represented by colors, memories, and pale eyes.

    Read More

  • The Virtue of Generosity by Aristotle

    1163 Words  | 3 Pages

    ...esult, the more directly one sees their personal efforts impact someone else, the more happiness one can gain from the experience of giving. Sometimes generosity requires pushing past a feeling of reluctance because people all instinctively want to keep good things for themselves, but once one is over this feeling, they will feel satisfaction in knowing that they have made a difference in someone else’s life. However, if one lives without generosity but is not selfish, they can still have pleasure from other virtues.

    Read More

  • Helping the Homeless

    718 Words  | 2 Pages

    Sherman, Amy L. “Expectant Giving.” The Christian Century 116.6 (1999): 206. Academic OneFile. Web. 1 Nov. 2013.

    Read More

  • The Benefits of Community Service

    2056 Words  | 5 Pages

    In 2010, “over 20 billion hours of volunteer service were reported” in the United States (Hoffman 418). For such an outstanding amount of time, only 26.7% of the population reported volunteer hours (Hoffman 418-9). Philanthropy, a desire to improve the material, social, and spiritual welfare of humanity, especially through charitable activities, is dependent on the altruistic values of the American society. Philanthropy is a general love for all of humanity that manifests itself in the form of community service.

    Read More

  • Never Compromise The Value Of A Person

    1189 Words  | 3 Pages

    “The greatest good you can do for another is not just to share your riches but to reveal to him his own.” ~Benjamin Disraeli

    Read More

  • Weather Season Essay

    1020 Words  | 3 Pages

    Holidays remind people of all of the things they are thankful for and often pushes them to give back to others, such as their community, family, or those who are less fortunate. It is not uncommon for people to be found spending days baking treats and creating handmade gifts to deliver to those they love. The snowball effect of giving to others and provoking them to spread that joy is enough to put the holiday season in a league of its own. Not only do families give to their loved ones, but many show their thanks by donating food and gifts to those who do not have access to as many amenities during the holiday season. No other time of year provides opportunities such as bellringing for the homeless or packaging small gifts for children whose families cannot afford to buy them the things they wish they could. The sense of community and importance of caring for others moves the holiday season into more than just another time of

    Read More

  • Generosity Essay

    802 Words  | 2 Pages

    At a young age, I learned about generosity. The adults in my family taught me how to be generous. My dad has always helped out his family and people with money problems. For instance, my dad sends money to his siblings, grandsons, and granddaughters that are in Mexico. My dad has always helped out our family members, but he doesn't send money as often because sometimes our family members don’t pay him back. They say that they have the money to pay him when he goes, but by the time that we go to Mexico our family

    Read More

More about To Give or Not to Give in The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein

Open Document