By: Bianca Pando, staff writer
As Thanksgiving season arrives, so is the season to be thankful and remember which characters or movies have taught us about gratitude. What does it even mean to be thankful? Could it be writing cards to the people around us? Or could it be shown in other ways?
Thankfulness is sometimes overlooked, yet it plays a huge role in one’s character. Being grateful for something helps build positive emotions all around, whether it be within yourself or others. Lori Kwong (10) expressed, “It shows affection and it’s important to socialize with one another.” Allowing yourself to express your gratitude helps keep you humble and grow strong relationships with others.
But, as kids, what were the examples we were given that displayed how thankfulness could be shown? Here is a list of the top ten books, movies and characters that taught us how to be thankful.
Within children books, the two best books displaying the importance of thankfulness could be seen in “The Giving Tree” written by Shel Sulverstein and “Llama Llama Gives Thanks” by Anna Dewdney. In the “Giving Tree,” we see a kid growing up with a tree that gives him everything he asks for, at some point even the tree wood itself. Although the boy, himself, doesn’t display any form of gratitude until the end of the story, it is a wonderful tale that shows how one should be thankful for the things they are given. The book, “Llama Lama Gives Thanks” is a rhythmical book, showing how the character Llama Llama shows his gratefulness all year for his food, autumn leaves, down to pies and the skies he sees. This book became a wonderful example of one of the many ways to show thankfulness, not only near thanksgiving but all year round.
In terms of characters, the most well known grateful characters are Olaf and Piglet. During the movie, Frozen, the character Olaf is seen to always be happy, even when he is melting or when he doesn’t understand something. So, it is not wrong to say that Olaf is always thankful for the moment, whether in the snow or the sand. Once he finally gets to go outside of the cold, his gratefulness grows, through his constant excitement. And through the series of Christopher Robin, Piglet is seen always thankful for his friends and the time they all have together. He is seen many times getting over his fear for his friends. Both characters show their gratitude by not taking it for granted.
Finally, there are many classic movies that display gratitude. Films such as “It’s a Wonderful Life,” “A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving,” “Mr. Holland Opus,””Forrest Gump,””Freaky Friday ” and “Up ” are great examples of different ways to express thanks. Within the movie, “It’s a Wonderful Life,” George Bailey realizes the value of his life, and those around him, coming back with a new sense of gratitude towards existence. In the movie “A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving,” we see the characters showing their thankfulness and getting ready for their Thanksgiving meal. Charlie Brown and his friends realize why it is good to be thankful, because it is important to show appreciation towards the things one has. “Mr. Holland Opus” shows how the students are forever grateful for their music teacher Glenn Holland, who worked so hard for them. The film “Forrest Gump” talks about a young boy, with legs that cannot walk without support. Later on in the movie, Gump discovers his love for running, and never stops. At the end of the film, he displays how thankful he is for his legs because he can use them to run. As for “Freaky Friday,” a mother and a daughter switch spots for a day, and both understand the difficulties the other person goes through daily. Because of this, at the end of the day, they understand each other more, and are grateful for the things the other does despite their tiresome lives. Finally, in the movie ‘Up’ Stan shows his appreciation for Russell, because he allowed him to step out of his comfort zone and live his life to the fullest. All of these movies display acts of thankfulness, whether it be appreciating others, or being thankful for what they have.
It is important to have good examples of gratitude in the media because it plays a key part in the development of character. Many kids grow up watching these movies, and having a visual window into what others go through, it helps the mind develop what they deem as an appropriate response to life experiences. And these top 10 examples are great forms of art that help us learn about thankfulness.
