Comments on: Stories about giving

Question: Stories about giving

hamfisted — Wed, 21 Jun 2006 11:13:48 -0800

Classic stories or fables about gifts/giving.

I'm looking for a story or fable to use as a centre-piece for a speech I'm writing and Google isn't helping. I'd like to use a story about a gift or present, to illustrate the importance of, well, giving (it's for a graduation, although not at all in terms of fundraising). I'd like a classic story, or something multicultural. Any ideas in the collective brain?

By: OmieWise

OmieWise — Wed, 21 Jun 2006 11:17:15 -0800

The gift of the Magi by O Henry. She cuts her hair to buy him a nice chain for his watch (?, I think); he sells his watch to buy her beautiful hair clips. It's been a while. Certainly a classic.

By: hamfisted

hamfisted — Wed, 21 Jun 2006 11:22:45 -0800

I thought of that one, and ruled it out because of the strong tie to Christmas - we're speaking to a very diverse audience, so I'm trying to stay away from the stories related to the Christian traditions.

By: o0ll0o.o0ll0o

o0ll0o.o0ll0o — Wed, 21 Jun 2006 11:26:09 -0800

The Giving Tree?

By: jon_kill

jon_kill — Wed, 21 Jun 2006 12:08:47 -0800

There was a nice variation on the one OmieWise mentions by Steve Martin, in which a man sells his shinbones to buy his wife cuticle frames, and the wife sells her cuticles in order to buy him shinbone polish. Or maybe it was the other way around. Anyway, it appears in Cruel Shoes.

By: imitura

imitura — Wed, 21 Jun 2006 12:20:17 -0800

"The Happy Prince" by Oscar Wilde, not to be confused with "The Little Prince" by Antoine de Saint Exupéry.

By: The Confessor

The Confessor — Wed, 21 Jun 2006 13:05:56 -0800

Many fairy tales begin with a benevolent (and oftentimes generous) act on the part of the hero, but these episodes are often only incidental to the story.

Stone Soup was the first story that came to mind, but the additional baggage (the community-wide focus, or the soup-maker's trickery, for example) might make it a bit too unwieldy for your purposes...

Unfortunately, there doesn't seem to be an Androcles and the Lion for the simple act of giving...

By: grumblebee

grumblebee — Wed, 21 Jun 2006 13:22:59 -0800

Les Miserables

Baucis and Philemon

By: hamfisted

hamfisted — Wed, 21 Jun 2006 13:39:22 -0800

Thanks for the suggestions - I'm enjoying the Silverstein poem/song the most right now. I may be able to adapt it slightly.

By: The Bellman

The Bellman — Wed, 21 Jun 2006 14:45:35 -0800

Remember, ham, giving is evil and often illegal.