"The Birthday Box" By Jane Yolen
"Birthday Box Essay"
By Nadia D.
Learning to let go helps us a lot in life. Katie starts writing and reading again when she she learns how to do this. Before this, she stops reading and writing, which are her two favorite things to do. As she’s going through her mother’s death she starts crying less over the years. At first Katie cried for a week, then at night, and then at things like holidays or anniversaries.
She also started being mean and rude to people. “I stopped reading except for school assignments. I was pretty mean to my half brothers and totally rotten to my step-mother and dad. I felt angry and empty, and they all left me pretty much alone.” Katie starts to understand what her present means, too. “I pulled it down and opened it. It was as empty I had put it away. ‘It’s you.’ I whispered to the box. And suddenly I knew.”
Finally, she stops crying and begins to write once again. “Mama had meant I was the box, solid and sturdy, maybe even beautiful or at least interesting on the outside. But I had to fill up the box to make it all it could be. And I had to fill me up as well.” “I stopped crying and got some paper out of the desk drawer. I got out my fountain pen. I started writing, and I haven’t stopped since.” I think we should try to be more positive about these things. Letting go of someone or something helps us a lot in life, it helped Katie start doing her two favorite things again. Reading and Writing.
"Kindness In The Birthday Box"
By Marielle H.
Everyone should always be thankful for what they have because your family and possessions won’t always be there. In the “Birthday Box” we learn this lesson, always be thankful for what you have because one day it could disappear. In this story Kate’s mom was very sick for a long time, she was in the hospital for quite a while. On Katie’s tenth birthday she goes to see her mom at the hospital. Katie had a big party with all the nurses and doctors. Kate received a box from her mother and she was too upset that all she got was a box to realize that her mom was using up her last heartbeats. After this event Katie was depressed for about a year, she really missed her. But then, she remembers the gift that her mom gave her and realizes that it is actually a great gift. In my lifetime I had something very valuable slip right out of my hands. It disappeared just like Katie’s mom. I wish I had treasured it more and realized how special it was before it left me. In the “Birthday Box” Katie teaches us to be thankful for what we have because one day it might disappear.
In the “Birthday Box” Katie loses her mom at a young age. She disappeared before her eyes slowly fading each day. Katie didn’t realize that a hard ship was going to come over her life like a rain cloud. It took her a long time to get over the loss of her mom. The only thing that she wanted in the world after that was to have more time to say goodbye and love her mom some more. She wished that she would have spent more time with her and acted better than if she would just always be there for her.
After Katie’s mom departed this life, Katie became very upset and angry. She was angered by the fact that her mother left without a goodbye. She took her anger out on others in her life. She was very rude to her new step family not even giving them a chance to try and help her. Also, she was horrible to her father, even though he didn’t want it to happen either. Her father wasn’t able to grieve because he had to deal with his daughter who was acting very rudely toward him. If she would have been more thankful for her mom while she was still here, she would have been able to get comfort from her dad.
The present Katie got from her mother was just a plain box. She was angry that this was all that she got for turning ten. “‘It’s empty,” I said, “ Is this a joke!”’, This is all Katie had to say when she saw her mother’s gift. She was too upset about the present to realize that her mom was dying behind her. If Katie would have learned earlier that she should be more thankful for the things she had, she wouldn't have spent her last moments with her mom wishing for a better present.
The “Birthday Box” teaches us the valuable lesson of thankfulness. Katie teaches us that when we take the time to be thankful for what we have we will have an advantage in life. When she lost her mom she discovered the fact that she didn’t really take time to give thanks for her. She was more concerned with opening up her gifts than to think that the last thing she said to her mom was “this is it!!” In the “Birthday Box” Katie teaches us to be thankful for what we have before it has a chance to get away from us.
"Learning to be Thankful"
By Emma J.
Being thankful is so important that we have a whole holiday dedicated to the action. On this holiday it’s never hard for me to be thankful when I’m around people I love. In the short story “The Birthday Box”, Jane Yolen tells the story of a girl named Katie who was very thankful throughout tough times. For example, her mom died on her 10th birthday but Katie never let these problems get her down. Katie teaches us to be thankful for what we have.
One Reason, time should not be spent thinking about what other people have. One way in seeing this is Katie’s sick mother planned her a birthday party at the hospital. For example, other kids might get a huge party and tons of presents but, Katie was thankful for the party and presents she got. Her mother got her a box not really a gift but Katie didn’t care that it wasn’t something worth a bunch of money, she was thankful. Always remember to not spend time thinking about what other have instead be thankful for what we have.
It’s always the thought that counts and not the actual gift or worth. Most important, “Mary Margaret gave me a gold cross blessed by the pope, which I even put on even though me and mama weren't churchgoers.” That quote shows that even though Katie didn't go to church she was still thankful that she got a gift. “Whenever dad finally sent me something in was the thought that counted, not the actual gift.” Sometimes the gift isn’t what you wanted but remember a great amount of thought went into picking it out.
Small actions can take huge amounts of effort. “She smiled a very small smile at me. I knew it was an effort.” Katie’s mother didn’t smile the biggest or greatest smile but Katie knew she put in an effort. Katie’s sick mother tried to plan a great party for her at the hospital. Her mother was sick and couldn’t plan the best party in the world but she tried her best. Small actions can mean very much even in everyday life.
In conclusion, everything we have is worth being thankful for. In the “Birthday Box” Katie didn’t even think twice about being thankful for what she had. Spending time thinking about what others have is a waste of time. Take this time to think about what we have and how to show we are thankful for it. Try to make it a habit to say thank you to others if it's something small. Being thankful expresses extreme gratitude, humility, understanding. We need to learn to be thankful for what we have.
"The Importance of Appreciation"
By Simon K.
In life it is the thought that counts when recieving gifts. You should always be grateful when you recieve something even if it isn’t what you may have wanted. As technology and civilation have evolved we as people expect more and more gifts. We need to sit down and look at all we already have and realize that we need nothing more. Sometimes it doesnt matter if we get the new phone or the coolest technology all that truly matters is that the giver of the gift really cared.
In “Birthday Box” by Jane Yolen our main character, Katie has her 10th birthday party in her mother’s hospital room. Her mother had cancer and before she died she gave Katie a gift. It was a box with amazing wrapping paper and underneath the box itself was even better. “It was made of a heavy cardboard and covered with a linen material that had a pattern of cloud-filled skies”
The main theme in Birthday Box is how when recieving a gift, it is the thought that counts not the gift itself. When Katie recieved gifts from the hospital workers it wasn’t necessary. The employees didn’t have to get her gifts yet they still did. That showed that they put love, time, effort, and some money into the gifts which is very thoughtful. When Katie recieved the journal from the Stardust twins she thought it was too childish and cute but she was still respectful and grateful. Katie is also always grateful when she is sent gifts from her dad. “.. Mama always reminded me whenever Dadddy finally remembered to send me something, it was the thought that counted not the actual gift.”
Although all the gifts Katie recieved were thoughtful, her Mother’s gift had the deepest meaning. When Katie first recieved the empty box she said,”Is this a joke?” To Katie the gift seemed useless until she discovered its true purpose. When Katie realized that the box was like herself and needed to be filled with creative writing , she suddenly was inspired and got to work writing. I’m sure that throughout Katie’s life the box will be her source of creativity, perserverence, and inspiration. It’s crazy how the simplest gift turned out to be the best, all because of its deeper meaning.
All throughout life we should be grateful for what we have. In our story Katie was grateful for her gifts and always tried to look at the better side of theings. Whether we are recieving a gift like Katie did or a tragedy has occured in our life, we have to see the greater posisitive meaning. Even though having a family member die is sad, they are in a better place. Life is better with a more positive perspective.
"Always be grateful for what you have in life"
By Jayden P.
People should always be grateful for the things that they have in their life because it could all be gone in an instant. Her mother has very bad cancer and it's not getting any better it is getting worse. Katie mother makes sure all the doctors and nurses get her birthday presents but she doesn't like the things that they got her, but there's one present that really stands out to her. Its an empty box and she opens it and says”its empty is this a joke?” but before she turns around to ask her mother her mother unfortunately passes away.
Katie birthday was the worst birthday ever because her mother passes away but before that the doctors get her birthday presents like a felt pen and and a journal the doctor said when she gave katie the pen “ now you can write beautiful stories.” she wanted to respond “ stories don't come from the pen it comes from the mind” but she didn't because that would be rude and her mother is very big on politeness even when she is sick.
There was one more gift and it stood out to katie. It was a beautiful big box, when she opened this box up she was very surprised because there's was nothing inside of this big beautiful box. She turns to her mother and says “ Is this a joke.” but before her mother could answer she dies from her cancer and katie is very devastated and upset. The doctor checks katie's mother's heart and closes her mother's eyes and rubs her face, And turns off the machine. Mattie quickly runs over to her mother and says “Mama!” and she turns to the doctors “ Do something!”
As katie shows us we should be very greatful for life and the things we have in our in our life because we could either get it taken away or it could be gone. Always be grateful for the things and the people in your life as well.
"Learning Perseverance"
By Christopher S.
Katie learns perseverance throughout the story I’ll tell u why when Katie’s mom died she felt like her world was about to end. Even though Katie was crying she knew that she would eventually have to get over and not be sad and depressed all the time. Nothing could get her happy but she got up and got over it.
Katie has a hard time dealing with her mom's death she couldn't even function knowing that her mom was dead. Katie has cried for a year over her mom dieing
Katie seems very sad and depressed.Katie also love her mother very much so that also function a lot of emotions.Katie had worst birthday because of her mom passing away.
Katies mom dies from cancer due to how sick she was and she had hair loss.Then suddenly I knew katie knew her mom had died because a doctor told her.Katie dealt with grief when her mom died.
Her dad was sad and couldn't move on from Katie's mom.Katies dad needs to move on because if he doesn't he would be miserable without having somebody to get his mind off of her.If Katie dad moves on her dad will have a happier life he won't have to always cry when he thinks of her he will have someone to get his mind off of Katies mom.
In conclusion mattie had hardships in her life but she had to get over it.Katie got over it even thoe she felt like her world was about to end.No matter what u have to get through it
"Appreciate What you Receive in life"
By Allie S.
It is important to appreciate the gifts we are given in life because people put thought into the gifts they give. A lot of people do not appreciate their gifts because it is not what they want. I thought that the gift someone gave me was childish, but I regret thinking that because they were just trying to be nice. Now that I look back that was really rude. In the short story “Birthday Box” Katie doesn’t like some of her gifts, but later realizes how much she needs the present or the meaning of it. Katie shows us that you should always appreciate your gifts that you receive in life because we can find meanings in them.
Katie does not appreciate her gifts even though the people put love and thought into the gifts they get her the gift. Katie says, ‘“ I didn’t say stories come out of your head, not your pen.’” When V. Louise gave Katie a real fountain pen; she made a side comment on how she didn’t need it. Katie received a diary and she thought it was for a little kid. She also thought it was too cute and that she wanted something professional. Katie wants another gift because it’s not the one she likes.
Katie loves her gifts because they are things she likes “‘All the things they knew I loved.’” Katie was happy because she got a bag filled to the top with all of her favorite things. Katie only likes her gifts because of the things, not because of the thought. Katie is slowly learning to appreciate the gifts she receives.
Even though Katie doesn’t like the gift at first it was the most important to her in the end. “‘It’s empty,’ I said ‘is this a joke?’” Katie is confused because her gift is empty. “‘It’s you’ mother said.’” Katie’s mother shows Katie that she is like the box, beautiful on the outside and to fill the box up with beautiful things just like her. It doesn’t matter whether you like the gift or not. You should always appreciate the love and thought put into it.
Katie shows us we should always be thankful for what they receive because we can find meanings in them. Those meanings can help us realize the importance of the blessings we receive in life. When we receive gifts people usually try to get us what we want. They care about us and want us to grow as a person. That is why people should always appreciate what they receive in life whether it’s a gift or a person.
"Being Thankful"
By Lauren T.
We were taught from a very young age to be thankful. We even have a holiday to represent being thankful. Although, sometimes we aren’t very grateful or thankful for what we have, we should always try to find the true meanings and at least act like we like what we got. In the short story, “The Birthday Box” Katie taught us that you should always be thankful for what you have, even if you don’t totally like it. Katie, at first didn’t understand that you need to be thankful, instead she was selfish and arrogant when she didn’t understand something. Katie later learned that you don't need to fully understand something to find the good and true meaning in things.
Katie’s mom died so she never got to learn what the box meant. Katie got mad that her mother died without telling her what the box meant. On top of that, she didn’t know why she got the box. From that point, Katie learned that you should always be thankful that she had her mom for 10 years, because in the shortest amount of time, everything could change.
Katie was angry and stressed that she couldn’t understand the box. She was disappointed that the box was empty and she didn’t try to find the meaning right away. She didn’t realize that you should try to find the deeper meaning in things even if it isn’t what you wanted or expected.
Although it was tough for her to cope with her mother's death, Katie eventually learned the meaning of the box. When she finds out what the box means, she starts filling it with her thoughts and happiness. Katie was blinded by the tragedy in her life and missed that you should always try to find the meaning of things before you judge them.
“In Birthday Box”, Katie taught us that you should always be thankful for what you have. Reading this book helped me to realize that if you aren’t grateful, it doesn’t help anybody, and that you should always respect your parents and things. Being thankful means to show that you really care about the thought and not just the material item or the value.
"Cherishing Family"
By Kally V.
Cherishing family is something very important, because one day, they’ll disappear. But there’s a story for example, of tragedy and understanding. It’s where a girl named Katie whose mother is in the hospital because she is gravely ill. Katie spends her 10th birthday in the hospital with her mother. When Katie got a gift from her mother, she didn’t understood what it meant, and sadly her mother passed leaving her lost and sad. In the end, Katie understood what the gift meant. And she tells us we should always cherish our family forever.
First of all, always love the family you have and they will do the same to you. Katie’s spending time with her mother for her special 10th birthday. Katie loves her mother dearly, and this she spends this time with her ill mother. Although Katie’s mom is extremely ill, she still got a gift for her daughter. That is because their love is genuine and strong. That’s an example of real love from family.
Next is that losing family is difficult, but you just need time. In the story “Birthday Box”, it states, “I cried steadily, for I think, a week. Then I cried at night for a couple months.” Later on, Katie understood her mother, after a long time grieving. It took a year for Katie to stop crying, but she remembered her mother’s present and stopped crying a developed an understanding. It may take time, but not forever.
The last reason is, always keep your family with memories and notes. As in the story, it says, “The first thing I wrote is about that birthday. I put it in the box, and pretty soon, that box is overflowing with stories.” It’s saying what Katie wrote were inspired and about her mother. Katie finally understood the message her mom was trying to send her, and starting making notes. This proves Katie understood everything her mother was trying to tell her and she cherished it.
In conclusion. It’s important to Katie to understand what her gift meant. It left her
alone, confused, and depressed. Giving her months hanging clueless, trying to fathom the loss of her mother. Katie’s mother left her in a split second, right when Katie asked what the present meant. In all, the present represent Katie and her mother. And Katie chose to remember it. The “Birthday Box”, the story of cherishing your family.
"The Box"
By Emily B.
Her mom is sick and not doing well. She has cancer. The sickness was getting worse. She wouldn't make it much longer and she didn't. Katie her daughter's birthday was coming up, but she was in the hospital during it. Katie came in for a little time to spend with her mom, Katie's mom has something for her. Her mom gave her a box. Katie thought it was a joke. Then it was too late to ask about anything. She took the box for granted, Katie didn't appreciate it at the time. In the story “ The Birthday Box” we learn that we should never take things for granted.
We should never take things for granted. When Katie got the box she didn't think the box was really a true gift. Katie thought it was a joke. Katie was going to ask her mom about it but by the time she got around to it her mom was gone. Katie also took the time she had with her mom for granted. She did not spend the last time she had with her mom very well. She did not realize how much she wanted to say goodbye.
Another thing we learn from Katie is that we should always appreciate the small things in life. She was with her mom in her last moment of life but did not know it at the time. Katie got to hear her mom's last words, it took so much for her mom to say anything. Katie held onto those words forever and never let them go. She got to hold onto a piece of her mom for the rest of her life.
We learn something else from Katie. We learn that looking at things in a different perspective can show us the gifts we really have. When Katie get the box from her mom she has no idea what it is for. She was wondering what the meaning of the box was. Katie was going to ask her mom about the box but it was too late. Katie had to find the true meaning for the box. With her mom being gone she was lost, Katie didn't know what to do. After her mom had died she had to find the light at the end of a very dark time in her life. The last thing she had left of her mom was the box.
In conclusion we learn that we should never take things for granted. We should always be thankful for what we have. Katie lost her mom but then found the positivity in a really dark time. Katie is a really good example that we should always be thankful, never take things for granted and try to take time to look at the small things in life.
"Birthday Box"
By Gunnar B.
In life, when bad things happen it is easy to get down, but hard to find the good things coming out of it. It might seem hard to find the good, but it is there. It is easy to feel depressed when something bad happened because they think there is only bad and there is no good in what is happening.
In “Birthday Box” by Jane Yolen, Katie shows us that good things can come out of bad once her mom dies. One of the biggest reasons that supports the claim is that it was better for her mom to die, this might seem a little harsh, but she was suffering for a long time.She was in the hospital forever. She was at the hospital for so long that the nurses threw a birthday party for Katie. They knew her so well that they gave her gifts because they knew what she liked.
Katie is left with a mystery, but she has to use her intelligence figure it out. All the time she has to spend thinking. The bad part is she had no one to ask because her mother had passed away. She had to think of everything by herself. She had nothing, except for herself.
Katie’s mother had a lot of hope for her. Katie started to figure out what the box was for and what to do with it. Her mother wanted her to put herself in the box. What I mean is that her mother wanted Katie to put her art and writing in the box. Pretty much much putting the things she loved to do.
In conclusion, Katie in “Birthday Box” shows us that good things can come out of bad. It is hard to find the positive in what feels like the worst, but there is no matter what.
An Essay on "Birthday Box"
By Lauryn B.
Showing how much you love and care about a person can be demonstrated in different ways or actions. In the story, Birthday Box by Jane Yolen, the author demonstrates love and kindness through the actions of a young girl, named Katie and her dying mother. Katie is turning ten years old and her mother throws her a birthday party in her hospital room. As a gift, Katie’s mother gives her a beautifully wrapped empty box. Katie’s mother dies before Katie can ask her about the gift. Eventually, Katie figures out what her mother meant by giving her the empty box. Katie realizes how deeply her mother cared for her and her happiness. Throughout the story, Katie’s mother demonstrates how kindhearted and thoughtful she is in one way or another; specifically, when she plans a party for Katie. I liked how Katie’s mother
made sure all the people on staff, had a part in the party planning and that everything was organized. She wanted things perfect for Katie. I see Katie’s mother as a strong person who wants the best for her daughter. An example of this is when she manages to get Katie the perfect birthday gift. She explained to the nurses what she wanted for Katie and where to get it. Katie’s mother loves her and showing her how much is very important. She knows Katie will be lonely and “empty” without her and she is determined to put aside her sickness. I admire Katie’s mother because she never stops thinking about Katie’s happiness, even though she sick and dying. This shows me that there is nothing that can come between Katie and her mother. I see more evidence of this when Katie mother lets the nurses and doctors know the things Katie likes. Katie is very creative and likes to write, so her mother tells the nurses and doctors so they will give her writing things as gifts. For example, V Louise gives Katie a real fountain pen and
said to her, “now you can write beautiful stories.” The Stardust Twins gives her a diary with a picture of a little girl in pink on the cover. Dr. Dann gives her a big box filled with everything that Katie loves, such as paperback books, pens, and writing paper. Katie’s mother gives her a
beautifully wrapped box. The box is about the size of a large top hat, wrapped in deep blue colored paper and covered with real stars. When Katie unwraps the gift, she sees it’s an empty box. She looks at her mother, who says softly, “It’s you” before dying. Katie doesn’t know what this means and as I read, I can tell that she is upset and confused. Time passes and Katie soon figures out that she needs to put her writings and memories in that box, filling it up, thus taking away the emptiness she feels inside without her mother. Although Katie’s mother is gone, I see that Katie finds comfort in the empty box and knowing how much her mother cared for her. Katie’s mother was real big on politeness, that’s why Katie is always polite. Katie understands that being polite is just another way to be kind and caring. She made sure to be polite to other people and not hurt their feelings. For example, when Katie gets her pen from V. Louise, V Louise tells her she can write beautiful stories. Katie thought to say that, “stories come out of your head not out of pen,” but Katie knew this would be rude and unkind; her mom always told her to be polite, so instead, Katie said, “Thanks, V Louise.” Another example is when the Stardust Twins gives her a dairy. Katie thinks that the diary is too young for her, but Katie remembers her mother saying, “it is the thought that counts not the actual gift.”
As you can see from both Katie and her mother, showing how much you love and care about a person can be demonstrated in different ways or actions. In Birthday Box, the author shows how Katie and her mother are both caring and loving people. Their kind and caring nature
is illustrated through the events that takes place before her mother dies. I believe that sometimes bad things happen in your life that will make you sad and unkind, but it is always important to think about other people before you think about yourself. Just like Katie’s mother did when she made sure that Katie had a birthday that she would never forget. Also, just like Katie did when she is polite after receiving her gifts, even though some of them she did not like. I liked how Katie and her mother demonstrated their kindness and love. It is always a good thing to treat people kind just as you would want to be treated.
Birthday Box
By Jaelynn H.
I’m sure everyone has gone through a time that they had to persevere to get out of a bad situation to experience the good things. I know I’ve been through a time like this before when a relative of mine passed away but you just have to learn to get over it and start to look at the positive things.
Katie never knew how long it was going to take to figure out what the box meant. Her mom left her with almost no information. She only got one clue and she didn’t really understand what it meant. The one clue she got was when her mother said, “‘It’s you.’” This shows that Katie didn’t have much to work with but she was still going to persevere.
Katie found the box and thought about the purpose her mother gave it and what it meant. She noticed the box in her closet on the shelf and pulled it down. “And then suddenly I knew.” The next minute she opened it she had an idea of what it meant and what it was for. Katie gave up for almost a year and remembered that she should never give up so she started thinking of ideas.
Katie began to fill the box after about a year of tears and thoughts of what it could mean. She started to think about the clue she got and realized that the box represented her. “But I had to fill up the box to make it all it could be. And I had to fill me up as well.” She started to fill it with memories, poems, and stories of her own. Katie went from tears to persevering and filling her box with all of her new, fun experiences and only focussing on the positives in life.
This story is a great example of how to persevere in a hard situation. The way Katie had to deal with the mysterious box definitely helped her in her future. Reading this story could help anyone in need of advice during a tough period of time.
Birthday Box
By Arianna J.
Most people have been in a time where a lot of bad things have happened to them. During these times people get frusterated or sad. But these people should never get down or give up in bad situations because good things can come out of bad things.
Katie is worried about her mother being in the hospital. If Katie’s mother dies then Katie will not have her mother to talk to her through her rough times in her future. Unfortunantley , Katie’s mother died just as Katie said she, “ I cried for weeks.” But Katie did not go crazy during this time.
Katie is very puzzled by a present she received for her birthday. About five nurses got Katie a present. She received a present last but she did not get told who it was from till after she opened it.When Katie opened the present there was nothing in it. “Who’s it from?” Katie said. Eventually, a nurse told Katie it was from her mother. But Katie never got the chance to ask her mother what the box meant.
Katie finally found out what the box meant! Katie thought for days and days on what the box meant. Katie was getting mad but she calmed down and thought about the past. She remember her mother saying “The box is you.” After Katie realized what it meant and the box was her so she started putting her personal belongings in the box.
In conclusion, when life gets rough never give up or lose faith. Just like Katie never gave up during her hard times. Katie was determine to find out what the box meant. And she never gave up and she eventually found out what it meant. When she found out what the box meant she felt a little better. That infers that sometimes good things can come out of bad things. So never give up in bad situations because good things can come out of it.
Don’t Take Advantage
Lucy G.
People need to take time to realize things in many aspects of life. This is really important to me because I don’t like to take advantage. I take time to think about everything and what I am doing in life. Birthday Box really shows you why this is important to do. In this story there is a girl named Katie. She is given gifts, but her mom’s gift is the most important. Katie doesn’t understand the meaning of it at first. Later, her mom dies in the hospital. In this paragraph I am going to bring up my points in this story. One point is that we take time to appreciate people’s worth and beauty after someone dies. We can see things that we may have taken advantage of or not noticed before. One other point I explained was how you may not realize the meaning of certain things they say or do until they are gone. This makes it harder to find answers which may leave you wondering for a while. One other thing I think we all know is when people die, at times we can’t stop crying. We may cry for weeks or months, maybe even years. These three points are what I explained in the following paragraphs. Birthday Box was a very interesting and sad story that many people can relate to in some ways. In Birthday Box Katie teaches us that we should appreciate people in our life.
People can suddenly appreciate other people’s worth and beauty even more after they’re gone. In the story Katie realized how beautiful her mother is even though she’s sick. One part of the story had Katie say,”I turned and looked at mama then, and her eyes were open again. Funny but sickness had made her even more beautiful than in good health.” In this part of the story it really shows how Katie is really noticing and appreciating how beautiful she is.
We don’t realize what the meaning of certain things people say and do until you take the time to understand them. In one part of the story Katie said,”It’s empty”. “Is this a joke?” After that she turned to ask her mom. Katie knew she was gone. She explains that her body was there, but she wasn’t. Almost like she was as empty as the box. When we try and understand things, we may understand them and someone.
When you lose people you may cry a lot and rethink all of the memories with that person. Katie talks about how she cries for many months and doesn’t know what to do. She mourns the loss of her mother. A lot of people experience this in real life. I’m sure at one point in life I will experience this. Losing people is a hard experience for everyone.
The moral of this story is that we shouldn’t take advantage of people in our lives. This is a very important necessity of life. It is important that we do this because we never know when someone will pass away. They could die any moment in our lives. We should cherish and take time to understand them the way we want to be cherished. Katie proves this idea in a few ways. From when she got an empty box from her mother but didn’t understand its meaning. Also, when she was in the hospital room and noticed the true beauty of her mother, even though she was gone. I plan to cherish every moment with my loved ones because I will never know when I won’t get to spend time with them. I hope this can help other people to understand why this idea is very important.
The Birthday Box
Gabriel W.
In the Birthday Box Katie used understanding to figure out the meaning of her mother’s last words, “It’s you!” When you look deeper you can see the beauty in something.
My first reason is that under the wrapper the box was beautiful. The first example in the story was that the box was colorful with intricate designs. Another example was that the box was made of sturdy cardboard that signifies Katie’s strength.The box itself although empty signifies much more than just an empty box and by itself it was beautiful.
My following reason is when the nurses gave Katie her presents they weren’t what she wanted but it was the thought that counted. Patty and Tracy Lynn gave Katie a pink notebook, “it was a picture of a little girl… it was a little young for me” Katie said, “ I had gotten good at that too, being cheerful when I really wasn’t.” Katie could already see the good in things even before she got the box and realized what her mom meant.
My final reason is that Katie’s mom was sick but she was still beautiful. My first piece of evidence is she was at rest. “She looked like a faded photo of herself”, Katie said. Looking like a faded photo is another example that their is always more within.
Later on after thinking about her mother’s last words, “it’s you” Katie realized that the emptiness of the box was really a lot like her youth. The fact that she had so much to live and learn. It also gave her the will to write again. She filled the emptiness of herself and the box with life and writing.
