There are several philosophical concepts
in the book A Gift from Papá Diego
that merit exploration. Some of them include: love, reality,
disappointment, and patience. The book presents simple messages about
love and reality and how these virtues are recognized not just here
in American, but also in many other countries as well. The sets of
questions are designed to introduce topics through specific examples
in the book, and then look at these same concepts in a more abstract
way. The idea is to help guide children to more in depth questioning,
allowing them to come up with their own conclusions.
The theme of superheroes comes up in the book when Diego dreams about
becoming a superhero so that he can have the ability to fly and visit
his grandfather in Mexico. The aim of these questions is to get the
children thinking about what is real and what is not. What is it
that does or does not make someone a superhero? The topic of superheroes
allows for a discussion of philosophical issues about what is reality
and what is fantasy.
The theme of disappointment comes up in the story a
couple of times: first when Diego is told that it is too far for
his grandfather to
come and visit, and then again when he receives the Superman costume
only to find out that he cannot fly. This set of questions was developed
to initiate discussions of feelings of disappointment, and to realize
that it is not necessarily always a bad thing to experience these feelings
when things do not go as one wishes. It also initiates children to
think about how others may feel if they let someone down. Disappointment
can be hurtful, but at the same time it can also be a valuable experience
that we can learn from.
The theme of patience occurs in the story when Diego has to wait all
day to open his presents. The excitement and anticipation involved
makes it even more difficult for Diego. Patience can be a difficult
concept for children to understand. It is not something that we always
have, nor should we. It is there sometimes and not others. Why would
that be? For instance we would not want to exercise patience if someone
were seriously hurt and need to receive medical attention immediately.
However, we may want to work on being more patient when it comes to
issues that do not require urgent reactions. Sometimes the experience
of being patient and having to wait can be more fulfilling than the
actual experience itself. It forces us to recognize the anticipation.
Diego daydreams about having the ability to fly and going to visit
his grandfather. Daydreams can be very powerful. They can provide ways
for children to escape, to sort things out, to try out new ideas or
identities. Daydreams help to provide a link between truth and reality,
what can be and what may never be. Can a daydream be real, or do the
events in a daydream actually have to occur in order for it to be real?
The theme of love is exemplified in the story when Diego talks about
missing his grandfather, when his sister Gabriela tells her parents
why Diego wants the costume, and when his parents bring the grandfather
to Texas for a visit. The aim of these questions is to get children
thinking about love and the many different ways we view love. Is it
a feeling, emotion, action, thought? How can love mean so many different
things?
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