Dryden Students Write...
May 27, 2021
Lessons Learned from Bugs Bunny
Inspired by a column titled "Lessons Learned from Bugs Bunny",
students explored what they gleaned from their favorite TV shows, movies, and books.
Putting their thoughts into words, they created their own "Lessons Learned" pieces.
The first episode was published last week. Here is Episode 2.
Lessons learned from the LOTR & The Hobbit
by Aiden Fitchett
Considered the greatest movie of its time, The Lord of The Rings has been watched by almost everyone. It is hard to come by someone who hasn’t watched the movies or read the books. The prequel to these movies, The Hobbit, Is also considered to be one of the greatest movies.That aside, there are some really good life lessons taught in the LOTR.
Good friends are hard to come by
In Frodo’s journey to Mount Doom, we see how important good friends really are. He must travel halfway across Middle Earth to the mountain of fire to destroy the one ring. At many points in the movie, you think that he is done for and that he has lost the battle, yet his friends are always there to pick him back up and help him along on his journey.
Friendship is priceless
Throughout all three movies, we are taught that friendship is invaluable thanks to Samwise Gamgee. No one better demonstrates to us what a good friend is than he does. He literally gives up everything he has to help his best friend, Frodo Baggins. Everyone who watches the movies knows that Frodo would not have succeeded on his quest if it wasn’t for Sam.
"There’s good in this world, and it's worth fighting for."
Probably one of the most known sayings in the entire Lord of the Rings trilogy is this quote. In the second movie, Frodo is captured by soldiers of Gondor. He is released, only to be attacked by Ringwraiths, the minions of the dark lord Sauron. He and his friend Sam escape, but barely. Afterward, Frodo is exhausted, both physically and mentally. He can’t find any reason to keep on towards Mount Doom, until Sam tells him a reason, “There’s good in this world, and it’s worth fighting for.” This is so true for people in this day and age. There is still good in our world, and we should work to preserve it.
“All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.”
In the third movie, Gandalf the wizard and his friend Peregrin Took, or Pippin for short, are trapped in the city of Gondor with the armies of Mordor fighting their way in. Gandalf seems to always be there when you need him and is always ready to give an encouraging word. In the third movie of the trilogy, he tells someone this quote. It is honestly quite true. We can’t decide how much time we have, but we can determine what we do with it.
Even the smallest person can change the course of history.
Just because you are one person or you are small doesn’t mean you can’t change the world. We see this in both movie trilogies. Considered too small and insignificant, Frodo and Bilbo end up changing the course of history. In both movie trilogies, both were considered so small in stature that they wouldn’t be able to do anything great, yet they both did extraordinary things. Bilbo helped win one of the biggest battles Middle Earth had ever seen while Frodo ended up saving Middle Earth.
Deeds will not be less valiant because they are unpraised.
Just because no one notices some small act of kindness, doesn’t mean that it isn’t welcome. In the LOTR, all of the work that Frodo and his friends did to save the world was largely unknown by their fellow Hobbits, yet that didn’t make what they did any less courageous or brave. They were still noble actions.
“It is the small everyday deeds of ordinary folks that keep the darkness at bay. Small acts of kindness and love.”
Probably the most well-known saying in the Hobbit, this quote reminds everyone to be kind to everyone. Gandalf the Grey has just been asked why he chose Bilbo Baggins as his traveling companion, and he said because of his kindness that gives him hope. He says that the leader of his kind believes that it is only great power that can hold evil in check, but he thinks otherwise. You don’t have to do extravagant things for people to be nice to them, sometimes it just has to be a small kind word.
The list of life lessons learned from these movie trilogies could go on and on, and these were just a few that could be pulled from the movies. Many more life lessons can be pulled from the movie trilogies, you just have to find them.
What Important Lessons Have You Learned From Books?
by Skylar Graham
Have you ever found yourself reading a book, and found a very important and relatable life lesson? The three books that I chose to write about were the Percy Jackson series, Twilight series, and A Court of Thorns and Roses series. I chose these series to talk about because I found some of the most important life lessons that I have found. The lessons are: It is okay to be different, What doesn’t kill you only makes you stronger, You should always fight for what you believe in, and Family isn’t blood but choice.
Percy Jackson- It is okay to be different. What doesn’t kill you, only makes you stronger.
Percy Jackson was my gateway book, which means that is the book that started me in my reading. While reading I found that the important lesson would be that it is okay to be different, and the people who are different are the most interesting. Throughout the first book Percy is teased for being different, and not being able to get good grades. His struggles reminded me of my brother's, and while reading the series it showed me that the most interesting characters are the ones that go through the most. “The real world is where the monsters are.”(Riordan 134). Percy goes through different kinds of struggles throughout the series, but every time he overcomes them and doesn't blame others for it. Percy embraced his differences throughout the whole series and didn’t let him having dyslexia stop him from going through with his dreams and working through all of his problems. For all of the struggles Percy goes through he just keeps getting stronger and better. Even though Percy is thrown into the world of demi-gods unexpectedly, he keeps working harder and doesn’t let anything break him.“If my life is going to mean anything, I have to live it myself.”(Riordan 98). I think this is an important lesson because many people struggle with dyslexia or ADHD, which is something that Percy has, but you can still get through it and you can still have a normal life even if sometimes it is harder for you than for other people.
Twilight- Family isn’t blood but choice.
Twilight was one of the books that I read because it was one of my generation's have-to-read books. Throughout the book series, it showed me that family is not blood but it is choice. Edward and his siblings along with Carlisle and Esme who were the foster parents treat each other like family and they weren't in the beginning. That was one of the things that really stood it out to me, and the reason for that is because my parents both have friends who are our family. My mom’s best friend is someone who my mom calls her sister, and I grew up calling her my aunt. So, while reading the Twilight series it showed me that just because you aren't blood-related to someone doesn't mean that they can't be your family. “You look sick, brother mine.” (Meyer 30). This is a quote from Emmet to Edward when he is talking to him through his mind. Emmet calls Edward brother throughout the whole series. Also, throughout the book, Esme and Carlisle call Edward son. I think this is an important lesson for most people because some people don't have family or they don't have a good family, and I think that this book would be a very good way to show people that family can also be through relationships like friendships.
ACOTAR- You should always fight for what you believe in.
A Court of Thorns and Roses series, or commonly known as ACOTAR is a book that I have learned a lot from. The lesson that I learned throughout the ACOTAR series would be that you should fight for what you believe in and everyone isn't how they seem. In the beginning, Feyre is living in poverty with her sisters and father. She is the only one in the house who hunts and works for a living and her sisters and father let a 14-year-old girl go into the woods alone. The woods are notoriously known for being unsafe, and Feyre goes into the woods alone anyways to make sure her family will be able to survive. Feyre eventually falls in love with a Fae (which is unheard of for a human), and she fights against the villain of the series who has imprisoned the whole fae race. She goes through three tasks that are meant to kill her, but she makes it through (just barely) and gets herself in so hurt in the end that she gets herself killed. She does it anyway because she is fighting for her love and the freedom of the whole fae race. The bad guy, Rhysand, pushes Feyre to learn how to read and write and do all the things that she should have learned back with her previous love interest who was thought to be the good guy, Tamlin. Feyre fights for what she believes in and protects a city of people that she doesn't even know because she believes it is right.
ACOTAR-Family isn’t blood but choice.
I learned from the series that the family is by choice and not always by blood. Rhysand doesn't have any biological family left, except for his distant cousin Mor, but when he was younger he made two friends who have become his brothers. “You’re brothers?” The Illyrians looked similar, but only in the way that people who come from the same place did.”(Maas 159). This is what Feyre asks Rhysand when Cassian first calls him brother. “Rhysand clarifies, “Brothers in the sense that all bastards are brothers of a sort”(Maas 159). He treats them as such, and they treat him the same way. Azriel, one of the Bat Boys, didn’t have a good childhood and his half brothers put hot oil on his hands and lit them on fire. He didn’t know what it was like to have brothers, so when he met Cassian and Rhysand he didn’t know how to act. Eventually, they all became brothers, but in the beginning, there were hardships. The Bat Boys made family in each other when they didn't have anyone else, Cassian was a bastard who was thrown out in the snow to fend for himself, Azriel was locked in a cell, and Rhysand didn’t have a loving relationship with his father. So, they made their own family and have been brothers for over 500 years, and they treat each other like they were blood.
“I believe everything happens for a reason. Whether it is decided by the Mother, or the Cauldron, or some sort of tapestry of Fate, I don't know. I don't really care. But I am grateful for it, whatever it is. Grateful that it brought you all into my life. If it hadn't... I might have become as awful as that prick we're going to face today. If I had not met an Illyrian warrior-in-training," he said to Cassian, "I would not have known the true depths of strength, of resilience, of honor and loyalty." Cassian's eyes gleamed bright. Rhys said to Azriel, "If I had not met a shadowsinger, I would not have known that it is the family you make, not the one you are born into, that matters. I would not have known what it is to truly hope, even when the world tells you to despair." Azriel bowed his head in thanks.
Mor was already crying when Rhys spoke to her. "If I had not met my cousin, I would neer have learned that light can be found in even the darkest of hells. That kindness can thrive even amongst cruelty." She wiped away her tears as she nodded.
I waited for Amren to offer a retort. But she was only waiting.
Rhys bowed his head to her. "If I had not met a tiny monster who hoards jewels more fiercely than a firedrake..." A quiet laugh from all of us at that. Rhys smiled softly. "My own power would have consumed me long ago."
Rhys squeezed my hand as he looked at me at last. "And if I had not met my mate..." His words failed him as silver lined his eyes.
He said down the bond, I would have waited five hundred more years for you. A thousand years. And if this was all the time we were allowed to have... The wait was worth it.
He wiped away the tears sliding down my face. "I believe that everything happened, exactly the way it had to... so I could find you." He kissed another tear away.”(Maas 612).
This quote is said by Rhysand, when he starts talking to them before they all go into war. Rhysand’s words to Azriel, "If I had not met a shadowsinger, I would not have known that it is the family you make, not the one you are born into, that matters. I would not have known what it is to truly hope, even when the world tells you to despair."
This gives the perfect example of the lesson that I learned from the books.
What lessons have you learned from a book series that you have read? From Percy Jackson, I learned it is okay to be different and what doesn’t kill you, only makes you stronger. From the Twilight series, I learned that family is by choice and not by blood. From the ACOTAR series, I learned that you should fight for what you believe in and do not judge a book by its cover or a person by their first impression. I believe that these are important lessons because most people won't know them and we'll live miserable lives without these lessons.
Lessons learned from This Is Us
by Avery Grondin
This Is Us is the show I’m going to be writing about. If you have not watched this show, caution of spoilers. Out of all the shows I watch, This Is Us is my favorite, at least as of right now, and it teaches very valuable lessons. While watching the show you may not realize how many lessons it teaches. The majority of the show is about a family. Two brothers, Kevin and Randall, Randall the one being adopted, a sister named Kate, and the parents, Jack and Rebecca, and how they live in this world. The three main lessons that are in the show are: Forgiveness being essential in relationships, communication is key, and family is important.
Forgiveness being a huge role that plays in one's relationship. It also plays a role in the show a lot. Giving lessons about forgiveness and how everyone in the show has learned from their experiences. An example of this would be with Beth and Randall, them fighting. In other episodes, they get in a very mean argument and it goes too far. They end up learning from this and the next time the two get into an argument they end the conversation. Without telling us that they stopped the argument due to past feuds, this lesson could go over your head. Showing how the couple forgave each other from the past argument, and would not insult one another again by ending the conversation before saying something they may regret. Forgiving someone means you need to talk and communicate with them. Not doing so you will not get any good results.
Communication being key to forgiving a person, The audience can see communicating a lot within the show. In most shows, they build the drama by holding back from talking to someone, and then the situation just gets worse. In This Is Us all of the characters are just like us and solve their problems with communication. We see this with a character in the show named Randall. He is the only black adopted one in the family who came with many personal situations. Throughout his young life, he could only imagine what his biological mom and dad looked and acted like. In the show, it's announced that his biological dad is still alive. His adoptive mother Rebecca knew this all along, and the reaction is of Randall being very upset. He communicated with Rebecca about how this upset him. It was messy but still was a necessary conversation. He also apologized for the way he acted, Rebecca forgave him and also apologized for keeping such a big thing from him.
Conversations that are hard to talk about are necessary when it comes to resolving a problem within your family, being that family is the most important. The lesson we see a lot is family always coming first. We see this a lot with Randall and Kevin. They are brothers and are most likely to get into fights. With the fights come the resolution. You know at one point or another they are going to forgive each other because they are family. One of the big fights is how polar opposite they want to help their mom. Rebecca, the mom of Kate, Randall, and Kevin, was in the first stages of Alzheimer's. Rebecca wants to spend the few good years she has with her kids with agreement from Kevin, while Randall wants her to go to a clinical trial to help her before it gets worse. Kevin wants what his mom desires, and it's for her to stay, Randall does not say anything at the time, letting the conversation end with that. Later on, Randall really rags on his mom to go to the clinical trial. Kevin finds out and a huge argument breaks out, with a lot of gruesome stuff being said. In the show, they completely stop talking after this. Months pass and Kevin and Randall decide to talk. Once they talk it out and argue a few more times they forgive each other and that they are family.
This Is Us is a show with more lessons than you can count on one hand. The biggest lessons, and the ones that happen multiple times, are communicating, forgiveness, and family being very important. Randall and his wife Beth forgive each other after arguing. Then learning from that argument and how to resolve differences better. Randall communicating with his adoptive mother about his biological parents. Randall getting the satisfaction of knowing his father even if it was years later. With all of these lessons learned most of them are about family. Kevin and Randall could have been in a feud forever, but in the end, they know that they are family and love each other. Knowing that they love each other they work out their differences and make up. While they know they are family and have a lot of love, that doesn't stop them from telling each other what's up and what's wrong with what they are doing.
Parks and Recreation
by Madison Maday
If you’ve ever watched the show Parks and Recreation, it is clearly a very amusing, comedic tv show about a group of government workers in the Parks and Recreation department. I’ve been watching this show for a while now, and I am currently on season five. Until I started doing some research for this paper, I never realized how many lessons could actually be taken from the show. Some of the lessons that stood out to me while doing my research were putting yourself first and taking care of yourself, acknowledging others’ differences, and learning from your mistakes and never giving up.
Season 4, Episode 4: "Pawnee Rangers"
“Treat yo’ self.” - Tom Haverford
In this episode of Parks and Rec, Tom’s classic line, “treat yo’ self”, comes up many times. Throughout the episode, we can see Tom and Donna going out to get manicures, shop at the mall, and basically just spend a lot of money. They take this day every year to just treat themselves, and not have a single worry in the world. When I watched this episode, I completely looked over the fact that this could actually be taken as a great message. It is important to take care of yourself and even take a day for yourself to have fun and relax.
Season 3, Episode 12: "Eagleton"
"Why would I throw an Ann Perkins party for Ron Swanson?" - Leslie Knope
In this episode of Parks and Rec, Leslie, who LOVES planning things for her friends and coworkers, wants to plan something for Ron’s birthday. Although, Ron is not one for parties and he makes it very clear that he does not want Leslie to do anything big for him. After a day of anticipation and worry, Ron comes into work to find that Leslie has set up a quiet room with his favorite steak and some tv. This episode has a very big lesson in it. We can see that even though we like doing things a certain way, other people are different, and we should respect that and not force anything upon someone.
Season 5, Episode 14: "Leslie and Ben"
“How we deal with tragedy defines who we are. I used to be terrible at it. Beyond terrible. You are not going to let this deflate you. You are going to pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and we will figure out what the next step is.” - Chris Traeger
This is by far one of the more important lessons I’ve seen in Parks and Rec. This one is very clear and is just said straight up. We can’t just keep suffering from past mistakes or failure. We have to learn how to handle it, accept it, overcome it, and keep going. Another message similar to this that can also be taken is to keep faith in yourself. Because although you did have a setback and were struggling, you have the power to either let it get to you or to just let it go over your head and not worry about it. And if you believe in yourself, learn from your mistakes, and keep going, you’ll be okay.
All of these important lessons from the show can be used in your everyday life. Parks and Recreation is definitely a good show for some laughs, but there are many hidden (and not so hidden) messages within their constant jokes and shenanigans. The best part is that these three examples that I shared are just a few out of the countless lessons that can be taken from the show. It can be easy to just simply look over the lessons that Parks and Rec is trying to show you since you are more focused on the comedy of it, but you just have to be on the lookout and pay attention to the deeper meaning of everything.
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