How the Grinch Stole my Heart by Kenley

How the Grinch Stole my Heart by Kenley - October 2023 Scholarship Essay

I have always been drawn to poetry. I love the freedom authors have to write freely from the depths of their hearts. If they desire to write with incomplete sentences they can. If they want to rhyme they can. With poetry, anything goes. However, as I got older, the poetry became more complex as the years passed. Each poem I read seemed harder to decipher and understand the deeper meaning, so I stopped. As you get older, your brain already has a lot of things to think about, and for me, I did not want to fill up that precious space trying to figure out a poem that could have 10 different themes.

One day I was going through old books to put in our garage sale and I stumbled upon a collection of Dr. Suess books. As a kid who loved poetry, I read his books religiously. Wanting to take a trip down memory lane, I began to divulge myself with his works. Green Eggs and Ham, The Lorax, The Cat in the Hat, One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish, are just some of the ones I read that most people can recall from memory. However, after reading How the Grinch Stole Christmas, I was truly impacted by the compelling message it portrayed.

I believe the Grinch can represent so many people in society. Different and quirky, he was separated as the loner and looser of his town. In our world today, it seems as though we have to blend in with who society tells us to be. That girl dresses that way, I have to as well. Her hair has some highlights, well I have to get some too. People long to be accepted and loved. The Grinch did too. But because he was too different, he was outcasted. So he left with a resentful heart away from the people who claimed to be so kind and loving.

The Grinch then sought revenge on those who hurt him. I cannot tell you how many times I have wanted to get back at someone who has wronged me or someone close to me. And the Grinch did just that. He went and ruined Christmas for all of the Whos in Whoville. But soon after, that anger turned into guilt and regret for what he did. That can happen for a lot of us too. We react quickly to situations without thinking of the consequences it could have on others. We only think of ourselves.

The story ends with the Grinch returning the gifts to his village, and everything ending in a big kumbaya. The bigger picture is much more impactful. The story really ends with the idea of forgiveness, and not conforming to who society tells you to be. The Grinch was different from everyone, yet he embraced it. He also made the choice to be the bigger person and do the right thing.

How the Grinch Stole Christmas is the most impactful book I have ever read because of the Grinch’s character. He taught me that being different is okay. Each person has something different to offer to the world, and instead of trying to change our insecurities, we should use them to be who we were made to be. He also taught me how to forgive. The Grinch had a decision to either remain held by his hate or let go of the bondage that held him down. In choosing the latter he has inspired me to not just choose forgiveness for others, but for myself too.

I have actually begun to reintroduce poetry into my life because of the simplicity of Dr. Suess. I do not have to read poems that go way over my head just because I am older. Sometimes, the greatest things we can learn is from a children's book like How the Grinch Stole Christmas.