Lessons from fiction

• In the run up to Teachers’ Day (September 5), we asked children if their favourite fictional characters have taught them anything. Plenty, they say.

  

  Leo Valdez is one of my favourite characters from the Heroes of Olympus series. He was told he was the ‘seventh wheel’ and overlooked by many people in the Riordanverse. He felt an intense need to prove himself and I think he deserves more appreciation. He’s an extremely intelligent individual, always knowing what to do, when to do it and, possibly most important, how to do it. Leo has taught me that you can’t make people notice you without hard work. No matter what people (or goddesses like Nemesis) tell you, whether to your face or behind your back, by knowing whose words are important, you can be appreciated.

  

  Anna from Frozen is the fictional character I find most inspiring. She is a caring person with a good heart. She is also an amazing sister to Elsa, and she never stops loving her no matter what. She almost dies to save Elsa’s life, and this shows her selfless love. She is also a wonderful friend to Olaf; he is even willing to melt for her! From Anna, I have learnt to be fearless and always choose to do what is right, even if it is difficult. She inspires me to be brave, kind, caring and to always believe in myself.
  
  

  I have learnt a lot from the cartoon named The Fixies. Every episode centres around a particular subject and explains it in detail, in a fun way. I have picked up several useful skills — such as how to fix household appliances and punctured tyres — which will surely come in handy later in life. The series has also taught me concepts like the importance of the airbag in vehicles and how to prevent shocks from electronic items. It truly makes learning more enjoyable.

  

  Percy Jackson is partly human and partly a demi-god. He inspires me to be kind to others, and to sacrifice my needs for others’ well-being and happiness. In The Last Olympian, he turned down having immense power and immortality for the happiness of his friends. I have learnt to be loyal to my friends from Percy.

  

  My favourite fictional character is Madeline from Madame Pampplemousse. Three things I have learnt from her are:

  1. Follow your passion: There will be many obstacles in your way but you will overcome them sooner or later because no one can stop you from doing what you love.

  2. Trust and accept: She has also taught me to never doubt a good friend. No matter what their age, height, religion, a good friend will always stick by you through thick and thin, so always trust them as they will always support you no matter what.

  3. Be yourself: Learn to love yourself as you don’t have to change yourself to fit in. Your specialness is unique and is a treasured gift.

  

  I like Sonic because he’s a little hedgehog who is honest, loyal to friends, and keeps his promises. His super-speed skills, which he can apply in many ways, really amaze me. He can run at the speed of sound which is the fastest I’ve read about. Sonic’s speed and loyalty makes him an amazing fighter. Great leaders do what Sonic did. They want to help others. By doing this, they let others experience different possibilities and show them that anything is possible.

  

  The fictional character I have learnt from is Ron Weasley from the Harry Potter series. His loyalty and bravery were my take-aways. These qualities are in full display in the third book, Prisoner of Azkaban. Assuming Sirius Black to be a bad guy who was going to attack Harry, Ron — who has a broken leg at that point — says: “You have got to get us first before you get to Harry”; meaning that Sirius would have to first fight Ron and Hermione before getting to Harry. From this, I learnt that true friendship is about being loyal to one’s friends and standing by them.

  

  Po from Kung Fu Panda is my teacher. From this character, I have learnt never to give up and to respect and value my friends. Just like his friends motivated Po in the movie, my friends too pushed me. I wanted to participate in a dance for our school’s annual day but was not confident about it. Our director, whom we call paati, was like Oogway. “You can do it,” she said. My friends Diya, Mahathi, Vishvesh and Yugan were like the dragon warriors who gave me courage. My dance teacher was like Master Shifu.

  

  Dog Man is a half-human and half-dog who works with the police. He helped me realise how important it is to not get distracted at crucial moments. He also taught me that it doesn’t matter how small or how different you are, you can still take on anything and, most important, to never give up and lose hope.