Grief, Loss and Transformation: A Study on 'Under the Persimmon Tree'

1532 Words4 Pages

(AGG) When you lose a loved one no matter how old they are or you are, it can have a traumatic impact in your life. (BS-1) The loss of Margaret causes much sorrow throughout her life. (BS-2) After the death of her husband, Nusrat overtime attempts to move on. (BS-3) Overall Nusrat has a big heart for giving these Afghan children a school, and something to give them that gives them happiness. (TS) A major theme in Under The Persimmon Tree is how loss, and change can shape an individual.

(MIP-1) Nusrat is dealing with grief over the loss of Margaret, and this grief changed her by avoiding social situations. (SIP-A) Nusrat is looking for answers to help her move on, and accept Margret’s death. (STEWE-1) Throughout her life Nusrat struggles …show more content…

(SIP-A) Nusrat is stressed about Faiz. Nusrat is concerned, and is unknown about if he is dead or alive. (STEWE-1) Nusrat is worried about Faiz because she’s heard no word from him.“She began to worry about Faiz with everyday that passed with no word from him.”( Staples-25). Nusrat is losing faith, because she hasn't received any letters , from him saying he is ok, and if he is alive or not. (STEWE-2) Nusrat’s emotions are conflicting with the loss of Faiz. “I have tried to be angry with you,” she says looking at the stars as if he can hear her through them.” I’d be angry with you than so terrified of what might happened to you.”(Staples-112) Nusrat is in denial over what her intuition is telling her to believe.(SIP-B) Nusrat accepts the fact that Faiz is gone, and Nusrat wants to go back to America to make peace with family.(STEWE-1)When Nusrat converted to Islam, her parents were disappointed, and felt as if they’ve lost Nusrat, now she wants to turn things around, and wants a better relationship with them like she used to in her old life back in America.“ I’d like to spend some time with my mother and father to make peace with them.” (Staples-236) After Margaret died, Nusrat was the only child her parents had left. However when Nusrat converted to Islam, her parents were in shock when she converted. Her parents felt as if …show more content…

(SIP-A) Establishing the school and working with the children helped Nusrat stay busy, that way she doesn't think about Faiz, and how much it hurts her.(STEWE-1) Happiness was not a big part of day to day time for these Afghan children. “But Nusrat insisted that she must have her own house near the refugee camps so she could keep open her school for the Afghan children who have been torn from their homes and farms and flocks.” (Staples-26-27). Nusrat and her school give these Afghan children joy and something to look forward to. These children do not have a real childhood and Nusrat’s kindness, and beliefs, and giving them an education, and the importance of educating them to give them something normal that all children should have.(STEWE-2) The persimmon Tree is more than just a tree, it becomes the actual classroom where the students learn, and connect with Nusrat. “ A large Persimmon tree stands in the center of the dusty years behind the house. In spring, summer, and early fall it's canopy covers nearly half of the space enclosed within the stucco wall that surrounds the entire compound. Under this tree Nusrat conducts her Persimmon Tree School, founded to teach the children of the Shahnawaz refugee camp. (Staples- 50).The tree itself is meaningful, because in the middle of a refugee camp filled with suffering lives, and here a living thing that lives to provide beauty, comfort, and

Show More
Related

  • Analysis of Tracy K. Smith´s Life on Mars

    2420 Words  | 5 Pages

    As the first poem in the book it sums up the primary focus of the works in its exploration of loss, grieving, and recovery. The questions posed about the nature of God become recurring themes in the following sections, especially One and Four. The symbolism includes the image of earthly possessions sprawled out like gangly dolls, a reference possibly meant to bring about a sense of nostalgia which this poem does quite well. The final lines cement the message that this is about loss and life, the idea that once something is lost, it can no longer belong to anyone anymore brings a sense...

    Read More

  • Comparing The Five Stages Of Grief In Drums, Girls And Dangerous Pie

    1061 Words  | 3 Pages

    Grief is a various response to loss, particularly to the loss of someone that has died. People have a bond or affection formed over time making it hard to lose someone. Elizabeth Kubler-Ross, a Swiss-born psychiatrist, presented a theory of the five stages of grief that is recognized by society. In the book, Drums, Girls and Dangerous Pie by Jordan Sonnenblick, the main character Steven Alper lives a normal life. He plays drums and hates his little brother, Jeffrey. Steven is constantly being annoyed by him which, bugs Steven. When Jeffrey is diagnosed with Leukemia, Steven’s life is flipped right upside down. He is hit hard with the five stages of grief. The five stages of grief are denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance. Throughout the story, Sonnenblick explains the five stages of grief very well with Steven Alper.

    Read More

  • Annotation Assignment: A Separate Peace

    1519 Words  | 4 Pages

    Analysis: This setting shows in detail a location which is directly tied to the author. He remembers the tree in such detail because this was the place were the main conflict in his life took place.

    Read More

  • Speak

    575 Words  | 2 Pages

    After all, Melinda Sordino overcame her tramatic experience that led her to open up and release the painful silence she was carrying inside. The flashback that is shown of her traumatic makes up the symbolism of the tree and the closet that reflects on herself, and the conflict the character Melinda faces with her rapist, are the main literary devices that both the film and novel probes.

    Read More

  • Grief in Slaughterhouse Five

    610 Words  | 2 Pages

    Grief in Slaughterhouse Five It seems as though all we hear on the news lately is bad news. So it goes, right? After all, if we took to heart all the tragedies that occur everyday in the world, we'd never get out of bed in the morning. We would have an overload of grief so heavy that we'd probably all die of a broken heart.

    Read More

  • The Effects Of Death In The Lovely Bones By Alice Sebold

    1742 Words  | 4 Pages

    Throughout the novel, crucial family members and friends of the girl that died are meticulously reshaped by her absence. Lindsey, the sister, outgrows her timidity and develops a brave, fearless demeanor, while at the same time she glows with independence. Abigail, the mother, frees herself from the barbed wire that protected her loved ones yet caused her great pain, as well as learns that withdrawing oneself from their role in society may be the most favorable choice. Ruth, the remote friend from school, determines her career that will last a lifetime. and escapes from the dark place that she was drowning in before. Thus, next time one is overcome with grief, they must remember that constructive change is guaranteed to

    Read More

  • A Family in Turmoil in Today Will Be A Quiet Day

    861 Words  | 2 Pages

    Suffering from the death of a close friend, the boy tries to ignore his feelings and jokes on his sister. His friend was a mental patient who threw himself off a building. Being really young and unable to cope with this tragedy, the boy jokes to his sister about the bridge collapsing. "The mention of the suicide and of the bridge collapsing set a depressing tone for the rest of the story" (Baker 170). Arguments about Raisinettes force the father to settle it by saying, "you will both spoil your lunch." As their day continues, their arguments become more serious and present concern for the father who is trying to understand his children better. In complete agreement with Justin Oeltzes’ paper, "A Sad Story," I also feel that this dark foreshadowing of time to come is an indication of the author’s direct intention to write a sad story.

    Read More

  • Essay On Inside Out And Back Again

    821 Words  | 2 Pages

    In the article “Children Of War” the author Brice states “After I found out about my father’s death everything seemed useless I couldn’t see  future for myself.” this is about this family who lost a family member. This shows losing a loved one turns them inside out because they would have to live without them forever. What the quote shows, they would start to have dout on things. This connects to Ha’s life when she turns Inside out because she lost a her father as well. In the novel “Inside Out & Back Again” the author Thanhha Lai states “ All my life I’ve wondered what it’s like to know someone for forever then poof he’s gone” This is about Ha wondering what’s it’s like knowing a father for a while then losing him because she barely knew him.  One last example that The author Thanhha Lai Stated is that “Brother Vu chops; the head falls; a silver blade slices. Black seeds spill like clusters of eyes, wet and crying.” This is about how ha having to let go of her tree letting her brother cut it down. She loved her tree so much that it was hard for her to watch the getting chopped down in front of her face. This is a big example of losing a loved one because Ha loved her tree so much that it was the symbol of

    Read More

  • What Is The Theme Of The Movie The Education Of Little Tree Acculturation

    1225 Words  | 3 Pages

    The movie entitled The Education of Little Tree is about a young boy who is brought up by his Cherokee grandparents during the Great Depression, following the death of his parents. They teach him about a way of life that is very different from what he is used to, and is much more in-tune with nature. The state comes to find that the boy is not in school, something very European, and forces him to attend an oppressive school run by the state which forbids anything “Indian” related. Throughout the movie, there are stark contrasts made between the Cherokee and European way of life. It becomes evident that cultural influences have an effect on the young boy and they can be seen through the process of acculturation, the sensitive period for culture

    Read More

  • Loss of Innocence

    1336 Words  | 3 Pages

    Knowles foreshadows the boys’ loss of innocence through the war, and their constant jumps from the tree. While getting ready for the war the boys practice and show off their skills on the tree by the Devon River. These jumps are done for fun yet the boys see them as a routine, something that has to be done. Knowles brings the theme of the loss of innocence in the novel for the first time by portraying Finny as the defender who gets the boys out of trouble by saying they had to jump out of the tree (22). This foreshadows how the innocence of the boys will be banished from themselves and their world. The tree also symbolizes the Forbidden Tree of Knowledge. Just like it is forbidden to eat the fruit, jumping from the tree was not allowed as well. By jumping from the tree the boys symbolically accept their loss of innocence, just like Adam and Eve accepted theirs.

    Read More

  • Stages of Grief in Hamlet, The Descendants, and Broken April

    1244 Words  | 3 Pages

    Overcoming the grief that is felt after losing a loved one is a physically and mentally agonizing task. According to Dr. Christina Hibbert, a clinical psychologist who graduated from the California School of Professional Psychology, three main stages of grief include anger, depression and acceptance. Each one of these emotions can be seen in William Shakespeare’s Hamlet and The Descendants (2011, Payne) as the artists explore the effects of grief and the different emotional responses that one can have due to the loss of a loved one. Additionally, in Ismail Kadare’s Broken April, the Berisha family feels the sufferance that is associated with unexpected death, as well as the various temperamental reactions that one will have after losing a loved one. Each of these works of art represent a powerful example of the stages that one will go through after feeling the intense sorrow that is connected with death, as well as the unavoidable effects of grief.

    Read More

  • The Loss Of A Family In James Patterson's Novel, I Alex Family

    1252 Words  | 3 Pages

    In James Patterson’s thriller novel, I, Alex Cross, Alex Cross and his family living in the nation’s capital must solve a beloved niece’s murder, and uncover the truth about the power players of the country -- all while nurturing the growing wound of the loss of a family member. The idea and importance of the connection between loss and familial support and love runs through the entire story, and one key lesson suggests that no matter how the loss of a family member affects the family, the results will often be similar, if not the same: the remaining members strive to support one another and often work together to find the true reason for the loss, always leading to a better and brighter future for everyone.

    Read More

  • Birthmark

    1331 Words  | 3 Pages

    ... of time,and,living once all in eternity, to find the perfect future in the present.” Basically saying the missing part of him, which was shown through Aminadab, was the key to see that he had everything he could possibly want. That is when he no longer fights with this inner struggle. What is even more tragic is that even with the passing of his wife, he is unable to learn from this expierence because his own wife basically says, dont feel guilty it is going to be ok. This totally disturbs the possiblility of learning from this horrible incident, because his wife eases the guilt.

    Read More

  • The Pain Tree Analysis

    1036 Words  | 3 Pages

    Looking back on the death of Larissa’s son, Zebedee Breeze, Lorraine examines Larissa’s response to the passing of her child. Lorraine says, “I never saw her cry that day or any other. She never mentioned her sons.” (Senior 311). This statement from Lorraine shows how even though Larissa was devastated by the news of her son’s passing, she had to keep going. Women in Larissa’s position did not have the luxury of stopping everything to grieve. While someone in Lorraine’s position could take time to grieve and recover from the loss of a loved one, Larissa was expected to keep working despite the grief she felt. One of the saddest things about Zebedee’s passing, was that Larissa had to leave him and was not able to stay with her family because she had to take care of other families. Not only did Larissa have the strength to move on and keep working after her son’s passing, Larissa and other women like her also had no choice but to leave their families in order to find a way to support them. As a child, Lorraine did not understand the strength Larissa must have had to leave her family to take care of someone else’s

    Read More

  • Themes in the Novel "Black Boy"

    1200 Words  | 3 Pages

    In this book review I represent and analyze the three themes I found the most significant in the novel.

    Read More

More about Grief, Loss and Transformation: A Study on 'Under the Persimmon Tree'

Open Document