The Learning Tree, written by Gordon Parks in 1963. Gordon Parks is an African-American author. The Learning Tree is a fictional autobiography when he was growing up in Fort Scott, Kansas. It was written based on a third person's viewpoint about the life of a teenage African-American boy’s named Newt Winger. It was about the struggle they went through as an African-American and about a murder trial which resolves with Newt Winger testimony.
The Learning Tree is about the life of a teenage African-American boy’s named Newt Winger. The plot of the novel is that one-day Newt Winger, his best friend Marcus Savage, and some of their other friends stealing apples from Jake Kiner’s orchard. The boy’s were eating the apples near a lake where Jake Kiner
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finds them with his stolen apples.
Marcus Savage decides to beat up Jake Kiner really badly, then leaves him to death. Marcus Savage was caught later and was sent to jail for almost killing a man. Now Newt is faced to tell the truth and is making it up by working for Jake Kiner with his friends. Newts life starts to change. He meets the new girl in the town, Arcella Jefferson. They both get into a relationship. But, things start to go downhill. When Arcella Jefferson gets raped and impregnated by two white men, Chauncey Cavanaugh and the son of a judge. Later on, Newt Winger learned how bad racism is in the town. He got called a “nigga”. Then being denied to enter high school because of his skin color. One day Newt was eating lunch in the loft of Jake Kiner’s barn. While he was eating, he became a bystander by witnessing Jake Kiner being killed by Marcus Savage’s dad, Booker Savage. Newt Winger kept quite. But, later Newt Winger revealed the truth because Silas Newhall was being accused of being the murderer. Silas Newhall we being accused for
something he didn’t do was because he was at the crime scene for another reason. Later on, after Newt Winger’s testimony, Booker Savage was sentenced to death. Marcus Savage was out of jail and was full of rage. He wanted revenge. Newt Winger became the hero of the town. Marcus Savage tried to kill Newt Winger but failed. Later on, on Newt Winger’s mother's, Sarah Winger’s deathbed he promised to leave Cherokee Flats and get himself a better life. The book used a lot of characterization. Some of them are, “We’ve just got to pray over him, that’s all. We’ve got to keep prayin” page . This is a characterization of Sarah Winger. This quote shows us that she believes in god. She’s a believer in god and miracles. The Learning Tree is a good book. The book itself was very interesting. The book contained many things, such as first love, death, disappointment, and etc. The reason I chose this book was that I knew it was about racism. Racism is something that I care about a lot. This book would really good for others too, especially for those people who are interested in reading about racism and the life of an African-American. This book can teach you many things. It just depends on the person who is reading at. One of the things I’ve learned from this book is that
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, what a splendid name for this book. Most people that have not read this book might only think that this book is about a tree growing in Brooklyn. Not knowing that this book is really about Francie Nolan. Francie is the tree that is growing in Brooklyn. She is growing up so quickly, not because she wants to, but because she has too. Francie was basically forced to grow up in her mid-teens. She had to help support her family. The world that Francie lived in also contributed to her growth into womanhood.
The Bean Trees has the structure of a quest. The protagonist or quester is Taylor Greer. Her place to go or destination of the quest is more of an idea rather than an actual place. It is the idea of a place free of oppression due to her gender and cultural background. She wants a place to start a new life. Taylor’s escape
Terry Kay’s father cultivates fruit trees. Fruit trees generally live for approximately ten years then die off. It takes fruit trees three to five years before they will bear fruit. Overall fruit trees require a short term commitment. Although Kay’s father became famous for his well grown trees, it did not require the dedication and time that Sam Peek had to exert for his pecan trees.[b2] In the novel Sam Peek has dedicated his life to the growth and production of his pecan trees. Pecan trees take at least five years to yield fruit and can live up to seventy-five years. They take much more time and effort to yield profit. Cultivating pecan trees is a life long project. In the novel Sam Peek dedicates his life to the care of his pecan trees. In his old age, when he is retired from the tree business, he still has the commitment to go to the pecan orchard and pull weeds. This shows Sam Peeks strong bonds to his life and family[b3]. He is very much tied down to the land around his family home. His dedication to his trees is because he wishes to provide a good life for his family. He pours a lot of effort into this wish.
The balance of the individual and community is a prevalent theme throughout The Bean Trees. Kingsolver organizes the book by first introducing us to Taylor's unique individuality and then combining that with the community ideal. The first chapter of the book takes place in Kentucky where Taylor lives with her mother. Through the incidents in Taylor's early life, we come to recognize her strong resolve to be individual. In her book Barbara Kingsolver A Critical Companion, Mary Jean DeMarr agrees with me when she tells us Taylor is "a strong character who usually knows what she wants and what she wants to do and goes about getting and doing it" (45).
In this story “The Bean Trees” by Barbara Kingslover we meet Taylor Greer, an average teenager from Pittman, Kentucky. Even though Taylor has never been through anything truly horrific in her life how can she truly understand how unpleasant the world can be? Taylor’s personal growth in the “The Bean Trees” is a part of an uncertain journey because Taylor is thrown into motherhood and forced to see the bad experiences people go through in life.
In the high criminal neighborhood where the other Wes lived, people who live there need a positive role model or a mentor to lead them to a better future. Usually the older family members are the person they can look up to. The other Wes’s mother was not there when the other Wes felt perplexed about his future and needed her to support and give him advises. Even though the other Wes’s mother moved around and tried to keep the other Wes from bad influences in the neighborhood, still, the other Wes dropped out of school and ended up in the prison. While the author Wes went to the private school every day with his friend Justin; the other Wes tried to skip school with his friend Woody. Moore says, “Wes had no intention of going to school. He was supposed to meet Woody later – they were going to skip school with some friends, stay at Wes’s house, and have a cookout” (59). This example shows that at the time the other Wes was not interested in school. Because Mary was busy at work, trying to support her son’s education, she had no time and energy to look after the other Wes. For this reason, she did not know how the other Wes was doing at school and had no idea that he was escaping school. She missed the opportunities to intervene in her son’s life and put him on the right track. Moreover, when the author was in the military school, the other Wes was dealing drugs to people in the streets and was already the father of a child. The incident that made the other Wes drop out of school was when he had a conflict with a guy. The other Wes was dating with the girl without knowing that she had a boyfriend. One night, her boyfriend found out her relationship with the other Wes and had a fight with him. During the fight, the other Wes chased the guy and shot him. The guy was injured and the other Wes was arrested
From close-mouthed to communicative, oblivious to obsessed, indifferent to independent, The Bean Trees shows all sorts of changes that can occur in unimaginable situations. Making these transformations seem so real, Barbara Kingsolver effectively brings the book to life by allowing the characters to uniquely grow and thrive in all sorts of circumstances just like we do in the real world. Lessons could even be taken from what these people learned through their journeys in life and applied to how we carry ourselves in our daily lives. Independence, self confidence, persistence, and perseverance all prove to be integral qualities in succeeding in life no matter what it throws at us.
Running Head: THE BEAN TREES. Abstract This book report deals with the Native American culture and how a girl named Taylor got away from what was expected of her as part of her rural town in Pittman, Kentucky. She struggles along the way with her old beat up car and gets as far west as she can. Along the way, she takes care of an abandoned child which she found in the backseat of her car and decides to take care of her.
They say that growing up is hard to do, and it certainly was for Taylor Greer, which is why she couldn't wait to leave her home in Pittman County, Kentucky. The novel, The Bean Trees, written by Barbara Kingsolver, follows Taylor's story of growing up, leaving home, and accepting responsibility. Along the way Taylor is given a child, Turtle, and she struggles with accepting the responsibility of raising a child. Kingsolver's choices for point of view, setting, conflict, theme, characterization, and style throughout the plot help create an uplifting story about love and what it means to be a family.
“The bond that links your true family is not one of blood, but of respect and joy of each other’s life” -Richard Bach. Far from the Tree by Robin Benway explores the meaning of family, and the impact that loved ones have on identity. The novel tells the story of three siblings who have three very different lives reunite after spending all of their lives separately. Grace, Maya and Joaquin grow dependant on one another, and unknowingly give and take values from each other that help them solve their own issues slowing being brought to light. With the help of his parents and siblings, Joaquin reveals a critical capacity for change as he leaves his old self behind and moves on to a better future with a loving family.
The Bean Trees is a novel which shows Taylor’s maturation; it is a bildungsroman story. Taylor is a developing or dynamic character. Her moral qualities and outlook undergo a permanent change. When the novel begins, Taylor is an independent-minded young woman embarking on an adventure to a new world. She has no cares or worries. She is confident in her abilities, and is determined to make it through life on her own. As she discovers new things and meets new people, Taylor is exposed to the realities of the world. She learns about the plight of abandoned children and of illegal immigrants. She learns how to give help and how to depend upon the help of others. As she interacts with others, those people are likewise affected by Taylor. The other developing characters are Lou Ann Ruiz, Turtle, and Esperanza. Together they learn the importance of interdependence and find their confidence.
Betty Smith’s A Tree Grows in Brooklyn presents the problems of a young girl coming of age, a time when she is faced with new challenges and must overcome obstacles. Throughout the book the protagonist, Francie Nolan discovers herself maturing as she struggles with loneliness, the loss of innocence and a life of poverty in a Brooklyn slum. This theme is evident in (1.) her love for books which she uses as companionship, (2.) her outlook on the world as she matures and finally, (3.) her realization that in order to succeed in life she must obtain an education and work hard to do it.
There was a time many years ago when the passing of a relative always seemed to be the eldest member of the family such as the grandmother, grandfather, great-grandmother or great-grandfather. Not too many times would one see a young person die or being killed very often. In the song “The Leaning Tree”, gospel artist Win Thompkins addresses this as no longer being true because young people are dying just about everyday. Throughout the song , he states that “the leaning tree” ,symbolizing an older person, is not always the first to fall or in other words die. Thompkins also states throughout the song that anyone’s time could be soon no matter the age or condition. He then shares a brief story about a righteous old man who saw his children pass
The boy’s growing maturity, autonomy, and painful disillusionment are used by Rios to impart the loss of innocence theme. He discovers his carefree times are taken away by nature, his mother, or merely because he is growing up. His experiences equate to that of the lion’s roar, wondrous and unforgettable, much like the trials people are subjected to when they begin maturing and losing their innocence. In the end, the boy develops into a mature and self-sufficient individual who discovers a new way to enjoy life and all its intricacies.
Betty Smith’s novel A Tree Grows In Brooklyn is a tale of poignant family relationships and childhood and also of grim privation. The story revolves around the protagonist of the story, young Francie Nolan. She is an imaginative, endearing 11-year-old girl growing up in 1912, in Brooklyn, New York. The entire story revolves around Francie and the Nolan family, including her brother Neelie, her mother Katie and her father Johnny. An ensemble of high relief characters aids and abets them in their journey through this story of sometimes bleak survival and everlasting hope. As we find out, the struggle for survival is primarily focused against the antagonist of this story, the hard-grinding poverty afflicting Francie, the Nolan’s and Brooklyn itself. The hope in the novel is shown symbolically in the “The “Tree of Heaven””. A symbol used throughout the novel to show hope, perseverance and to highlight other key points.