When I saw this assignment, I immediately knew what I was going to write about: the weeping willow tree! While there are many species of willows, the weeping willow in particular has had a huge impact on my life so far, and the connection just keeps growing. It was a weeping willow tree that guided and comforted me when my conversion was revealed without my consent to my extremely conservatively Christian parents and the tree that kept me sane while I had to live under their roof. My first real taste of freedom was in my own apartment on Willow Lane; yes, there was a weeping willow tree right across the sidewalk from my balcony. When meeting my boyfriend's family for the first time, I anxiously prayed for help and acceptance and the first thing I saw after walking in the door was the huge weeping willow tree in the backyard - which will, if all goes according to our current plans, also be the site of our wedding in about two years! …show more content…
There are over 400 varieties of weeping willow trees, a number which is constantly growing due to cross-pollinating between varieties.
While in other plant species, cross-pollinating often leads to either failed or sterile seedlings, the weeping willow is happy to cross-pollinate and produces large numbers of healthy, fertile seedlings. They love to grow near water and can often be found near rivers, creeks, lakes, or even just areas with particularly wet soil. They are also very resilient, handling many different climates, soil types, hours of sunlight, and even difficulties like droughts without too much damage. In fact, they are so resilient they can be difficult to get rid of! My boyfriend’s father has tried to kill their weeping willow multiple times, even chopping it completely to the ground once, only to have it spring quickly back to life - they can grow from something as small as a broken branch left on the open ground, and they also grow extremely fast (between 8-10 feet every
year!) The willow in general has been associated with a huge number of deities, including but certainly not limited to Proserpina, Hecate, Artemis, Brigit, and Mercury. It is also closely connected to the moon. The willow has also been associated with an equally long list of widely varied traits: fertility, love, protection (especially from snakes), divination, magic, inspiration and the arts (especially music, dance, and poetry), grief and death are all common associations with the willow. It is also often connected to healing, as its sap and bark contains a powerful medicine and pain reliever called salicin, which the body converts to salicylic acid; the synthetic version of this acid is called aspirin. In ritual, willow is often connected to the element of water due to its strong preference for growing in very wet areas. It is often used for spells and rituals designed to increase inspiration or psychic powers. It is also a common component in spells and rituals which aid in understanding and working through grief, especially after a death. Willow is also used to “boost” dream workings, and placing a bit of willow beneath your pillow can help you dream as well as increases the meanings behind your dreams.
Firstly, with Hickory Hollow is the disappearing crayfish in Ribbon Cave. This problem, it seems, is the result of heavy metals found in the water. The heavy metals were found at the site of Ribbon Cave, as well as the northern portion of Aram Creek. We tested for heavy metals at well sites G, I, L, M, and S for heavy metals, with the only positives being well sites I and L. Nevertheless, this still confirmed our theory. The heavy metals found in the water have most likely resulted from Compara Corp’s hazardous waste spills, a problem that has occurred multiple times. The heavy metals found in the water being lead, tin, copper, and ammonia would then be highly probable. To fix this problem the answer is simple, “The answer, according to the agency and an outside expert, is twofold: treatment and dilution” (Pappas, 1). Treating the water is simple: the water needs the acidity to be reduced. After that is done, you must dilute the water (add water to the creek). However, the problems will never fully go away, but they will be greatly decreased. In conclusion, in order to save the lives of the crayfish, Hickory Hollow must treat Aram Creek in order to strip the heavy metals.
Hawaii is such a diverse and unique area that it is said to be a biologist’s paradise. Biologists travel here to study the wide variety of species and one such species is Aleurites moluccana or the kukui tree. The kukui tree is originally from Southeast Asia, particularly the Indo-Malaysia region, and has moved its way into the Pacific. It was first introduced to the Hawaiian islands when the Polynesians navigated their way here hundreds of years ago (Elevitch, C. R., & Manner, H. I., 2006). Since then, the kukui tree’s physical adaptations have helped it to thrive in Hawaii and native Hawaiians were able to utilize this plant in a number of ways.
Charity is a trait that is always a blessing to someone else, and The Singing Tree displays just how wonderful it can
Junot Diaz’s “Wildwood” is a roller coaster of emotions. The author gives us a full view of the tempestuous relationship between Lola and her mother who discovers has breast cancer. Lola, a young girl who lives in New York with her brother and mother, early on we can see that Lola’s mother is particularly abusive and channels her frustrations towards her daughter. When her mother asks Lola to examine her breast for a lump, she has a premonition her life would change.
remember our sacred connections, to transform that hollow tree into the sacred tree it was
Cheng, Ah. The King of Trees. Trans: Bonnie S. McDougall. New York,NY: New Directions, 2010. Print.
In Christianity, trees were viewed as a primary source of life and knowledge, exhibited in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 2:9). Denver used trees as a safe haven for her; a safe place where she can hide from her mother after the trauma that transpired the night that crawling already? was killed. “Veiled and protected by the live green walls, she felt ripe and clear, and salvation was as easy as a wish,”(Morrison, 29). Contrasting with the safety of the trees for Denver, Sethe’s idea of trees has much darker connotations. As a child, she saw “Boys hangin’ from the most beautiful sycamores in the world. It shamed her-remembering the wonderful soughing trees rather than the boys,” (Morrison 6). For Sethe, the symbolism of trees has been twisted into viewing trees not as hope, but as death, and the pain from her past. As Amy had observed, the scars on Sethe only served as reminders of her painful time at Sweet Home, where she had very little hope for the future. A lesson that should be derived from this book is that the perspective from which you look at the past could help it become less painful. Sethe is too focused on the pain of her past, so therefore she is unable to see trees as they were meant to be seen, while Paul D views them as a pathway to second chances. He views trees as “inviting; things you could trust and be ear; talk to if you wanted to as he frequently did since way back when he took the midday meal in the fields of Sweet Home,” (Morrison,
The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein. The Giving Tree, a poem by Shel Silverstein. Poets Love Poems at Allpoetry. N.p., n.d.
Beloved, a novel by Toni Morrison, highlights the physical and emotional horrors that slaves suffer after their escape from slavery. The symbolism of trees is prominent in this novel as a cultural symbol of life. However, Morrison uses trees to illustrate more than just a representation of life. She uses them to show how in a time of oppression and suffering, one can always mend the pain, escape from it, and eventually begin a new life. The idea that trees symbolize healing, freedom, and life is portrayed by the actions and feelings of the main characters, Sethe, Denver, and Paul D.
Fulton, Lorie Watkins. "Hiding fire and brimstone in lacy groves: the twinned trees of Beloved." African American Review 39.1-2 (2005): 189+. Literature Resource Center. Web. 5 May 2014.
Cheng, Ah. The King of Trees. Trans. Bonnie S. McDougall. New York: New Directions, 2010. Print.
The forest additionally symbolizes the relationship in which native serves as a place of empowerment for individuals. This also adds to those the themes. The forest is a symbol of Prynne and Dimmesdale’s empowerment in the truth, hope and love. Upon their meeting in the forest, both feel positively changed as qu...
Walking through the woods never fails to clear my mind. After spending all day sitting in a stale classroom, filled with stress, confusion, and overwhelming responsibilities, taking a long stroll through the familiar woods behind my grandmother’s house lifts any worries that could ever weigh me down. I never wander through aimlessly. I always follow the trail of grass that has been deliberately cut down shorter than the rest, making it easier to tread through to the small creek at the end of the trail. The entire journey through the woods behind my grandmother’s house, there and back, first took on a whole new importance in my life during my junior year of high school.
Many sands had the tree known; many green neighbors had come and gone, yet the tree remained. The mighty roots had endured such whips and scorns as had been cast upon it, but the old tree had survived, a pillar of twisted iron and horn against the now sickly sky. In the waning light of evening, the tree waited.
Trees are usually considered as bland, unusual objects that are usually taken for granted; however, I believe there is more to a tree that meets the eye. They supply oxygen and shade. During the holidays, trees are able to spread holiday cheer by wearing holiday decorations. Through providing, they are always beneficial to the needs of others. Rather than having striking beauty like a flower, trees have are grounded and possess a gentle beauty; they are adapted wildflowers to their environment. In fact, if I had to compare myself to an inanimate object, I would choose a tree. A tree has many characteristics in common with me. Characteristics like relying on our roots, strength and observation, and helping others and leaving behind a powerful legacy are a few of the traits we share. All of which I believe are admirable qualities to possess.