Forrest Carter The Education Of Little Tree Summary

Before reading the third chapter of “The Forest and the Trees”, I remember learning in the second chapter about symbolism, ideology and the construction of life in different cultures and societies around the world. For example, something interesting I remember learning was how every social system has a culture, consisting primarily of symbols (including words), ideas and practices. I believe this also connects and refers to how we tend to build our own sense of reality through the words and ideas that we use to mean something and people may use to name interpret what they experience and how cultures consist of symbols of ideas or words being portrayed. Based on what I read in the second chapter and the title of the third chapter, “The Structures

First, the author uses symbolism. For instance, The tree in the story represents Lane’s fallen faith and the hole where the tree once stood represents the emptiness where Lane's faith once was and lastly, the roots of the tree represent the tangled mess his life and relationship is. “Lane was very still and immobile and looking past the bank at the downed tree in the shallows and its ball of exposed roots

The enchanted forest pulsed in, it’s ancient heartbeat, the deep, haunting song sweeping through the swaying leaves. The woody incense of thousands of leaves and branches matting the forest floor filled the air and dominated our nostrils. Soon, the branches will bend to the will of the whispering wind, allowing the sun to fill every nook and cranny with its the lustrous, golden light, illuminating the full grandeur of a forest that is steeped in plushness and opulence. But for now, the sprawling limbs of centuries-old trees still guarded the darkness, blotting out most of the gentle rays of dawn’s light.

Sherman Alexie, in “Indian Education” tells his experiences in school on the reservation. Some of his teachers did not treat him very good and did not try to understand him. In his ninth grade year he collapsed. A teacher assumed that he had been drinking just because he was Native American. The teacher said, “What’s that boy been drinking? I know all about these Indian kids. They start drinking real young.” Sherman Alexie didn’t listen to the negatives in school. He persevered and became valedictorian of his school.

Another element that is often overlooked in many short stories is theme. Theme is overlooked because it sometimes closely mirrors the plot or it is hard to find throughout the story. However, in “Indian Education” the theme is recognized without being overly complicated or difficult for the reader to grasp. The theme in this short story is something that not often seen in literature except by authors who also have direct experience with discrimination against Native Americans in the education system. Throughout this story the theme is persistently depicted without saturating the writing or disappearing and reappearing. From being told things such as “You always look guilty” to being questioned on

Education —an institution for success, opportunity, and progress — is itself steeped in racism. In Sherman Alexie’s short story “Indian Education” from his book The Longer Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven is set in two places, the Spokane Indian Reservation and a farm town nearby the reservation. The story is written in a list of formative events chronologize Victor’s youth by depicting the most potent moment from each year he is in school. Alexie addresses the issue of racism in education by examining examples of injustice and discrimination over twelve years in a boy’s life. Victor faces his initial injustice in first grade when he is bullied by bigger kids, but his understanding of injustice becomes much more complex in grades two through twelve as he experiences discrimination against his American Indian identity. Familial experiences of a Native woman, Alexie’s style and humor, and Victor’s awareness of discrimination from grade one to twelve all reveal the grim reality of growing up and being schooled on an American Indian reservation.

In Allen Johnson’s “The Forest, The Trees, and The One Thing”, he expresses that in order to understand sociology we need to be able to understand the relationship between biography and history. To explain this, Johnson uses five rules to sociology called the sociological imagination. These rules explain how an individual relates to social systems.

The Light in the Forest book was about an Indian boy, True Son being forced to return to his white parents that lived in Pennsylvania. True Son went back to his white parents and his younger brother, after being an Indian for eleven years in Ohio. With him was a white soldier, Del Hardy that spoke the Delaware language. Myra Butler, Harry Butler, and Gordie Butler were excited for his return. When he arrived home, his Aunt Kate disliked True Son and his customs. His Uncle Wilse made fun of his language and his people. Uncle Wilse hated True Son what he was, an Indian and slapped True Son. True Son got into a lot of conflicts with other whites because of his Indian mindset.

Initially presented as an autobiography by a Native American, The Education of Little Tree perpetuates the stereotypical roles of Native Americans as written by a seemingly former white supremist. At a first read – and should the reader be unaware of the truth about the author ‘Forrest’ Carter – it does not seem as though The Education of Little Tree does anything inherently racist. If anything, the story appears to be sympathetic to the plight of protagonist Little Tree, a five-year-old orphaned Native American boy, and his grandparents for the displacement they have from their culture into a society that does not accept them and perpetually oppresses them.

Good afternoon and welcome to Poetry Week. Today I will be talking to you about the topic of urban life in Australian poetry. During this presentation, I will discuss the poem Tree in the City by Thomas Shapcott and its representation of urban life. This will then be followed by how the poetic devices of metaphor and imagery are used in the poem and finally, I will compare it to the taught poem Phasing Out the Mangroves.

The sun peeked in through some holes in the roof, making the water sparkle and dance; like the lights in the night sky. Roots from the tree had grown through the roof of the cave. Freddy swam in and out and around the roots. It’s like our cattail maze.

Author Sherman Alexie, in his pieces of literature “Indian Education” and “Superman and Me”, he recounts his endeavors, he faced as a child living on the Spokane and Coeur D’ Alene Indian Reservation. In each story he uses a variety of rhetorical strategies to convey to the reader the importance of these experiences. He discusses how difficult it was to be considered an “average Indian”, but at the same time trying to receive the best education as possible. Alexie’s purpose was to transmit the idea that, an Indian boy could strive and succeed at getting an education. He adopts a sentimental and in tone in order to appeal to similar struggles and experiences in his young adult readers face as they go through school.

The Tree of Life is a beautiful and complex movie that centers around a family dealing with loss and how we, as humans, relate to it. Rather than using a traditional plot driven format, this film deals with some of the most difficult questions humanity has encountered with a story of a struggling, modest, middle class family in the 1950s. The Tree of Life evolves around the simple and intimate moments of three boys, their over stimulating yet loving father, and their angelic mother. With very little dialogue, we are able to watch the children grow and learn while battling the challenges of their inner self. Then with a long, yet captivating, sequence of nature images we are able to understand that the film is about Life and all it has to offer;

Little Tree is an elementary-aged male living in 1920’s America. While this was obviously nearly a hundred years ago, many of the factors discussed still play a role in today’s society. Since his mother died (his father is unknown and out of the picture), he has been raised by his grandparents in the Appalachian Mountains. His grandmother is full-Cherokee and his grandfather is half-Cherokee, half-Scottish, but both grandparents are proud of their Native American heritage and work to pass on their Cherokee traditions and beliefs to Little Tree. In addition to teaching him about his culture and heritage, both grandparents also instilled in him the values of hard work and perseverance. Little Tree was raised in a very supportive environment that encouraged independent learning

The river also suggested a breeze, there were ripples that flowed southeast. There were many different shades of blue in the lake and river. The lake had a darker shade of light blue surrounded by a dark blue then lined with black. The lake appeared to have a light shining either on top or the bottom of it, which allowed you to see the grass growing under it. The river had a lighter shade of light blue with white lines to show the ripples but it was surrounded with the same colors as the lake. You did not see any grass growing under the river because there was no light shining on the river.