Literary Analysis Of The Education Of Little Tree

In chapters 1-4, we are introduced to the main character of the novel, a young boy that goes by the name of Little Tree. Little Tree is five years old, and it has been one year since his father and mother have died. With no where else to go, he has no choice but to move in with his Cherokee grandparents who he calls Granpa and Granma. As he is settling into his new home his grandparents are slowly teaching him their Cherokee way of life. Little Tree once said, “And I knew right then that me and Granpa had us an understanding that most folks didn't know,” (Pg. 8). To me this is Little Tree developing a new sense of understanding, and the fact that he now realizes that the Cherokee way of life is almost a sacred understanding between

The bright and bold details and explanations by Forrest Carter in The Education of Little Tree lead to much more than that you would think. When reading these descriptions you see the colors whirling around in your mind like you were really there but, you also learn a new aspect of the Cherokees, you see their true love and respect for nature. The Education of Little Tree is about a young boy named Little Tree. When Little Tree’s parents die when he was 4 years old he is brought into the custody of his Cherokee Grandparents. He reaches many bumps and turns in his path of learning and adventures which builds him into an independent young man. Overall, In The Education of Little Tree, Carter’s descriptive words and passages in the wild, beautifully describe how Cherokees see nature.

1.The role of Native American grandmother can take on different definitions depending on the tribe and their culture. The “grandmother” can be several older fictive kin, or they can be older female relatives, or even simply older women in the tribe (Novak, 2012, p. 191). A grandmother is a respected role taking on the upbringing of their oldest or many grandchildren, additionally even fostering orphans or impoverished children (Weibel-Orlando, 1988, p. 163). This caregiving role eases the burden on younger women, allowing them to help financially or to carry out homemaking tasks. Although some grandparents may relish this role, some have it forced upon them to do unfortunate family circumstances of divorce, drug and alcohol abuse, and death (Novak, 2012, p. 191). According to Weibel-Orlando grandparental roles also play a vital role in the continuity of Native American cultural values, being a “cultural conservator”, and relaying a tribe’s history, rituals, and practices through oral storytelling (pp.250-251).

“Notes of a Native Son” follows the narrator and author, James Baldwin, from the past to the present as he reflects on his father’s and his relationship, while he tries to understand him from a more mature and forgiving perspective. James’s father has always been bitter and emotionally distant as long as he can remember, due to being born into slavery. However, James also inherits this mutual hatred towards the white society in America, by his father instilling his “bitter warnings” into him, but James later understood that his father only had his best interest in mind and felt a subtle sense guilt for having anger and resentment towards his father. “The Gift” depicts a story of the narrator as a child getting a splinter taken out of his hand by his father, and later inherits partial character from his father in a sense, as he remembers and emulates him, while the author takes a splinter out of his wife’s hand. Although, he doesn’t remember all the details of this ordinary setting, he recalls his father’s “tenderness” and “flames of discipline”. James Baldwin’s “Notes of a Native Son” and Li-Young Lee’s “The Gift” both bridge past and present memories that illuminate the

Nanapush is displaying oral storytelling traditions by sharing directly the story to who he calls his granddaughter, Lulu. He tells her in hope of teaching her a lesson while leaving her with some Native American history and traditions. It is very obvious to us that he is a tribal elder that is proud of his heritage

Native Americans are known for living in harmony with the land, animals, and other people in the world. In “The Education on Little Tree”, Forrest Carter illustrates the Cherokee respect and love for nature through the experiences of a young boy. The Education of Little Tree is a story of a boy who was orphaned and then adopted by his Cherokee grandmother and half-Cherokee grandfather in the Appalachian mountains of Tennessee during the Great Depression. Little Tree is shown how to respect nature in the Cherokee Way, taking only what is needed and leaving the rest for nature to run its course. The author vividly describes how the Cherokee live with the land, and had a respect for and a love of nature.

Mr. Cecil Gaines is a heroic black man who faced many encounters throughout his lifetime. Cecil parents were murdered by their slave owners which left him to be responsible for himself at a young immature age. He wanted to demonstrate that he was capable of handling and conducting himself in front of others with the utmost respect. Cecil illustrates an inaudible voice that could kindle a revolution. Even though Cecil own personal family experience misfortune of their own, Cecil was able to witness the history of the civil rights movement over several years while serving as a butler in the white house. Because of the racial uproar Mr. Cecil Gaines endured as an Afro American man, he is a character who presents himself as a dystopian hero.

At first I was very confused on what Indian the narrator was talking about but then after re-reading the beginning paragraph I was able to put the pieces together . I think this narrator gives a lot of insight of what Native Americans have to go through when the U.S government has to sort of force them to move. He even starts off the story with “my U.S. Government glasses were horn-rimmed, ugly”. I can draw from this quote that the narrator hates wearing what the government makes them. A lot of questions remained after reading this story. I got the impression in the beginning that the narrator hated white people (kids) because they always used to beat him up and harrass him. He even got in trouble by teachers for what seemed like little mistakes.

The Education of Little Tree starts here, when Little Tree’s mom passed away and his grandparents took him in. He lived during a time of racism and prejudice that had lived on for many years between white people and Indians. He encounters this first hand on the bus ride to the wagon trail. His grandparents did not have tickets and when they entered the bus, the driver proceeded to make a joke and say “How!” and everyone on the bus laughed. Though Little Tree did not know this, he assumed that they were friendly people. They finally arrived at their stop and exited the bus and walked for an extended period of time to their cozy home hidden amongst the mountains.

In The Education of Little Tree by Forest Carter, the young boy protagonist receives a unique education. Little Tree learns through life lessons and nature. Little Tree, I, and society can be educated from this novel.

In both Momaday’s The Way to Rainy Mountain and Erdrich’s Tracks, the importance of the oral tradition reiterates itself time and time again. However, each book captures the oral tradition in its’ own way; Tracks through Nanapush, and The Way to Rainy Mountain through Kiowa oral stories which Momaday brought to paper. The importance of storytelling in both texts lies in how it preserves Indian identity. The oral story communicates a tale which embodies aspects of history, myth, and reason in a simplistic way which all can understand and relate to. One might call the genre historical fiction where the storyteller got carried away and exaggerated more than a few details. The oral tradition is a mindset interwoven with the Native identity, such that words themselves can maintain the essence of a culture. This proves to be the goal of both Momaday and Erdrich; to capture and preserve a slice of their native culture using a transcription of the spoken word.

Storytelling is a form of education as it teaches the listener about skills that they would need during their lifespan in a sense it would leave a form of a finger print. Boydens Through Black Spruce and Three Day Road use examples of storytelling to portray the characters struggles so the reader learns about the journey that Aboriginal people had to make to maintain their identity. Telling a story may often leave a mark on the person you may have connected with, and when that connection is made it begins to show the struggles that people have endured for thousands of years, an example would be the indigenous people and more importantly the Cree. The Cree have resisted the influences of the white culture but have been set back by the horrendous ideas of “taking the Indian out of the child” by putting them into residential schools all across Canada. Boydens books are examples of stories that others have told, whether fictional or not, that hold crucial facts about the portrayed good and the hidden evil, it is up to the reader to see which one has had a more physical impact on them. Boyden uses both traditional and modern storytelling techniques to present the the struggle of the main characters as they try to hold onto their indigenous identity as they resist the influences of white culture.

One similarity in all of the African American literature read this semester is this one fact. White people lie. Granted, everyone lies. In these particular literacy works, however, the main characters’ white counterparts seemed to have done the most fibbing to put it lightly. From this habit of lying, most forms of African American literature have been effected, from early literary documents written by African Americans that have been altered by white editors to lies told by white people in the actual story written by African Americans. This paper will take a look at examples of incidents in which these lies occurred, and also discuss these lies told by whites and how they effected African Americans individually as well as a whole.

James A. Forbes says, “when people rely on surface appearances and false racial stereotypes...their ability to assess and understand people accurately is compromised.” Forbes’ message about stereotypes is true throughout Native American literature. Throughout literature, including that of Native American authors, stereotypes are emphasized. “Danger of a Single Story,” explains the risks of stereotypes and single stories, Reel Injun demonstrates how the image of Native Americans was altered because of films, and “Sure You Can Ask Me a Personal Question,” shares false interpretations that people have about Diane Burns.

Everyone is capable of being able to give and take, but some do one more than others.Throughout the story of the giving tree all the boy took everything from the tree, never to give, and vise-versa for the tree. The unusual part though is when the tree gave to the aging boy. It was happy every time the boy was, even where there was nothing left of the tree but a stump, the tree gave the boy a place to rest.Despite all that the tree lost because of the boys selfish attitude he/she somehow still remains happy. The Tree Symbolizes selflessness because he/she gives everything to the boy.The tree 's selfless attitude is a good role model for the average person.