Response Essay: The Giving Tree

Surviving trees grow buds that turn into apples, that shows that they are alive. When it shows the tree you can see that is is noticeably different from the ones in the forest, I think that this shows how being adopted changed his life.

| “This was the tree, and it seemed to me standing there to resemble those men, the giants of your childhood, whom you encounter years later and find that they are not merely smaller in relation to your growth, but that they are…shrunken by age.” Ch. 1, Pg. 14

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

treeted like a child, to be seen but not to be heerd. This was the aditude in

The mood of the speaker changes to guilt as the speaker and her mother realize they would "crawl" with "shame" and leave an "emptiness" in their father's heart and yard. The author negatively connotes "crawl," "shame," and "emptiness" to invoke a more serious and shameful tone. The beginning of the conveyed a more matter-of-fact and pragmatic tone, but changes into a more sentimental one by the end to convey family is more important than the money. The symbol of the tree represents the family, and connects it to their father's hard work and dedication to the family. If they were to cut it down, it would be symbolic of their betrayal. Imagery of the tree is used to describe the freedom and beauty of the tree as it "swings through another year of sun and leaping winds, of leaves and bounding fruit." The tree represents their family bond and how strong it is even through the "whip-crack of the mortgage."

a woman, and it is impossible for a forest to move. He could never have guessed

As the story progresses the woman’s cravings reach a point at which she desired some bark from the Great Tree. However as stated before in the passage, “the tree was not supposed to be marked or mutilated by any of the beings who dwelt in the Sky World”. “The women decided that she wanted some bark” proving that she made a conscious choice to violate the rules. This is a representation of how the Iroquois view women. How dare she, as a woman, decide to do anything without the authorization of a man. When she asked her husband to retrieve the bark he denied her request,

The literal language used in the beginning of the free verse does not imply the tree having any symbolic meaning to the speaker and her mother. It is casually said- “My mother and I debate, we could sell the black walnut tree…[to] pay off the mortgage” - which defines that in these lines the tree has not yet been introduced with its symbolic purpose. Initially, the tree is viewed as a property they are willing to sell. They rationalize the idea by noting that there are “roots in the

When the devil shows Tom a tree for a greedy townsperson, he fails to see that he is very much like that tree when he "looked in the direction that the stranger pointed and beheld one of the great trees, fair and flourishing without, but rotten at the core" (130).

In the novel, Speak by Laurie Anderson, A Tree is a symbolism that represents Melinda's current moods and thoughts throughout the scenarios in the story. The main character traits of this story are Melinda's thoughts, emotions, and reactions to high school and within the people in it.

There were no longer those two boys who used to visit the tree. The tree died with their friendship.

In the beginning of the book, Melinda is assigned to draw a tree in art class. First Melinda goes to art class and gets a simple tree to draw. “Tree. Tree? It’s too easy” (p.12).

Whether it was left for a boundary mark, or for what reason, no one could say; the woodchoppers who had felled its mates were dead and gone long ago, and a whole forest of sturdy trees, pines and oaks and maples, had grown again. But the stately head of this old pine towered above them all and made a landmark for sea and shore miles and miles away. Sylvia knew it well. She had always believed that whoever climbed to the top of it could see the ocean” (Jewett). The tree symbolizes strength and wisdom over time. As stated by writer Thomas Erskine, "When she negotiates the ‘passage’ from the oak to the pine, she undertakes a 'great enterprise,' one at once challenging and fulfilling. From the top of the pine she can see the 'vast and awesome world' that lies beyond the safety of the farm" (Erskine). This represents that as Sylvia climbs the tree, she is growing up and becoming wiser, she is changing. This ties to the theme that nature must be saved because you cannot grow without it. The author also uses similes to help reinforce the

In this book the tree would be an example of the one who just wants love and acceptance. She loved the boy very much and would do anything to make him happy because that is all that she wanted, the boys happiness. On the other hand the boy was very greedy and knew that the tree loved him and would do anything for him. So he took advantage of that fact and took every last thing from her. The tree didn’t understand how much she was giving up until she had nothing left because she was blinded by her love for the

Moreover, this drawing of the tree is representative of the mind growth of Melinda. For instance, the drawing was poorly drawn at the beginning of the book, Melinda’s pressure and her life were weighing her down. As the drawing got better throughout the school year, Melinda’s strength and mindset also began to get better as well. If the tree meant “to shelter”, then Melinda sure developed a very nice shelter for herself in the end.