The Tree In Richard Wright's Black Boy

To This Day is a non-fiction poem by Shane Koyczan. I think that the depiction of the tree contains symbolism. When it shows the tree with the flower on it when it says “grafted onto a different family tree” the flower symbolizes how he survived(Koyczan).

Like Francie, the tree remains constant, yet still changes every so slightly with Francie as she navigates childhood to young adulthood to adulthood. The tree proves to be as stubborn as Francie is, fighting through every season and gaining more strength on its journey. In harsh contrast, Johnny Nolan is an incredibly soft character, who Smith depicts almost in a weak way. Johnny does not have his limits when it comes to two of the great loves of his life: alcohol and daydreaming. Yes, it is Johnny who instills the naivety of daydreaming into Francie, helping her to be the innocent child the audience meets at the beginning of the story, but ultimately, his addictions lead to his demise. Thorough a vast array of characters, Smith creates a tale with a variety of morals, fears, and everything in

The speaker conveys family value is more important than any monetary value. The tree represents the growth of the family and how it is now intertwined with the house through the, "roots in the cellar drains" (Oliver 11). Nothing can replace the sentimental value the tree represents. There is a shift in the theme from the beginning. The speaker wanted to sell the tree for the money, demonstrating theme that sometimes things must be sacrificed in order to provide for practical needs.

Everything seemed perfect in Gene and Finny’s relationship with each other; however Gene went above and beyond the limit by idolizing Finny. Competition arose between the two boys. A little competition between friends isn’t bad, but the element of competition was much stronger in Gene’s character. Eventually, this lead to Gene performing an act of jealousy to even out the competition. This is where the symbol of the tree comes into place. Gene’s act of jealousy was jouncing a tree limb causing Finny to

The tree would take care of the boy. When the boy would come each time to ask for something the tree was willing to give anything

The pear tree is her inspiration and her first true desire. She longs to bud and blossom, like the tree, and cannot wait to discover herself and all the wonders of the world.

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

In the book I can connect to some of the things in it. In life people have happy things happen and negative things happen. “Life throws too much crap at us as it is, so why hold onto something

It is scary when you don’t know anybody and have to try to make new friends. Many of your young childhood friends will stay with you for a lifetime. Today, I am still friends with many of my oldest friends. They have become like family. I want to say that this novel is a great way for people to see how somebody from a diverse population lives. It is a great book from the view of somebody living a completely different life than I have lived. I think it was very well written and is easy to read. This makes it a great teaching tool for children of younger age groups or college students as well. I read this entire book at one sitting because it kept my interest the entire time. I couldn’t wait to see what

any individuality or appreciation for beauty to show, nor is any notice of the tree mentioned.

In the end I was very happy that the author wrote this book close to real life like he did. I feel that it really brought the book together in the end and made it more relatable. Like I said before I feel that everyone could find a way to relate back to this book. Wether it was playing soccer, getting in trouble, or taking care of the ones you love you can always find something to relate to in this great book.

When I first read this book I was astounded by how selfish the boy was toward the tree. He would go to the tree and ask more and more from her, even is doing so would end up hurting the tree in the end. He would not only ask the tree for all these favors but he would give her nothing in return for doing so. He would use her and then not return again until he needed something else from the tree. This could easily be compared to an abusive relationship like the second view prompted. When you are in an abusive relationship the abuser only wants what is best for them and doesn’t think twice about their partner’s feelings or how what they are doing might affect them;

The boy on the other hand is like us, the children who are used to receiving and receiving, so much that we take it for granted, so sometimes, we tend to forget to think about the tree or our parents.

In the Gift and the Giver a really poor farmer Finds this perfect apple. Everyone comes miles to see this apple, and he wants to give it to his favorite child. The child says no and wants to give it the the king. He gives it to the king and the king gives him something in return. In the text it states “When the farmer came before the King, he spoke in this way: “Your Majesty, great king, beloved of all of us . I found a most beautiful apple on one of the trees in my field.” Also it said, I want nothing but to see the joy on your face when you see this that God has made”

To start off with, the story expressed “Go Barefoot,” in the beginning of the story when the boy was young and carefree. To “Go Barefoot,” means to let loose and regain your feeling of freedom from all the world’s problem. When the boy was a child he was always happy and easygoing when he was with the tree. He would take off his shoes to climb and play with the tree, because his way to “Go Barefoot” was being the tree. The tree made him feel free and alive. But as the boy grew older he became less happy and troubled-minded. He had less time to