Menu:
- "The
Education of Little Tree:
What Is Known? What Is Knowable?" by Amy Kallio Bollman.
This is an article published under the web page NativeWeb.
The premise of the article is in part, "While the aesthetic value of
the book is arguable, it contains messages which are thinly veiled pro-white
supremacist and which are, perhaps unintentionally, anti-Native
American."
- "The
Education of
Little Fraud" by Allen
Barra. From Salon.com article dated December 20, 2001.
How did a racist
speechwriter for George Wallace turn into a "Cherokee" sage and
author of a revered multicultural text? The weird tale of Asa
("Forrest") Carter.
- Roger
Ebert's Review of the Movie The Education of Little Tree. Roger
Ebert is a film critic for the Chicago-Sun Times. Please beware. From the
description of the film in this review, it is obvious that the plot of the
movie and the plot of the novel are different. Thought you might want to
know.
- The
Maine Association of School Libraries: The Education of Little Tree.
This site, prepared by Catherine Raymaker, outlines several projects that
might be used in a high school setting. Some of the projects touch on the
controversy over the authenticity of the novel and some of the projects
cross disciplines.
- A Timeline Correlating
Forrest (Asa) Carter and the Publication of The Education of Little Tree.
The timeline is created by Lynn Buck for the University of New Mexico.
- A Map for
the Trail of Tears. This is a map provided by About North Georgia, an
internet magazine dedicated to the North Georgia area.
- Historical
Background of the Trail of Tears. This is information provided by About
North Georgia, an internet magazine.
- "The
Neverending Trail," a poem by Abe "Del" Jones about the
Trail of Tears. Read some of the historical background first.
- An
article by Michael Marker about teaching The Education of Little Tree
published in the Phi Delta Kappan, November 1992. Read this and decide
if you agree or disagree with the author. What are the strong points of his
argument and what are the weak points?
I will readily admit that it is none of my business what you put into
your curriculum. You are captain of your own ship as am I. However, I don't
mind making a comment or two. It is my web page. In researching The
Education of Little Tree I have looked for good lesson plans to help me.
While doing so, I have come across the novel on reading lists for
classes as early as the fifth grade. I realize that the reading level of Little
Tree is
fairly low, but this was meant to be an adult novel. The reference in the
third chapter to Granpa's uncle who was caught in bed with the wife of
another man is one thing (p.19), but there's the second story about another
uncle in chapter five who "got liquored up and didn't recollect about
how he got there; but he woke up in a room in bed with two women." (p.
35) In order to teach this novel you are going to have to deal with the
grandparents who break the law and the threat of Willow John to the director
of the orphanage. I would be happy to handle these last two situations in a
classroom, but they cannot be ignored or they will confuse students. These
situations can be handled by some children, but not by
all. The reading level of the novel is low but these are mature topics that can not and
should not be handled without at least individual and very personal
attention. If, perhaps, you believe that the student who is not ready for
these ideas will not notice them, then I ask, why read the novel at all?
Many of the wonderful morals this tale offer are also for mature minds to
consider. Why spoil a good novel by placing it before the reader before it
is time?
Assignments for The Education of Little Tree
- What did you think of the novel? This is probably the most
important question when learning how to read. No matter what I teach you or
any other teacher teaches you, it all comes down to what you thought
about the book. And it all depends upon who you are. Ten years from now,
will you be the same person you are today? Hopefully, the answer is no.
Then, who are you today? That is the first question.
In a well crafted essay of about five hundred words, I would like you to
introduce yourself. Who are you? What are the important things that I should
know about you? Why are these things important? What are your dreams? What
are your aspirations? What makes you special? I am asking for a well crafted
essay and I expect that you will comply with this request, but bear in mind
that I will not be grading this in terms of grammar or spelling. I am
expecting to learn about you, therefore the grading will be based upon how
seriously you seem to take the assignment. I want to feel that you are
trying to make an informative impression. I want to feel as if you are
trying to communicate with me, a relative stranger. Because we are strangers
to each other, I am not expecting intimate, personal details about you, but
I do want you to share the topics that you consider to be essential for a
teacher, coach or mentor to know about you.
Five hundred words is a relatively lengthy first assignment, but you know
the topic well. The best essays tend to be
written by students who plot out an outline or make a diagram that lists
some of the ideas that the writer wants to put into her piece. Try this. (If
you are not sure how to go about this, stop by during the extra help period
and I will be glad to show you a couple of ways to go about this important
step.)
Please go to the Manuscript
Form Page to get information about how to present your papers.
- Okay, now I will have an idea of who you are. Still, you have not had the
opportunity to really explain what you thought of the novel. This will be a
shorter assignment. Here I am just asking for your first reaction to the
piece. In one hundred to two hundred words, please explain your feelings
about the novel The Education of Little Tree by Forrest Carter.
Remember that you are trying to craft an intelligent essay that explains not
only what you thought about the novel, but why you thought these things
about the novel. You'll want to be clear, so make a plan before you start.
Please go to the Manuscript
Form Page to get information about how to present your papers.
- I would like you to read the article by Amy Kallio Bollman, "The
Education of Little Tree:
What Is Known? What Is Knowable?" What do you think about
what Bollman has to say? Does this affect what you think of the novel? The
evidence about Carter is pretty damning. Does this information affect the
meaning of the book for you? Some people abhor the book because of what they
know about Carter's life. Some people ignore what they find out about
Carter's life and judge the novel to be charming. Where do you stand on this
issue? If you were to discover that Adolf Hitler wrote the story of Cinderella
or perhaps Little Red Riding Hood, would you change your thinking
about these stories?
These are serious questions and they require serious answers. Not everyone
will agree on these issues. However, I do not want you to dismiss these
questions with a simple, "There's no right or wrong answer,
right?" On the contrary, there are right or wrong answers. You and I
might just have different ones. Be prepared with your intelligence and
passion to attempt to get me to agree with you.
Notes on The Education of Little Tree
All page numbers refer to The Education of Little Tree by Forrest
Carter published by University of New Mexico Press, Albuquerque, 1976.
Introduction:
Please note that there is no evidence that Forrest Carter had any detailed
knowledge about the Cherokee way of life. Therefore, the philosophies and ideas
that he attributes to the Cherokee through the characters of Granma and Granpa
may or may not have anything to to do with the actual Cherokee. Sorry if this
spoils the story for you, but I knew you would want the truth. The simple
beliefs and ideas that are expressed here are no less important, but you may not
ascribe them to any particular culture unless you are prepared to do some
research. (If this is the case, this page of links
for the Cherokee nation from NativeWeb seems to be a good place to start.
Keep in mind that I am no expert on this subject.) However, the ideas expressed
in the novel may have some meaning or importance for you. This is one of the
essential elements that will determine whether or not this will be an important
book for you.
Caution to Students: My summaries are for reminders. There is not enough
information in any of them to help you pass a quiz. The reminder will help you
remember what you read. That is all.
Chapter One: Little Tree
Summary:
Little Tree, orphaned at five, comes to live with his grandfather who is half
Cherokee and half white and his grandmother who is Cherokee. The new family is poor.
They are mountain people of the 1930s.
The First Chapter
The first chapter of any book is likely to be the most important chapter. You
will find more information here than almost any other chapter simply because the
writer must not only introduce the characters, setting, mood and tone, but also
must begin to give you information that will be important to the plot and theme
much later on. It is often a good idea to re-read the first chapter after you
have finished a book you are studying so that you may look for some of the
clues to the later actions that you may have missed because you did not know
what would happen in the book. If the first chapter of a book is so important,
than perhaps the first paragraph of a chapter (or a short story) is equally
important for the same reasons. Always remember, good writers do not waste
words. If you know you are reading a good writer and you think nothing is
happening, then perhaps it is you that is missing the point and not the writer
who is not making the point.
The First Chapter of The Education of Little Tree
Questions:
When the story begins, how old is Little Tree?
Who is the narrator? About how old is this person when he is telling the
story?
Whose point of view do we get in the story? Do we understand more about the
events than this person does? Do any of the characters understand more about the
events than this person does?
Lesson:
In this first chapter we get a look at how the writer is going to show us the
story. Our narrator is explaining what went on when he was five and both parents
had died. Now an orphan, Little Tree's fate is to be decided by his relatives.
What we learn we learn from what Little Tree understood when he was five. We are
limited by what the five year old understood. But the narrator is not five and
neither are the readers. The narrator will give us enough details so that we
will be able to piece together much of what is happening even though Little Tree
may not be able to do so. For instance, on page 2 we understand that the bus
driver is making fun of Granpa and Granma and that the passengers are laughing
at them, but Little Tree does not. We can tell that the lady whose "mouth
was red all over from blood" was wearing lipstick, but Little Tree does not
know this. When we know something that the character does not know, this is
called dramatic irony.
There are many reasons that a writer might want to use dramatic irony. In
this case the reader feels more sympathy for the main characters. We know that
the family is being laughed at. Because Little Tree actually thinks that the
passengers on the bus are friendly because they are laughing makes the situation
more poignant. Because we know that the older people must also know that they
are being laughed at, we admire their strength and fortitude. Through the means
of the dramatic irony, the readers are totally on the family's side. The
passengers even seem a little foolish as they are described by Little Tree. His
point of view highlights his own compassion as he thinks that one of the
passengers must be sick from the way she behaves. This technique will be used
throughout the novel for many reasons. Be aware of it. It is a way of
manipulating the reader, but it is not done because the writer is being sneaky.
Rather it is done because the writer expects you to recognize it. It is a higher
level reading skill. It is a technique that you will see again and again in your
reading career, notably in Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird and Mark
Twain's The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.
Questions:
What does Granma say about Granpa and why he speaks so little?
Who gets his way wordlessly?
Why do you think the author is linking these two characters?
Lesson: In this chapter Carter links two characters together. From
Granma's description and Granpa's actions the reader gets a sense of quiet
strength. Granpa is someone to be listened to. If Little Tree is like him, the
reader can make some assumptions about what kind of person Little Tree will grow
up to be. This is a lot of information for us to be given in the novel. What
will Carter do with this? Does this foreshadow anything in the future of this
novel or does it only serve to give us background information about Little Tree.
At this point we do not know, but we do know that these two characters are
linked in important ways. Look for other incidents where a character acts
strongly without the use of many words. If this happens with a new character, we
will have another link. Chapter Two: The Way: Summary: Granpa
and Little Tree go on a turkey hunt. Along the way Granpa teaches Little Tree
his philosphy of hunting and conservation. Titles Sometimes Are
Important Very often titles don't mean much of anything. Lilo and Stitch,
Titanic, David Copperfield, Macbeth, Hamlet, and Spiderman don't
communicate a heck of a lot. But sometimes the title of a work of art is meant
to convey information that the artist feels is important to understanding his
work. Catcher in the Rye, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, The Sound and the
Fury, Of Mice and Men, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolfe?, Good Will Hunting and
To Kill a Mockingbird are all intriguing titles that demand attention.
What do these titles mean? What will the answers show us? Sometimes the title
has some hidden depth. Always look at a title to try to see if there is going to
be something significant about it. Title: The Education of
Little Tree and "The Way" Questions: What information
was conveyed to you through the title of this novel? What education? Who
is going to learn something in this novel? Are you sure you have thought of
everyone? Little Tree? What did you think of before you found out about the
events or characters of the novel? What do these words indicate to you? What
happens to little trees? What is the importance of education? Thinking of the
previous question about who was going to learn something in the novel, what is
the importance of education to all of the people in your answer? Are all of
these people now linked in your mind? If so, again, what happens to little
trees? What is the link? Let's get back to "education." When you
think of "education" describe what it means to you. Are any of the
words you use to describe "education" applicable to this story? Are
any of them not applicable? Is this the standard education of a young boy? Is
this a good education for a young boy? What does this say about the concept of
"education"? Who or what educates Little Tree? Again, who is
going to learn something in this novel? Lesson: The title of the
novel can inspire a great deal of discussion. The education that is mentioned
here is not the traditional standard education for young people yet it is
probably seen by the reader as valuable. What is necessary for a good education?
The answer to this question is one of the things that this story is about. Thus
the title is important to the understanding of the story. Questions: What
does "The Way" mean? What is the Way? Lesson: Throughout
history religious philosophies have described themselves as "The Way."
This may mean the way to a good life or the way to enlightenment or the way to a
better relationship with God in whatever form God took for people. Thus the
title here in chapter two indicates the spiritual growth of Little Tree. Questions: What
are some of the ideas that Granpa teaches Little Tree. Do you agree with them? On
page 8 when Little Tree says, "And I knew right then that me an Granpa had
us an understanding that most folks didn't know." What does this mean? What
does this indicate about the characters? Chapter Three: Shadows on
a Cabin Wall Summary: Little Tree discusses the books that Granma
reads to him and Granpa. They get them from the library with the librarian's
help. We learn of Granpa's feelings for "the law" and his great
disappointment with George Washington. The more you are familiar with William
Shakespeare's plays, the more you will enjoy this chapter. Chapter Four:
Fox and Hounds Summary: Granpa and Little Tree go on a fox hunt. Questions: What
do you learn about the character of the grandfather? How skilled is he as a
hunter? What do others think of his abilities? What lesson about feelings
and sense does Little Tree learn in this chapter? What does he learn
about cheating oneself? Lesson: Chapters three and four are about
character development. We learn more about the grandfather and a bit about the
grandmother and their way of life. These are the values that they are passing on
to Little Tree. Chapter Five: "I Kin Ye, Bonnie Bee" Questions: What
does "kin" mean? What did the word "kinfolk" originally
mean? What does it mean today? What did Granma and Granpa think about the
relationship between love and understanding? Do you agree? Lesson: This
is an interesting chapter to examine when trying to come to a conclusion about
the effect of knowing about the author's life and the work he creates. Forrest
"Asa" Carter was a racist. He wrote speeches for George Wallace, a
segregationist politician. He also wrote the sentiments that are in this
chapter. How do you reconcile this information? Chapter Six: To Know the
Past Summary: The narrator tells of the history of the Cherokee
people as told to him by his grandparents. Included in the story is the story of
the Trail of Tears. Little Tree also learns of his great-grandfather the the
close lipped relationship Granpa had with him. Questions: This
chapter opens with a quote from the grandparents: "If ye don't know the
past, then ye will not have a future. If ye don't know where your people have
been, then ye won't know where your people are going." Do you agree
with this statement? The Cherokee would not ride in the wagons provided for
them which surely must have worn many of them out. "The land was stolen
from him, his home; but the Cherokee would no let the wagons steal his
soul." (page 41) What does this mean? How did Granpa's father meet
Granpa's mother? Lesson: Read the historical
background of the Trail of Tears. This is your past, too. How does the story
affect you? Read the poem "The
Neverending Trail" by Abe "Del" Jones. How does this story
affect you? Does it change your view of history? Chapter Seven: Pine Billy The
narrator describes the work life with Granpa and the farm. Family friend Pine
Billy comes for a visit. Chapter Eight: The Secret Place Questions: What
is the "secret place"? What does Granma say about Little Tree's secret
place? Why should everyone have a secret place? Where is yours? (Of course
you're not going to say, right?) What are the significant lessons that Granma
has to teach Little Tree? Lesson: Joseph Campbell says that everyone
must have a "blissful place." Everyone needs to have one area in the
world where she can be herself, think her thoughts and enjoy the things she
enjoys. This should be a spot where a person can enjoy his own company. There is
a difference between solitude and loneliness and humans sometimes have a need
for solitude. I want you to consider where this private place of yours is and
where you have to go for it. For some, it is a room in their own homes. For
others, it requires travel to a beach or a park or wood. The comic strip Rose
is Rose makes fun of the character of the husband and father who has his
blissful moment when he takes out the garbage at night and enjoys the serenity
of the evening air away from the noise of the house. The humor of the strip is
that this is not an uncommon feeling. There is much in this
chapter that you should make note of . What are some of the significant lessons
that Little Tree learns during this chapter. Are any of the lessons significant
for you? Do you agree with the grandmother about what she has to say about the
spirit life? Do you agree that some people are "dead" yet walking
around? What does this mean to you? Are these lessons new to you or do you find
them trite and cliche? Granma tells Little Tree about the spirit
mind." What do you think about what she says? Not everyone would agree her
about how human beings work, though some do. Where do you stand at this time in
your life about how people live. What are the words you would use to describe
how people think and feel? Although this is not a traditional lesson because
there is really nothing that I can teach you about this, this is probably one of
the more important activities you will do through the rest of your life.
discovering a philosophy of life is a process that will take you through your
entire life. Even when you feel you have come up with answers, you will want to
test them in the real world and see if they apply to all of the situations you
find yourself in. You may want to add on to or subtract from your philosophy or
rework it altogether. In any case, this takes time, thought, energy and the will
to seek answers to difficult questions. I hope you enjoy the journey. Chapter
Nine: Granpa's Trade Summary This chapter provides the details of
how Granpa makes most of his money from the corn crop. After the interesting and
detailed account of the business, Little Tree is put in the situation where he
must protect the family business by outrunning lawmen with the help of the dogs.
He is successful and the grandparents are proud of him. Questions: What
is Grandpa's trade? There is a law against his trade. Discuss this with various
people that you know. What are their opinions about Granpa's trade? Please try
to get a large and varied group to discuss this. Use the family. Start some
debate. What are the conclusions? What is your conclusion? The grandparents
are teaching Little Tree to break the law. How do you feel about this? When
the grandparents break the law to run their business, are they practicing civil
disobedience? For a complete understanding of civil disobedience, go to the
source, Henry David
Thoreau's essay, "Civil Disobedience." Chapter Ten: Trading
with a Christian Questions: What does the politician say about
why he needs to go to Washington? Why does he say such obvious rubbish? What is
a demagogue? How does Little Tree lose his money? What is the irony of
the title of the chapter? Lesson: In this chapter, Carter is using a
style that is most like Mark Twain. (For more information on Mark Twain, click
on BoondockNet.com.) Using
an innocent (someone who does not know what is going on or someone without
knowledge of the situation) to describe a situation that we might easily
recognize, adds dramatic irony to the story because we see what is going on and
the person telling the story does not. In this case, the narrator when he was
five did not know that the man selling him the calf only called himself a
Christian in order to gain the boy's trust. We can tell that the calf is not
worth anything, but the boy cannot. Mark Twain used this to great advantage in
his novel The
Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Chapter Eleven: At the Crossroads
Store Summary Granpa tell Little Tree there are words he can skip
like the lascivious sounding "abhor." Little Tree describes a man who
can "jump teeth." Little Tree meets the daughter of a sharecropper and
the life of the sharecropper is described. Little Tree brings the girl a gift
with unhappy results. Granpa teaches Little Tree about what poverty will do to a
human being and what some of the causes of poverty are. Questions: What is the irony involved with Little Tree's
new vocabulary word abhor? What is a sharecropper and why do
sharecroppers tend to have so many children? What does Little Tree learn about
what poverty can do to people? How does poverty play a role when a father beats his child? Lesson: Read
the description of the lives of the sharecroppers. This is an accurate
portrayal. Often sharecroppers would go to work for a landowner and, when the
season was over, discover that he owed the landowner money and not the other way
around. It was an old trick and made virtual slaves of the workers. Read the
chapter carefully. Nothing in it excuses the men who beat their children in this
chapter, but the descriptions explain how abuse sometimes happens and how poverty is the
cause and that corruption is the cause of some poverty. Chapter Twelve: A
Dangerous Adventure Summary: Little Tree describes the natural
world around the cabin and what it means to the family. He lists objects in
Nature and what they mean. While fishing, Little Tree encounters a snake and
Granpa saves him from it but almost dies. Granma comes to help. Chapter
Thirteen: The Farm in the Clearing Summary: Granpa tells a story
of when he was nine years old two years after the Civil War. The tale depicts
three people trying to plow a field. One is a wounded Confederate soldier. Two
Union soldiers help them. After getting the farm going, government men, called
Regulators, who set the taxes on farms for the purpose of forcing farmers off
their land come by and mark the farm for repossession. The Regulators murder
three of the men from the farm and blame it on an Indian uprising. Questions: What
is Granpa's role in this story? What does he have to so with the farmers? What
do you think the role of the Regulators were in post-Civil War South Chapter
Fourteen: A Night on the Mountain Summary: Slick and Chunk come
for a visit. Little Tree leads them up the mountain. Granpa and Granma fix it so
that Slick and Chunk don't ever come back. Chapter Fifteen: Willow
John Summary: Little Tree and Granpa wait for the watermelons to
ripen. Little Tree describes going to church on Sunday to meet Willow John.
Little Tree gives Willow John a frog and a laugh. The relationship between them
grows. Questions: Willow John seems to be very distant. What do you
think has made Willow John this way? What is Little Tree's effect on him? How
does a Cherokee give a gift? Chapter Sixteen: Church-going Summary: Little
Tree describes the various people who go to church and why Granpa has pretty
much given up on organized religion. Religion as Granpa and Little Tree see it
makes little sense. Lesson: Most of this chapter deals with
hypocrisy. What is a "hypocrite" and what are several examples of
hypocrisy in this chapter? Is this the way church is or does this chapter seem
one sided? Chapter Seventeen: Mr. Wine Summary: Mr.
Wine is a peddler who visits the cabins of the mountain people. He is a Jew and
Little Tree compares Mr. Wine's people with the Cherokee. Mr. Wine teaches
Little Tree arithmetic and gives him a coat. Chapter Eighteen:
Down from the Mountain Summary: The family is told that Little
Tree must go to live in an orphanage. Granpa and Little Tree go to Mr. Wine, but
discover that Mr. Wine is dead. A lawyer says that there is no way to win and
Little Tree must go to the orphanage. Granpa and Granma comply. Chapter
Nineteen: The Dogstar Summary: Little Tree meets the people who
run the orphanage. People treat Little Tree badly. Little Tree meets Wilburn and
they become friends. Little Tree gets whipped for describing a picture of deer
in the wild. Little Tree celebrates Christmas in the orphanage. Granpa comes for
him. Little Tree goes home. Questions: Why do you think the author
does not mention the denomination of the church that runs the orphanage? When
Little Tree sits in the director's office he actually feels sorry for the
director. Do you? Should Little Tree? What do you know that Little Tree does
not? What do you think of the people who run the orphanage? Why does Wilburn
wet the bed? Is he being a bad kid? What are Wilburn's plans for his future
after the orphanage? Who is the man who Little Tree thinks is his grandfather? How
does the author say the family in the mountains communicates with Little Tree?
Is this realistic? What is the purpose for this? Lesson: This chapter
contains many examples of dramatic
irony. When Little Tree sits in the
director's office he actually feels sorry for the director. Do you? Should
Little Tree? What do you know that Little Tree does not? Another example of
dramatic irony is the way Little Tree experiences Christmas at the orphanage.
How does looking at Christmas through Little Tree's point of view help you
understand the orphanage and the people who work there? Dramatic irony can help
you see the world in a new way. It is a useful technique to help your reader
understand and sometimes feel a situation. Little Tree says he hears
messages from nature. The wind, the trees, all tell him of what people are
thinking at home. Do you think this really happens? Why does Carter attribute
this to Little Tree and the rest of the family and not to others in the story?
What is he trying to get at? Why should he expect you to think that the Cherokee
have special powers? How many people do you think read this story and never
question the supernatural powers expressed in the novel? Did you? If not, why
not? Chapter Twenty: Home Again Summary: Here in the denouement, the explanations of how Little Tree was set free from the orphanage
is detailed. It is also explained why the grandfather did not tell Little Tree
to come home with him. Willow John's role is explained. Questions: Did
you want the details wrapped up for you? Why? Is the book better or worse
because of the explanation? Chapter Twenty-one: The Passing Song Summary: Here
is more denouement. This chapter tells of the lives of the rest of the family.
The fates of Granpa, Granma, Willow John and the dogs are all detailed. Questions: What
is the fate of Little Tree? Why is it not told? What do you expect for him?
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