A Tree Grows In Brooklyn Analysis

It is presently common, to label women as inherently malicious and slanderous individuals. We see these stereotypes present, in today’s society. For instance, when two women get in an argument, others around them, tend to yell ‘cat fight’, declaring that because they are women, they presume them as ‘catty’. This scenario, can also be used as a parallel, that depicts what society does to women. Society sets women in opposition to each other, by elevating a male’s status, and forcing women to seek approval from men. In the book, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, the main character Francie observes, a situation where, a woman is verbally and eventually physically assaulted, by other women, because she is not married (or really, she doesn’t care nor needs the

    Neuman and Keene both shared the topic on how the American Dream is being harder to reach because of the education system failing those of low-income families. In both articles they discussed that the system treating low income families is not doing justice by in the way they either set up the curriculum or funding. Moreover they tie in with similarities such as they both want to change the system that’s opposing on income families to achieve the American Dream. However they differ in the sense that in Neuman’s article she based it all on the observation on early childhood education with all proved data based off of two neighborhoods, one high and one low income, meanwhile Keene’s article is based on her own personal opinion on her experience on “both sides of the desk”(1) and is mostly on college level students. Compared to Neuman, whose article is based on “how do we fix the knowledge gap between the two social classes, Keene’s is focused on the how the teachers should give a challenge to the students to make them want to try harder than just lower their expectations in what they should and should

Katie Nolan, Francie’s mother, is the main reason that Francie is able to survive her arduous childhood and succeed in life. Food, heat and protection are always available to the Nolan children even if it means that Katie has to work multiple jobs or even sacrifice some of her own needs. Katie gives all she can to provide for her children and Francie truly values her mother’s hard work. Francie appreciates her mother’s thougtful acts, but still, Francie develops

Betty Smith’s classic tale A Tree Grows in Brooklyn utilizes an assortment of intriguing, relatable characters to tell the emotional tale of a young girl, born into the depths of poverty, and to detail the traumatic life events that occur that shape her into her future self. Set in impoverished Williamsburg, Brooklyn, 1912, this story centers around the Nolan family: hardworking, tough mother Katie, impractical and romantic father Johnny, momma’s boy Cornelius “Neeley”, and the protagonist, eleven-year old Mary Frances “Francie”, a sharp-witted, loyal daydreamer through whom the reader sees life occur throughout the book. Francie’s ability to daydream about a greater life for her and her family help her to escape

As a result, she lacked confidence in her education. She stated, “My early education did not partake of the abundant opportunities which the present day affords and which even our common schools now afford. I was never sent to any school; I was always sick.” Even though she did not attend a formal school it did not put her out of reach of a proper education (Peterson, 9).

In the novel A Tree Grows In Brooklyn by Betty Smith Francie is shaped the individual struggles she faces through life. Throughout the novel Francie is experienced to different life lessons. Poverty restrains Francie and her family with what they’re able to do. Having one parent figure not only drags Francies family into a deeper poverty, but it also brings emotional distress into the household. The environment Francie lives in exposes her to different religions, ideas, and hardships. Franice is shaped by poverty, one parent figure, and her environment.

Back then, there were many things that were completely different from how they are in today’s life. The book, A Tree Grows In Brooklyn, reflects on the time period of the early 1900's, as a girl named Francie grows up with the struggles of living in a poor family during this time period. A few of the many things she faced includes racism, sexism, defective education systems, as well as child labor and an almost moneyless childhood. In today’s culture, many of the things faced back then are quite infrequent or do not even happen at all as a result of developing the nation. Generally speaking, when comparing the time period in the book, A Tree Grows In Brooklyn, and the early 2000's (present-day), there are many differences as well as a few similarities

This article says, “Too many of America’s most disadvantaged children grow up without the skills needed to thrive in the twenty-first century. Whether in educational attainment between income groups or racial/ethnic groups or across geographic locations—inequality persists.” This creates long-term problems within that community. Meaning people who start out with disadvantages, usually don’t have the skills that the upper class more privileged kids do which help them eventually get jobs and maintain this middle to upper class community. The disadvantages people receive bad jobs and

With both characters from each story, not knowing what to do now that their lives were changing, they clung to something to help them get by; education. In Education as a Weapon in the Hands of the Restless Poor, the teacher told the students, “Rich people learn the humanities in private schools and expensive

The more education a person acquires throughout their life-time means they are more-likely to find high paying jobs. So, the amount of education a person receives correlates with if they live in poverty or not. “None of Crystal’s siblings finished high school. Instead, they became adults when they were teenagers” (Potts 598). Without a high school diploma the chances of any of the family members attaining a job that makes above minimum wage was almost impossible. The desperation of not being able to make an adequate amount of money for basic needs, lowers the life expectancy for poor women. “The more educated among us are better at forgoing pleasurable and possibly risky behavior because we’ve learned to look ahead to the future” (Potts 595). In the case of Crystal, she dropped out of high school because she married Possum. In today’s society a majority of women want to continue their education before marrying, because marriage is risky with possibilities of children, or their spouse may

For example, when interview, William Cooper at the age of 10 “had no time to go to day school,” (Document 1). Because of the lack of education, Cooper would not have been able to go on to work as a teacher or a doctor in order to support a family or better society. Instead, he can only read, but not write. Because he was illiterate, he couldn’t write resumes, he couldn’t read and understand complex texts, and he couldn’t think thoroughly, which hindered him by keeping him from receiving any higher paying work that could raise him from the working class into the middle class. Moreover, without a decent supply of money, one would have to live in the slum areas, where typical workers would have to live.

The poverty cycle was introduced in such a way so that a message of how the significance of the quality of education affects the fate of an individual. An example of how a lack of quality education perpetuates the poverty takes place when Moore narrates “My grandparents agreed…My grandparents took the money they had in the home in the Bronx, decades of savings and mortgage payments, and gave it to my mother so that she could pay for my first year of military school.” (Moore 95-96). The distress for an education of higher quality is present in this passage because Moore’s mother and his grandparents were willing to sacrifice large sums of money in order to change Wes Moore’s fate through a better education. Wes Moore uses this passage in order to convey the message that an individual’s environment plays a significant role in determining one’s fate. In contrast the other Wes Moore was not able to pursue a higher education because of a dearth of the opportunity to do

The author, Ann Petry used Miss Rinner as an example of how people in poverty struggle against the system. Bub’s teacher, Miss Rinner, was a white woman who was prejudice against black people and poverty itself; she

“The subject of the Education of Women of the higher classes is one which has undergone singular fluctuations in public opinions” (Cobbe 79). Women have overcome tremendous obstacles throughout their lifetime, why should higher education stand in their way? In Frances Power Cobbe’s essay “The Education of Women,” she describes how poor women, single women, and childless wives, deserve to share a part of the human happiness. Women are in grave need of further improvements in their given condition. Cobbe suggests that a way to progress these improvements manifests in higher education, and that this will help further steps in advance. Cobbe goes on to say that the happiest home, most grateful husband, and the most devoted children came from a woman, Mary Sommerville, who surpassed men in science, and is still studying the wonders of God’s creations. Cobbe has many examples within her paper that shows the progression of women as a good thing, and how women still fulfill their duties despite the fact that they are educated. The acceptance of women will be allowed at the University of New England because women should be able to embrace their abilities and further their education for the benefit of their household, their lives, and their country.

She lost another love by the name of Oluf, could not find much work, and lost hard-earned money through a bad business investment. After all this peril she took Russell and Doris and moved to Baltimore. Another move equaled more stress, less money, and more struggling to get by. With what seemed to be the world against her, she made it. She remarried, bought a house, and became the success she demanded of herself. Every step of the way Russell was exposed to all the ups and downs. His mother’s life during those times shaped and influenced his own.