The Irish and German Immigration Experiences Francie Nolan is of Irish and Austrian origin. Her parents were first-generation Americans, and as new immigrants they faced many problems in their effort to be successful. The Nolans were Irish, a group that was a huge force in immigration. Between 1820 and 1860, it is estimated that anywhere…
Tag: Novels
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn – Literary Devices
Autobiographical Fiction Fiction refers to any story that is created out of the author’s imagination, rather than factual events. Sometimes the characters in a fictional piece are based on real people, but their ultimate form and the way they respond to events are solely the creation of the author. In A Tree Grows in Brooklyn,…
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn – Themes
Education At Francie’s birth in chapter 9, Mary Rommely tells her daughter, Katie, that it is important that she read to her children every night, because education is a way to escape poverty. Katie reads a page from the Bible and a page from Shakespeare, and this bedtime reading is the start of the children’s…
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn – Characters
Ben Blake Ben is the young man Francie meets on her first day at her summer college classes. He is practical and a careful planner, who also helps care for his mother. He helps Francie study for her classes. Ben plans to attend college and law school. He loves Francie and is willing to give…
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn – Summary
Book 1 Book 1 includes the first six chapters of A Tree Grows in Brooklyn and provides background information about the Nolan family and specifically Francie Nolan, the novel’s protagonist. The setting is a poor immigrant area of Brooklyn called Williamsburg. There is a tree growing in the area that survives no matter how poor…
Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson – Analysis – Essay
In Anderson’s novel Speak, the protagonist’s English teacher remarks: ‘‘It’s all about SYMBOLISM.’’ The teacher is referring to Nathaniel Hawthorne’s work. However, because of the stress placed on the word symbolism (placing the word in all capitals), one might question whether Anderson is referring to her own writing as well. If she is, what symbols…
Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson – Setting
Date Rape According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the definition of date rape is when ‘‘forced sex occurs between two people who already know each other.’’ Date rape occurs in about half of all rape cases reported. ‘‘Even if the two people know each other well, and even if they were…
Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson – Literary Devices – Writing Style
Suspense Anderson does not reveal what is bothering her protagonist until well into the story. This creates suspense, which keeps her readers turning the pages to find out what is going to happen next and why Melinda is acting so strangely. Authors tend to use various forms of suspense to keep their readers engaged in…
Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson: Themes
Trauma and the Restorative Power of Speech The trauma of the rape that Melinda experiences before Anderson’s novel Speak even begins influences the entire story. Because of that trauma, Melinda’s mental state continues to deteriorate as the story progresses. As she attempts to find, within herself as well as in the world around her, places…
Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson: Characters
Rachel Bruin Rachel was the protagonist’s best friend from elementary school through middle school. She is the one person that Melinda wishes she could talk to. However, Rachel believes that Melinda ruined her summer because of the police raid on the last party before school resumed. Rachel hangs out with foreign exchange students at school….