Reading Response: A tree Grows In Brooklyn

For my second reading response for this unit, I picked the book "A tree Grows In Brooklyn".  Since I have only read the first two hundred pages of this book (half of it), I will do my reading response on those first two hundred pages.  "A Tree Grows In Brooklyn" is a book about of a poor family living in Williamsburg Brooklyn in teh early 1900s.  They are a family of four.  Francie, the main character, is the daughter and the older sibling of Neeley her younger brother.  Francie is a self determined girl who is very smart but keeps to herself often.  Neeley is just your average boy growing up, hanging out with friends cursing and being stupid at times.  Jack Nolan is the father of the family.  His parents immigrated from Ireland because of the patatoe famine.  He works as a singing waiter and is known as being a drunk.  Katie is the mother and the unofficial head of the family.  She takes care of everyone and makes sure everyone in her family is alright. 

The character of Francie Nolan is a very interesting character to me.  She is a very nice girl and a very smart girl, it doesn't seem like anything is really wrong with her.  You would think she would have a lot friends, but she spends most of her time by herself.  This adds a whole nother factor into her coming of age and growing up.  Not only is she a kid who has to fend for herself most of the time when it comes to money and food and has to spend long whiles in the house preparing meals, but she spends a lot of time by herself and without friends.  This to me can really shape who you become as an adult.  The experiences you have as a kid really does change and mold the kind and type of adult you become.

"A Tree Grows In Brooklyn" is a very interesting book.  A book that I feel really relates to the subject of coming of age and becoming an adult.  It shows you the story of a young girl growing up and having to become very self reliant at a very young age.  It also shows two adults (Francie's parents) coming age.  Maybe it's not the first adult becoming experience they've had, but it was a big step for them.  Becoming parents I feel is a huge coming of age experience, no matter how old you are.  I've really enjoyed reading this book and hope to continue it and finish it.

Writing Prompt #5

What are some important realizations and/or epiphanies that you have had about yourself, friends, family, and the world overall? How did you arrive at these realizations?

As kids, we take being a kid for granted.  We take childhood and little responsibilities and the carefreeness of being a child for granted.  I for one, have done this and do this.  I think that I can be a kid forever, and I can play outside with my friends without worry about paying the bills, maintaining or finding a job, taking care of family, and other things that go along with be an adult.  These leads to an epiphany I've had recently.

The epiphany that I've had is how much I'm going to miss being a kid when I'm all grown up and an adult.  How much I'll miss the carefree feeling of being a child without a real worry in my life.  I feel like this is an important realization to have at a young age.  Because I have realized this at a young age, I know to take advantage of every moment and every little part of my childhood.

Now that I have made this realization I hope that it will change the way I treat and use my childhood.  I hope that this epiphany will help me cherish every moment I have until I come of age and become an adult.  Because when I'm an adult I won't be able to enjoy the things I can now and i know that when I'm an adult I'll wish I was still a kid, so I don't want to live out my childhood with regrets.


Note: Please please please excuse this lateness.  When I first wrote this, I thought I published it but I realized I had just saved it in my drafts. My apologies.