RR - “Emperor of the Air”
Connections
Our traditions are what keep families together. From a gold locket to an old photograph, these items are irreplaceable. What they hold to them are memories of those before us and moments in history that have passed. In the story, “Emperor of the Air” by Ethan Canin, an elderly man is forced to give up the one thing that his family has left behind: a two hundred year old elm tree. It holds the memories of his childhood and still shows signs of life that may still last for years to come.
As the story begins, the narrator, introduces himself as “sixty-nine years old, [who] lives in the same house [he] was raised in, and [has] been the high school biology and astronomy teacher” (3) in the same town. Though he is married, he has no children which gives both he and his wife Vera opportunities to travel the world. However, due to a heart attack, his wife now travels solo because his body has weakened from the occurrence. He often feels lonely because his wife travels for weeks and his only entertainment are stars.
A sudden situation erupts between he and his neighbor, Mr. Pike. His neighbor informs the man that he must cut down the old elm tree because it is infected with insects that may cause the tree to fall on his home. However, the man is reluctant in doing so because it is over two hundred years of age and holds value to him. It is considered a family heirloom. In an attempt to preserve the tree’s life, the elderly man combines several poisons and spreads it around the tree. For a short while it actually works, but soon the insects reappear causing the situation to escalate. Mr. Pike with no other alternatives, contacts the authorities and the request to cut down the elm tree is granted. In order to save his tree, the old man decides to take some insects from his tree and spread it to his neighbor’s elm trees.
remember our sacred connections, to transform that hollow tree into the sacred tree it was
The tree “swings through another year of sun and leaping winds, of leaves and bounding fruit.” This sentence evokes images of happiness and serenity; however, it is in stark contrast with “month after month, the whip-crack of the mortgage.” The tone of this phrase is harsh and the onomatopoeia of a “whip crack” stirs up images of oppression. The final lines of the poem show the consequences that the family accepts by preserving the tree—their family heritage. When the speaker judges the tree by its cover she sees monetary value, but when she looks at the content in the book she find that it represents family. Even though times may be tough for the family, they are united by memories of their ancestors.
He gives stories such as how the owner gave away the priceless bonsai tree to the enemy that had bombed. He then gives some stories about how the curator of the bonsai organization has to take care of that tree. The curator must take special care of the tree, because the tree is irreplaceable. Art however can be copied onto another canvas or even on a sheet of paper but that tree can never be regrown. He tells of a story about Moses Weisberg, who was riding his bike until he came upon the tree in Washington. At that time the tree was located in National Arboretum in Washington. The use of anecdotes was well used in the article to give relatable stories of how the bonsai plant came to
All spring and summer the townsfolk spoke about the three bodies that had been found, mangled and slashed. Now, had the three men headed the warning and stayed away from the old man’s house they would still be alive. Instead they were tempted by the greed in their hearts for the money the terrible old man was said to have possession of. This drove them to enter through his gate and knock on the door. They believed that because he was an old man, he would be feeble and week, making him an easy target for
Anne Frank is a famous author of a book she wrote while she was hiding during World War Two. There was a tree that stood in her neighbor’s garden and she frequently looked at it (Frank 233, 158, 209, 213). The tree gave Anne Frank Hope (Anne Frank Sapling Planted on Capitol Hill). They both shared some time together while a very important and tragic event was going on in the world (Anne Frank Tree). The Chestnut tree was there before Anne Frank went in hiding, during Anne Frank was in hiding, and a couple years after Anne Frank was in hiding (Anne Frank Tree). The tree helped Anne Frank get through the rough times in hiding by providing her with mental hope and strength since she was a normal female teenager (Mental Health & Function). Even though there were terrible events going on in the world, the tree still changed as the seasons came by and grew stronger and bigger every day (Frank 209). Once the Frank family got sent to the concentration camps, the tree did not stop growing and fighting the disease it had (Cohen-Janca 2). The tree kept on fighting its disease while Anne Frank was fighting for her survival and without knowing, the survival of others.
Cheng, Ah. The King of Trees. Trans. Bonnie S. McDougall. New York: New Directions, 2010. Print.
By early morning, almost everyone from the Mohawk community stepped outside the village to admire the large White Pine Tree that Amarco grew. Amarco could not believe what he was seeing. The gopher was right! It was absolutely astounding; from the smell of the fresh green needles to the texture of the rough grey bark. Amarco gathered everybody’s attention to inform them of the benefits his tree has to offer. Everyone cried in joy and happiness knowing that they’re at peace, now that the disease that they’ve dreaded for the longest while, is now curable.
This story, written as the thoughts of the narrator, is about an old blind friend of his wife’s coming to visit for the first time. The story focuses on the narrator’s cynicism toward the blind man and the way his wife seems to look up to him. Through out the visit there is halting interaction between the blind man and the narrator, however in the end the narrator experiences something he never could have imagined. Through the eyes of a blind man, he gains a better understanding of who he could be.
Cheng, Ah. The King of Trees. Trans: Bonnie S. McDougall. New York,NY: New Directions, 2010. Print.
This is about how a man broke into the orchard, took a bunch of cherry
Imagine walking down an ancient path amidst a forest of tangled and twisted trees, some of which have existed since before a time even great grandparents can remember. The air echoes with sounds of life, and the fragrance is that of cedar or juniper… or something not quite either. The living things that dwell here, bridge a gap in time that many are totally unaware of and for the reasons about to be explained, may never become so. The beauty that surrounds this place is unexplainable in the tongue of man, yet its presence can be felt by all who choose to behold it. At least for now…
begins her own story by reminiscing about a certain male friend of hers who is
The high level of expertise by the author using the third person narrative of the view of the protagonist husband shows that he was oblivious to the fact that his wife was ver...
Many of the classical travel narratives of the past are presented with a main character, with the story revolving around their journey and experience in foreign places. Examples of the traditional way of travel writing are classics like Love and War in the Apennines by Eric Newby which is about the writers’ journey to Italy and how he met different people, including his wife, throughout the trip (Dalrymple & Theroux, 2011). There are also recent books like Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert which talks about a middle-aged woman’s travel experience as well as her self-discovery during her trip to India. It is a traditional way of travel writing to be a personal narrative and focus on a hero or a heroine. In this essay, I will talk about a
Many sands had the tree known; many green neighbors had come and gone, yet the tree remained. The mighty roots had endured such whips and scorns as had been cast upon it, but the old tree had survived, a pillar of twisted iron and horn against the now sickly sky. In the waning light of evening, the tree waited.