Symbolism
Symbolism - The practice of representing an idea or object with a different idea or object
Night Bloomer
Mrs. Brown's
cereus plant bloomed on Saturday night.
She sent word
after promising I could come see it.
I rubbed my gritty eyes with swollen hands.
My stomach grizzled as I
made my way through the dark
to her house.
Ma wouldn't have let me go at all.
My father just stood in the doorway and watched me leave.
It was almost three in the morning when I got there.
A small crowd stood around.
Mrs. Brown said,
"The blossom opened at midnight, big as a dinner plate.
It took only moments to unfold."
How can such a flower
find a way to bloom in this drought,
in this wind.
It blossomed at night,
when the sun couldn't scorth it,
when the wind was quiet,
when there might have been a sip of dew
to freshen it.
I couldn't watch at dawn,
wehn the flower,
touched by the first finger of morning light,
wilted and died.
I couldn't watch
as the tender petals burned up in the sun.
- "Out of the Dust" (p. 81)
Mrs. Brown's
cereus plant bloomed on Saturday night.
She sent word
after promising I could come see it.
I rubbed my gritty eyes with swollen hands.
My stomach grizzled as I
made my way through the dark
to her house.
Ma wouldn't have let me go at all.
My father just stood in the doorway and watched me leave.
It was almost three in the morning when I got there.
A small crowd stood around.
Mrs. Brown said,
"The blossom opened at midnight, big as a dinner plate.
It took only moments to unfold."
How can such a flower
find a way to bloom in this drought,
in this wind.
It blossomed at night,
when the sun couldn't scorth it,
when the wind was quiet,
when there might have been a sip of dew
to freshen it.
I couldn't watch at dawn,
wehn the flower,
touched by the first finger of morning light,
wilted and died.
I couldn't watch
as the tender petals burned up in the sun.
- "Out of the Dust" (p. 81)
Cereus Plant
What is a cereus plant? When does it bloom? How often does it bloom? Where does it bloom? What is so special about this plant?
The Cereus plant is an exclusively night-blooming plant that blooms rarely, usually between the month of June or July during the night. The plant is very short lived, blooming at night, and nearly wilting by morning. The Cereus plant could grow on minimal water and light shade, which means it could grow in very dry places, like the desert or the 1930s Dust Bowl. It has a trumpet shaped head when it blooms, and always appears as a white or pale color. The special thing about the Cereus plant is that, since it relates to the cacti family, they are able to grow in dry places with minimal water, though only live for a short time.
What is a cereus plant? When does it bloom? How often does it bloom? Where does it bloom? What is so special about this plant?
The Cereus plant is an exclusively night-blooming plant that blooms rarely, usually between the month of June or July during the night. The plant is very short lived, blooming at night, and nearly wilting by morning. The Cereus plant could grow on minimal water and light shade, which means it could grow in very dry places, like the desert or the 1930s Dust Bowl. It has a trumpet shaped head when it blooms, and always appears as a white or pale color. The special thing about the Cereus plant is that, since it relates to the cacti family, they are able to grow in dry places with minimal water, though only live for a short time.
Relate the symbol of the cereus plant to a character in the story. What is the cereus plant a symbol of? Explain. How are the two related? Why? Use textual evidence to support your analysis.
The character I think the cereus plant that was mentioned in the story symbolizes was Billy Jo's Ma, Polly. The cereus plant resembles Ma because when it bloomed, it gave people around it some amazement and happiness, "It was almost three in the morning when I get there. A small crowd stood around." (P.81) like Ma when she would try to make sure the family was happy. You could know that Ma gave the family happiness by how much Billy Jo and her father mourned for her. The other more gloomy way that the flower resembled Ma is how both died by being burned up, whether by sunlight or by kerosene, "I couldn't watch as the tender petals burning up in the sun." (P.82)
The character I think the cereus plant that was mentioned in the story symbolizes was Billy Jo's Ma, Polly. The cereus plant resembles Ma because when it bloomed, it gave people around it some amazement and happiness, "It was almost three in the morning when I get there. A small crowd stood around." (P.81) like Ma when she would try to make sure the family was happy. You could know that Ma gave the family happiness by how much Billy Jo and her father mourned for her. The other more gloomy way that the flower resembled Ma is how both died by being burned up, whether by sunlight or by kerosene, "I couldn't watch as the tender petals burning up in the sun." (P.82)