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Welcome to our May Book Club selection.
The Man Who Planted Trees
by Jean Giono
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"Patience and tenacity are worth more than twice their weight of cleverness."
- Thomas Huxley
Simply written, but powerful and unforgettable, the story is timeless, the story of one shepherd's long and successful single-handed effort to re-forest a desolate area of Provence, in southern France. There are dozens of facets to this allegorical tale
by French author Jean Giono, published in 1953.
Movie: The Man Who Planted Trees (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CaFa_4Z0WMM)
PDF Link to: The Man Who Planted Trees (http://www.arvindguptatoys.com/arvindgupta/plantedtrees.pdf)
PDF Link to: The Man Who Planted Trees (http://www.nrri.umn.edu/boulder/education/K12/People%20and%20forests/The%20Man%20Who%20Planted%20Trees.pdf)
Discussion Questions for Week Two - May 15 - May 15
1. Have you ever planted a tree? Was it a seedling or an actual seed or nut or was it a mature tree? Was the tree planted on your property or in a public area?
2. Have you ever walked in a forest? Tell us where and tell us about what you noticed and if it was a new growth or old growth forest?
3. As the forest matures, Bouffier plants a particular kind of tree because of it effect and support to the land. Most of us plant a tree for its looks and mature size, how do the trees planted in your yard and neighborhood support the land? Can you share anything you know about the root system of various trees?
4. Planting trees makes Elzéard Bouffier happy. What does this remind you of in your life?
5. The story shows us the process of life - growth, aging, conflict, and our impact on society. Do you think change to ourselves and to society is as indiscriminate as the wind blowing?
6. What new opportunities to develop interests did aging bring to you that while responsible to a relationship or job you did not spend time developing?
7. Have you, or do you know others who have used solitude, armed only with their moral resources, for the anonymous service to humanity?
8. What difference do you notice in the narrator when he returns after WWI as compared to when he returns after WWII?
9. What events in the story are similar to things that happen today in the real world?
10. Who are some of the 'tree planters' today that are making a difference in our world?
Discussion Leader: Barb (augere@ix.netcom.com)
(https://i2.wp.com/www.museum.state.il.us/muslink/forest/images/cutting-300.JPG?zoom=2) (https://i2.wp.com/www.crowvalley.com/images/CL%20-%20Planting%20Trees.jpg?zoom=2)
From Four Hedges - A Gardener's Chronicle 1935
"Thousands of years ago it was believed that trees imprisoned spirits and had a life and personality of their own. Their magical powers have continued to appear in folklore and literature, from references to the green man and tree spirits, to tales set in the depths of the forest told by the Brothers Grimm.
In France during the French Revolution trees were heavily politicized. In the 1790s the Tree of Liberty became a central feature in Revolutionary ceremonies, and thousands of oaks and poplars were planted throughout the cities and countryside. Today the tree can be symbolic of the fragility of the natural world."
The Ghostly White THIRST tree of Austin hovers over Lady Bird Lake to raise awareness about water as a scarce resource and to memorialize the more than 300 million trees that died in Texas during the 2011 drought.
(http://media.culturemap.com/crop/38/63/320x240/THIRST_installation_tree_-Lady_Bird_Lake_122719.jpg)