TABLE OF CONTENT Page

1. Acknowledgement 1
2. The Writer 2
3. The Story 4
4. Literary Criticism 5
5. Biliogra!hy "
#. $e%erences &
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Acknowledgement
Bissmillahirrahmanirrahim(
Alhamd)lillah. Thanks to Allah SWT( who with *is willing gi+ing me the
o!!ort)nity to com!lete this task with %lying colors.
,irstly( - wo)ld like to e.!ress my dee!est thanks to my lect)rer( /n. 0ohd. 12aki
in S)da( who had gi+en +al)ale in%ormation( s)ggestions and g)idance in the
com!ilation and !re!aration o% this task.
1ee!est thanks and a!!reciation to my h)sand( !arents( %amily( and others %or
their coo!eration( enco)ragement( constr)cti+e s)ggestion and %)ll o% s)!!ort %or the
re!ort com!letion( %rom the eginning till the end.
Last )t not least( thanks to all o% my T/SL classmates( %riends and e+eryone( that
has een contri)ted y s)!!orting my work and hel!s mysel% d)ring the !rogress till it is
%)lly com!leted.
1
The Writer
3esse *ilton St)art was orn near $i+erton( 4ent)cky in 5reen)! Co)nty to
0itchell and 0artha *ilton St)art on A)g)st &( 16'". -n 1636( he married 7aomi 1eane
7orris( a school teacher and they settled in W8*ollow.
*e was an American writer who is known %or writing short stories( !oetry and
no+els ao)t So)thern A!!alachia. Born and raised in 5reen)! Co)nty( 4ent)cky( he
relied hea+ily on the r)ral locale o% 7ortheastern 4ent)cky %or his writing. St)art was
named the 9oet La)reate o% 4ent)cky in 1654. *e also recei+ed the 5)ggenheim Award
in 163" and Thomas 3e%%erson 0emorial Award in 1643. -n 16#1( he recei+ed the award
%rom American Academy o% 9oets.
Some o% his %amo)s ooks are Man with a Bull Tongue Plow (1934), Album of
Destiny (1944), Kentu!y is My "an# (19$%), &ol# A'(il (19)%), Beyon# Da(! &ills
(193*), To Teah, To "o+e (19,-), Daughte( of the "egen# (19)$), T(ees of &ea+en
(194-), .e# Mule (19$$), /l# Ben (19,-), Plowsha(es in &ea+en (19$*), 0a+e 1+e(y
"amb (19)4), A 2esse 0tua(t &a(+est (19)$), 3% 3otes Befo(e B(ea!fast (19,4), 0'lit
4he((y T(ee (1939) an# many othe(s5
3esse St)art died at the aged o% "# at 3o8Lin n)rsing home in -ronton( :hio( ;SA(
which is near his oyhood home on ,er)ary "( 16&4. 9rior to his death( he donated "14
acres <2.&6 km2= o% woodlands in W8*ollow to the 4ent)cky State 7at)re 9reser+es
2
Commission. The 3esse St)art State 7at)re 9reser+es is dedicated to !rotect the legacy o%
St)art and ens)res that a signi%icant !ortion o% W8*ollow will remained )nde+elo!ed in
!er!et)ity. The trail system is o!en to the !)lic %rom dawn to d)sk all year long.
3
The Story
-n 0'lit 4he((y T(ee story( a high school teacher in a one8room schoolho)se( kee!s
a oy a%ter school to work and !ay %or damage he did to a cherry tree. *is %ather scolded
him %or eing late and let him do all the works in arn y himsel%. The oy>s )ned)cated
%ather comes to school to arg)e with the teacher( )t comes to a!!reciate the +al)e o%
higher ed)cation.
The story introd)ces con%licts etween the rich and the !oor as well as the
ed)cated and )ned)cated as 1a+e>s %ather con%ronts the schoolteacher. The e+ent)al
lesson o% the story is not one that asserts the s)!remacy o% any o% these gro)!s( nor 1a+e(
the oy who is trying to na+igate etween them. $ather( The 0'lit 4he((y T(ee shows
how o!en comm)nication can e.!lain di%%erences and mediate resol)tions.
4
Literary Criticism on Split Cherry Tree by Jesse Stuart
This short story seems to to)ch directly on c)lt)ral side. While the other high
school st)dents en?oying their yo)ng li%estyle( 1a+e ha+e to work with his %ather at their
%arm a%ter school ho)rs e+eryday since they are not a wealthy %amily. The central con%lict
o% the story arise eca)se 1a+e does not ha+e the money to !ay %or the tree that he and
his %riends roke while trying to catch a li2ard %or the class. -nstead( 1a+e m)st work o%%
his det y s!ending two ho)rs a%ter school on two se!arate days. This kee!s him away
%rom home( where @it took 9a and - oth to do the %arm work. Se+en cows to milk.
7ineteen heads o% cattle to %eed( %o)r m)les( twenty8%i+e hogs( %irewood and sto+ewood
to c)t( and water to draw %rom the wellA.<!aragra!h 6( line 2=. *is %ather( L)ster( work all
days( and he cannot do the e+ening work all on his own. 0r. *erert( the school teacher(
did not know ao)t the li%e in the hills( where 1a+e and his %amily li+ed. @*e didn>t know
the way the hill oys had to work so they co)ld go to schoolA( and L)ster was determined
to make *erert )nderstandB with his g)n that @has always een a %riend to him when he
goes to settle dis!)tesA.
To !eek on the social side( 1a+e is the %irst !erson in his %amily that goes to the
high school. B)t his )ned)cated %ather doesn>t )nderstand ao)t thing in school
nowadays. The !resence o% L)ster>s g)n adds tension to the scene as he enters into an
arg)ment with 9ro%essor *erert o+er the nat)re o% ed)cation. L)ster does not )nderstand
@all this )g larnin>( %rog larnin>( and %indin> germs on yo)r teethA( and neither
)nderstands nor likes that the oys and the girls are allowed to go to the %ield tri!s
5
together. What he does )nderstand( is that a )llet @will kill a schoolteacher same as it
will any other man. -t will kill a rich man same as the !oor manA. 5)ns( to L)ster(
re!resent eC)ality. A )llet does not care ao)t age( ed)cation( classB it kills
indiscriminately. Det 9ro%essor *erert C)ietly asserts @- was right with these st)dentsA
<!aragra!h 54( line 1= and in+ites L)ster to stay at the school %or a day and see how things
ha+e changed. 9ro%essor *erert shows L)ster the germs on his teeth thro)gh a
microsco!e( teaches him ao)t the new ed)cation L)ster had een so dismissi+e o%(
teaching oth L)ster and 1a+e something in the !rocess. L)ster learns not only ao)t
germs and dissection( )t he learns that his time %or learning has !assed( and he m)st tr)st
9ro%essor *erert to lead his son>s generation. A%ter a day s!ent together( L)ster has een
shown the im!ortance o% a ook ed)cation and 9ro%essor *erert has een shown the
im!ortance o% a li%e ed)cationB !rotecting those less %ort)nate and ha+ing !ride in one>s
sel%.
-t is only %itting %or 6The 0'lit 4he((y T(ee7 to end with L)ster e.citedly telling
his wi%e what he learned at school that day. 4nowledge is the +ictor in the m)lti!le
con%licts that arise thro)gho)t the story whether the knowledge is im!arted y the teacher
or a %armerB regarding iology and dissection or how to h)manely threat animals. The
deli+ery is also signi%icant. 9ro%essor *erert shows L)ster thro)gh a microsco!e the
germs on his teethB L)ster shows 9ro%essor *erert %amily !ride y hel!ing his son
swee!. There are no condescending lect)res( no sho)tingB all these lessons are ta)ght y
e.am!le( which allows them to e a !ower%)l %or mediation and learning rather than
intensi%ying the con%lict
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BBLO!"AP#$
1= htt!EFFwww.americanliterat)re.comFSSFSS2'.*T0L
2= htt!EFFen.wiki!edia.orgFwikiF3esse8St)art
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