White Lilacs Essay, Research Paper
White Lilacs
by Carolyn Meyer
I predict that . . . the Jefferson family will have many more harsh
times ahead. I think this because they are already struggling to bring home
enough money to get by. And I also think that Henrys attitude will get him in
trouble and put more stress on the family.
If this was a movie I’d title it . . . Freedom, unless it was narrated
then I would use White Lilacs because you would need to here Rose Lee’s thoughts
to understand the title White Lilacs. I also think that the movie would be more
interesting if it was narrated.
If you reversed . . . the point of view from Rose Lee to Catherine Jane the
story wouldn’t be as interesting. This would happen because the story would be
about a black community from a white perspective.
The protagonist in WHITE LILACS is Rose Lee Jefferson.
The antagonist in WHITE LILACS it the whole white community except
Catherine Jane and Emily Frith.
In WHITE LILACS the main conflict is weither the black community in
Dentin, Texas will have to move to another place against their will.
the secondary conflicts are:
- Rose Lee had to learn to set the table right. If she did not
she would be fired.
- Henry was mouthing off white people. This eventually led to
him being tared and feathered. His family had to find a place for him to hide
so nothing else would happen to him.
- The citizens of the black community (Freedom) had to find a
new place to go to school because the white people had burned the colored school
down. This happened because of the fact that no people were moving out of
Freedom.
– Rose Lee’s parents had a harder time getting enough money to survive.
This is after they moved out of Freedom.
- Grandfather Jim had a hard time replanting his ?Garden Of Eden?
after they moved. Not just because of the poor soil conditions but he never
could replace the real ?Garden Of Eden?
- The close friends and family of Rose Lee had a great morning
to overcome. Due to the death of Grandfather Jim and the fact that they had
lost so much.
The time of the book is in the spring through the fall in the year of
1921. This is until the end when Rose Lee grows up and moves away.
The place the story is set in is Dentin, Texas mostly in Freedom (until it
is destroyed) or in Mr. and Mrs. Bells house or yard.
The mood of WHITE LILACS is a combination of anger, confusion, despair,
hopelessness, sorrow, joy and being belittled.
The theme of WHITE LILACS is that ?you should not take things for
granted things could get worse soon?. Or it can be a cold cruel world out there
especially if you are black.
PLOT SUMMARY
In the beginning of the book WHITE LILACS you meet Roes lee Jefferson.
- Rose Lee has to go work for Mrs. Bell because other sister being
pregnant
- She over hears a conversation to get of the black community and
replace it with a park.
- Rose Lee tells her parents of what she heard and soon the whole black
community is filled with anger, confusion, despair, and hopelessness.
- Dentin has a vote to see if there will be a park but rig it so that
only property owners can vote. this gives about three to one odds for the park.
The decision is made and the town buys the properties of Freedom at a
fraction of their worth, and moves the houses in freedom to another part of town.
There is a brief overview of the rest of Rose Lees life, and trails off
talking about of her grandfathers prized white lilac.