Split Cherry Tree Questions and Answers
Split Cherry Tree
What is the message of the story "Split Cherry Tree"?
"Split Cherry Tree" is about a son and his father and the two worlds they live in: the working-class rural world and the more educated and refined new class. Dave Sexton, the boy, is in between the...
Split Cherry Tree
Who are the characters in "Split Cherry Tree"? The characters
Narrator Dave Sexton is the protagonist of "Split Cherry Tree." His father, Luster, makes a pistol-packing surprise visit to school; and Professor Herbert is the firm-handed teacher who quells the...
Split Cherry Tree
What is the setting (time and place) of the story, "Split Cherry Tree," by Jesse Stuart?
Although no specific date is given by Jesse Stuart in his short story, "Split Cherry Tree," it is no doubt set during the 1930s. (It was first published in 1939.) The action of the story takes...
Split Cherry Tree
Compare and contrast Dave's relationship with Professor Herbert and with Pa in "Split Cherry Tree".
Dave's relationship with his Pa at the beginning of the story is based on a clear understanding that physical punishment awaited him if he crossed his father's ways or rules. "He might be called a...
Split Cherry Tree
What can we learn about Pa and Professor Herbert from the way they speak in "Split Cherry Tree"? Give examples.
Author Jesse Stuart, a native of Kentucky, knows the language of his native state, and he uses regional and colloquial speech patterns in his dialogue to beautifully bring the character of Luster...
Split Cherry Tree
Describe Pa's character in "Split Cherry Tree."
Pa had very llittle formal schooling when he was growing up - "jist readin', writin', and cipherin'." - and doesn't understand the need for anything more when the story begins. He is a hard worker...
Split Cherry Tree
Jesse Stuart often wrote about education: "I am firm in my belief that a teacher lives on and on through his...
The quiet, reasonable manner of Professor Herbert, along with his teaching through examples is very effective and makes a lasting impression on Pa and Dave both. After Dave is made to stay after...
Split Cherry Tree
What is Pa teaching Dave in "Split Cherry Tree" when he says, “Jist remember, Dave, to pay your debts and be honest....
Although Dave is a product of the more modern world, Dave's father represents the old-time values of the past. After Luster has spent the day at school, he finally realizes that he can no longer...
Split Cherry Tree
What is the summary of the Jesse Stuart short story, "Split Cherry Tree"?
"Split Cherry Tree" is a fine, old fashioned short story by the Kentucky writer Jesse Stuart. It tells the story of Dave Sexton, who climbs and badly damages a cherry tree on private property...
Split Cherry Tree
How does Luster "educate" Dave about his future in "Split Cherry Tree"?
Luster Sexton "educates" Dave about his future by explaining both by words and by example that Dave must "go on to school" so that he will not become "a dead leaf" like him. Dave must also be...
Split Cherry Tree
What is Dave's conflict in "The Split Cherry Tree"?
Dave's conflict is with his father. After Professor Herbert punishes the boys who have split the cherry tree in Eif Crabtree's orchard, Dave is worried about how he will explain what has happened...
Split Cherry Tree
How can I compare Luster Sexton and Professor Herbert in Split Cherry Tree? Comparing the characters' behavior,...
Both men are initially presented as similar in that both serve as mentors to Dave and both are convinced of the correctness of their position and ignorant of the valid reasons for taking another...
Split Cherry Tree
In the short story, "The Split Cherry Tree" by Jesse Stuart, there is an irony in this story. What is it?
"Split Cherry Tree" is probably the most memorable short story by the former poet laureate of Kentucky, Jesse Stuart (1907-1984). Several ironies can be found within the story. One takes place in...
Split Cherry Tree
Explain why Dave is late returning home from school in the short story, "Split Cherry Tree."
Dave's returning home late because he was kept behind at school by the principal, Professor Herbert. Dave and a group of other boys broke a neighbor's cherry tree when they were out on a school...
Split Cherry Tree
How does Dave show growth at the end of the story "Split Cherry Tree"?
At the beginning of the story, Dave feels ashamed of his father, a farming man from the hills who doesn't speak good English, when he says he is going to go to high school with Dave the next day...
Split Cherry Tree
How does this information relate to the characters in the short story "Split Cherry Tree"? The farmers in Kentucky in...
Author Jesse Stuart based "Split Cherry Tree" on information he picked up while he served as the principal of a rural Kentucky school, and he may have seen a similarity between the character he...
Split Cherry Tree
What are two sentences from the story that are key to an understanding of "Split Cherry Tree?"
Jesse Stuart's short story, "Split Cherry Tree" is an enduring narrative of the struggles of rural people outside the cultural mainstream as well as the problems of the "generation gap." Two...
Split Cherry Tree
What offended Luster Sexton about the punishment Dave was given in "Split Cherry Tree"?
Pa initially was upset merely because Dave hadn't gotten home from school in time to do his chores. "What in th' world has kept you so? Why ain't you been here to help me with this work?" After...
Split Cherry Tree
What does Professor Herbert show Pa in the laboratory in "Split Cherry Tree"?
(eNotes educators only answer one question per response. If you need further help, please resubmit questions separately.) As Professor Herbert attempts to explain to Pa some of the activities of...
Split Cherry Tree
At the end of the story "Split Cherry Tree", why does Professor Herbert let Dave go without paying his debt?
Professor Herbert at the end of the story tells Dave he can go home and pay his debt by cleaning another time because his father is outside waiting for him. Dave goes and tells his father what the...
Split Cherry Tree
In "The Split Cherry Tree" by Jesse Stuart, is Pa a good father or a bad father? How?
Pa is a very good father. However, that is not clear at first, so let's trace out how we learn of Pa's goodness. The story opens with Dave and some other teenage boys, on a high school field trip,...
Split Cherry Tree
In "Split Cherry Tree," how does a typical day in Dave's home begin?
In the short story "Split Cherry Tree" by Jesse Stuart, a boy from the hills named Dave is the first of his family to attend high school. After he and some classmates break a cherry tree by...
Split Cherry Tree
What does the idiom “I was shaking like a leaf in the wind” in "The Split Cherry Tree" mean?
(eNotes educators may only answer one question per response. If you need more help, please resubmit other questions separately.) Dave uses the idiom "I was shaking like a leaf in the wind" to...
Split Cherry Tree
What changed Pa's opinion about Dave's studies in "Split Cherry Tree"?
Pa changed his mind about Dave's studies and the way in which things were being taught after he had the opportunity to meet Professor Herbert and learn more about what he was doing with the...
Split Cherry Tree
What does Dave realize about himself in "Split Cherry Tree"?
Dave comes to understand that he is proud of his background, proud of coming from a dirt-poor farming family isolated back in the hill country. He realizes that he is fortunate to be getting an...
Split Cherry Tree
In what ways does Luster demand that Dave take responsibility?
Luster is Dave’s father in “Split Cherry Tree.” He is a simple farmer, quite out of touch with modernity. He does not understand why Dave has to stay behind at school for two hours to work in order...
Split Cherry Tree
In "Split Cherry Tree," how does Professor Herbert defend his decision to take the students to a field trip, and how...
Professor Herbert defends his decision to take the students to Eif Crabtree's orchard by saying that the members of his science class were looking for snakes, toads, lizards, butterflies, and dry...
Split Cherry Tree
How does Pa's attitude towards Professor Herbert change in "Split Cherry Tree"? And why does Professor Herbert invite...
Professor Herbert invites Luster to spend the day at the school to show him new education methods and to help defuse his frustration at Dave being required to stay after school to pay for his part...
Split Cherry Tree
How is the information below reflected in the story "Split Cherry Tree"? Jesse stuart (1907-1984) was born in a log...
"Split Cherry Tree" is set in a rural area of Appalachia, a mountainous region that historically had many isolated farms and small settlements. Stuart's use of dialect, description of the chores...
Split Cherry Tree
Who does Pa think is to blame for the broken cherry tree? Why?
In the short story "Split Cherry Tree" by Jesse Stuart, the narrator is a boy from rough farm country in the hills. He is the only member of his large family to attend high school. His family works...
Split Cherry Tree
Agree or disagree with the following statement. Support your answer with reference to the text. "Pa will change his...
Pa goes to school with Dave because he is angry and feels Professor Herbert is out of place. He doesn't agree with the educational activities and techniques being used at the school and doesn't...
Split Cherry Tree
What was Dave's first problem with his father and what did he do about it?
In Split Cherry Tree, Dave's first problem with his father concerns being late for chores. He knows that his father would whip him for failing to show up on time, regardless of his reasons for...
Split Cherry Tree
How does Pa feel about Dave's school at the end of "Split Cherry Tree"?
When Dave's pa was growing up, they only taught "... readin', writin', and cipherin'. We didn't have all this bug larnin', frog larnin', and findin' germs on your teeth and in the middle o' black...
Split Cherry Tree
Does Pa simply change his ideas or does he change in some deeper way in "Split Cherry Tree" by Jesse Stuart?
While Pa changes his opinion of Professor Herbert and his ideas about germs, he certainly undergoes change in deeper ways. When Dave returns home late, his father interrogates him and learns that...
Split Cherry Tree
In what ways is Luster a stereotype, and what do we understand about Luster because of this in "Split Cherry Tree"?
In the beginning of the story, Luster Sexton seems to typify the backwoods country bumpkin with very little education and knowledge of the world other than his immediate environment. When Dave...
Split Cherry Tree
Explain the following quotation: "Make a gentleman out'n one boy in th' family and this is what you get! Send you...
This quote comes from the short story "Split Cherry Tree." It is spoken by the narrator's father and is in a regional Kentucky dialect. The narrator has had to stay after school to work off the...
Split Cherry Tree
What is the explanation of this quotation from "Split Cherry Tree"? Dave: I knew that pa would not be at home in the...
Dave is concerned about the differences in education, experience, and attitude toward life that will be very obvious if his Pa comes to the school with him. Dave recognizes that his Pa had not been...
Split Cherry Tree
What is the rising action of the story “Split Cherry Tree”?
In “Split Cherry Tree” by Jesse Stuart, Dave Sexton gets in trouble during a biology field trip for his high school. Dave and five friends climb a cherry tree to try to catch a lizard, but they all...
Split Cherry Tree
When Pa says of Professor Herbert "He likes me and I like him," why might the two men like each other in "Split...
After becoming better acquainted as the day passes that Luster Sexton visits the school, Professor Herbert and Luster reach an amiable understanding of each other and earn each other's respect. At...
Split Cherry Tree
Pa describes himself as "a dead leaf" in "Split Cherry Tree." What does he mean?
Pa makes these remarks towards the end of the story after Professor Herbert's taken him on a guided tour of the school and shown him what modern education is all about. Once incredibly hostile to...
Split Cherry Tree
Why is Dave confident that Pa will change his mind about the school in "Split Cherry Tree"?
Dave is not at all confident at first that his father will change his mind about the school. He is nervous that his father will pull a gun on his teacher, Professor Herbert. He wishes his father...
Split Cherry Tree
Why is Dave worried about his father coming to school in "Split Cherry Tree"?
In "Split Cherry Tree," Dave is anxious about his father's coming to the school because he will stand out as an anachronism at his school, and Dave fears he may "start something." When Dave and his...
Split Cherry Tree
Why was Dave required to stay after school in the short story, "Split Cherry Tree"?
Dave Sexton was required by his teacher to stay after school in order to work off the damage done to private property during a school field trip. While on a science field trip with Professor...
Split Cherry Tree
Who is the protagonist and the antagonist of the story?
The protagonist of the story is the main character or hero, and the antagonist is the opposing force (sometimes referred to as the villain). Assuming that you are speaking of "The Split Cherry...
Split Cherry Tree
What doesn't professor Herbert understand about hill boys? "Split Cherry Tree" by Jesse Stuart
In Jesse Stuart's "Spilit Cherry Tree," Dave reflects that Professor Herbert, "who had never lived in the hills," didn't know the way the hill boys had to work so that they could go to school....
Split Cherry Tree
Describe and contrast the two settings in the story "Split Cherry Tree."
The two settings in the story are Dave's school and his home on a farm. The school is described as a high-tech, affluent place, whereas the farm is poor and humble. When Dave goes home to the farm...
Split Cherry Tree
"The farmers in Kentucky in the 1930s were less modern than the people in the bigger cities in America. These farmers...
This quote connects closely to Jesse Stuart's "Split Cherry Tree," which was published in 1939 and is set in rural Kentucky. Dave Sexton's father seems an archaic figure in 1930s America, a...
Split Cherry Tree
Why does Professor Herbert say that Dave can't go home? What is Pa's reaction?
Professor Herbert says that Dave can't go home as a punishment for being one of the boys who split the cherry tree. He and five other boys had climbed the tree all at once to catch a lizard for a...
Split Cherry Tree
Both Luster and Professor Herbert demand that Dave take responsibility. How are their ideas of responsibility...
In “Split Cherry Tree,” Dave must take responsibility for the broken tree limbs, as both men in positions of authority in his life are fair and honest men who understand the importance of atoning...
Split Cherry Tree
What does this idiom (I was shaking........ the wind) mean?, Who says that?, What caused him to shake like a leaf in...
I'm sorry, but I don't recognize the split cherry tree story. Perhaps if you post a brand-new question featuring the title and author, someone else can help you. If possible, please use the story...
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