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In Seedfolks, how does Leona contribute to the garden's improvement?
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Leona significantly improves the garden by tackling the overwhelming garbage problem in the vacant lot. Recognizing that traditional clean-up efforts would be insufficient, she persistently contacts local and federal authorities, eventually discovering the city owns the lot. Frustrated by bureaucracy, Leona takes a bag of trash to the Health Department, securing a meeting and ultimately prompting the city to clear the garbage. Her actions demonstrate how empowered individuals can initiate real change in their communities.
In Seedfolks, Leona helps the garden through her intelligence and perseverance. She is appalled by the garbage that has been dumped in the "vacant" lot. In fact, there is so much garbage on the lot that Leona can't believe how anyone could call it "vacant" because it is piled high with all types of trash, even "dangerous chemicals."
Leona decides that clearing away the trash could not be accomplished through hauling it away in a wheelbarrow but, instead, by being persistent and making hours of countless phone calls. She begins by phoning local government offices and she even calls the United States government. Leona eventually discovers that the city of Cleveland owns the lot. When she gets nowhere with the City on the telephone, she decides the best way to deal with the garbage situation is by being proactive. Therefore, she takes matters into her own hands.
Leona takes...
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a bag of stinking garbage to the Health Department. After spending useless hours on the phone, she is finally rewarded with a face to face meeting about the situation. Through her perseverance and wit, Leona gets the garbage cleared off the lot.
Leona demonstrates what individuals can do when they feel empowered. The citizens of Gibb Street feel they can't do anything to change their surroundings, but Leona's actions show them that they could make a change for themselves.
Leona is a great example of a idealistic realist. She knows what she wants (to clean up the Gibb Street lot), but she also knows what she has to do to get it (sit on the phone all day). This is best shown when she chooses to bring a bag of trash right to the office waiting room: She has found a realistic way to make her ideals known.
In Seedfolks, what brings Leona to the garden?
Leona was brought to the garden because she was interested in growing goldenrod, a flowering plant that grows mostly in North America and Mexico. She was motivated to plant goldenrod because of her grandmother’s use and sentiment about the plant. Leona’s grandmother lived to be ninety-nine and attributed her longevity to her daily routine of taking tea made from the plant. Based on this, Leona decided to plant a patch for herself and joined the other gardeners in the lot.
Leona also contributed immensely to the clean-up of the lot. She noted the considerable amount of garbage in the field and decided to engage the Public Health Department in sorting out the mess. Leona presented her evidence of the neglected state of the lot which motivated the officials to act on her complaints.
In Seedfolks, what is Leona's connection to the garden?
Leona, the narrator in Chapter 5 of Seedfolks, is instrumental in getting the Gibbs Street vacant lot cleared of all the trash. During the chapter, Leona reminisces about her grandmother who always drank goldenrod tea for its healthy properties. As she sees the garden start to grow, she decides that she will plant goldenrod in honor of her grandmother. The only thing standing in her way is the amount of trash in the lot. So, Leona starts making phone calls to city agencies that would have the ability to clean up the property. Leona doesn’t get very far and gets the run around when she is told to contact other agencies to help her. Tired of no one listening to her, she shows up at the Public Health Department with a bag of trash and dumps it on the floor. She finally gets the Public Health Department’s attention, and the vacant lot is cleaned up so the garden can flourish. This act brings more and more people from the neighborhood to the community garden.