Seth's Thoughts

Amir
7. I think that he means the greatest benefit was not how beautiful it was to the eye, but that its true beauty was how it was able to bring everyone together. It allowed people who would have otherwise not known each other to become friendly.

Florence
5. She means that “Seedfolks” are like our ancestors. They plant themselves somewhere, and the family grows and spreads out to many places. “Seedfolks” could also be people we are connected to. I think that the author chose this title because all the characters are each other’s “Seedfolks” through the garden.

Reminders

Thank you for all of the thoughtful contributions on Seedfolks!

If you are having any trouble finding information to answer your questions, you don't have to look very far.

All answers and the graphic organizers are due tomorrow in addition to the binder checks.

Barbie's Thoughts on Florence

5. What Florence means by the word seedfolks is that everyone had a different part in the garden despite the fact that they only had around two things in common; 1. They all had troubles and hardships. 2. They all helped out with the garden. I think the author choose this title because it in one word pretty much sums up what the whole book is about. They are all folks, and they all either plant seeds or protect seeds. I think it also kind of means love because they all love seeds or gardening and they all like each other as friends some people even feel that the garden is like family. The book is also about working together through whatever and I feel seedfolks the title describes everything that has to do with working together and love.

6. I think Florence wrote the chapter 2-3 years after the garden had started I think that the author purposely wrote the chapter of Florence like this to show that even after a few years the garden was still going strong. It also shoes that everyone is committed to something in their life they just have to find that something.

Liam's Thoughts

For question 7 in Amir's chapter. I think that the people are becoming a community, and becoming friends, and thats all because of the garden. For question 5 and 7 which are bonus on Florence chapter, I think that the answer for 5 is that the first seeds get planted and then more and more people come along and help. For 7 the answer is "the area of the garden now was just some soil a couple months ago, and became a believing community after a while, and Florence wrote this a week after Amir I think"

Rosie's Thoughts

blog bonus question about Amir:
I think that when Amir says "The gardens greatest benefit, I feel is not the relief to the eyes, but to make our eyes see the neighbors." I think he means that the garden is beautiful, but even better than that it brought all the neighbors and the community of Cleveland Heights together. During the book most of the characters became friends and help each other in all different ways. In all of the chapters other people are mentioned, people that the garden was planted for or in honor of, people that are part of the garden. With all those people involved many friendships and relationships that could last a lifetime were formed. The garden made everyone come together as a community and as a family, it also made them care more about the place they live, and the thing inside of it.

blog bonus questions about Florence:
5. I think when Florence said that her family were the seed folks what she meant was that a seed is the beginning of something so I think that she is taking the term seed and applying it to people. If I am right than seed folks means the fist people to do something. Her family “was the first black family in the whole County. My father called them our seedfolks because they were the first of our family there.”

I think that the author chose Seedfolks as the title of the book because they are the seeds of the garden setting an example and as Florence said “any of the people who started the garden on Gibb Street their seedfolks too” “I’m talking about the first year before there were spigots and hoses, and the tool shed, and the new soil. And before the landlords started charging more for apartments that look on the garden.” Things like this are also mentioned in some of the other chapters like in Nora’s chapter she says, “Pantomime was often required to get over language barriers. Yet we were all subject to the same weather and pests, the same neighborhood, and the same parental emotions toward our plants. I f we happened to miss two or three days, people stopped by on our return to ask about Mr. Myles’s health. We, like our seeds, were now planted in the garden.”

6. I think Florence wrote this chapter about 2 and a half years later in winter after because she says that first year which means that there already was a first year and then she says that months are passing fall, winter, spring, summer, fall and then winter. I think that now the winter is just over and Kim is coming to plant her Lima beans.

Yaakov's Thoughts...

I think that Amir’s quotation means that even though it is a garden and gardens are beautiful, this was the community garden.  This community garden didn’t only contain beautiful fruits and vegetables like pumpkins, radishes and eggplants, but it also became the home base to all different races and ethnicities of Cleveland.  When all of the people in the garden became friends, Amir’s quotation makes complete sense.