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| | Tree Symbolism in American Literature (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-09) |
 | | Trees thus naturalize possession (their roots literally hold the land in place), mark territory in space (trees are traditional boundary markers in deeds, for example), measure time (since trees can outlast generations, they are often a genealogical reference point), and tie us to nature. |
 | | The tree can represent patriarchal authority, family ties and connections, the connection between the past and the present, claims to property ownership, the boundary between civilization and the savage forest, and the relationship between people and the natural world, among other things. |
 | | Shuman argues that "More than any other plant, the olive tree symbolizes the Holy Land." Discusses the importance of the olive tree as a symbol for the Israeli state, which is build on the idea of the original genetic unity of the Jews and their rootedness to the land. |
| www.rci.rutgers.edu /~goeller/inheritance/tree_bib.html (1762 words) |
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