Pain Tree

1. Who is your favorite character from the story and what kind of background do they come from? Why? (Use examples from Michelle Cliff's essay, If I Could Write This in Fire, I Would Write This in Fire)

Lorraine is my favorite character because she found the way to break the circle of racism in her family. I think it is important to always move forward and make changes. I feel sorry for her because she is so sad about the way she acted in the past. I hope Larissa knows she was only a girl. 
Lorraine comes from a wealthy family. You can tell right away when she says she went to boarding school in England, mentions the maids and her house. 
It remind me when Michelle Cliff said the Jaimaicans became the opressors of their fellow Jaimaicans. 

2. Why do you think Lorraine’s mother mocks the workers that want independence from England?

Because it is her way of expressing her political and moral view without being straightforward about it. She was opressing her own, and wanted to keep it that way.


3. What is a “pain tree” and how does it play a role in the story?

The "pain tree" is a tree where you hammer nails into the bark. That way you free your pain and the tree bears it for you. Larissa used it after her son's death, and probably before. 
It also demonstrates how many people had to quier down their pain or suffering instead of expressing it through words or emotions. 


4. What is the meaning of the line “people like me would always inherit the land, but they were the ones who already possessed the Earth”?

I think it means that land and wealth are always in the same hands. People with power always find the way to maintain it in their circle. Above that, having wealth and power meant you could also rule over people.