Song Of The Trees By Mildred D. Taylor

The main character in Mildred D. Taylor’s short story “Song of the Trees” is Cassie Logan who lives on Logan land in Mississippi during the Great Depression. The problem this character faces is that her family is being racially discriminated by a white man named Mr. Andersen. He threatens to chop down trees on the Logan land that have sentimental value to Cassie and the family. During the course of the story, Cassie must fight for her family, land, and dignity. Since Cassie loves her family and pictures the trees like family, she isn’t afraid to stand up for both of them.

Cassie has a young, imaginative side to her. She is always picturing nature coming to life. One example is when Cassie, Little Man, Christopher John, and Stacey go berry
She will stand up to anyone, even a white man, if it means keeping her family safe. For example, when Cassie, Christopher John, and Little Man visit the forest but are told by Mr. Andersen to leave and go home, Cassie disobeys him. She tells him that they will not leave. She also tells him that he’s the one invading their property. Cassie truly understands how much the land means to her family and despises Mr. Andersen for trying to take it away. Also, Cassie always wants what’s right. She knows chopping down her family’s trees on their land is not honorable. Another example of Cassie being protective is when Mr. Andersen shoves Little Man to the ground. “I rushed towards Mr. Andersen, my fist in a mighty hammer, shouting, ‘You ain’t got no right to push on Little Man, why don’t you push on someone your own size-like me, you ole-’” Cassie has to be dragged away from Mr. Andersen. She makes anyone who insults of harms her siblings her enemy. Cassie makes Mr. Andersen her adversary and she will not let him win the battle against her family. Finally, when Mr. Andersen threatens to whip Christopher John and Little Man, she lets them run away. Instead, she stands up and takes the hit. If Little Man or Christopher John were to be whipped, Cassie knows that they would start bawling. She doesn’t want to see them hurt, so she takes the hit instead. Also, she understands that she