lemon tree essay in english

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The Lemon Tree Summary & Study Guide

The Lemon Tree Summary & Study Guide Description

In 1967, Bashir Khairi and two of his cousins travel to their hometown, Al-Ramla, which they have not seen in nineteen years ever since Arabs were driven from their homes and forced to live as refugees. In the same home that Bashir abandoned, a Jewish girl named Dalia Eshkenazi is grateful for a place where her people can be safe after the horrors of the Holocaust. Both their families have suffered, and both have lived in fear of the other's people, viewing them as the enemy. However, when Bashir visits his old home and asks for a chance to look around inside, Dalia feels an instinctive connection with him and lets him into the home. Despite their differences, Bashir feels the same connection and invites Dalia to visit his family in their new home in Ramallah, though he never expects to hear from her again.

Moved by her encounter with Bashir, Dalia begins asking questions about assumptions she has made about the Palestinian people and her own peoples' role in driving them from their homes. She takes Bashir up on his offer to visit in Ramallah and is moved by the generosity and hospitality his family shows her. Dalia and Bashir discuss their different points of view, and though they do not see eye-to-eye on everything, both are encouraged by their ability to understand more about the other side's ideas more than they ever have before.

Circumstances intervene, and Dalia and Bashir do not see each other again for some time. Bashir is arrested for his alleged role in violent attacks made by Palestinian forces, and Dalia feels betrayed by this, believing that conversation and understanding are the way to make change, not violence. However, she still feels compelled to write to Bashir to remind him of their previous friendship and express her views. Bashir writes in response, and respect is maintained between the two, even though they still do not always agree. Dalia maintains contact mostly with Bashir's family through the years, since Bashir is in and out of prison, though they do have the chance to come face-to-face again and marvel at how much they have meant to each other over time.

Dalia's parents die and she is left the house that once belonged to the Khairi family. Ramla is still a dangerous place for Arab families to live, so the Khairi family cannot return. Instead, with Bashir's blessing, Dalia donates the home to become a school where Palestinian and Israeli children can learn together side-by-side and attempt to build a better future. The lemon tree, which the Khairis planted in the backyard and which has become a symbol of their heritage, dies; the students at the school plant another one next to it, symbolizing their hope for the future. Bashir and Dalia are no longer in contact with one another, but continue to respect each other and honor the bond between them.

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A substantially revised version of this story appears in Loory’s second collection,  Tales of Falling and Flying , published by Penguin Books in 2017.

A farmer was wandering through his orchard at harvest time, when he saw an apple hanging from one of his lemon trees. He frowned at it a while, and then went and fetched a ladder, and climbed up and plucked it from the branch. Look what I found in one of the lemon trees, he said to his wife when he got home that night. Very funny, she said. No really, said the farmer. This apple was growing from one of the lemon trees. I’m not stupid, said his wife. Don’t be ridiculous. The farmer looked at her, then down at the apple. He raised it to his mouth and took a little bite. It tasted faintly of lemon. It tastes like lemon, the farmer said. Are you sure you don’t want to try it? But his wife just went back to doing the laundry. You must be out of your mind, she said.

The next day the farmer went back to the tree, and examined it with a great deal of care. There were no more apples growing anywhere on it, but he could still see the spot where his had been. I guess I’ll just have to wait, said the farmer. And that was exactly what he did. Before the start of the next harvest time, the farmer got everything set up. He arranged a pair of cameras—one on either side of the tree—aimed at where the apple had been. So there was plenty of photographic documentation when the apple grew again. Or rather, when the two new apples grew. It seemed the apples were spreading.

The farmer took the photographs and showed them to his wife—or started to. Then he thought better of it. Then he went downtown and showed them to his friends and the man at the newspaper instead. But they all just looked at him like he was nuts. Don’t bother us with this stuff, they said.

So the farmer went back home and sat on his porch and ate the two new apples from his tree. They didn’t taste quite as lemony as before. In fact, they didn’t taste much like anything.

So the farmer stood up, and stepped down off the porch, and walked on out into the orchard. He stood staring up at the tree for a while. Then he sat down underneath it.

Many years went by, and the lemon tree was transformed—completely changed into an apple tree. Just apples upon apples, not a lemon in sight. But still, the world had never seen it. The farmer still sat out beneath it every day—by this time, he was all alone. His wife had long since packed up and moved away, and his friends and the man at the paper had passed on.

But one day as the farmer was sitting there, a stranger came walking along. It was no one the farmer had ever seen before—just a traveler; who knows where from or bound. The stranger stopped when he saw the farmer. Mind if I pass through? he said. Not at all, said the farmer. Feel free to stop and rest. Thanks, I will, the stranger said.

So the stranger took a seat on the ground beside the farmer, and the two of them talked for a bit. Not about anything important, really, just to pass the time—this and that. Are you hungry? said the farmer. When was the last time you ate? Well, said the stranger, it’s been a while. So the farmer reached up and plucked an apple from the tree. It tastes like lemon, the stranger said. And the farmer smiled.

About The Author

Ben Loory is the author of the collections Stories for Nighttime and Some for the Day and Tales of Falling and Flying , as well as a picture book for children, The Baseball Player and the Walrus . His fables and tales have appeared in The New Yorker , Tin House , READ Magazine , and Fairy Tale Review , been heard on This American Life and Selected Shorts , and performed live at WordTheatre in Los Angeles and London. They have also been translated into many languages, including Arabic, Farsi, Japanese, and Indonesian.

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The Lemon Tree

47 pages • 1 hour read

The Lemon Tree: An Arab, a Jew, and the Heart of the Middle East

A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Chapters 1-2

Chapters 3-4

Chapters 5-8

Chapter 9-Afterword

Key Figures

Symbols & Motifs

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

Discussion Questions

The Parallels Between the Jewish and Palestinian Experiences

The experiences of Dalia’s and Bashir’s families have been similar at points in the past. Dalia’s family, who were Jews from Bulgaria, survived the Holocaust, and her father, a Zionist, always felt drawn to Palestine. After the Holocaust, they moved to Israel, ending the centuries of Jews in exile without a homeland. Bashir’s family is uprooted from their house in al-Ramla, in what was old Palestine, and they then enter an extended period of exile in the West Bank and Gaza. Bashir is himself exiled from the West Bank to Lebanon and later Tunis, even though he constantly dreams of returning home to Ramla.

The Jews and Palestinians, then, have both been people in exile. They have the experience of being adrift and also being subjected to persecution. In Europe, Dalia’s family did not know whether they would be sent to concentration camps, and Bashir is subjected to imprisonment at many times. Different entities intervene at times to help them. During World War II-era Bulgaria, the Orthodox bishops intervened to save Bulgarian Jews from deportation to concentration camps, and Dalia and other Israelis work to create interfaith relationships and dialogue with the Arabs and others in their country.

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“Lemon Tree” by Eran Riklis Essay

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The topic concerning the relationships between Arab people and people from the Israel has been gained momentum in the modern times. It should be stated that this difficult issue has been reflected in numerous books, and film production is not the exception.

One of the most successful movies that show the controversial relationships between the nations is considered to be Lemon Tree , directed by Eran Riklis. The main concern of the film is to show the significance of the human nature, proving that all the stereotypes and political conflicts should never become a reason for the hate.

The movie is centered on the dilemmas and real life of people who belong to different religious groups. It is significant to point out that both worlds are similar in their political attitude and its relevance for the citizens; career and social status play an important role, and women are searching for the peace and happiness.

However, it should be stressed that these two worlds cannot exist together; the wall stands between them and symbolizes the misunderstanding. Israel stands for the strong country, the invader with an army, whereas the Arabic world reflected as helpless.

The major intention of the government is to protect the borders and citizens from the external influence or aggression; however, sometimes this goal is accomplished by the infringement of rights and freedom of ordinary people. It should be stressed that the amount of sorrow made for the common good, sometimes can be not understood or estimated.

Salma Zidane, the Palestinian women in her fortieth, is the main character in the movie. Being a widow and having a son in the United States, Salma tries to make money from her lemon copse that is situated on a territory of Israel and West Bank.

The owners of the grove were the ancestors of Salma. However, the life of the widow changes when the minister moves to the new house close to the lemon copse. The watchtower is built, and the soldiers watch the territory for the protection of the minister.

Salma receives the letter, according to the letter, the trees are the best place for the terrorists to hide, and that is, they should be cut. However, according to the legislation, they cannot force Salma to uproot the trees, that is, the minister aims to compensate the damage.

The Palestinian woman wants to defend her territory and tries to win a case in a military tribunal but fails; the next destination is the Supreme Court in Israel. Risking her life she continues to take care of the grove, despite the fact that it is circled with the fence and is strictly watched by the soldiers.

Although, the Palestinian woman does her best to save the trees, some of them are in a bad condition. The case attracts the media, as Navon, the minister, is involved in it ( Etz Limon ). The actions of the prime minister symbolize the aggression of the Israel concerning the Palestinian people.

The more career benefits Navon gets, the worse relationship he has with the wife, Mira. The minister’s wife can be compared to the prisoner; she feels that her husband changed. It should be pointed out that Mira likes Salma and admires the way she defends her lemon copse. Navon cannot understand this sympathy and gets furious with his wife’s words to the media that Mira is on Salma’s side ( Etz Limon ).

Navon tries to influence Mira to take the words back. This scene shows that there is a possibility for the conflict between countries to stop, however as long as the governments will continue the war it is hopeless to achieve. Mira and Salma have never met, despite the several failed attempts. This failed communication represents the main dilemma in the relationship between Israel and Palestine.

Ziad Daud, the lawyer, helps Salma to stand for her rights. However, all the neighbors discuss their relationships as Salma is a widow and should not forget about her husband. The movie reveals the attitude towards women in Arabian and Israel world. The Palestinian women failed to defend her lemon trees, and it highlights that the conflict can never be stopped as long as people are not able to understand each other despite all the differences.

The film can be considered as a significant work that shows the importance of the problem solution. Although, the movie does not reveal all the peculiarities of the conflict between Israel and Palestine, it assumes that the main key point is hidden not in the differences in culture and religion but in the war itself.

The movie aims to concentrate rather on human feelings than political situation. Moreover, it shows the deadlock of the court system. It should be stated that the actors were impressive and succeeded in reflecting the real nature of the conflict.

In conclusion, it should be pointed out that there is no bigger value than a human life, and political or religious issues should never become the reason for the bad attitude towards a person who does not share one’s beliefs. The movie contributes to the deeper understanding of the ongoing conflict between Arabian and Israel world. It should be stated that Salma and the minister face the problem of misunderstanding; however, the key point is somewhere higher than religion and culture.

Etz Limon . Ex. Prod. Eran Riklis. New York: IFC Films. 2008. DVD.

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10 lines on Lemon in English - Short essay on Lemon in English

Today, we are sharing short essay on Lemon in English . This article can help the students who are looking for information about Lemon in English . These 10 sentences about Lemon for class 2 is very simple and easy to understand. The level of this paragraph about Lemon is medium so any student can write on this topic. This short essay on Lemon is generally useful for class 1, class 2, and class 3 .

10 lines on Lemon in English - Few lines on Lemon

• Lemon is a juicy fruit that is sour in taste.
• Lemons are found almost all over the world.
• Lemon tree is of small stature, and it also has thorns.
• Lemons are green in color and round and small in shape.
• Lemon is used in juice, salad, and other types of dishes.
• Vitamins present in lemon is helpful in reducing obesity in the body.
• Lemon is considered a good source of Vitamin C.
• Drinking water mixed with honey and lemon in the morning on an empty stomach provides many health benefits.
• Despite the sour taste of lemon, it has many medicinal properties.
• Lemons are available in all seasons in the markets.

F.A.Q ( Frequently Asked Questions )

• What is a lemon?
• What are the benefits of lemon?
• What vitamins are found in lemon?
• What is lemon called in Hindi?

Small students in school, are often asked to write 10 lines about Lemon in English . We help the students to do their homework in an effective way. If you liked this article, then please comment below and tell us how you liked it. We use your comments to further improve our service. We hope you have got some learning on the above subject that was 10 sentences about Lemon. You can also visit my YouTube channel which is https://www.youtube.com/synctechlearn. You can also follow us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/synctechlearn .

The article is about short essay on Lemon in English. The level of these 10 sentences about Lemon is medium so any student can write on this topic. This short essay on Lemon is generally useful for class 1, class 2, and class 3.

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Essay on Lemon

Students are often asked to write an essay on Lemon in their schools and colleges. And if you’re also looking for the same, we have created 100-word, 250-word, and 500-word essays on the topic.

Let’s take a look…

100 Words Essay on Lemon

Introduction.

Lemon is a small, round, yellow fruit known for its sour taste. It’s a citrus fruit, along with oranges and grapefruits.

Uses of Lemon

Lemons are highly versatile. They are used in cooking, baking, and drink-making. Their juice adds a tangy flavor to many dishes.

Health Benefits

Lemons are packed with vitamin C, which boosts immunity. They also aid digestion and help in weight loss.

Lemons are more than just a sour fruit. They are a powerhouse of nutrients and add flavor to our food. They truly are a blessing of nature.

250 Words Essay on Lemon

Lemons, scientifically known as Citrus limon, are one of the most versatile fruits known to mankind. Originating from South Asia, they have been cultivated for over 2,500 years and are now a staple in kitchens worldwide.

Nutritional Value

Lemons are highly valued for their nutritional content. They are an excellent source of Vitamin C, a crucial nutrient that bolsters the immune system and promotes skin health. Furthermore, they contain small amounts of thiamin, riboflavin, and pantothenic acid, vital B vitamins that aid in energy production and cellular function.

Culinary Uses

In culinary contexts, lemons bring a distinct tartness that enhances flavor profiles. Their juice, zest, and pulp are used in a variety of dishes, from savory to sweet, and beverages. Lemonade, a popular summer drink, is a testament to the fruit’s refreshing qualities.

Non-Culinary Uses

Beyond the kitchen, lemons have a multitude of non-culinary uses. Their high acidity makes them effective natural cleaners, while their pleasant aroma is often utilized in aromatherapy and personal care products. Additionally, their potential health benefits, such as aiding digestion and promoting weight loss, have been the subject of numerous scientific studies.

In conclusion, lemons are not just a simple citrus fruit. They are a powerhouse of nutritional benefits with diverse applications, both in and out of the kitchen. Their significant role in our daily lives underscores their importance, making them a truly remarkable fruit.

500 Words Essay on Lemon

Introduction to lemon, botanical description and cultivation.

Lemons are evergreen trees that grow up to 6 meters tall. They bear oval-shaped fruits with a bright yellow rind and segmented, acidic juice-filled pulp. The lemon tree thrives in subtropical climates, preferring well-drained, slightly acidic soil. The tree’s fragrant flowers, known as lemon blossoms, are as valuable as the fruit itself, often used in perfumes and culinary applications.

Nutritional and Health Benefits

Lemons are a powerhouse of essential nutrients. They are rich in vitamin C, a potent antioxidant that boosts the immune system, enhances iron absorption, and promotes skin health. Additionally, they contain a good amount of potassium, which aids in nerve-muscle communication and regulates blood pressure. The soluble fiber in lemons, pectin, aids digestion and helps control hunger.

Culinary Uses of Lemon

Lemons are a culinary delight, used extensively in various cuisines worldwide. The juice, rind, and zest can all be used to add a tangy freshness to dishes. Lemon juice serves as a natural preservative, preventing the discoloration of fruits and vegetables. It’s also a key ingredient in beverages like lemonade and cocktails, while the zest adds a concentrated flavor to baked goods and sauces. Lemon oil, derived from the rind, is used in confectionery and to flavor liqueurs.

Lemon in Culture and Symbolism

Lemons hold significant cultural and symbolic meaning. In ancient Rome, they were a symbol of status, while in the Middle Ages, they were considered a cure-all. Today, the phrase “when life gives you lemons, make lemonade” symbolizes turning adversity into advantage, highlighting the lemon’s association with resilience and optimism.

Environmental Impact and Sustainability

In conclusion, the humble lemon is more than just a sour fruit. Its nutritional benefits, culinary versatility, cultural significance, and potential for sustainable cultivation make it a truly remarkable plant. As we continue to explore the uses and benefits of this citrus wonder, it’s clear that the lemon has much to offer, from our kitchen tables to our global ecosystem.

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The Lemon Tree Themes

By sandy tolan.

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The Israeli-Palestinian conflict in Palestine

The problem with the creation of Israel in the late 1940's was simple: The Jews had not lived in Palestine for some time, and the land is sacred in both Judaism and Islam, but since those two religions don't appreciate each other's point of view (historically), the rise of Israel was violent and many Arabs lost everything to the fledgling government. This is literally the case for Bashir, an advocate for his people.

However, as Dalia's story points out, the Jews needed a place to remain after the horrors of the Holocaust. The conversation is further complicated by the fact that Dalia's family wasn't really involved in the political terrorism of the late 1940's. They just moved into an empty house once the Arabs were forced out.

Friendship despite differences

Interestingly, the seriousness of the conflict never wanes, not even in 2004, 60 years later, when Bashir and Dalia reconnect to talk through things. Even then, they still disagree about their political views concerning Israel.

But that doesn't stop them from opening an integrated school for both Jews and Muslims. In other words, they respect each other enough to respect their disagreement for what it is. However, the conflict notwithstanding, they are motivated by peace. Their unlikely, serendipitous friendship survives through their lives.

The value of human life

Another painful part of the novel is that Bashir is a terrorist throughout parts of his adult life. This goes against his appreciation for Dalia, but it's also an indication of the seriousness of his political views. In his opinion, the Israeli state is a terrorist state, formed unjustly, and sustained by terrorism against the Arab Palestinians who already lived there when Israel formed. These views are demonstrated through his career of disobedience and terrorism.

But when Bashir and Dalia talk, she evokes more from him than that. When they are talking, their friendship is more powerful than his hate for the Israeli government. The difference is simply that Bashir understands the value of Dalia's life, but when he sees Israelite forces, he can't see past their allegiance to a nation whom he detests (although, as he points out, his beef is not racial or religious, but simply ethical).

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The Lemon Tree Questions and Answers

The Question and Answer section for The Lemon Tree is a great resource to ask questions, find answers, and discuss the novel.

did Dalia divorce her husband?

I don't recall this. What chapter are you referring to?

Just planted a baby tree, leaves are curling

Sorry, I like to help but this is a literature site.

How to know when a strawberry lemon is ripe

Sorry, this is a literary site. I can't give you a good answer for this.

Study Guide for The Lemon Tree

The Lemon Tree study guide contains a biography of Sandy Tolan, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis.

• About The Lemon Tree
• The Lemon Tree Summary
• Character List

Essays for The Lemon Tree

The Lemon Tree essays are academic essays for citation. These papers were written primarily by students and provide critical analysis of The Lemon Tree by Sandy Tolan.

• Bashir and the “Right of Return”: The Lemon Tree