Collaborative writing 2

An outline of the book My Sweet Orange Tree (1968)

- Outline of the book: De Vasconcelos, J. M. (1968). Mi planta de naranja lima (3rd edition). Córdoba, Argentina. El Ateneo. 

- Purpose: To make the audience reflect upon the poverty in Brazil. 

- Thesis statement:  Children who live in poverty grow up faster than other children.  

- Audience: General public. People who want to learn about the life in Brazil in the sixties. 

1. First Part. 

         1.1. Chapter 1:  The discoverer of things. 
                1.1.1. A new house.
                1.1.2. Learning to read.
                1.1.3. Uncle's present.

         1.2. Chapter 2:  A particular sweet orange tree.
                1.2.1. A special friend to speak.

         1.3. Chapter 3: The skinny fingers of poverty.
                1.3.1. No toys for Christmas.
                1.3.2. Zezé's generosity.  

         1.4. Chapter 4: The little bird, the school and the flower. 
                1.4.1. Naughtiness and punishment. 
                1.4.2. Starting school.

         1.5. Chapter 5: A cell, I must see you to die. 
                1.5.1. Working for Ariovald.                

2. Second Part.

         2.1. Chapter 1: The bat.
                 2.1.1. The Portuguese's car.
                 2.1.2. Another punishment.
                 2.1.3. Fights among friends.

         2.2. Chapter 2: The conquest.
                 2.2.1. Neighbour's garden.
                 2.2.2. Another Zezé's mischief.
                 2.2.3. A new friend.             

         2.3. Chapter 3: Conversations.
                 2.3.1. Zezé's best friend: The Portuguese.            

         2.4. Chapter 4: Two memorable beatings.
                 2.4.1. Learning to make a balloon.
                 2.4.2. Receiving beatings from Zezé 's sister and father.         

         2.5. Chapter 5: Zezé's strange request.
                 2.5.1. Longing for a new family.

         2.6. Chapter 6: Tenderness is formed by pieces.
                 2.6.1. Zezé's best friends: The Portuguese and the orange sweet tree.

         2.7. Chapter 7: The Mangarativa train.
                 2.7.1.  The Portuguese's train accident.
                 2.7.2. The death of the Portuguese.
                 2.7.3. Zezé's depression.

         2.8. Chapter 8: So many old trees.
                 2.8.1. A new job for Zezé's father.
                 2.8.2. Promises for better living conditions.
                 2.8.3. The cut of the orange sweet tree.

         2.9. Chapter 9: The final confession.

                 2.9.1. A letter for the Portuguese from an adult Zezé.       

                               An annotated bibliography of  My Sweet Orange tree (1968)                   

De Vasconcelos, J. M. (1968). Mi planta de naranja lima (3rd edition). Córdoba, Argentina. El Ateneo. 

In this book, Vasconcelos shows the face of Brazil’s poverty in the sixties through the eyes of a child called Zezé. The five-year-old boy grows up in a poor family, receiving regular beatings. Zezé finds consolation in a sweet little orange tree in his backyard and in the friendship of a Portuguese man, Manuel Valadares. The child’s imagination, cunning, and tenderness dealing with his hopeless social background makes the story heart-rending and truly memorable.