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The Nurse
Francie’s first schoolteacher. Miss Briggs is an arrogant woman who dislikes poor children but favors the children of prosperous shopkeepers. Her voice is “gentle” when she speaks to these “fortune-favored few” and “snarling” when she talks to “the great crowd of unwashed.” She refuses to let Francie use the restroom during class—a habit that she has with all of the poor children she teachers—until Aunt Sissy confronts her, pretending to be Francie’s mother, and lies about Francie having kidney trouble. When this fails to convince Miss Briggs, Aunt Sissy then pretends that a police officer passing in the street below is her husband. She threatens that he will “beat the hell out of” Miss Briggs if she doesn’t treat Francie with more respect.
Miss Briggs Quotes in A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
The A Tree Grows in Brooklyn quotes below are all either spoken by Miss Briggs or refer to Miss Briggs. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Chapter 2 Quotes
Francie, huddled with other children of her kind, learned more that first day than she realized. She learned of the class system of a great Democracy. She was puzzled and hurt by teacher's attitude. Obviously the teacher hated her and others like her for no other reason than that they were what they were. Teacher acted as though they had no right to be in the school but that she was forced to accept them and was doing so with as little grace as possible. She begrudged them the few crumbs of learning she threw at them. Like the doctor at the health center, she too acted as though they had no right to live. It would seem as if all the unwanted children would stick together and be one against the things that were against them. But not so. They hated each other as much as the teacher hated them. They aped teacher's snarling manner when they spoke to each other.
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Francie’s first day at school unexpectedly teaches her about classism and snobbery. Miss Briggs is a snob who favors the children of prosperous shopkeepers. These children are not only clean but bring her gifts to maintain their privileged standing with her. The “few crumb of learning” mirror the other ways in which children are routinely starved, often literally, as a result of poverty. The author points out how the shame of poverty, particularly in a nation that greatly respects the financially successful, encourages these children to have contempt for each other. They mimic the teacher with the hope that, in Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debit
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Miss Briggs Character Timeline in A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
The timeline below shows where the character Miss Briggs appears in A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 19
...one of the daughters of prosperous shopkeepers who sit in the front row. The teacher, Miss Briggs , is “gentle” when she speaks to them and “snarling” when speaking to “the great...
(full context)
...It would seem that all of the children would stick together to protect themselves against Miss Briggs ’s hatred, but this is not so. Instead, they ape the teacher’s “snarling manner” when...
(full context)
The next morning, ten minutes before class starts, Sissy is confronting Miss Briggs . She presents herself as Francie’s mother and says that Francie has kidney trouble and...
(full context)
Chapter 21
...as when Mr. Morton comes to teach music. The teachers adore him. When he arrives, Miss Briggs wears her best dress and is less mean. Sometimes, she curls her hair and wears...
(full context)
