Searching for a Home
I arrived "home" on Sunday night, from a two week vacation, which was nice in that we went to very nice places, and in that I had, for the first time in a while, the sort of vacation which did not involve a lot of driving around and which really succeeded in making me feel that I was gone, out of my real life, away, for a while. However, I did not succeed in accomplishing the mental task I had set out for myself for these two weeks.
This task was I suppose a variant of the usual mental task I set for myself while traveling, anywhere, even for a short distance or a short time: to look at my life from as much distance as I can, to get a sense of the shape of the forest, removed from the detail/muddle of tree after tree, and to see what, if anything, needs to be changed, and maybe even how to change it. For me, actually, there always seems to be something that needs to be changed. This time in my travels, the questions I was trying to resolve, the new perspective I was trying to arrive at--not, by a long shot, for the first time--had something to do with the quotation marks I've put around the word home.
To put it very simply, I don't feel at home here. I'd like to go home, but I'm not sure where that is. To make matters worse, I've been wondering about this for several years, like maybe fifteen or twenty years, trying one place after another. Nothing seems to fit.
The fact that I know that this is at least 50% an internal problem (i.e., at least as much a matter of where I am psychologically as physically) does not, alas, help me to answer the question. It's clear to me I've come to focus on the question of place (the central question here being, where would I like to live for the rest of my life? where could I see myself living?) in the way that some people focus on Who Is the Right Person? or When/How/Why Must I Grow Up? Not that I don't obsess over these little matters, too, just that they don't take the central place in my reflections, most of the time.
...e Confederate forces. A Union attack on Petersburg on April 2, 1865 forced Lee to retreat from Richmond and go west. His forces were surrounded. Lee with overwhelming odds surrendered to Grant on April 9th 1865 at Appomattox Court House, Virginia. After Lee surrendered to Grant other Confederate armies followed and the war came to an end.
Most people define home as a comfortable setting which provides love and warmth. In Scott Sanders “Homeplace” and Richard Ford’s “I Must Be Going” the concept of home is defined in two different ways. Sanders believes that by moving from place to place, the meaning of home has been diminished. Sanders believes that America’s culture “nudges everyone into motion” (Sanders 103) and that his “longing to become an inhabitant rather than a drifter” (103) is what sets him apart from everyone else. Ford prefers to stay on the move. His argument is life’s too short to settle in one place. He believes home is where you make it, but permanence is not a requirement.
Many folks go their whole lives without having to move. For them it is easy; they know the same people, have loads of friends, and never have to move away from their families. As with me, I was in a different situation. I grew up my entire life, all eighteen years of it, in a small town called Yorktown, Virginia. In my attempt to reach out for a better life style, my girlfriend and I decided we were going to move to Shreveport, Louisiana. Through this course of action, I realized that not two places in this country are exactly alike. I struggled with things at first, but I found some comforts of home here as well.
Esperanza is torn between deciding whether she wants to escape Mango Street. She is embarrassed by the superficial appearance of her identity, but appreciates her roots. Her house is a wreck and the neighborhood, probably not much better off. However, she has loving family and friends.
...s who would do anything to win their war so a powerful weapon was needed to weaken their will. The bomb?s intense impact saved more soldiers? and civilians? lives involved in the war than it destroyed. The damage the atomic bombs produced was miniscule compared to the massacres the Japanese militarists created. The bomb clearly improved American foreign relations, especially with the Soviet Union. The choice to use the atomic bomb was justified because it coerced a Japanese surrender, saved countless lives, served as retribution for the sufferings of many people, and acted as an anti-Soviet deterrent.
"I would've liked to have known her, a wild horse of a woman, so wild she wouldn't marry."
Robert E. Lee was born on January 19, 1807 at Stratford in Westmoreland County, Virginia. He was the youngest son of Major-General Henry “Light Horse Harry” Lee and his second wife, Ann Hill (Carter) Lee. His siblings from his father’s first wife are Philip Ludwell Lee, Lucy Grymes Lee, Henry Lee, and Nathaniel Greene Lee. His siblings from his father's second wife are Algernon Sidney Lee, Charles Carter Lee, Anne Kinloch Lee, Sydney Smith Lee, and Catherine Mildred Lee.
your first steps, and where you said your words. This place is closely attached to your heart and you cherish it despite the hardships you may or may not have had there. You love this place and everything in it. Now imagine leaving this place. Just up and leaving everything behind. Family friends, basically the proof of your existence. You just cut the ties to the life that binds you so you can go live in the wilderness. Even if you have a reason, is it possible to do without a thought of going back before you truly leave, apparently so. Christopher McCandless a young man fresh out of college did exactly this without a second thought. He left his home, his comfort zone, just so he could challenge himself. He wanted to live free of societies rules, so he left. What kind of man would do this? An ordinary man, who was so selfish he idiotically left his family .
Everyone is guilty of it. even those who claim they're not. think about it! EVERYONE cares about appearances. I care about appearance. I care about how I look, and though I try not to, sometimes I judge others on how they look.
The House on Mango Street is a book that depicts the life of a twelve year old Mexican- American Girl named Esperanza that has recently moved to Mango Street. The book explains that Mango Street is located in Chicago in a Latino based neighborhood that is on the poor side and mostly racially segregated. Throughout the time frame of a year, the book explains how Esperanza must mature rapidly to survive in her new neighborhood. This includes emotional and physical maturity between her family, younger boys, Younger girls, and sadly, older men in the neighborhood. Through the hard times of fighting through poverty, puberty, and sexual assault. Esperanza comes to the conclusion
When we arrived, it was a beautiful and sunny day. We checked into our hotel, waiting to move into the house we had rented sight unseen. The first couple of days were spent driving around town getting used to our surroundings. Our first summer here was beautiful, I surprised myself when I actually started enjoying my time in this unfamiliar place. The fall and winter seemed to go on forever, and with that so did the rain. It was challenging, moving from a place where our winters consisted of warm weather and clear skies to a place where the rain seemed to never stop. I was still unemployed, I hadn’t made close friends. I felt lost, I just wanted to make this place feel like home. In the later months I received an offer to work for an apartment complex as a leasing consultant, it seemed everything was falling into
Although I was in a new city with barely any money in my pocket, no friends, and no family, my head was clear and I felt optimistic for my future. Looking back on my follies of the past, which took place three years ago, I am now able to say that leaving Vancouver was the wisest thing that I have done. I am an extremely strong person now, although I do go through the occasional “bump in the road”, I have shaken my addictions and surrounded myself with driven individuals. I have been getting excellent grades in a degree that I love and have created a goal for what I hope to complete in my
The car was hot and stuffy when I slipped back into the driver's seat. I found the most depressing music I owned and drove out of Glenwood as the sun started to set. Two more hours until I was home, two more hours of thinking what a terrible day I had gone through, and two more hours of cussing myself for being so naïve. The drive was a long one.
Child abuse has been defined as, any intentional act that results in physical or emotional harm to a child. This could cover any behavior from assault, to neglect, to molestation. (Encarta 1) In 1995, a study was done by the National Center on Child Abuse & Neglect. They concluded that in the United States alone, approximately 3 million children are victims of some sort of maltreatment each year. This means that an unimaginable amount of our county’s adolescents are being seriously mistreated, and the numbers are rising steadily. While the specific definition of child abuse may differ from state to state, the effects unfortunately do not. Physical maltreatment, neglect and sexual abuse create immediate problems for children, as well as long term damage. Some common effects on sufferers of abuse include, a lowered sense of self worth, an inability to relate to others, short attention span and often they develop learning disorders. More detrimental cases can develop severe depression or anxiety, schizophrenia, violent behavior and an increased risk of suicide. (Encarta 3) In some cases, abused children learn how to cope with their experiences and grow to healthy adults, but most are not that lucky. Most victims of abuse are forced to deal with the results for their entire lives.
“Home is where love resides, memories are created, friends always belong, and laughter never ends (Robot check).” A place becomes a home for me when I am around all the things that I enjoy and love. For example, when I am around everyone that I love, I enjoy a peaceful environment and the beautiful landscapes around me. The interpretation of home for me is not a physical thing that I see or that I can remember or even certain thoughts that I can relate, but it is a sensation that overcomes me when I envision being in the comfort of my own home. However, I know that this is a feeling that is calming to my soul and it quietly reassures me that I genuinely belong in a place where I can be free from people constantly judging me.