Formal persuasive essay V1
Jin Cheng
Dr. Lauren Holt
September 26, 2014
V1 Persuasive Essay
The Uniqueness of Homeland
Human beings have a long history of having profound sentiments for their homelands. There are numerous poems, novels, songs and artworks that express nostalgia. As Richard Ll Nostrand and Lawrence E. Estavilles said in their book Homelands: Geography of Culture and Place across America, “human groups nearly everywhere tend to regard their own homeland as the center of the world.” (Richard L. Nostrand and Lawrence E. Estaville, 100) Undoubtedly, homeland has played a very important role in human being’s spiritual life.
Although human beings have shared the similar feeling of “homeland”, the word “homeland” is in fact really hard to define. Homeland can be defined through multiple ways since each person endow personal understanding to homeland. For example, in Jhumpa Lahiri’s short story Rhode Island, Lahiri says, “Though I was born in London and have Indian parents, Rhode Island is the reply I give when people ask me where I am from.” (Lahiri, 102) Thus, homeland can be a place in which one was born, the place one grows up, or the place one stays for most time. According to Tuan, home “is the old homestead, the old neighborhood, hometown, or motherland.” (Tuan, 3) Not only does the definition of homeland can have multiple explanations according to different people, but also does it change over time for the same person. One’s definition of homeland may be different as a result of life changes. As Tuan’s saying goes, “With the destruction of one ‘center’ of the world, another can be built next to it, or in another location altogether, and it in turn becomes ‘the center of the world.’”(Tuan, 150)
The changeability of the definition of homeland also discloses the fact that certain places are not just simply spaces. Spaces are usually more abstract and undifferentiated. However, places often have their own identities. It is identity that characterizes a specific place with certain uniqueness and differentiates one place from another.
During the process of a place’s identity shaping, culture stands in a very influential position since it permeates into human’s life and has the ability of shaping human dispositions, capacities and needs. (Tuan, 6) We often find out that people who come from the same place share many similarities. They are more likely to have similar ways of speaking, habits, and life philosophy. That is the reason why we often have the propensity to classify people into different groups according to where they come from and make assumptions about their characteristics and life attitudes. For instance, we always consider that a person from New York City to be astute and materialistic but assume a person from Miami more idle and having lots of beach parties in weekdays. There are certainly many other factors that lead to regional difference other than culture. For example, the political environment will affect a place’s political participation and the political position in which its people stand. This effect will show in people’s daily life.
Moreover, the significant difference among different places has led to very distinct life styles. This to some extant explains the reason why people who leave their hometown always feel uncomfortable and have a sense of nostalgia. Taking me as an example, I am currently an international student in America. I come from China and I stayed in the city called Shenzhen for nearly twenty years. I came to the United States one year before. In the first semester, I felt truly horrible since everything I was familiar with just suddenly disappeared and the totally new environment replaced. Back in high school, I was the president of student union council and easily got an A for nearly every class. I had families surrounding and taking care of me. However, when I firstly come to the United States, I can barely communicate with my American classmates and most of them just ignored me during group discussion. Every time I suffered from the dilemma and tried to enter into American society , I profoundly realized the huge cultural difference between the U.S. and China and I was truly nostalgic for my hometown. After one year, I feel that I am getting used to the American life. I believe it is because my English has improved overtime. However, I still miss my homeland a lot since my whole family is there and it is always the place that gives me a strong sense of belonging.
Human beings have strong bonding to their homelands in general and should have experienced similar feeling of nostalgia just like me. There are multiple driving forces that impel us to establish such profound, sentimental relationship with our homelands. Impetuses such as religious demand for guarding spirits and gods, landmarks, people’s intimate experience of place, even language, local myth and parent’s story telling promote people to believe that there do exist some real bonds in their body with homelands. They can feel that homeland is the place in which their family was established, nurtured and developed.
Back in the old days, religious requirements profoundly promoted the establishment of the people-homeland connection. As Tuan pointed out, a lot of ancient cities were built for religious demand. For instance, “Early Mesopotamian towns were essentially temple communities. The divinities not only promoted life and protected it when life seems uncertain and nature hostile.” (Tuan, 150) In addition, symbolic events, buildings and festivals also have strength to enhance this people-land dynamic. A homeland has its landmarks, which may be features of high visibility and public significance, such as monuments, shrines, a hallowed battlefield or cemetery. (Tuan, 159) All these visible signs serve to enhance a people’s sense of identity.
However, in modern society, as a result of the development of globalization, the emotional ties between people and homeland seem to be weakened. There are migrant workers, international students, and merchant seamen. This rootlessness may lead to a transformation of their recognition of homeland. As the example rose by Tuan, some merchant seamen may join the merchant marine in early manhood. For them, their homeland may not be a specific, or permanent location. The ship can be their home since they can rest there for a while, although what they do all the time is to imagine their life condition if they have never been merchant seamen.
Nevertheless, rootlessness may not lead to a transformation or deficiency of homeland as well. Considering my personal experience of displacing from homeland and living abroad, I deem this rootlessness more an opportunity to look back my old life from another perspective and to consider what kind of life is more suitable for me. This rootlessness in fact strengthens my tie to homeland and makes me cherish more about the things I used to have in my homeland.
In general, attachment to one’s homeland is a common human emotion, though its strength varies among different people and cultures. Each homeland has its uniqueness due to multiples factors. Homeland shapes one’s philosophy and builds one’s identity. It provides its people a place that they feel safe and warm whenever they think of it. The people-hometown tie has rooted human’s blood and has profound effect on human’s disposition and life philosophy. It may be transformed as a result of certain life changes such as immigration. However, homeland eventually is a symbol. It is a very general idea. It is a place that represents support, warm and security. In other words, the true definition of homeland might just be a place that make us have the sense of belonging.
Annotated Bibliography
Lahiri, Jhumpa. "Rhode Island." Identity: A Reader for Writers. Oxford: Oxford UP, n.d. 101-12. Print.
Nostrand, Richard L. and Lawrence E. Estaville. Homelands: Geography of Culture and Place across America. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins UP, 2001. Print.
Price, Patricia L. "Place." Dry Place: Landscapes of Belonging and Exclusion. Minneapolis: U of Minnesota, 2004. 118-27. Print.
Tuan, Yi-Fu. "Language and the Making of Place: A Narrative- Descriptive Approach." Annals of the Association of American Geographers 81.4 (1991): 684-96. Web.
Tuan, Yi-fu. Space and Place: The Perspective of Experience. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota, 1977. 137-60. Print.
Dr. Lauren Holt
September 26, 2014
V1 Persuasive Essay
The Uniqueness of Homeland
Human beings have a long history of having profound sentiments for their homelands. There are numerous poems, novels, songs and artworks that express nostalgia. As Richard Ll Nostrand and Lawrence E. Estavilles said in their book Homelands: Geography of Culture and Place across America, “human groups nearly everywhere tend to regard their own homeland as the center of the world.” (Richard L. Nostrand and Lawrence E. Estaville, 100) Undoubtedly, homeland has played a very important role in human being’s spiritual life.
Although human beings have shared the similar feeling of “homeland”, the word “homeland” is in fact really hard to define. Homeland can be defined through multiple ways since each person endow personal understanding to homeland. For example, in Jhumpa Lahiri’s short story Rhode Island, Lahiri says, “Though I was born in London and have Indian parents, Rhode Island is the reply I give when people ask me where I am from.” (Lahiri, 102) Thus, homeland can be a place in which one was born, the place one grows up, or the place one stays for most time. According to Tuan, home “is the old homestead, the old neighborhood, hometown, or motherland.” (Tuan, 3) Not only does the definition of homeland can have multiple explanations according to different people, but also does it change over time for the same person. One’s definition of homeland may be different as a result of life changes. As Tuan’s saying goes, “With the destruction of one ‘center’ of the world, another can be built next to it, or in another location altogether, and it in turn becomes ‘the center of the world.’”(Tuan, 150)
The changeability of the definition of homeland also discloses the fact that certain places are not just simply spaces. Spaces are usually more abstract and undifferentiated. However, places often have their own identities. It is identity that characterizes a specific place with certain uniqueness and differentiates one place from another.
During the process of a place’s identity shaping, culture stands in a very influential position since it permeates into human’s life and has the ability of shaping human dispositions, capacities and needs. (Tuan, 6) We often find out that people who come from the same place share many similarities. They are more likely to have similar ways of speaking, habits, and life philosophy. That is the reason why we often have the propensity to classify people into different groups according to where they come from and make assumptions about their characteristics and life attitudes. For instance, we always consider that a person from New York City to be astute and materialistic but assume a person from Miami more idle and having lots of beach parties in weekdays. There are certainly many other factors that lead to regional difference other than culture. For example, the political environment will affect a place’s political participation and the political position in which its people stand. This effect will show in people’s daily life.
Moreover, the significant difference among different places has led to very distinct life styles. This to some extant explains the reason why people who leave their hometown always feel uncomfortable and have a sense of nostalgia. Taking me as an example, I am currently an international student in America. I come from China and I stayed in the city called Shenzhen for nearly twenty years. I came to the United States one year before. In the first semester, I felt truly horrible since everything I was familiar with just suddenly disappeared and the totally new environment replaced. Back in high school, I was the president of student union council and easily got an A for nearly every class. I had families surrounding and taking care of me. However, when I firstly come to the United States, I can barely communicate with my American classmates and most of them just ignored me during group discussion. Every time I suffered from the dilemma and tried to enter into American society , I profoundly realized the huge cultural difference between the U.S. and China and I was truly nostalgic for my hometown. After one year, I feel that I am getting used to the American life. I believe it is because my English has improved overtime. However, I still miss my homeland a lot since my whole family is there and it is always the place that gives me a strong sense of belonging.
Human beings have strong bonding to their homelands in general and should have experienced similar feeling of nostalgia just like me. There are multiple driving forces that impel us to establish such profound, sentimental relationship with our homelands. Impetuses such as religious demand for guarding spirits and gods, landmarks, people’s intimate experience of place, even language, local myth and parent’s story telling promote people to believe that there do exist some real bonds in their body with homelands. They can feel that homeland is the place in which their family was established, nurtured and developed.
Back in the old days, religious requirements profoundly promoted the establishment of the people-homeland connection. As Tuan pointed out, a lot of ancient cities were built for religious demand. For instance, “Early Mesopotamian towns were essentially temple communities. The divinities not only promoted life and protected it when life seems uncertain and nature hostile.” (Tuan, 150) In addition, symbolic events, buildings and festivals also have strength to enhance this people-land dynamic. A homeland has its landmarks, which may be features of high visibility and public significance, such as monuments, shrines, a hallowed battlefield or cemetery. (Tuan, 159) All these visible signs serve to enhance a people’s sense of identity.
However, in modern society, as a result of the development of globalization, the emotional ties between people and homeland seem to be weakened. There are migrant workers, international students, and merchant seamen. This rootlessness may lead to a transformation of their recognition of homeland. As the example rose by Tuan, some merchant seamen may join the merchant marine in early manhood. For them, their homeland may not be a specific, or permanent location. The ship can be their home since they can rest there for a while, although what they do all the time is to imagine their life condition if they have never been merchant seamen.
Nevertheless, rootlessness may not lead to a transformation or deficiency of homeland as well. Considering my personal experience of displacing from homeland and living abroad, I deem this rootlessness more an opportunity to look back my old life from another perspective and to consider what kind of life is more suitable for me. This rootlessness in fact strengthens my tie to homeland and makes me cherish more about the things I used to have in my homeland.
In general, attachment to one’s homeland is a common human emotion, though its strength varies among different people and cultures. Each homeland has its uniqueness due to multiples factors. Homeland shapes one’s philosophy and builds one’s identity. It provides its people a place that they feel safe and warm whenever they think of it. The people-hometown tie has rooted human’s blood and has profound effect on human’s disposition and life philosophy. It may be transformed as a result of certain life changes such as immigration. However, homeland eventually is a symbol. It is a very general idea. It is a place that represents support, warm and security. In other words, the true definition of homeland might just be a place that make us have the sense of belonging.
Annotated Bibliography
Lahiri, Jhumpa. "Rhode Island." Identity: A Reader for Writers. Oxford: Oxford UP, n.d. 101-12. Print.
Nostrand, Richard L. and Lawrence E. Estaville. Homelands: Geography of Culture and Place across America. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins UP, 2001. Print.
Price, Patricia L. "Place." Dry Place: Landscapes of Belonging and Exclusion. Minneapolis: U of Minnesota, 2004. 118-27. Print.
Tuan, Yi-Fu. "Language and the Making of Place: A Narrative- Descriptive Approach." Annals of the Association of American Geographers 81.4 (1991): 684-96. Web.
Tuan, Yi-fu. Space and Place: The Perspective of Experience. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota, 1977. 137-60. Print.