Jin Cheng
Dr. Lauren Holt
October 8, 2014
V2 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, Lawrence E. Estaville 100). Undoubtedly, homeland has crucial impact on 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 may have multiple explanations since each person combine his own 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 defined as 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 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 says, “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 shows 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.
Culture promotes the process of a place’s identity shaping. 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, people may have the preconception that a person from New York City will be more astute and materialistic than a person from Miami. In addition, there are certainly many other factors that lead to regional difference other than culture. For example, the political environment in a place can affect its people’s cognitions of politics and influence their daily life. A person who comes from a place where most people actively participate in political activities may like discussing political issues in his daily life.
Moreover, people from different places have their distinctive life styles. People usually feel uncomfortable when leave their hometown because it is hard for them to adapt to new environment. According to my experience, I am currently an international student in America. I come from China and I stay in the city called Shenzhen for nearly twenty years. I came to the United States one year ago. 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 come to the United States at first, 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. I missed my hometown so much and I miss the environment that makes me always a person full of confidence and acclaims. I missed my grandma’s Chinese cuisine and those weekends that I spent with my friends chatting in the dessert shops. 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 strong sense of belonging.
Humans are strongly bonded to homeland in general. There are many driving forces that impel us to establish the profound relationship with our homelands. Such driving forces include religious demand for guarding spirits and gods, landmarks, people’s intimate experience of pace and local myth. These driving forces permeate into our lives and make us feel that homeland is the place where our family was established, nurtured and developed.
Back in the old days, religious requirement profoundly promoted the establishment of the people-homeland connection. Many places are specially bond to certain religions and gods. Residents had the sense of belonging to stay with their neighbors who had the same beliefs. Also, most beliefs at that time were established for certain requirements. For example, there was a god called Nun in ancient Egypt. Since the Nile overflew frequently, ancient Egyptians believed that Nun was the only thing that existed on Earth before there was land and the water of chaos. In addition, 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 one to change one’s old hometown. Considering my personal experience of staying away from homeland and living abroad, I regard this rootlessness as 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. 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. Homeland eventually becomes a symbol, which 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.
Work Cited
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
October 8, 2014
V2 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, Lawrence E. Estaville 100). Undoubtedly, homeland has crucial impact on 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 may have multiple explanations since each person combine his own 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 defined as 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 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 says, “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 shows 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.
Culture promotes the process of a place’s identity shaping. 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, people may have the preconception that a person from New York City will be more astute and materialistic than a person from Miami. In addition, there are certainly many other factors that lead to regional difference other than culture. For example, the political environment in a place can affect its people’s cognitions of politics and influence their daily life. A person who comes from a place where most people actively participate in political activities may like discussing political issues in his daily life.
Moreover, people from different places have their distinctive life styles. People usually feel uncomfortable when leave their hometown because it is hard for them to adapt to new environment. According to my experience, I am currently an international student in America. I come from China and I stay in the city called Shenzhen for nearly twenty years. I came to the United States one year ago. 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 come to the United States at first, 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. I missed my hometown so much and I miss the environment that makes me always a person full of confidence and acclaims. I missed my grandma’s Chinese cuisine and those weekends that I spent with my friends chatting in the dessert shops. 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 strong sense of belonging.
Humans are strongly bonded to homeland in general. There are many driving forces that impel us to establish the profound relationship with our homelands. Such driving forces include religious demand for guarding spirits and gods, landmarks, people’s intimate experience of pace and local myth. These driving forces permeate into our lives and make us feel that homeland is the place where our family was established, nurtured and developed.
Back in the old days, religious requirement profoundly promoted the establishment of the people-homeland connection. Many places are specially bond to certain religions and gods. Residents had the sense of belonging to stay with their neighbors who had the same beliefs. Also, most beliefs at that time were established for certain requirements. For example, there was a god called Nun in ancient Egypt. Since the Nile overflew frequently, ancient Egyptians believed that Nun was the only thing that existed on Earth before there was land and the water of chaos. In addition, 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 one to change one’s old hometown. Considering my personal experience of staying away from homeland and living abroad, I regard this rootlessness as 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. 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. Homeland eventually becomes a symbol, which 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.
Work Cited
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.