Prompt #1: Ray expresses appreciation and disdain for her heritage, in particular, aspects of the geographic location and the poverty in which she has grown up. Ray also expresses a necessity in "turning back to embrace the past" (32). When you are older and look back at your time growing up here in Athens (or for new folks in another region) what aspects of your "ecosystem" do you think you will remember fondly? With distaste? Can you pinpoint any one part of your current ecosystem that you believe may shape your future? Do you think you will want to "turn back and embrace" Athens later in life?
When I look back at my childhood here in Athens, the things I will remember most fondly will probably be my home, and specific place (neighborhood) where I spent most of my time, and my family and how we interacted with each other. This is a fond memory because it is a large chunk of what I do with my time as well as where I spend it. I will also remember certain things that I always seem to notice because it is just something that is important to me such as the cherry tree I have in front of my house that always seems to get the seasons confused.
Some things I may remember with distaste might be the waking up at the crack of dawn in the cold of a winter day and dress in multiple layers in order to get ready for school. Or when I have to do my chores around the house. There are a few parts of my ecosystem that I feel will shape my future. One aspect may be the style in which I was raised- to be a hard worker, and to never give up. This may help me to better find a job. Also, the fact that Athens is a small town is an aspect that will teach me to be friendly and kind to people since everyone lives so close together, and odds are you go to school with the majority of your neighbors.
When I am older, I may think about what being raised in Athens has taught me as opposed to growing up somewhere like Montana or California and such. When I am older, I will probably think about all the good Athens had taught me and how growing up here has influenced where my path leads when I'm older. Though I will have Athens in my thoughts, I probably won't ever try to come back here and relive what I once lived. It will sill be a very important aspect of my life, though.
Johanna,
ReplyDeleteI love your reference to the the cherry tree that always seems to get the seasons confused. Personification at its greatest!
It is interesting to me that you do not anticipate coming back to Athens after college or job. Are you just ready to be a part of another "ecosystem?" Do you ever feel you have exhausted the resources here- like you have seen and done it all?
Your paragraph on cold mornings getting ready for school. I laughed. We haven't turned our heat on yet and the mornings are devastatingly cold. Sometimes if it is early enough, we light a fire, more often we don't. I wonder what my kids will remember of this. Great, intuitive response.