Nathan Bruce Alford
Major Garriot
ERH-101-18
28 November 2016
Help Received:
11/15/16 – Counseling with Major Garriot; we discussed themes and my thesis statement
The Thesaurus feature on Microsoft Word helped me with word choice
A Culture in Crisis:
How my Upbringing in a Dying Culture Wrote my Literacy Narrative
I lived the typical country boy lifestyle growing up. I frequented my grandparents’ family farm to help my grandfather keep the place running smoothly. These experiences have led me to become literate in many areas that other members of my generation are not. I am a member of a rapidly decreasing percentage in my age group that knows how to hook up the PTO shaft of a tractor to a bush hog. I doubt many of my peers even know what PTO stands for! It’s knowledge like this which is becoming even more scarce in the modern lifestyle. I am a member of a centuries-old culture which is slowly being phased out by modernization, and, as evident in my writings in middle and high school, the declination of my way of life has developed me into a mature, well-rounded reader who never misses an opportunity to write to preserve my heritage.
One man who is also living in a dying culture is Sherman Alexie. Alexie is of Native American origin and grew up on the Spokane Indian Reservation in Washington. Native American culture is on a drastic decline in the United States. Increasing modernization and urban expansion in reservations is choking out the ancient traditions that have been in place for hundreds of years. Malcom Little, commonly known as “Malcom X” was an ardent civil rights activist. He, too, faced the death of his culture, the African-American culture. Because my similarity to both situations as a member of the declining country boy lifestyle, I will be using Alexie’s work, The Joy of Writing: Superman and Me and Malcom X’s work, Learning to Read, in this essay.
My father taught me how to hunt on my grandparents’ property, and after five cold winters spent sitting in the woods, I finally killed my first deer. In the summer of 2013 we built a house on the hill overlooking that very spot, and I continued my yearly pilgrimage into the woods, battling rain, shine, or ten inches of fresh snow, oftentimes at five-thirty in the morning. These experiences taught me much about nature and her bounty. They have inspired numerous short stories and poems about the outdoor lifestyle. I had a multitude of opportunities to write about my outdoor experiences thanks to many of my middle and high school teachers. A hallmark of my nature writing is my extensive use of imagery. Countless mornings spent high up in my treestand or climbing out of my frost-covered tent to see beautiful winter sunrises have given me plenty of picturesque memories to incorporate into my writing. I recreate the senses I experienced in my writing, especially making appeals to sight and sound. Oftentimes I like to write about a crisp, cool morning in the snow-covered woods, branches brittle with frost snapping at the slightest pressure, every few minutes hearing the low moan of a gust of wind whipping through the trees.
As such an iconic American pastime that hunting is, it is in a state of decline. While the number of Americans who hunt has increased sharply in the last 50 years, human expansion into rural areas is severely cutting down on wild game habitat, hurting populations and hindering the partaking in hunting. I cannot drive through Goochland County with my dad without him pointing out to me a clear-cut or a subdivision which only 30 years ago had been one of his treasured hunting grounds. Another serious problem which the hunting community faces is the increase in the negative view on hunting culture, a direct result of a shift in the political views of the United States. Most Americans are becoming disposed towards hunting due to its alleged animal cruelty and promotion of lethal weapons. The decline in my favorite pastime has motivated me to become even more involved in its preservation. Whenever I write on the topic, I am writing about something which I love dearly, which contains a lot of powerful memories about my upbringing, and therefore I will write about it with a reverence that is not seen in my writings in other subject areas. One topic that I often choose to write persuasively on is gun control. It seems that not a week passes by without me turning on the news and hearing about another tragic shooting and bills being introduced in legislatures all over the country threatening to restrict my beloved Second Amendment rights. These events inspire me to do research and gather as much information as I can on the negative effects of gun control whenever I get the opportunity to write about it in class. I put so much work in this so that, at least, my voice will be heard.
My experience growing up in a culture in crisis has greatly influenced my writing style, allowing me to become a mature, well-rounded writer who is willing to take every opportunity to write from my heart. This is evident in the style I use when writing about my upbringing, my favorite pastimes, and my culture.