September 22, 2014 - 12:19
From the first few lines, you can see that the author is not just opening up a story but opening up their life to the reader. Without inhibition, the first part of the author we are introduced to is their place of heritage and the drastic change it has undergone. To display the change a place can go through due to destructive activities can only be seen as a paralell to how the human spirit can evolve within us after much is experienced. As revealed by later reading Eli has had many life experiences that could have brought about a similar destruction. The human spirit is not a rock but a delicate flower. Eli walks us through humble beginnings in a gloriously woodsy home and draws upon all of our innate sense of self. The self we find when you are bare of the modern world and all of its social legislation. Without norms, we walk with Eli to a place that becomes more metaphorical than physical. Eli almost begs the question of whether a contact zone is always between two groups of people or whether in can be between a person (or people) and a place. In reading, I continuously wondered of the strong connection of Eli to the forest envirnment and pondered the contact to nature that seemed to provide self-definition. The fact that her childhood in the forest is where she was able to question her queerness and personal identifications leads me to believe that she did not just play a part in her landscape but that her landscape played a role in her development. Her transistion to the city and change of perception is characteristic o a strong sense of connection to one's surroundings. As is our seminar based, Eli greatly exemplifies a connection of identity and environment.