Society, Community, and Relationships

Human life very much resembles the structure of a tree, or so says Erza Pound in In a Station of the Metro. There are many aspects that can be seen in the world surrounding us that are similar to nature. Our human interactions that spur out of these aspects that create society, community, and relationships. Alice Walker tackles a characteristic of the interactions in her short story, “Everyday Use.” Overall, these three aspects were tied together for me when I attended the Panel of Writers held last week.
The term bough is a word to describe a large tree branch. In Erza Pound’s piece, In a Station of the Metro, she coyly uses this word in comparison to society. Though it is only structured of two lines, this poem contains great meaning. Pound writes “The apparition of these faces in the crowd; / Petals on a wet, black bough.” (Lines 1-2). Human life is like a tree sprouting large branches of societies. Each branch differs from the next and contains its own “petals.” These petals are representative of the human form: together we make up a “branch of society.” Pound doesn’t write of friendly images but rather uses a tone of anonymity and separation. She uses the words “wet” and “black” to describe the bough, and “apparition” to describe the faces of society surrounding her—further adding to her sense of separation. Although she is part of something much greater, she can still be anonymous in her environment. The faces around her are an unknown blur, coming and going.
Deepening human perspective, Alice Walker regards family relationships and interactions within her short story, “Everyday Use.” So easily do humans take advantage of what others may or may not offer. At times, we push each other to the limit and don’t appreciate those things around us. The interactions within the main character’s family vividly show many sides to these relationships. Each member of the family is an individual, yet together they make up a small group. The two daughters are characterized to be complete and utter opposites. On one side you have the beautiful, intelligent daughter, Dee, that only takes from others. Conversely, you have the burn-scarred, appreciative, meek daughter, Maggie, who is willing to give anything. The family relationships and interactions between the three lead to tension and upset. Clashing personalities often lead to a sense of distance or separation from the whole. In terms of this family, Maggie most obviously is the one pushed to the outside because of her differences although she is still considered part of something greater.
Last week, I attended the Panel of Writers of speakers including Gregory Kane, Elizabeth Evitts, Chez Thompson Cager, and Jane Connolly. After listening to all four speakers address Baltimore and topics ranging from honest journalism and themed monthly publications, to home-town pride poetry and community, I felt that Jane Connolly made the strongest points regarding community in Baltimore.
Connolly is a children’s story-writer and has had many published books. She began learning about Baltimore when she moved here to write, and slowly adapted herself to the cities way of life. She learned all about the people that live here and the neighborhoods by working in a medical clinic near her residence. She discovered the sneakiness of conniving realtors and the shift of areas from white neighborhoods to black. Through all of her experiences here, she gathered a plethora of information to then incorporate into her stories.
Within her story, “Crazy Lady,” Connolly writes of a neighborhood where all the families know one another and the children play together outside. There are lots of narrow row houses and no fear of kidnapping but, once you step outside the area boundaries, there is crime and murder. This is just the way that Baltimore seems to be. The city isn’t structured into large, similar neighborhoods all in one area. Instead, the city has smaller communities dispersed throughout, forming its diversity. Just by simply driving up York Road, you will find yourself in a rough, seemingly-dirty area but then a few blocks later, the scenery changes to large houses with well-manicured lawns. At the end of Connolly’s dissertation, she made one lasting remark. It seems that all literature addresses one of two things, either a stranger comes to town or someone goes on an adventure. Overall, literature is based on a culture clash. Her point ties in very neatly with the former readings because of its tie to society. Human beings are all alike and work together to make up societies and culture. Why is it that we feel so different then from one another? Although we are individuals, we all add together to make a larger whole.
By looking at nature, you can see a blade of grass that makes up a field, or a branch of a tree that works to make a whole. This is an exact model of human society. People, though they are separate, are part of a greater whole. Within Erza Pounds In a Station for the Metro or Alice Walker’s “Everyday Life” both authors show human interactions. By attending the Panel of Writers last week, I got to see how these two pieces of literature tied together into a sense of community, society, and human relationships. Humans need to put aside any differences and realize that we are all the same beings.