My Wood
“My wood” – E.M. Forster (1926) In modern society, most people who obtain a product – whether it is of great value or not – would call that object their rightful property. It is the most natural way of thinking; what’s yours is ultimately yours. In the non-fiction essay “My Wood” by E.M. Forster, the author encourages those who come across the essay to contemplate the nature of materialism and the power of possessions.
The essay wittingly depicts Forster’s reaction to the ownership of a small estate he bought with the loyalties from a novel he wrote. He attempts to persuade the readers of the negative aspects of obtaining a piece of property and does so by breaking down the effects his land has on him. Forster’s position on this topic is that the pressure of owning this land gives him a sense of heaviness; in that, it is difficult for an individual to keep an eye on all things that belong to them; whether it’d be the leaves on Foster’s trees to the blackberries on his bushes, the fact of losing what is rightfully his intimates him. Also, the aspect of trying to be larger than anyone and everything else comes to play for the sense of having this land. No other contact should physically be made with his land. Forster goes to explain that a person should “think twice” before they engage in anything that does not seem right. His attitude is rather obvious;
Forster thinks about the purchasing of the wood and if it will result in a disastrous consequence. Using common, everyday language for the understanding of the general public,
Forster, also integrates historic events and religious symbols such as the gates of Heaven and the Bible as examples that relate to his topic. For instance, the event of Ahab, a former King of
Israel adjoined his palace grounds with grapevines to his wife, Jezebel. However, in relation to
Forster, he states that “Ahab did not want that vineyard – he only needed it to round off his
property,
The essay wittingly depicts Forster’s reaction to the ownership of a small estate he bought with the loyalties from a novel he wrote. He attempts to persuade the readers of the negative aspects of obtaining a piece of property and does so by breaking down the effects his land has on him. Forster’s position on this topic is that the pressure of owning this land gives him a sense of heaviness; in that, it is difficult for an individual to keep an eye on all things that belong to them; whether it’d be the leaves on Foster’s trees to the blackberries on his bushes, the fact of losing what is rightfully his intimates him. Also, the aspect of trying to be larger than anyone and everything else comes to play for the sense of having this land. No other contact should physically be made with his land. Forster goes to explain that a person should “think twice” before they engage in anything that does not seem right. His attitude is rather obvious;
Forster thinks about the purchasing of the wood and if it will result in a disastrous consequence. Using common, everyday language for the understanding of the general public,
Forster, also integrates historic events and religious symbols such as the gates of Heaven and the Bible as examples that relate to his topic. For instance, the event of Ahab, a former King of
Israel adjoined his palace grounds with grapevines to his wife, Jezebel. However, in relation to
Forster, he states that “Ahab did not want that vineyard – he only needed it to round off his
property,