Sweet Escape

All of us have a place that helps us escape. It can be as small as a bed room or as large as a city. It is a place where you can reflect, discover, and enjoy the life that you have.  For me that place is Disneyland. It is a little odd, but for me there is nothing better in this world then walking down Main Street USA with my family. It is a place that holds many memories and childhood dreams that help me stay grounded in the place that I am in my life.

            For Stephen that place is the mountain near his home. This is a place that he has always gone to overcome hardships. As we study the character development over the course of this book for Stephen, it is clear that after he leaves his home, he feels out of place. There is good reason for that. Stephen leaves his sleepy little village. Not only that but he leaves a life that he is resected and looked up to, and is thrown into a place where he is taken advantage of his very first day.

            When Stephen returns home you can feel for yourself as you read his words, how relived he is to be home, despite the painful journey that he returns from. To be able to return to a place that has not changed is a welcome relief when you have a burden you did not carry when you left. Stephen is able to lay down the heaviness that we see throughout the book, first for his sister and then later for his son. Though it pains him to tell his wife and friends of the news that he has gathered in the city, it is easy to understand why he seems happier.

            In today’s South Africa effects of the past still way upon the people of the land. Now the rights are allowed to all man, no matter his race, it must be that the land that was so unfairly divided before this great change, must be equally among the people. While this may seem an easy task when said in words, it is not easy to help both sides see the reason behind the painful process. (England)

            In the article that I found, it speaks of a native farmer who is having difficulty keeping his newly owned farm. This is happening in many farms all over the country. Whites argue that they are the ones that understand the land, and will be able to reap the most out of it. Even if this fact was true, the new system demands that everyone has a chance to own the land.  In addition to this many people will lose most of the land that they have lived off of for many years in order to equal out the ownership of it. This is deemed unfair to some and required by others.

            With this in mind it is easy to see that the land is important to the people that live off of it in many different ways. For Stephen it meant security and a sense of belonging. For people today it is a symbol of the new world that has been granted to them. In both examples it is the land that plays a key part in the hope of all of the people who need it to live, and find joy and a home throughout it.