Literary Analysis Essay on Living in the Future

Introduction

In this piece of work, Berry connects the actions and activities that we do the place where we are. However, in his discussion, he notes that human beings are always out of place. They fail to understand their whereabouts creating confusion that causes a lot of destruction to the world. Berry argues that a person should never destroy his place of living, and says that it is a standard code among rational creatures. The home is therefore vital and worth conserving. Home here does not primarily men the basic structure of residence. There is much more to it. The activities of man in the recent past have indicated that he has lost the sense of his place and he has embarked on great destruction.

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Berry gives a flashback of how things used to be in America a not very long time ago. People worked in or close to their homes. This kind of life guaranteed conservation of that place (Berry, 57). The living area was also the working place of many people. However, today things are different. The primary concept and understanding of home or a person's place have been misinterpreted to mean the geographical place where one resides at a particular time. The misinterpretation has seen a lot of destruction in the environment. Production activities in industries pollute the environment with poisonous gases. Vehicles fuel also takes its turn in adding up to the devastation caused by exhaust pipes. Mining activities add to the bundle by leaving the land in waste and its use destroyed. The sense of supremacy possessed by man is the primary factor that contributes to all this mess. He feels that he can do anything without being accountable to any forces whatsoever.

In another historical journey, Berry recounts how human beings lost humanity. The discovery of America came with the introduction of slavery. Innocent and helpless humans were abducted from Africa by Europeans and shipped to America to find condemnation to slavery and hard labor. Later, Africa became a hunting ground for Europeans. Powers in Europe rushed in Africa with greed to acquire additional territories and expand their power. They veered far away from morality and acted with hatred towards their fellow humans. In this case, they lost the sense of their place as human beings. The drop of mind resulted in considerable destruction of human life in Africa and created a lot of hatred and divide between Africans and Europeans.

The habit and sense of sovereignty is another factor that makes people forget their place. When human beings feel superior over other creatures, it becomes a tragedy of gigantic proportion. The feeling of superiority creates a lot of hatred for others and a sense of importance over others. This pride has caused the man to lose his place among other people. Again, the need to secure the future has been at the forefront of the human mind. Humanity has a lot of fears with what the future holds for them. Their concentration highly centers on the future, and they leave the present life at the periphery. The present, therefore, is a place that has lost place in the human mind and it comes with its share of destruction. Destructive energy sources have seen their use in agriculture and other areas of production to see the increased volume of output at faster rates. Pollution, therefore, takes the order of the day as, under such circumstances, it becomes inevitable.

In America, people have mechanized labor in all areas to a greater extent. The effect of mechanization is more evident in the field of agriculture. Machines do the more significant percentage of farm work is, and humans left with no much to do. Their mind, therefore, concentrates on living in the future through what they do today. Since resources are scares, people find themselves borrowing money from credit companies and banks(Berry, 66). All this is with an aim to accomplish greater things and to secure the future.

In a bid to gain fast progress, Americans are rearing a substantial number of animals in small pieces o land. The animal excreta become too much and cause water, soil and air pollution. On another note, chemical farming has found a great welcome in America. Since Americans cultivate on a large scale, human labor has lost use and, in its place, chemical and mechanical farming have thrived. This advancement is what many people call the revolution in agriculture. It is beneficial in some ways, but its adverse effects scream with loud voices. Their disturbance is evident in global warming effects, increased unemployment, and environmental pollution. This desire for a better, brighter, and secure future is demonizing humanity, making them lose their place where moral standards and ethics are concerned. As much as we anticipate for goodies in the future, the present should not take the bench.

Berry also fancies the way agriculture has developed to the levels of defying nature and natural forces. With or without rain, during or without the planting season, people grow crops in greenhouses with very little water. Apart from the modern farmers, the other people are involved in other activities that indicate the degree of their confusion. If they are not in recreation activities, they are on their computers all day long. The social pattern among human beings has slowly but inevitably lost place and importance. People have abandoned humanity. They find themselves lost, as berry says, they are mistaken about their place in the world.

Work Cited

Berry, W. "Living in the future: The modern agricultural ideal." The Unsettling of America: Culture and Agriculture (1977):