Literary Analysis Essay on The Home Place by J .D. Lanham

Introduction

The book Home Place by J .D. Lanham is an exciting story that I would like to address it to my teenager audience. I firmly believe that the story will be of inspiration because some of them will be able to relate it to their real lives. Additionally, teenagers are the most attentive audience because they are always eager to learn and are easy to encourage. They will also be able to see the narrator's transition from where he came from to his current status, in other words from rags to riches.

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The story is about Lanham upbringing as he defines himself a person who does not fit the common status like other people" an extraordinarily highlighted fish out of the water" Lanham (24). Lanham is an African American man who explains how he fell in love with nature and understood why the people of his race associated nature particularly land with bad memories like being mistreated in a foreign place. He tells the struggle of what it means to survive in America especially when you are a person of color. He grew in South California farm where he dedicated his life to nature "nature allowed him always to see something finned, feathered, scaled or furred that either swan, scurried or flew" Lanham (67).

When Lanham was in high school, a tragedy hit his family so hard. His father had died, and he was left with so much pain because his relatives from the extended family went ahead and grabbed his father's land. He further says that his home place was later divided because there was disunity among the people in their family. For that reason, the land was the foundation of pain, and then he found the reason why the African Americans had little attachment in conservationism issues particularly the one who resided in South California. It was because the land that the people of his race owned did not belong to them. Another reason is that the area was soaked with the blood of their ancestors who were taken as slaves and that the ground left a considerable mark of being the source of racism and so it was difficult to call the land their home.

Despite all the family tribulations in his home place, Lanham shows his uniqueness from other people of their race because he does not want to involve himself in fighting over land issues with his relatives which according to him will lead to undesirable circumstances. He decided to forgive and forget whatever his relatives were doing to him and his paternal grandmother. Lanham suggests that respect should not be paid to nature only but also human beings Lanham (78). All these challenges of family troubles and race issues did not stop Lanham from being good to, in fact, they made him strong than ever before.

Lanham does not hide his personal experiences because in chapter "birding while black" he explains his fear, the chapter begins by him saying "it is eight-thirty in the morning and I think today I might get hanged" Lanham (83). According to him, it was rare to see African Americans carrying binoculars for adventure purposes as it raised a lot of suspicion among his community. Most of those who carried them were associated with the American government, and in addition to this, many African Americans hated the government especially the police. The reason for this kind of hatred is because many people of color particularly African Americans were brutally mistreated by the police. Lanham was not afraid, and as a result, he labeled himself "the rare bird" Lanham (41). In his point of view, his people did not understand that hunting and birding was his passion and that it was not wrong for people of color to have such interests

Lanham shed light in encouraging readers to follow their passion no matter the circumstances one is going through. Many individuals have become successful because of following what they love the most, and for that reason, people should find their passion or talent and work hard to be more skillful at it because hard work beats talent. The last chapter of the Home place called "The Legacy of Patchwork" is very disheartening as it shows the repossession of the land, him and purpose. Lanham shows how one can start his stake from anything, especially the untamed land in case we do not seem to find ourselves.

Lanham motivates readers not to ignore nature but pay close attention to it because it has a lot to offer. He remembers all the fundamentals of nature that have helped him shape his perception of home, nature, and family. Nature is what made him drop engineering in his higher learning education to pursue Zoology, and now Lanham is a professor of wildlife technology at Clemson University. He also advises readers to be curious about what life has to offer especially when it comes to looking for knowledge, according to him, knowledge can be found anywhere even in the little things that people pay little attention. He also brings the sense of self-identity and that the racial differences should not hold us back in achieving what we want in life. He also advises readers that family is important and that we should not disrespect any family member even when troubles arise, the best thing to do is to forgive and love everyone equally. He also tells us about the importance of knowing and understanding one's roots.

Work Cited

Lanham, J D. The home place: memoirs of a colored man's love affair with nature. Minneapolis, Minnesota: Milkweed Editions, 2016. Print.