Q: Discuss the following passage:
"[John Smith] thought heaven and earth had never agreed better in framing a place for man. He said it best in four words, "The land is kind. Somewhere in America they should cast those words in bronze. Cast them big. THE LAND, MY FRIENDS, IS KIND" (389).
A: In this passage Miz Alice tells Heat-Moon the story of John Smith, the first white man to visit the Island. He named them after himself, the Smith Islands, and spoke of the rich variety of animal life.
I think the line "the land is kind" holds great significance for the whole novel. Heat-Moon spends a lot of time talking about nature and what it means to relate to nature, live in nature, use and misuse nature. He explores places where people still live much closer to nature, as is the case with the Hopi he meets, as well as Miz Alice.
But why "kind?" I don't know. It seems to be he has already struggled against nature when he is trapped in a snow storm, but he does survive: perhaps nature was forgiving. I think the theme of conflict - as in the oyster wars, the indian wars, his own internal conflict - may have something to do with this idea that the land is kind. Maybe it is we who are not.
3 comments:
"The land is kind." She says these were the words of John Smith describing the island as a perfect place. But she takes the words to mean America as a whole. Nature isn't always kind, but I think she means something like people can find comfort in the land, in appreciating nature. I'm remembering that the Hopi student said that the land is medicine too. That would be Native American medicine man kind of medicine--a belief in spirits and their healing powers. I think people can find a kind of medicine by being in nature. Some people wrote about wilderness adventures for their personal experience essays, and the point was that being out in nature can help you emotionally. (It's not a novel, btw.) I find it resorative to look at water, like Lake Erie, where I hung out with friends after school. I also think Smith's words personalify the land--any thoughts on that?
You present a really interesting argument here, in a quote that most people would have just skimmed over (me). Miz Alice presents yet another point that can be taken a number of ways. When John Smith got to the island, it probably looked a lot like the same way it does today, seeing as not a whole lot has changed much. But Least Heat-Moon does know that the land is kind, maybe just nature is harsh. Nature was trying to kill him in that snow storm, but somehow he survived to live another day. Was it the land? I think her real meaning here is that we should stop living so fast and worrying so much about external things and just take a minute to stop and observe the beauty of the land-its kindness.
I did not really interpret or understand the quote, "The land is kind", when I came across it in the reading. After reading the post and the comments, I understand that nature can be like a medicine. I agree with Mrs. Channell when she is talking about how nature can serve as a healing power. I know when I want to get away, I rollerblade outside. The fresh air, the beautiful trees, and the freshly mowed grass are a few things that I notice when I am outside. There are so many aspects to nature. Miz Alice appreciates nature and recognizes the beauties that surround her. When Miz Alice and Heat- Moon were walking together, "she named the trees, few as they were: loblolly pine, gum, pin oak, red cedar, poplar, even a pomegranate and fig." Miz Alice is familiar with her surroundings. I think Heat- Moon learns a lot when walking/ talking with Miz Alice. Although Smith Island may be small, it has a lot to offer. "The land is kind." Meaning the land is available for your pleasure and you choose to soak in all of its beauties for enjoyment.
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