I Sailed Through The Trees And Towards Reason

Before reading the third chapter of “The Forest and the Trees”, I remember learning in the second chapter about symbolism, ideology and the construction of life in different cultures and societies around the world. For example, something interesting I remember learning was how every social system has a culture, consisting primarily of symbols (including words), ideas and practices. I believe this also connects and refers to how we tend to build our own sense of reality through the words and ideas that we use to mean something and people may use to name interpret what they experience and how cultures consist of symbols of ideas or words being portrayed. Based on what I read in the second chapter and the title of the third chapter, “The Structures

Wendell Berry’s literary work “An Entrance to the Wood” is a personal essay that reflects on the struggles of human ambition. Berry shows a path where readers can make a connection to the natural world. As society is evolving, we are rushing through life and not experiencing our surroundings. He wants readers to create an image of their own thoughts through his perspective. Berry combines distinctive styles to consider the reality of human ambition.

Reaching across the center console of my car, I imagined the commute that I had into school. My 1992 Jeep Cherokee courageously braved the snowstorm of the year, with only one functional windshield wiper and a forlorn four wheel drive system. As I turned onto the Merritt Parkway, a Honda Civic swerved past me and proceeded to weave in and out of the afternoon traffic. Fast-forward sixty seconds and that Honda was now engulfed by the powder white trees which bound the highway. Instinctively, I pulled up behind the crash site, dialing 911 as I ran over to the mangled wreck. I peered into the car, my pupils the size of marbles, and the driver seemed uninjured; regardless, I proceeded to reassure the driver that Emergency Medical Technician’s/Paramedic’s

Into the Woods is a famous musical. It premiered on Broadway in 1987 and has been performed over 700 times before ending in 1989. The musical is a collection of fairytales from authors Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm and Charles Perrault and put together in a story with music and lyrics written by Stephen Sondheim and dialogue written by James Lapine. The musical incorporates characters from fairytales such as Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood, Jack and the Beanstalk and Rapunzel and recreates their stories in one storyline.

In Allen Johnson’s “The Forest, The Trees, and The One Thing”, he expresses that in order to understand sociology we need to be able to understand the relationship between biography and history. To explain this, Johnson uses five rules to sociology called the sociological imagination. These rules explain how an individual relates to social systems.

On a cold winter, rainy night while driving from one duty station to the next was where my vehicle spun around, flipping, tossing and causing my life to unfold and facing a loss like no other. The turmoil of life hit me hard just from this single tragedy alone. My vehicle was totaled, I loss conscious and was rushed to the hospital. Never expected such an incident to occur so abruptly and rob me of all my self-worth. I’ve became someone, someone incapacitated, not able to function like I normally should.

“Amanda Clark’s phone conversation came to an abrupt end when her Chevrolet Trailblazer rolled three times before landing on its roof. She had run a stop sign and was broadsided by another driver. Metal caved in around her, but the roof stayed intact and she survived with just scrapes and bruises” (Tracy). Amanda Clark survived her first car accident caused by distracted driving, but wasn’t as lucky the second time. After she started driving again, she pledged to put her phone away and focus on driving. Clark’s Mother, Bonnye Spray, said, “I thought this would be a wakeup call for her, and it was for a short time she wouldn’t talk on the phone, she was more cautious. But she got more confident in her driving and a sense of ‘Hey, I survived one, I’m invincible, nothing is going to happen to me now’” (Tracy). A year after her accident, Clark was driving on a highway. She

I gripped the wheel and made a sharp left and went up the curb into the heavily landscaped median. My shiney black Charger went airborne, grazed a tree and landed on top of some shrubbery. A disaster had been averted, I was humiliated and ashamed at my negligence, but we were all alive. The people in the car ahead of me with the terrified eyes never even pulled over, they just kept on going. I sat there atop the shrubbery in my sleek black Charger, first laughing and then weeping. I never played the radio that loudly again, and that was the last time I cruised Gratiot Avenue. It was a lesson that was not lost on me. I still love cars but that moment was a slingshot into adulthood, where my carerfree reckless world gave way to booster seats, and insurance rates. Don't get me wrong, I still get goosebumps when I hear the sound of a six cylinder hemi, but from that night on I learned to understand and respect the responsibility that comes with that kind of

“Wait! No! No!!!” The car was out of gas and then started slowing down. I sharply turned to the right off to the side of the road. SCREECH! The large brown pine tree became dented as my car slammed into it, after my attempt to stop. The drivers side door protruded inward due to a branch going through it. The branch was jabbed into my right shin and blood was spewing out. The floor became a sea of

The sound of metal crushing as the collision head-on destroyed my thinking path. I felt as if the night was fading into complete darkness. All I could think about as we collided against the mound at the north side of the hill down the gloomy stretch of road was death. The car rolled over continuously till every engine part flew from under the hood. After the car finished rolling I checked to my left to see if Sam was still alive, he was bleeding from his mouth and unresponsive. The right front passenger door was crushed, I couldn't seem to free my right arm, I was trapped. I use my left arm to tug at my right arm free it, I screamed in pain as I pulled and pulled to notice my arm was broken. I managed to pull my right arm away from the crushed door after 10 minutes of agonizing pain shooting through my nerves.

Initially; when I became aware of my surroundings, the driver of the other car was at my side asking if we were okay. My friend was screaming, her face was covered in blood. The rearview mirror was missing, windshield and driver side window shattered and

James is completely alone on the open road. Everyone in his life is gone: his parents, wife, and siblings. He picks up a picture of Thomas, his brother and best friend, admiring his curly hair and warm smile and bright eyes. Near him, James felt like a kid, like a dog ready to play with its friends. Five years ago, Thomas walked home from the supermarket when a flashy car exploded out of the corner and knocked him over, never getting him on his feet again. A part of James also never got back up that day, or any day after the incident for

As I approached the next light, a red light, I stopped and just so after I stopped the blinking yellow arrow appeared. I sat patiently waiting for a clear path so I could make the left turn. Noticing that no cars were near, I made my turn. CRASH, SKRT, CRASH, I yelled “ WHAT THE HELL” and tried to pull my car to the side of the street but it was no longer drivable.

As I slowly press my foot down on the brake, my car comes to a rolling stop in front of my best friend Talia’s house. Talia sits silently beside me in the passenger seat. I turn the car off, dreading the upcoming painful goodbye. Slamming our car doors, we walk along her cracked driveway towards her front door. Somehow, it was easy for me to relate to the broken, torn up concrete. I gaze at the jagged stones sadly, knowing I wouldn’t be seeing them for months.

Auto Wreck by Karl Shapiro is an impressionistic poem that delves into the understanding of technology and the horrific contentment that society has with automobile wrecks. Written during the 1940’s Shapiro has been known for writing about simplistic things yet with grave detail. In Auto Wreck Shapiro uses similes and metaphors to describe a surreal feeling of an automobile wreck. He has determined that everyday citizens have become too detached from the everyday violence caused by automobiles. Shapiro aims to prove that the mechanical monsters that threaten everyday life have become too mundane in today's society.