The paper The Writer as Alaskan provides a story of what all people should experience at some point in time in their lives. The experience is that of becoming new and finding yourself in ways that you have not seen before. The author found himself as a poet on a hill 70 miles out of Fairbanks, but all people can find themselves in different ways and different in places. The author also speaks of the importance of “place” and how that affects people in ways that they may not consciously notice. This paper explains that people should experience the process of reinventing themselves to better understand themselves and learn from the “places” that have made them who they are.
My sophomore year in high school I moved to Juneau from Fairbanks where I had been born and raised. I was quite indifferent about the move, but upon reaching Juneau I realized that I knew no one except for my father and sister. My sister tried to help me make friends through her friends. This did not work seeing as my sister and I have very different values and choice in friends. However, this helped me to better understand myself and what qualities I choose in friends. I learned that I seek passion, independence, open mindedness, and above all else loyalty in friendship. I also learned that I value solidarity, education, common decency and self-motivation. These qualities eventually led me to a small group of friends that are like myself in many ways. Learning about your own values and your own interests is by far the most important thing that a person can do with their life, because without first knowing that, you will wander aimlessly through life with no purpose.
People need to uproot themselves to learn about themselves. I have traveled almost the entire United States as well as much of Mexico and the Gulf of Mexico. Traveling to different places has taught me that all people are different and that the differences between us are what creates “place”. There is a “place” between lovers and also in jails. Place is culture, and culture is place. Without one or the other people would not exist. People look to culture to see about their own past and tradition, but why not simply look to the “place” which that individual values the most. That place can tell you all you need to know about your culture. If your “place” is one with happy memories and kindness, then that is the culture that you possess.
“Place” is always and acting force on people whether they choose to see it or not. “Place” is the context of how a person is brought into this world. “Place” is the childhood that each person experiences. “Place” is when and how a person will leave this world, as well. No person can say that “place” has not influenced him or her at any point in time of his or her life. So, why not travel to experience “place” by others around the world to gain a greater knowledge of where your personal “place” is.
