When looking up what the word "home" means, many definitions come up. Home, in most cases, is used as a noun, but the meaning of that noun varies.
Everyone defines home in their own way. It's sort of like one of those inkblot tests: a different image appears out of the inkblots for every person who looks at them.
Below are five of the definitions I found for home and the way I relate each one to my perception of "home." I invite you all to leave comments, showing the way you relate to these definitions.
Home (n): The place where one lives permanently, esp. as a member of a family or household
I don't really live anywhere permanently right now. In the past year alone I've spent time in five different locations: Oswego, N.Y.; Mine Hill, N.J.; Washington, D.C., Syracuse, N.Y. and Ecuador. In each place, I've found a way to make it my home, based on trying to pick out the best parts of each and becoming attached to it.
Home (n): A place where something flourishes, is most typically found, or from which it originates
I'm not entirely sure that I "flourish" in places, per say, but what activities I'm doing in those places. I find that anywhere I have the opportunity to be absorbed in knowledge is where I "flourish" the best.
Also, I don't really know where I spend the most time, but the majority of time I am engaged in some sort of reading material. It doesn't matter where I am location wise, as long as I have access to a newspaper or novel.
Where I originate: I have a problem with this part of the definition because I am from Mine Hill, but I had my most formative years of schooling in Dover. I have always identified more with Dover than with Mine Hill.
Home (n): The goal or end point
Because of the point I am at in my life, this definition means the most, but also puzzles me the most. Coming upon graduation, I always thought I'd have an idea of where I would want to make my home.
Going through the job application process, I find myself almost "interviewing" potential hometowns. When I apply for a job, I read about the community I could potentially be living in, trying to imagine what kind of life I would have there.
I actually kind of hate the idea of a specific, defined "end point." The word "end" particularly bothers me because I don't ever want to think I am permanently stuck anywhere, that there isn't any more room for growth.
Home could be more a state of mind than an actual goal. I'm much more comfortable with that idea.
Home (n): The place where a player is free from attack
Based on the stories that have been shared on this blog, it is hard for me to believe this definition. For so many people, home was the opposite: where they were bullied in school, where violence happened in the streets next to their house. There is no ultimate place to go where one is fully free from (emotional or physical) harm.
Liz,
ReplyDeleteGreat post, really liked how personal this one was. We got to know a little more about you versus the people you interviewed for this blog. I really liked how you changed it up. Maybe include some kind of pictures of the places you've lived at? As just a suggestion. But here are how I relate to those four definitions:
Where one lives permanently: I guess I've always lived at home in Niagara Falls, NY, and in my dorm at Oswego, NY while in school. Niagara Falls was where I grew up, and it is also a place I want to move away from after I graduate. All my friends and family live there. I love where I live, but I also hate it. I have both good and bad memories living there.
Where something flourishes, is found, originates: I guess I originate from Niagara Falls, and usually that is where I always go back to for my old high school friends and family. I guess that's where I can find love, safety, relationships. A place to always go back to if the world ever seems too big or intimidating after I graduate and find (or don't find) a job. Not really sure on the flourishing thing though. Don't know how to answer that.
Goal or end point: Home is not Niagara Falls for me. I want to get away from my friends and family. If I am forced to stay at home, I will lose my mind. I hate living there over summer as it is during semesters. My goal is to move to NYC or California. Really, anyplace. A lake house or beach house. Wife and kids. A dog. A place to write my novels in peace and quiet.
Free from attack: I was (more or less) made fun of in school. People called me gay because I did theatre, hated sports, sang in chorus. I still get made fun of all the time, even here at school from my roommate and people who don't ever bother to sit down with me for more than ten minutes and really talk. Get to know me. But home, high school, is a place I will always remember. The theatre saved me from a time when I was severely depressed, but it was also a place that constantly put me down because of the ignorant thoughts of others. I guess I am on the fence with this one.
Chris Daniels
Good post/complex word.
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Liz,
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed this post. Althought, reading the other stories you've shared about other people are great, it was nice to get more a taste of who you are. My favorite take on your definitions of home was the last one. You relate it back to all of your other posts, and althought the though is kind of depressing, when are we really ever completely safe from harm. Great post!
-Tori
Liz,
ReplyDeleteI really liked this post. It was another good way to switch up the blog and move away from the stories of others. This was also a great way to show yourself and your feelings about home in your blog. I found I had different feelings about each different definition of home, but agreed with all of them. A person's definition of home is always changing. Home can mean so many different things in so many situations, but when it comes down to it, home is the place that you know and where you feel comfortable. I like to think that I have two homes right now, Oswego and Cicero. I'm excited about the places that I am going to make home in the future. Great post!
- Brian
This was a nice deviation from the status quo of your blog. Home is an interesting topic, since it means so many different things to different people. This was an interesting angle, looking at the word literally and seeing how it applies to you. Interesting post.
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