A story like Jane Yoder’s really makes me appreciate my life and realize how fortunate I am. Although, this feeling will only last temporarily because as her son, Tom, said “it’s only human nature that we all want to go on and find something better”. I know that I am very lucky but it is impossible to not want more. All these little things in life that I do not even think about were luxuries to Jane. She would dream about oranges and bananas, while they are just boring fruit that I can have whenever I want. Even wearing boots was a great rarity to her. People stress over what clothes to wear and Jane does not even understand why there should be a choice. If I am cold I have the ability to turn the heat up or put on warmer clothes. Having to continue suffering through the coldness is never a thought that crosses my mind. Jane constantly went cold and was desperate to be warm. She was desperate enough to wear an Indian Blanket Coat that all of the other kids laughed at. Jane said “And I can remember thinking the hell with it. I don’t care what…it doesn’t mean a thing. Laugh hard, you’ll get it out of your system.” Children strive for the approval of their peers and fear becoming an outcast. Jane was so desperate to be warm that she was willing to let all of the other children make fun of her. The extent of her suffering actually forced her to become more mature. I know I take my life for my granted but maybe that is because I cannot truly imagine a life like Jane’s. As Tom said “I don’t think my generation can really comprehend what all this means. I’ve never gone to bed hungry…”. Until you actually experience something it is nearly impossible to actually comprehend it. I think that relates to all of history. We can know the facts, everything that happened, and even hear people’s stories but to truly understand something I think you have to be there.
In both of your posts here (Jane Yoder and Peggy Terry), you've done a really nice job focusing on attitudes and how an experience like the Depression couls shape someone's outlook on life. Do you think that it is possible to use these stories to affect your own outlook? Clearly, you have admiration for them. This seems to raise questions about how much we can be influenced by the experiences of other peoples' lives.
ReplyDelete