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This Old House

David Sedaris

ENGL-108-13800: Composition with Lab

Professor Barbara Monaghan

February 13, 2014

Page |2 People have said many times that history will repeat itself over and over again. To a small degree that statement or idea may be true; however there are many more factors to take into account. In the last four essays we have been focused on space in the quest to realize if it makes or breaks the occupant. For the purpose of this essay, the space occupied by two of four respective authors will be regressed by a generation in order to quantify that history does repeat itself but not in linear form; instead history and the events are displaced through what we perceive as time. In Quantum Mechanics the Special Theory of Relativity identifies Space Time; when placed on a two dimensional Cartesian plain the observed event is not linear. In other words the event observed by A is not observed by B at the same point in time. Most people agree that happiness brings out the best in a person. The essay written by Joyce Carol Oates They All Just Went Away tells the story of a young girl whose family owned a farm in Millersport New York. Joyce Carol Oates would run around outside and even though somewhat alone, Joyce Carol Oates was in general a happy twelve year old child. Moving the focus to her parents; based on the general age of Oates, the time at which she wrote the essay and when she was born we can deduce that her parents era were the twenties through the thirties. As we all know the thirties issued a post war depression. Old Money too experienced a financial downturn due to the non-existent stock market. Across the social classes the home furnishings of the era were Scandinavian Contemporary. This style was mostly made of wood with leather and the color of choice was brown. The Phycology of color suggests the color brown to reflect security, protection and material wealth. Joyce Carol Oates grew up post World War Two in the fifties. Her era was very much contrary to that of her parents. The economy was booming and the world was in general very happy since the war was over. The styling and textiles had not changed much though. The Scandinavian Contemporary was simply modernized and the color moved to a mix of brown, green, red and pink. Keeping in accordance with Phycology of color the reflection was security, protection and material wealth, balance and growth, taking action and unconditional love. It can be seen now that history does repeat itself in a self-contained method; however the outcome of the individual is still directly influenced by the choices they make in the respective space.

Page |3 Where there is an up, there will be a down given a certain amount of time. David Sedaris wrote the essay This old house. The essay portrays the earlier years of David Sedaris by which he cannot relate to his family and how they treat the past. We learn of his family issues through his childhood house and its use of space. Using the same metrics we deduce that the era of his parents was the same as that of Joyce Carol Oatess parents; the twenties through the thirties. Knowing this we can understand why his parents did not want to be reminded of their era through antique furnishings. The memories of the depression are too dis-heartening and those who dont understand will never as seen in the quote You think those prewar years were cozy? my father once asked. Try getting up at 5 A.M. to sell newspapers on the snow-covered streets. Thats what I did and it stunk to high heaven.(ln.20). In countering the negativity, his parents lived in the times of modernization. Using the metrics it could be said that David Sedaris is roughly eighteen years old. The latter would make his era the seventies and again in accordance with Phycology of color it is shown that things have changed in that the economy was in turmoil. The seventies experienced five years of the Vietnam War and since funds were going overseas, the dollar saw a major increase in inflation and cost of living. Environmental space changed from overall happiness to self-reliance, conservation and frigidity. We can now relate to his parents as to why they were so offended by his actions as shown by The way I saw it, the problem wasnt my outfit but my context. (ln.38) In the hopes of finding himself David Sedaris moved into a house run by a woman who herself lived in the thirties and forties. For a finite amount of time the author enjoyed living out of his time. Although as constantly predicted history will repeat itself in a self-contained manor. Referring back to special relativity, if a photon (light particle) is traveling at the speed of light then anything that is within one light year of our present will affect us. In other words an event in the past can affect the present, but the present can only affect the future within one light year. The author received the message from his past in the present and his finding himself was a catalyst for who he will become. In fact the author places the idea of history repeating itself into words perfectly by stating What I could never fathom, and still cant, really, is that at one point all those things were newthe wheezing Victrola, the hulking davenport. How were they any different from the eight-track tape player, or my parents Scandinavian dining-room set?

Page |4 In conclusion, time is viewed as a linear experience from one moment to the next. The idea that people change over time is only half of what really happens. For instance a person whose parents grew up in the thirties were surrounded by physical items from a generation prior. The parents were surrounded by items and possibly styles from the early 1900s. From those bases the parents (as children) are brought up by 1900s beliefs and are influenced by their surrounding that being the 1930s. The ideologies, economy, sciences to name a few all influence the parents (as children) decisions and in those decision making moments (present) their future is effected by the ever changing argument. When the children become parents the cycle continues and so there children are taught 1930s but experience the 1960s ideologies, economy, sciences and so history does repeat itself but not in linear form, instead history and the events are displaced through what is perceive as time. In Quantum Mechanics the Special Theory of Relativity identifies Space Time; when placed on a two dimensional Cartesian plain the observed event is not linear. In other words the event observed by A is not observed by B at the same point in time.

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References
Psychology, C. (na). Understanding the Meaningof Colors in Color Psychology. Empowered By Color. Retrieved from http://www.empower-yourself-with-colorpsychology.com/meaning-of-colors.html Sedaris, D. (2007, July 9). This Old House. The New Yorker. Retrieved from http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2007/07/09/070709fa_fact_sedaris?currentPage=all