Blog Option 4

Uncharted Territory

When I entered high school it was a foreign land to me. I was new to the system of how classes were arranged and to how the roles of the individuals were set up. I related this to the reading from Herland. In the reading, Terry, Van, and Jeff throw themselves into a completely new and different world run only by women. When they first arrive, they notice 3 young women, who they would later marry, are watching them. They were being watched because they were different outsiders. Entering high school, the freshmen are the newbies. The little ones. The outsiders. Even though the older ones were just recently freshmen, they still, in a sense, don’t understand them when they view the little ones roaming the halls. As time goes on in Herland, the characters all become more acquainted with each other and the men are taught the ways of the women. I could completely relate this to my growth through high school. I played soccer throughout high school and the older players were always there to guide me and show me the roped of the academic jungle I had to navigate. I was taught history and things in class while learning social norms, just like in the reading. In the end of the book, Van and Terry both leave while Jeff stays. Some kids from high school hated it and wanted to just get out, like Terry. Some people appreciated the experience and used it positively to progress towards college or a job, like Van. Others, believe it or not, got jobs at the high and stayed as assistant coaches for different sports, like Jeff. All three characters that arrived ended up leaving or staying in a way that I could relate to high school. It was interesting to see the book this way, through an experience that lasted me 4 years. I appreciated the reading. It was very interesting.