I Won't Take Nothing but a Memory, From the House That Built Me

At first glance, it may appear that Vern's Volvo is the assortment of parts lying in a heap in the back of Grace's automobile shop. The parts did originally come from Vern's Volvo, and together would make up the remnants of Vern's old car. However, after contemplating the ownership of Vern's vehicle, my mind wandered to a popular country song by Miranda Lampert. It was playing on my Pandora country station as I reread the blog question to myself. I realized quickly that the song, "House that Built Me" was surprisingly relevant to the topic of ownership. Vern's Volvo is similar to Miranda Lampert's old house, and also my own previous home.
     I recently drove past my old house, and realized that the new owners of the house changed the color of MY vibrant red door to a plain black color. They also changed the color of the roof, and the design on the siding. I was angry and even upset that the new homeowners would have the nerve to change MY red door, MY siding, and MY roof. It wasn't until the discussion of ownership in class that I realized I had no reason to angry anymore. Although it is upsetting to admit, my old house is no longer my home. My home is where I live, eat, study, cry, laugh, and (occasionally) sleep. However, this label will obviously change as my life continues and will be altered based on my location and internal mindset. I still hold an emotional attachment to my previous home, but my relationship to my old house has changed. The house on Indian River road, went from "is my home" to "was my home". The change of verb tenses is the key to both those phrases and holds the distinction of past and present. My old house now exists in my memory in the same manner as it did while I was growing up. I still remember opening that red door everyday for 10 years, but now the red door's purpose has changed. The same object, now painted black, will hold a different set of memories for an entirely different child. Not only has my red door helped answer the question about Vern's Volvo,  it also has provided me some closure to the sadness I felt when seeing my old home for the first time since I lived there.
     Vern's Volvo is very similar to my red door. Although the parts in Grace's garage previously belonged to Vern, their purpose has changed. Vern traded parts of his car for new parts to ensure that his car remained functional. Vern might have some nostalgia for the cracked rear view mirror that Vern hit while teaching his first born son to drive, however, the cracked mirror serves only a purpose when paired with a memory. Without the memory to go along with the part, the cracked mirror is only a piece of glass attached to plastic. Vern's car remains the one that he is driving because although the old parts may hold his memories, they will never again create the same meaning that they once had while Vern drove the car. Vern's current automobile is not only a specific object, it is also is the label that he places on his new Volvo. It "is" his car. His car is not the one lying in pieces in the back on Grace's shop. Those pieces "were" Vern's car, but the ownership of Vern's car remains in the car that serves Vern at the present moment. The emotional attachments to the pieces of his old car remain strong, however the actual parts to his Volvo are no longer his. If Grace decides to remake the car using Vern's old parts then the parts will have a new purpose, and will be looked at entirely differently by the person who drives the reassembled car. The fixed mirror will no longer hold the memory of Vern's son breaking it. The new driver will associate new memories to the same piece of glass and plastic. When deciding the ownership of Vern's vehicle it is important to separate the memories associated the parts of Vern's old car and the actual parts of Vern's old car. The memories will always remain his, however the actual parts of the car are no longer in his possession. The beauty of tangible objects is that one item can represent thousands of things, and can hold meaning that is different for each individual. One reason why humans tend to love tangible objects is not merely because of the actual existence of the object- I do not love all red doors. My attachment remains tied to the memory of my childhood and not to the small tangible part of my house. The door of the house is no longer mine. In the same fashion, the pieces of Vern's Volvo are no longer his, but the memory of what occurred in Vern's old car will remain. The car that is rightfully Vern's is the one that he drives around currently, not the pile of parts in the back of Graces garage.

“Society exists only as a mental concept; in the real world there are only individuals.” -Oscar Wilde

     The struggle of adhering to either the individual or society is one that has been debated for centuries. As the cultures of America shift through the decades, the balance between individual and society is altered, creating a shift in the importance of the two. For example, during John Winthrop's era, the society was regarded in a high fashion and the individual was held to little importance. Society is obliged to the individual because after all society consists of groups of individuals. Without the individual, society would be quite boring and new ideas would not be created. Part of the genius behind a full fledged society is the fact that it it comprised of individuals working to better the world they live in. The most successful societies have rules that are in tact but also have individuals who are willing to contribute positively to society and take just as much as they put in. When this occurs, society can ultimately give back to the individual because there is a balance. This is seen in paved roads, a set currency and public schools. Society can provide a positive place to grown up and become successful in life but it gives no freebies. In the same manner, society can also set up an individual to fail. Based in societal implications and racism, certain types of people were set up to fail throughout American history, especially African Americans. even after obtaining suffrage, there were poll tests to "weed out" those who were not deemed intelligent enough to vote. However, most often it discriminated against the poorly educated newly freed African Americans. Society is obliged to respond to the individual because that is what shapes it. Depending on the individuals partaking in a certain society, the manners in which people behave and the way people dress can be a direct link to society and its ability to shift and change almost on a day to day basis. In this case, directly violating laws and going against society is an okay thing to do because there is a flaw in society, and individuals must take it upon themselves and change it for the better, or the worse. Either way, a change must be made and it is up to the individual to make that change.
     People are also obliged to uphold the laws of society. The United States Government gives the American people many added benefits that societies all over the world only dream of. It is only fair to uphold the rules of society in order to receive these extra perks of living in a democratic nation.   By accepting these "gifts" such as paved roads and public schools, we are agreeing to oblige to society and not create an uncivilized uproar. This is not to say we should not have the power to have our voice heard, and that is exactly the idea behind a perfect democratic society. In the most basic terms, the only way that the individual should defy society is when one feels that there is injustice occurring, such as the Civil Rights movement or the womens suffrage movement. The role of the individual is necessary to society in the same way that society is necessary to the individual. Th individual ultimately shapes society and can be one of the only predictions of our future.