The Last American Man

In a way, I do believe that Eustace is “the last American man.” When the settlers first arrived in America, they lived completely off of the land. They had no car, television, phone, or anything. The definition of American is the result of these men who lived off of the land. Eustace is “the last American man” because he is one of the only people in the United States who lives this way. Eustace believes in circles instead of squares and the circle of life. He stated how people drove to work in a box on wheels, they lived in a box, they work in a box, etc. Today, 99% of the population functions through squares, which is perfectly okay. The American society is constantly developing and with this development comes new technological advances that are brought forward. As long as the consumption of the Earth’s natural resources is not too rapid, I think it is alright to drive a car, live in a house, and have material items just as long as we use them wisely.

Apprentices

Eustace’s apprentices constantly came and went from Turtle Island. Approximately 90% of the apprentices that have worked for Eustace left before their two years were up. Apprentices usually thought that Eustace treated them as his slave. One apprentice, Shannon Nunn, claimed that he was only doing menial jobs. Shannon stated that all he was doing was digging ditches and building fences when he wanted to learn how to live off the land. After only a week at Turtle Island, Shannon left. Only a couple of apprentices actually survived at Turtle Island. One of the successful apprentices, Christian Kaltrider, said that the way he succeeded was by telling himself, “I am letting him (Eustace) have this control for the purpose of my education. And he is in control only of my education, not of my identity.” It took a unique person, like Kaltrider, to actually survive as Eustace Conway’s apprentice.
I do not think that I would want to work for Eustace. I would not like living off the land, dumpster diving, and eating only squash in the winter. It is not the ideal life for me. He is too strict for my liking, and I would want to have time to just relax as well. Also, I would want to work for someone who was more fun.

Traveling across America by Horse

Eustace “had spent the better part of his life devising ways to break down walls and enter the consciousness of every kind of American.” (pg. 155) Eustace traveled all over America by several different means of traveling including by foot, hitchhiking, boxcars, and long drives. Eustace wanted to accomplish the feat of traveling across America again, except, he wanted it to be a bit more of a challenge. He decided that the best way to do this would be if he traveled by horse. Also, another reason that Eustace wanted to go on this journey was because he hoped to mend the relationship that he had with his brother. He wanted to become closer to Judson and become better friends.

At a point in his trip across the United States, Eustace and his brother, Judson, came into a conflict that was not resolvable. They came to a fork in the road. Eustace wanted to continue traveling along the highway even though it was a longer route. He wanted to do this because it was much safer. Judson and Susan wanted to travel through a rugged canyon. It would be much more dangerous, however it would be a shorter route and much more scenic. Later, they decided that Judson and Susan would go through the canyon, and Eustace would travel along the highway by himself. When they met up again, Eustace noticed that Judson and Susan’s horses were limping. From then on, whenever Judson disagreed with something that Eustace said, Judson would shut his mouth and simply bear it because if he did so, it would be a more peaceful journey.

Pressures of Turtle Island

Eustace becomes stressed after only two years of running Turtle Island and starts to become burnt out. Eustace was teaching eighty kids when four government cars arrived and arrested him. Eustace had been accused of killing animals without a permit. A neighbor had tipped the government off. Eustace had to take the next month to collect letters of evidence that show that the deerskin had all been given to him, so he could tan them. Turtle Island had been a very stressful adventure for Eustace so far and was wearing him out. Besides the incident with the neighbor who reported him to the government, Eustace related to the people around him pretty well. He especially got along with Ma-Maw, his elderly Appalachian neighbor. She provided Eustace with moral support during his trial and really cared for him.

Starting Turtle Island

The purchase of Turtle Island was very important to Eustace. It finally provided Eustace with the chance to show people the way he lives and how it is important to know how the world functions. Eustace becomes more relaxed after creating Turtle Island because he knows that his dream is finally coming true. However, Eustace also is very distressed when he had to pay off his father for the loan he took out. Eustace wants the future generations to understand the earth. He wants people to know that you cannot be too greedy because more people are going to eventually walk where you are walking. He wants people to love the earth for the way it is and not use up all of the resources that are naturally available to humans.

Habitat for Humanity

After searching several advocacy groups online, I decided to research and write about Habitat for Humanity. I did not know much about this group at first, so I had to research it for a while. I realized that Habitat for Humanity is a group that builds houses for people who are homeless or live in a very poor constructed house. This is a very important group because they can improve the health, physical safety, and security of a family. By the year 2030, the website (www.habitat.org) stated that an approximated three billion more people will need to have some sort of housing. That is about forty percent of the world’s population. If you broke this number down even further, an estimated 96,150 new units need to be built by 2030. This means that about 4,000 units need to be established every hour. These are astonishing statistics, and the sooner we start to build new, affordable units, the smaller that number will be by the year 2030.

Groups that Suffer Today

Although we would like to say that everyone in the United States is equal, that is not necessarily true. Most minority groups in the United States undergo the same prejudice that slaves such as Linda and Frederick Douglass endured.
Ever since September 11, most Americans have created a new prejudice towards Muslim people. Whenever most people step on a plane, they always check to see if there is anyone who is Muslim. Although this is wrong, people still do this because they are prejudice against someone who is remotely similar to a Muslim person. People fear that all people that are Muslim are bad because of the few extremists that killed many.
Another group is people who are the lower class of society. Poor people generally do not receive the same perks as do the middle and upper classes. People in the United States say that everyone is equal, however, we create these societies to divide everyone. For example, the middle and upper classes have better education and better access to medical needs and other resources.

Linda's Freedom

Linda eventually gains her freedom through Mrs. Bruce. Mrs. Bruce offered Mr. Dodge, Emily’s husband, three hundred dollars for Linda. Mr. Dodge replied by saying, “half a loaf was better than no bread” and accepted Mrs. Bruce’s offer.
When Mrs. Bruce first mentioned the idea of purchasing Linda, Linda refused. Linda replied by saying that if Mrs. Bruce bought her from Mr. Dodge, it would be like “being sold from one owner to another” which “seemed too much like slavery.”
When Linda is finally free, she has mixed feelings. She is excited that she is finally free and can walk the streets without fear of being captured. On the other hand, Linda’s years of slavery have not just disappeared and still affect her thoughts on others and the world in general. Linda is happy that she is free, but she knows that her “dream of life is not yet realized. I do not sit with my children in a home of my own. I still long for a hearthstone of my own, however humble. I wish it for my children’s sake far more than my own.”