Critical Assignment, Essay Example

This paper provides a reflective analysis of the ‘Regional Motive’ by Wendell Berry. The paper examines the life of the author as a writer and discusses the concept of regionality in terms of his travels. He considers the term ‘regional’ to be little understood and confusing in terminology.  The term lends itself to stereotyping and possible bigotry and he cites the Southern States as an example. Here rationality descends into associations and peoples thought of the Southern States being associated with items like Kentucky Fried Chicken or good old southern hospitality.

Regionality either binds the Southerner to his homeland or potentially seeks to detach it from him depending upon circumstances.  The business man in Chicago may not want to be perceived as the country bumpkin from the South.  The author sees the values of the agrarian southern states being eroded as the best and brightest talent seeks both jobs and Universities in the Northern States.  Hence this withdrawal is seen as a denial of love of the land but more a respect of historical associations.  He considers the regional motive to be false when comparing regionalism with that of nationalism.  The author considers that the key to sustainment of regionalism is the possession of local knowledge and local life will only continue and flourish on that basis. He defines this as a local life aware of itself.  He cites an example of this in the works of Thomas Hardy and the novel ‘Woodlander’.  A place may have many attributes but it will not be comfortably inhabited by people if it does not have memories.  Another example might be that of Virginian people who are bonded to their state through the ties of history with the war of independence and the civil war. Heritage in regionalisation provides memories of the family who strived in order to make it their home.

The author describes how our society has become nomadic by nature and has lost its reverence for homeland. The environment of the land has to be fit for human habitation and the humans have to be fit for and respect the land.  Without the knowledge and history we cannot respect the place that we live in and therefore we make it vulnerable to mindless destruction and those who would otherwise willingly destroy or degrade the place. Perhaps the integration of Europe is an example and where the Romany people have settled in Italy and France living a nomadic lifestyle that is not respectful of the inhabitants or history of the country they have invaded.  Europe itself does not have a sense of identity; it is the countries that make up Europe that constitute cultural and social identity. The nomadic lifestyle is eroding this. Hence the point the author makes on the irrelevancy of regionalization is well made.