Running head: House or Home?

1
House or Home?
Kurtis W. Ward
DeVry University
Author Note
This paper as prepared !or "N#$%1&'
taught (y )ro!essor *. +onaghan.
House or Home? ,
House or Home?
-. /ong0 as does every human (eing0 to (e at home herever . !ind myse/!.1 2Ange/ou3.
This 4uote seems to anser the 4uestion o! hat is the di!!eren5e (eteen house and home. .t
imp/ies that a home 5an (e anyhere (ut a house is 6ust a (ui/ding. "ven though peop/e ou/d
/i7e to thin7 that this 4uote is a/ays true0 may(e it isn8t. .n 9udith :o!er8s essay -;i/ent
Dan5ing10 she te//s o! ho her house as her home and that anyhere e/se ou/d (e !oreign to
her. <n the other hand0 +i5hae/ $eis rites a(out his house in -The +ansion1 and says that his
is too (ig to (e a home. David ;edaris a/so has a di!!erent vie o! his house in -This </d
House1. He esta(/ishes his vie o! his house (ased on the things inside it instead o! the people
inside it.
9udith :o!er0 in her essay -;i/ent Dan5ing1 says that her house is her home. Her house in
)atterson is the ear/iest thing she remem(ers !rom her 5hi/dhood even though she as (orn in
)uerto Ri5o. ;he states that even though her !ather anted to /eave )atterson0 her mother did not.
-The on/y thing his money 5ou/d not (uy us as a p/a5e to /ive aay !rom the (arrio %% his
greatest ish0 +other=s greatest !ear1 2:o!er3. Her and her mother thought o! their house0 and the
neigh(orhood0 as their home. <ne o! the reasons !or their /onging to stay in their home0
)atterson0 as that most o! the peop/e in her neigh(orhood ere )uerto Ri5an. They spo7e the
same /anguage0 ate the same !ood0 had the same 5ustoms0 and stru57 together /i7e a !ami/y. Her
home as very sa!e and 5om!orting !or her and her mother0 ho had not trave//ed the or/d
mu5h /i7e her !ather ho as in the navy.
:onverse/y0 +i5hae/ $eis in his or7 -The +ansion1 vies his house as 6ust a house
and un!it to (e a home. He thin7s his house is too (ig to (e a proper home !or his !ami/y and
open/y states it.
House or Home? >
+idd/e%5/ass peop/e have homes? upper%5/ass peop/e have monuments. A man strugg/ing
to ho/d on to the i//usion that he is upper midd/e 5/ass has (e5ome /i7e a 5hara5ter in a
5artoon earth4ua7e: He /oo7s don and sees his !eet (eing dragged ever !arther apart (y
a 4ui57/y idening !issure. His /egs stret5h0 then sp/ay0 and !ina//y he p/unges into the
a(yss.
This house0 and everything it represents0 stands on the more appea/ing side o! the 5hasm.
-.t8s per!e5t01 . said. 2$eis3
This is one o! the most 5ru5ia/ parts o! the essay to read hen attempting to in!er hat $eis
thought a(out his house. .n the a(ove 4uote0 $eis suggests that on/y midd/e 5/ass peop/e have
-homes1 and that upper 5/ass !ami/ies have -monuments1. He then says that he 5hose the -more
appea/ing side o! the 5hasm1 hi5h one 5an assume is the -monumenta/ side1. $eis says ear/ier
that he is upper midd/e 5/ass0 -Upper midd/e 5/ass is the 5/ass into hi5h . as (orn0 the 5/ass to
hi5h . as a/ays to/d . (e/onged1. He 7noing/y 5hose hat he thought as on the other side
o! the 5hasm0 5omp/ete/y disregarding the 5onse4uen5es.
$eis 5hose the rong house and eventua//y paid !or it and had to move. <ne might
thin7 that a man0 ho a/ready 7ne that the house as not !or him0 ou/d pass up on the 5han5e
to /ive there. ;o hy did he rent the house? He as pressured (y a 5ommon (e/ie! that (igger
a/ays e4ua/s (etter. He as 5hasing the -Ameri5an dream10 the (e/ie! that the (igger one8s
house is the (etter one is. .n order true (e tru/y happy0 one must a55ept hat his means are and
(e grate!u/ !or hat he has0 not (itter a(out hat he does not have. .n the end0 even his 5hi/dren
dis5overed that the mansion as not the (est p/a5e to /ive.
House or Home? @
$ast/y0 David ;edaris shares his vies on his house in his essay -This </d House1. .n the
essay0 ;edaris te//s o! a time hen he stayed at an o/d (oarding house. He says that he as very
interested in the many o/d0 anti4ue o(6e5ts inside the house rather than the eAtreme/y interesting
peop/e that o55upied the house. <ne o! ;edaris8s !/as is that he as not a(/e to see the true
va/ue o! his house unti/ he had a/ready /e!t. He te//s the story many years a!ter he it had ta7en
p/a5e and the reader 5an in!er that he no !ee/s that it as his home0 (ut hen he as a5tua//y
/iving there0 it as his home !or di!!erent reasons. He origina//y /i7ed it !or a// o! the o/d things
in it0 and no he rea/iBes that it as not the things0 (ut the peop/e that made the sha((y0 o/d
(oarding house into a home.
.n 5on5/usion0 the three authors vieed their on houses di!!erent/y. :o!er /oo7ed at the
peop/e in her house0 $eis /oo7ed at the sheer siBe o! his house0 and ;edaris /oo7ed at the things
in his house. When it 5omes don to it though0 they a// eventua//y dis5overed that home is here
they ere ith peop/e they /oved.
House or Home? C
Re!eren5es
+aya Ange/ou. 2n.d.3. *rainyDuote.5om. Retrieved August ,@0 ,&1@0 !rom
*rainyDuote.5om We( site:
http:EE.(rainy4uote.5omE4uotesE4uotesEmEmayaange/o>'@1FF.htm/
:o!er0 9udith. G:o!er0 ;i/ent Dan5ing.G :o!er0 ;i/ent Dan5ing. N.p.0 n.d. We(. 1& Aug.
,&1@. Hhttp:EE,.haaii.eduEI!a5o(aEreadingsE5o!er.htmJ
;edaris0 David. GThis </d House.G This </d House. N.p.0 n.d. We(. 1& Aug. ,&1@.
http:EE.mi7e5raver.5omEsedaris.htm/
$eis0 +i5hae/. GThe +ansion.G (iB6ourna/s. N.p.0 n.d. We(. ,@ Aug. ,&1@.
Hhttp:EEupstart.(iB6ourna/s.5omE5u/ture%/i!esty/eEgoodsErea/%estateE,&&'E&KE1'E+i5hae/%$eis%
+ansion.htm/?pageLa//J.