Summary

A seventy–one year old man is going on a journey to the town. He takes a taxi to
the train station. On the way, he sees the familiar shops near his home. As they
drive along, the old man strikes a conversation with the driver and calls him
“young fulla”. The train station has changed from the time he was last there. The
man at the ticket office is new and unpleasant as the old man calls him a
“sourpuss”; the old man feels a flash of animosity. The coach that he enters is Commented [1]: strong hostility

warm and comfortable. He is happy that he is the only passenger. He is quite

capable of doing his own things. It irks him when people assume that he needs
help. He watches the scenes change as the train speeds past. He remarks that the
train is travelling over reclaimed land. All the “land” used to be the sea earlier
where his generation used to find “pipi”, a small edible shelled animal. He
wouldn’t be perturbed if the train were to crash into the ocean as it is time for his
life to end anyway. The scenery changes again. Two young children enter the
carriage wearing strange looking clothes that rustle when they move. It is a
crowded part of the town now. Everything is new to him. Earlier one saw only a
few farms along the railway line. As the train moves into a tunnel, the man ponders
on the way the Pakehas, which means foreign Europeans in Maori, have changed
the lie of the land and deem this change to be “spectacular”. They have cut through
the land; nothing is an obstacle for them. Land was just something to be exploited
for mankind as the Pakeha “couldn’t go round, only through. Couldn’t give life
only death”. He understands that it is necessary to have roads and houses. But he
refuses the lack of feeling for land. The Pakehas are always looking to fix things.
Looking at the kids, he remembers his childhood friend, George. He wonders
whether he will be able to meet him somewhere.

When he gets off the train, he finds the station much the same. Though the trains
no longer run on coal, the station is no cleaner than the “soot days”. In the olden
days, the stations used to be full of hungry starving people. But his family never
went hungry as his father was an able farmer who tended his land carefully. They
had surplus food that they either sold or bartered. He has arrived early so decides
to wait and enjoy being alone without anyone interfering. He recollects an incident
where a Maori burial ground somewhere was leveled to make way for roads. The
whole place was dug up and relocated. People’s remains were all mixed up. When
the headstones were replaced, it was done haphazardly and as the Pakehas called it,
“tastefully”. It was all beautiful but meaningless. Time has elapsed and now he has
to set out for home. He again wonders whether he should go looking for George.
He is conscious of his aching feet by now. The story goes back to the visit he made
to the government agency. That is what he had come to the town for. He tells the
official that he is planning to divide his land among his family. But the officer
explains that that is is not possible. The authorities will not permit subdivision of
land. Land is to be pooled and used by the government for off-street parking. The
old man explains that it is his ancestral land. The functionary shows him plans and
blueprints that the old man cannot relate to as he says, “It’s only paper and you can
change it”. The man does nothing to help except promise him “equivalent’ land
elsewhere. Frustrated the old man kicks the table before he leaves. At the end of
the train ride, he takes another taxi and chats with its driver. When he gets home,
his family wants to know what happened at the office. His answer disheartens
them. And then he tells them that when he dies he wants his body cremated and not
buried as cemeteries are no longer safe. Someone may dig up his bones and
transfer it somewhere else. The story ends with the old man feeling frustrated and
angry, as “He sat on the edge of his bed for a long time looking at the palms of his
hands.”

Author
Patricia Grace is the first Maori woman writer to have published a novel and is a
foundational figure in the development of Maori fiction. The Maoris are the
indigenous polynesian people of New Zealand. She writes in English trying to
copy the cadences of the Maori language. The themes of most of her writing are
the lost Maori way of life, the Maori bond with land and nature and the clashes
these produce when they come into contact with new officialdom. She also writes
about the changes among the Maoris; the young no longer have any special feeling
for their land. She also mourns for the loss of pristine land. Officials think only of
providing affordable housing; those whose land is marked for “development”
cannot understand how the land they have owned and farmed can be taken away
from them. Her stories often represent the lack of respect the government has for
the native Maoris in New Zealand.

Themes
In Journey by Patricia Grace we have the theme of change, powerlessness,
frustration, responsibility and acceptance. Narrated in the third person by an
unnamed narrator the reader realises after reading the story that Grace may be
exploring the theme of change. The old man can remember travelling into the city
by steam train. Also when he is on the train to the city he notices how much the
landscape has changed. The difference that time has brought. This may be
important as in many ways it acts as foreshadowing. The old man also wants to
change the small piece of land that he owns and build some houses on it for his
nephews and nieces. However it becomes clear to the reader that the old man is in
reality powerless when it comes to the decision making on the changes that he
wishes to make. While in the city talking about his land with the young man (Paul)
it becomes clear to the reader that the city planners intend to make car parking
spaces out of the old man’s land. Something that frustrates the old man even
though he has been promised other housing. The old man’s frustration may be two
fold. Firstly he is unhappy that the city planners will not build on his land for him
and secondly his emotional attachment to the land gets the better of him.
Something that is noticeable by the fact that the old man kicks and damages Paul’s
desk. At no stage of the story is the old man in control of the conversation he is
having with Paul. The decision has been made on how the land will be allocated
and the old man has to accept this. Something he finds difficulty in doing. Though
time has progressed and the world around the old man has changed. The old man
himself does not appear to be open to change nor is he open to the city planners
reallocating land to him. This may be important as it suggests that the old man has
difficulty letting go. There are some things he might be able to accept that need
changing. However when it comes to anything which may affect his own life, like
the housing problem, he is not comfortable with this. It is as though the old man is
unable to adapt to the world around him. Something that is further noticeable by
his refusal to use the lavatories in the city. His previous experience having been
unpleasant.

It is also self-evident that the old man is under a lot of pressure from his nephews
and nieces. Though they do not say anything to the old man. The sense is that they
view it as being his responsibility to sort out the issue with the land. They
themselves have tried and failed. Their only recourse is to let the old man go into
the city to see if he can resolve the issue. Something which as mentioned he fails to
do. What he might have thought would have been a simple issue turns out to be a
bureaucratic headache for the old man. Others are in control of what will happen
and not the old man. Which may be the point that Grace is attempting to make. She
may be suggesting that no matter how simple or easy an individual’s desires may
be. Bureaucracy will inevitably wear the individual down. Something that has
happened the old man. He knows that his battle is lost and there is nothing that he
can do about it. It is also interesting that Grace mentions the old man’s garden as
this is the only piece of land mentioned in the story that the old man has control
over. Something he himself seems to realise. The fact that the old man looks at the
palms of his hands while sitting on his bed could also be important. By looking at
his hands he may again realise how physically and symbolically powerless he
actually is. Earlier in the story he wanted to hit Paul with his hands but knew that
he no longer had the power. The old man’s decision not be buried (or to go into the
ground) may also be significant as the old man knows that he has no control over
his resting place. His grave can be dug up and he can be moved. Something that
the old man recalls happening to other graves while he was on his journey to the
city. Overall the old man’s experience of change and bureaucracy has been
unpleasant. He has not succeeded in his goal which suggests that he has become
powerless to the changes that are and will occur around him. The only thing the old
man can do is accept the position he finds himself in. Though this may take him
some time. The old man has been beaten by both change and bureaucracy. The
drive and determination he had prior to setting out to the city is no longer. If
anything the old man is defeated.

At the core, The Journey is all about the bond that Maoris have with their land.
Land was not just something on which people built homes or farmed; there was an
intimate connection with land. When a landowner died, the land was divided
among the family. It never left the family. But the white New Zealanders whom
the old man refers to as Pakeha have no feeling for land because they were only
settlers who came from Europe and colonized the country. The old man wants to
bequeath his land to his family. The land has been with the family for generations
but the government agency now wants to take it away for building something as
benign as a parking lot. Change is mentioned very often in the story. Sometimes
the old man says there is no change but often things have changed but there have
been no obvious benefits from that change. The old man likes to see things
unchanged but the Pakehas think all the time about development. They chop and
change to make the land suitable for housing and railway. The natural patterns are
altered forever. He refuses the crowding that is visible on the way to the town.
Where there were only three or four farms earlier, now there a large group of
houses.

Patricia Grace's short story "Journey" is literally about an elderly Maori man who
takes a "journey" into town, as he calls it, but it is figuratively a description of life's
journey of progress. More specifically, it questions just how much "progress" truly
is progress. As the man progresses on his journey from taxi to train to town, he
comments on all the little things that are both the same and different. In particular,
he notes the changes that have been made to the land, such as how the government
has laid down an artificial landmass to create more room for railway tracks. Once
he is in town, we learn the old man has taken this journey to try and fight similar
land changes. The government is taking land owned by the natives and developing
it, as we see when he protests, "... we want nothing more than what is ours
already." When he protests that his nieces and nephews need homes, he is told that
they will be given land of “equivalent” value. But the natives don't want to live on
land of equivalent value; they want to live on land that has "been ours since before
we were born." However, sadly, of course the man leaves empty handed and is
treated like he is a fool. Hence, the purpose of the story is to question what
governments deem to be development and progress and to show common ways in
which natives are mistreated. This theme of the story representing the journey of
life is also portrayed through the old man’s contemplations as he says when
comparing life to a tunnel, “probably whole of life was like that, sitting in the dark
watching and waiting.”

The story also sheds light on the theme of Tradition vs. Innovation. Grace focuses
on how society is being changed by globalisation and technology and how
traditions and old beliefs are being put aside. This conflict is mainly represented
through the contrast between Maori values and culture and the Pakehas
unpragmatic pursuit of development and progress as they are described as “Funny
people those town people”. This striking conflict highlights the differences in their
culture. At the basis of the “Journey’ is the very real issue of land ownership,
dramatized here as a confrontation between the old Maori man who claims the
right to leave his land sub-divided among his heirs according to Maori custom, and
the government department that has appropriated his land and the entire locality for
development. Between the two parties no communication is possible, a situation
underlined by the differences in language and hence, culture. One argues for
people and their need for houses as he says, “But people have to have houses”, the
other enumerates the engineering problems; one speaks from first-hand experience
of the nature of the soil and the vegetables it will produce, the other resistors to
maps and plans and the abstractions of “aesthetic aspects”.

The Old Man

“He was an old man going on a journey” and “He liked that word journey even
though you didn’t quite say it”. He is a seventy-one year old native Maori man
who has a very strong attachment to his traditions and beliefs and is the clear
protagonist of the story as it revolves around his “journey” to the city. He
constantly compares the way of life in the city with the traditional life of the
Maori. He preferred the ways which respected nature and its spirits, which is in
accordance with Maori customs and superstitions. While he does admire the
buildings and accomplishments of the Pakehas, he rues the lack of feeling for land,
an intrinsic part of his culture. He is strong-willed and knows what he wants. He
doesn’t like the fact that he is rather old but still acknowledges it, portrayed by his
consciousness of his feet aching, and hates it when people treat him as a helpless
elder; others “Doing his talk for him, made him sick”. He wants to be respected
despite his age. He enjoys his solitude but does not get enough opportunities to be
alone. He is quite feisty as when he is discussing the issue of land ownership with
the city official he loses his temper and kicks and damages his desk. The old man
is stroppy, judgemental, sarcastic and grumpy. Through the thoughts and feelings
of this character the author explores the conflict between traditional Maori life and
beliefs and modern society and life. He is nostalgic for the old days yet accepts that
change must happen. The old man admires pakeha progress yet wants to keep the
old ways too. He sees happiest when he sees things that remain “the same” and
cherishes old things and old friends like George.

Language and Structure

Grace has chosen to write the story in multiple short paragraphs which gives the
plot a sort of pace and maintains a sense of suspense throughout, keeping readers
on the edge of the their seats. Multiple aspects are also described in great detail
through the use of techniques such as cliches and paronomasia (play on words);
“Good on his own, good as gold” and repetition. “Journey” is characteristic of
Grace’s stories in that the action is sited in the consciousness of the main character.
The author accesses this conscientiousness by the way of third-person limited
narration, where the reader sees the world through the eyes of the old man as the
narrator delovers the thoughts and feelings of only the protagonist. Furthermore,
dialogue is continuous with no quotation marks which makes the reader feel as if
he/she is inside the story and creates a stream of consciousness as the Old Man’s
thoughts and reactions to the events that unfold are perceived as a continuous flow,
enhancing the impact of the intended pathos. The language used by the old man
also has a touch a sarcasm, increasing the emotional impact of his words and also
bringing in a touch of humour. The name of the Old Man also stays anonymous
which suggests that such a situation is an issue faced by uncountable Maoris,
showing a complete lack of respect for their culture by the Pakehas. The narrator’s
tone is negative and aggravated which reflects the way the protagonist feels about
the situation. Grace has also made use of linguistic realism through the use of
Maori words and colloquial language which make the happenings of the story all
the more real.

Throughout the story, there are various blocks of dialogue between the old man
and different people that he encounters during his "journey." The speaking is not
indicated by quotation marks; rather it is up to the reader to determine where there
are conversations. Depending on the character with whom the man is speaking,
different things are represented. When he speaks to the vendor in the ticket booth,
the reader is shown how resentful the man feels towards the younger generation
and their way of acting. However, when he speaks with George, who holds an
admiration and respect for nature that mirrors his own, he is much more kind and
patient. This shows the side of his personality that is masked to the rest of the
world by his aggravation towards the government and pakehas. Grace also uses
hyperbole to great affect to showcase the skepticism the old man feels toward the
Pakehas’ efforts toward development and progress and their desire to fix
everything and make it their way as he says, “Then the rain’ll come and the cuts
will bleed for miles and the valleys will drown in blood, but the pakeha will find a
way of mopping it up no problem.” The author also uses symbolism to enhance the
impact of the story. The generational land can be said to symbolise the Maoris’
efforts to protect their heritage and their lack of control over it. The strip of
artificial land represents the government's efforts to subvert and exploit nature for
their own good. The Old Man’s garden symbolizes his and his culture’s respect
and admiration for nature. The taxi driver, who belongs to a later generation,
admits to not having gardening skills like the old man does, symbolizing the loss of
respect for land through the generations. The story is set in New Zealand and the
setting revolves around the old man. The titular “Journey” refers to the short trip
made by the protagonist to the city to discuss the issue of land ownership with
officials of a government agency.

The Pakehas have desecrated Maori culture and call it “resisted”. This is a
portrayal of their disregard. The old man’s inability to hold on to the old way of
life and to complete his responsibilities leads to the inability to die and rest in
peace, which is showcased by his lack of control over even his resting place.
‘Journey’ can be linked to the poem ‘Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening’ by
Robert Frost. The journey of the traveler in the poem can be compared to the
story’s figurative meaning of the journey of life. Both the old man and the traveler
don't have enough time for solitude as they overwhelmed by responsibilities and
promises.

LANGUAGE
1. Deeply authentic and uncomplicated: makes the readers feel connected to
the maori tribe: sympathise
2. “Couldn’t go round, only through”, and “couldn’t give the hills or tress a
name” emphasize on how unsympathetic the Pakehas are and the great
power that they hold over the future of this land
3. Old man: limited punctuation, simple vocabulary: attempting to copy the
cadence of the Maori language to make the story more authentic to its roots
4. Although the story is written in third person, the way the text flows freely
mimics the flow of consciousness of the old man: gives the readers deep
insight into his thoughts and feelings
5. Repetitive: “same old”: The old man uses it several times through the
course of the story, and therefore it is almost as though the man is checking
things that are still familiar to him in his surroundings, off in his head; the
 use of this phrase emphasizes how happy he feels when he is surrounded by
things that he is accustomed to.
6. “Not a journey, not what you would really call a journey.”: This quote
foreshadows the novel, the old man isn't going on an amazing journey. His
journey he is going on a ‘journey’ to see the progression of modernization
on the land he has lived on his whole life.
7. “They’d rather stare at the weather on television and talk about a this and a
that coming over because there’s nothing else to believe in” This quote
shows the difference between the natives and the pakehas, the natives
appreciate the land and cherish it. While the pakehas don’t care anymore,
they modernized, and technology has taken over.
8. “And probably the whole life was like that, sitting in the dark watching and
waiting. Sometimes it happened and you came into the light, but mostly it
only happened in tunnels. Like now” This quote helps us see into the views
of the Old Man, we see how he is losing hope in change. The light is what
the land used to be but now their in a ‘tunnel’ and all there is now is
destruction of the land and all of this development is taking away all the
nature, and technology and new developments are going in.
9. “And then coming out of the second tunnel that’s when you really had to
hold your breath, that’s when you really had to hand it to the pakeha,
because there was a sight.” : sarcasm
10.“Yes, he knows this place like his own big toe…” : This quote shows the
love and care that the Old Man has for his native land. Throughout the
changes going on he remembers the way it used to be and the way he
preferred it to be. The author used a simile to compare the two to show just
how familiar the Old Man was with the land.

THE OLD MAN VS THE CHANGING WORLD:

1. As the old man goes further into the city and is surrounded new things, he
begins to feel more uncomfortable
2. Grace draws a parallel between the changing world and the old man. Just
like old buildings and like the “steam engines” that “went out years ago”are
no longer welcome in society, neither is he
 3. Life is at full thrust around him, he is in it, but does not feel part of it: failed
to change with the world
4. traditional Maori governance of land has no place in modern government
and planning
5. by the end of the story when the man accepts his failure, he tells his
relatives to “burn me up… it’s not safe in the ground”
6. The youth: no longer as connected
7. He wants to bequeath his land (Generational differences)

CULTURE VS BUREAUCRACY: (officialdom)

1. Are its objectives in the best interest of the people?
2. Profound connection with land, that is now being “chop(ped) up” by the
Pakehas
3. The old man is said to have ‘green fingers’ and connects with his land
through ‘gardening’, this evokes emotion in the readers as it is made clear
than the man’s love for his land is not abstract, but it unfeigned love; This
love for his land, and the Maori custom involving the ‘subdivision’ of land
makes the old man go against the government’s aim of development
4. contrasts the Maori’s genuine attachment with the land as opposed to the
Pakehas who are ‘slicing it up’
5. the Pakehas, who have no emotional connect with the land, get to decide
what happens to it through their ‘plans’ and ‘maps’ This suggests that the
Pakehas are exploiting the Maori tribes livelihood and traditions
6. Grace incorporates an intense argument between the old man and a
government official to highlight the unfair nature of bureaucracy, as well as
to bring the two representatives of the Pakeha and Maori tribe face to face to
accentuate how oppressed the Maoris are: none of them are able to
comprehend each others opinion, and the discussion ends with great
frustration on the old man’s part, as he “kicked the desk” of the official.
7. The fact that the old man is fighting to keep alive what remains of his old
inheritance, but loses the fight to an inexperienced official who bases his
argument off ‘aesthetic aspects’ in comparison to the old man's first-hand
experience with nature and the soil, evokes the vulnerable position of the
man
 8. Grace skillfully concludes the story with the old man “looking at the palms
of his hands”: old man has accepted his defeat and bureaucracy has won: not
in his hands, inability to fulfill his promises, inability to die peacefully
9. The Pakehas dug up the very foundation of the Maoris by displacing their
bones: “your leg bone, my arm bone...someone else’s head” which the old
man says with great contempt
10.Corruption

Discuss how the author is effectively able to portray the pitiful condition of the
old man through the artful narration.

A story that originates from Grace’s own experiences, ‘Journey’, through its
deeply authentic and uncomplicated language, coupled with its touching theme
of the plight of the indigenous Maori group of New Zealand powerfully connects
with the readers. Grace’s aim of drawing a sharp contrast between her own
culture’s traditions, as oppose to the developmental objectives of bureaucracy is
successfully conveyed through the eyes of a seventy year old man who accentuates
the predicament of the Maoris.

Patricia Grace makes use of various techniques to portray the pitiful condition of
the old man. She uses the old man's profound connection with his land, that is now
being “chop(ped) up” by the Pakehas to highlight his pitiable situation. The old
man is said to have ‘green fingers’ and connects with his land through ‘gardening’,
this evokes emotion in the readers as it is made clear than the man’s love for his
land is not abstract, but it unfeigned love. This love for his land, and the Maori
custom involving the ‘subdivision’ of land makes the old man go against the
government’s aim of development. Grace sharply contrasts the Maori’s genuine
attachment with the land as opposed to the Pakehas who are ‘slicing it up’ This
contrast provokes thought on the Maori’s ideas on the value of land. However,
what makes this theme so pitiful is the fact that the Pakehas, who have no
emotional connect with the land, get to decide what happens to it through their
‘plans’ and ‘maps’ This suggests that the Pakehas are exploiting the Maori tribes
livelihood and traditions, thereby making the readers feel the old man’s dismal
condition. The old man on several occasions voices his negative opinions on
development and the Pakehas. Phrases such as “Couldn’t go round, only through”,
and “couldn’t give the hills or tress a name” emphasize on how unsympathetic the
Pakehas are and the great power that they hold over the future of this land evokes
anger in the readers.

The old man speaks with limited punctuation and basic vocabulary, and through
this Grace is attempting to copy the cadence of the Maori language to make the
story more authentic to its roots. Although the story is written in third person, the
way the text flows freely mimics the flow of consciousness of the old man. This
gives the readers a deeper insight into his character. The man’s language is
extremely repetitive too. One noteworthy phrase in the story is “same old”. The old
man uses it several times through the course of the story, and therefore it is almost
as though the man is checking things that are still familiar to him in his
surroundings, off in his head. The use of this phrase emphasizes how happy he
feels when he is surrounded by things that he is accustomed to. However, the man
is also shown to be surrounded with things that have changed, and Grace points
these out too. As the old man goes further into the city and is surrounded new
things, he begins to feel more uncomfortable. Grace here, draws a parallel between
the changing world and the old man. Just like old buildings and like the “steam
engines” that “went out years ago”are no longer welcome in society, neither is he.
Life is at full thrust around the man, he is in it, but does not feel a part of it, as he
has failed to change with the rest of the world. This, therefore effectively portrays
the pitiful condition of the old man.

Grace incorporates an intense argument between the old man and a government
official to highlight the unfair nature of bureaucracy, as well as to bring the two
representatives of the Pakeha and Maori tribe face to face to accentuate how
oppressed the Maoris are. Neither of them are able to comprehend each others
opinions about the land, and the argument ends with great frustration on the old
man’s part, as he “kicked the desk” of the official. The fact that the old man is
fighting to keep alive what remains of his old inheritance, but loses the fight to an
inexperienced official who bases his argument off ‘aesthetic aspects’ in
comparison to the old man's first-hand experience with nature and the soil, evokes
the vulnerable position of the man. Grace evokes questions about bureaucracy, and
whether their objectives are in the best interest of society in the minds of the
readers.

The disappointing defeat of the old man in achieving his aim truly brings out how
helpless his situation is. Grace skillfully concludes the story with the old man
“looking at the palms of his hands” This insinuates that the old man has accepted
his defeat, and bureaucracy has won. It has been established that traditional Maori
governance of land has no place in modern government and planning. Furthermore,
one of the key themes that Grace portrays is how greatly the Pakehas are
disrespecting the Maoris. The Pakehas dug up the very foundation of the Maoris by
displacing their bones. The readers can vividly see this through the phrase “your
leg bone, my arm bone...someone else’s head” which the old man says with great
contempt. However, by the end of the story when the man accepts his failure, he
tells his relatives to “burn me up… it’s not safe in the ground” Therefore, this
dispiriting way in which Grace ends her story successfully portrays the old man's
pitiful condition as we see the demoralized state of the man.

Grace’s story is one that is true to her culture, with her authentic language and
Maori traditions being a recurring theme. She emphasizes on the helpless situation
on her tribe and the fact that the story is more than just fiction, makes this piece
such an iconic piece of literature. She brings out the old man's plight in a way that
makes the readers feel so connected to the man, and therefore she remains
successful in her aim of provoking thought on Maori ideas of land, in opposition to
the government and perfectly highlighting the pitiful situation of the old man.

Quotes:
1. He didn't trust town lavatories → shows how he is unable to adapt to the
world around him
2. Funny people those town people → we immediately get the sense that there
is conflict between them
3. What about the kids? Costing me money → touch of humour in his
personality
4. Steam engines went out years ago → symbol for his own self; just like the
steam-engines, he too is outdated
5. they pushed a hull down over it and shot the railway line across to make
more room for cars → they are willing to exploit nature to no end when it
comes to development. Makes us question whether development is really
worth it
6. cold crowd → inhumane, no emotions: the effect is enhanced by the use of
alliteration
7. the whole of life was like that, sitting in the dark watching and waiting → he
is comparing life to a tunnel: shows how he has been kept in the dark
8. pakeha determination
9. Had to chop up everything → brutal connotations
10.Couldn't talk to a hill or a tree → they never bothered to connect to nature
11.Couldn't give life, only death
12.pakeha will find a way of mopping it all up no trouble
13.they’d learned to behave like people, eat your feet off if you gave them half
a chance → the pigeons are symbolic of the Pakeha and the ‘chance’ here
refers to colonisation
14.He knows this place like his own big toe
15.He was filled with admiration → he knew the line between appreciating
their work and criticising it
16.Every now the ground gave you good things
17.Your leg bone, my arm bone → no dignity in death
18.Subdivision
19.People had to have houses → conflicting aims
20.There was no equal land → shows how much they valued it
21.Aesthetic aspects
22.This here, it’s only paper and you can change it
23.We want nothing more than what is ours already
24.Green fingers → shows his genuine attachment with the land
25.Burn me up I tell you, it’s not safe in the ground
26.looking at the palms of his hands