Essay

Question: Read the paragraph for E.M Forster's 1936 essay, "My Wood". Define Foster's attitude toward the experience of owning property and analyze that attitude; consider Foster's word choice, manipulation of sentences, and use of biblical allusions.

Prewrite:
- E.M Forster has property and wants to know its effects on him.
- He believes that owning property changes someone's behavior.
- It becomes harder to move when you have such a big place with many items.
- You have to dust, which means you need a duster, which leads to having servants, which need        insurance.
- The "Wood" represents his land.
- Owning property is not as good as it seems.
- He feels like he always has to do something to make his property better.
- He uses biblical allusions to convey a feeling and help the readers understand.
- His word choice is advanced and his readers are most likely well educated people who will truly undersand his metaphors and biblical allusions.
- He says property creates men of weight, which could mean that men get more selfish when they acquire more and more things.

Essay:

     E.M Forster wrote the essay, "My Wood" after his recent purchase of a house and land. He believed that owning more property and having more things would bring joy to his life. However after his experience with all this new property, his perception of owning property quickly changed. Throughout his essay he repeats, "My wood makes me feel heavy", a few times to let the readers know that he is not happy with having so much property and that it was dragging him down. Overall, Forster has a negative attitude towards owning property and conveys this feeling through the manipulation of words, word choice, and use of biblical allusions.

     E.M Forster's goal was to find out what owning property does to someone and its psychological effects on people. He talks about how it becomes harder to move when you have property because you have so many things to take with you. Maintenance becomes more difficult since there are more things you need to clean. Clearly, these things would change somebody's behavior and view on owning property. Increasing maintenance could lead to hiring servants which could lead to the person becoming lazy and expecting others to do their work all the time. In Forster's experience he was never satisfied with his property. Even though he owned it there were public paths that went through his land. He felt like the land wasn't fully his. You can tell Forster has changed because now he wants the property all to himself. He feels like he deserves to have it all to himself.

     Forster's choice of words is advanced and he uses objects to symbolize other things, such as his land which he refers to as his "wood". He says his wood makes him feel heavy. This could mean many things such as not being able to move around easily with all his stuff, becoming a selfish person, or even feeling like owning all this property is completely changing him. He believes that as he acquires more things he becomes heavier and heavier. He is becoming a man of weight. Instead of writing that he is a man who is buying more and more things, he writes that he is becoming a man of weight. He uses these words to symbolize that all his property makes him heavier.

      Forster's intended audience is for more mature people who will understand his vocabulary and use of biblical allusions. In one part of his essay when he talks about wanting more and more land he says, "Happier Alexander" which he could be referring to Alexander the Great who conquered a lot of land when he was a king. He could also be implying that people who own a lot of land feel like they are kings and that they should be respected. This could lead to people becoming arrogant and an increase in ego. Clearly these allusions help the readers understand in a deeper meaning what Forster is trying to say. Forster's allusions support his opinion on owning property.

     Forster's essay is informative and his purpose is to let people know that they should really think about what they're going to buy. He talks about his experience and how he felt himself changing. His manipulation of sentences help the reader get a better understanding of what he is trying to say. He mentions a bird that is on his property yet it is not his. He uses this to prove that he is not satisfied with his property and that it is not enough for him. Overall, Forster has a negative attitude towards owning land and doesn't want his readers to become the  men of weight which he describes in his essay. He supports his argument with allusions and personal experience.