In some means, we often identify ourselves with what we are accustomed too. We are designed as humans to fully process aspects of our environment which develops our behavioral sense, our judgment, and our moral compass . Our environment can be held responsible for how we are molded as individuals; however, it is our choice to allow our previous experiences to impact the people we become. Our choices are related to Ralph Kabnis in Cane greatly. I came to this conclusion halfway during our class discussion about Kabnis in Cane earlier this month.Ralph Kabnis is a man of mixed ethnicity who travels to the roots of Georgia to uncover its overlooked beauty. However, once there, he is repulsed by the ugliness of the treatment of African Americans. Kabnis retained high expectations of Georgia and was appalled by the reality of his new life that he now must adapt to.While analyzing the text, I alluded to an idea that Kabnis was experiencing culture shock, as am I. The author Moran in “Interdisplinarity” suggests that if people wish to expand the horizons of their previous accustomed nature, one must “question the interpretations of the world that are usually taken for granted” (75), rather than just settling for the elements of one’s life that are the norm. Kabnis’ experiences relate to my own dealings with culture shock because neither Kabnis nor I have questioned or accepted the reasons for why things happen, even why one might end up somewhere. I believe that everything happens for a reason, but even so, I will always be confused.
To be frank, I am not used to Geneseo’s way of life. I am used to the life that I experienced before coming here. I am accustomed to bright lights, late night bodegas, and fire sirens blasting my ears as I try to listen to music in my room back home in the city. Truthfully, I have never felt that my life has ever changed until now. As I am currently a seventeen-year-old freshman, it is time that I grow up and face the opportunities that Geneseo has in store for me. I can not let the weight of the failing or even not fitting in at Geneseo suppress my boisterous nature any longer.
I’m a young adult now. Even the thought of that scares me. I have a long road ahead of me.