Bryson

Steven Schwarz

English 102

Assignment 3

The House

I found the introduction to Bryson's piece very interesting because the origin of the paper is contemporary Europe writing about a 1600's house in Europe.  Europe is of course always a good topic because that's where politics for a lot of us began in history.  With that simple context, comes so many expectations of what society was like for the people who lived in the house prior.  He talks a lot about his discussion with the seller.  They bring up how the ground has risen in relation to the house foundation, and the settlements that took place during the house's existence.  The writer wishes to make his own history in this place, much like famous figures of the past.  He states, "Even Einstein will have spent large parts of his life thinking about his holiday or new hammock or how dainty was the ankle on the young lady alighting from the tram across the street." This leads me to assume that he knows his life in this house isn't a spectacle that will reflect his greater purpose, but will act as a catalyst for his future endeavors. 

I don't feel as though there is much to say about inquiry in this chapter.  He really just explains the house and doesn't bring up conflict within himself or anything for that matter.  He lays out plenty of facts and interesting things about the house itself, and for that he would fit a portion of our class model, but without capturing the true purpose of the essay (bringing a question to the table without picking a side).  I don't find any instances of inquiry at all to the end of the piece.  He goes on plenty about the history of the world since 1600 but doesn't really bring forward one big question that you can keep on your mind throughout the chapter.