An Amish Perspective

In David Kline's essay, Kline uses his personal experience of living on a farm to examine and discuss the importance of making your own mark in your place while also keeping a balance of the history that exists in that place from the people who were there before you.  He uses metaphors and history along with his family's memories and day to day lives on the farm to express the connection that his home has on his life and the importance of living somewhere that evokes these emotions.  One of the key aspects of the essay that drew me in was Kline's clear knowledge of history and nature.  Through his writing it is apparent that Kline is a well informed naturalist whom the reader can trust to provide trustworthy information over the historical topics he discusses.  Kline uses his knowledge of the history of his farm to connect the reader to the emotional ties that he has with the land and help the reader to understand why he feels such a personal connection to the land.  The part of the essay that most intrigued me was Kline's introduction to the topic.  He simply and bluntly begins by saying that he "want(s) to talk about our farm." By beginning with such a plain statement Kline immediately grabbed my attention and had me wondering where he was going with such a simple sounding topic.