Resistance

My favorite Foster poem was "Human Nature." I loved the way the farmers were resisting the new technology which the salesman referred to as part of "progress." This resisitance by the farmers I think can be found here in the Adirondacks, though I believe the resistance is fading. The Adirondacks still have a feeling of being from an older time, before the large machines and brutal strength of technological and industrial progress. Of course, evidence of progress is easily found: wifi, cars, old furnaces, the Northway, etc. are present in the park. But their presence does not wholly diminish the effects of the undeveloped land, the old and forgotten barns and cabins, the Adirondack culture. When the salesman in the poem remarked that he hoped that the farmers would not buy his new machine I felt that it could relate to how visitors to the park want to experience modern amenities like satellite tv and cell service while still wanting to be able to experience a place and a time before all that. And that is where the interesting dichotomy within the park is generated: the desire for both modern convenience and past ruggedness. I also like that the salesman was an outsider to the community of farmers and that they got one over on him just like locals here have their own community and have ways to get one over on the tourists - like hiking prices on things during tourist season and then offering a locals discount. This builds community within the park and within the poem and provides the community a way to keep on. I thought "Human Nature" was a great poem to read during this semester.