"A Man in the Woods" and My Thoughts

      "A Man in the Woods" is a narrative written by Andrew White for his English 1101 class in 2010. White tells his story of how he delivered food and water to needy people in Bankhead Village, Georgia. The men that lived in the village had livelihoods unlike anything most of us would experience. They live in the woods and survive on donations or food that they hunt for themselves. When it gets cold during the winter season, they burn logs and trash to keep themselves warm. When White enters the village with food and water, a man named James greets him and guides him through the village. James dropped off food and water from White at every hut that was inhabited. While White walks through the village, he notices the horrible odor that was coming from the trash that was piled everywhere. White realizes what horrible conditions they are living in and feels grateful for the things that he has.

      This story reminds me of the time I visited Vietnam with my family. Instead of one village, there were several poor villages. There are millions of people in the world who do not live in comfort and prosperity like us. They live harsh lives and are faced with difficult challenges that we have never experienced. This narrative reminds me of how blessed I am and how I need to support these needy people when I have the financial means to do so.

      White probably wrote this narrative to show his experience and uses it as a way to persuade people to not take their lives for granted and to show that there are people out there who are not as lucky as us. We should be thankful for our fortunes and do not forget about the people who are less-fortunate.