There's nothing like coming home to a home-cooked meal with loved ones, especially during the holidays. Unfortunately, not everyone has the luxury of a place to call home. Being homeless is a negative experience. People may ask about others who travel all the time, but not having a physical place to call home doesn't necessarily mean you're homeless. No matter where or what you call home, having a home, physical or abstract, is a good thing while being homeless is the opposite. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Home can be a daunting topic to think about. For some, it's where they live or where they used to. It may be interesting to know how people decide where their home is located. In McAndrew's article it is stated that the house “connotes more than just a home” (2). Where people call home is where they have power. According to the video How To Understand Power, Eric Liu states that power is “the ability to make others do what you would like them to do.” This is evident in parents raising their children. They usually raise them at home and can make their children do what they tell them. Parents have power and control in their home. Where they find their identity can also be a determining factor in where people call home. For example, people sometimes find their identity based on their culture or nationality. An American's home will most likely be in America. It is where they feel safe and have some power thanks to democracy (Liu). Culture can have a great effect on the home. If some people identify with Southern culture, their home is likely in the South. This can be limited to regions and sometimes even cities that have their own unique culture. One of the most important factors determining where people call home and how they identify is human connections, and sometimes others. Family is the most common. Many people's home is where their family is. This provides comfort and familiarity. They know that when they are home they will be accepted. In McAndrew's article, he quotes Robert Frost in a poem: "Home is the place where, when you have to go, they must welcome you." Friends are also important connections that make you feel welcomed at home. They can offer comfort and a happy place away from all the stresses of life. People like that can make you feel like you belong there, a feeling that's essential to identifying your home. Bonds with animals can be very strong. People often have pets at home, and sometimes that's the only connection they have. Security is important to establish your home. Having a place to return to where they don't have to worry can have a huge effect on their life. The home should make you feel safe and should have the supplies you need. For example, a roof over your head and air conditioning to protect you from the elements make your home more comfortable and safe. You also need to be safe from harmful people who want to take them down. This is in line with the connections. The people in their home should make them feel safe and support them. Home doesn't have to be a specific place. I identify home as two different places. Henderson is my first home. It's where I grew up and where I've lived for most of my life. My family lives there, which gives me comfort. I know they will always welcome me and support me in whatever I do. My best friend of 10 years also lives there. It provides me with a relaxing place to escape from schoolworkand from anything else that causes my worry or stress. We have fun together and have many of the same hobbies, like skateboarding and video games. I also know Henderson very well. I know where almost everything is located in this little town. Nacogdoches is the second place I call home. I have many friends that I have made over the last three years who make me feel welcome. We have created a bond like no other. I always have someone here I can turn to if I need help or just want to hang out. I also have a dog named Cloud who I have a loving bond with. I can come home and cuddle him or play with my dog to feel better. He's a great wingman too. I also know Nac, although not as much as Henderson. I know where the main places and streets are and I can get to most places in the city. I am very familiar with Stephen F. Austin State University, where I attend school and spend most of my time. My house is so close that it's practically on campus. I also have two roommates who I met in my first year. These are just two examples of the many friendships I have made. Both of my homes have the essential aspects that make a place home. I have a physical home in both cities that provides security and a place to return to. I identify myself mainly by my hobbies, which I do in both places. I skateboard in Henderson, play basketball in Nacogdoches, and play the trumpet and video games in both. I also have strong ties in the two houses. They really make me feel like I belong there. That's why it's so difficult to choose one. To solve this problem, I claim them collectively. Not having a physical home does not mean someone is homeless. For example, a person who likes to travel often or a truck driver who is constantly on the road may consider the road his home. They don't have a physical place they call home, but they still have one; therefore, I am not homeless. In the book Into the Wild, Alex, a twenty-four year old, loves nature and everything about it. He likes it so much that he wants to go on an expedition to Alaska. While trying to convince his eighty-one-year-old friend to accompany him, he talks about his passion for wild nature. He says that “The fundamental core of a man's vital spirit is his passion for adventure. The joy of life comes from encountering new experiences, and therefore there is no greater joy than to have an ever-changing horizon, which every day has a new and different sun” (Krakauer 57). Adventurous people like him would call the wilderness their home. They love the freedom that comes with it. They identify with it. They may not have connections to real people, but their connections to nature make up for it. Truly homeless people do not have the qualities and characteristics that make something or some place home. Similar to travelers and explorers, there is no physical place a homeless person can return to. However, travelers and explorers don't have one by choice. Homeless people usually do not have the opportunity to have a physical home, most likely because they cannot afford it. They might call a place under a bridge or something like home home, but it doesn't have the makings of one. It's right where they live. It doesn't provide them with security. It might shelter them from the rain, but temperature is still a factor. If you feel like you might be frying eggs on the sidewalk or if you might see the abominable snowman walking down the street, then it won't be convenient to go under the bridge. They probably won't even have good heavy coats for the winter. In addition to the lack of safety and comfort, homeless people under a bridge have no hookups or electricity, two of the most important qualities of a home. Most homeless people don't have many friends or family. They probably live alone..
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