“My wood” – E.M. Forster (1926)
In modern society, most people who obtain a product – whether it is of great value or
not – would call that object their rightful property. It is the most natural way of thinking; what’s
yours is ultimately yours. In the non-fiction essay “My Wood” by E.M. Forster, the author
encourages those who come across the essay to contemplate the nature of materialism and the
power of possessions.
The essay wittingly depicts Forster’s reaction to the ownership of a small estate he
bought with the loyalties from a novel he wrote. He attempts to persuade the readers of the
negative aspects of obtaining a piece of property and does so by breaking down the effects his
land has on him. Forster’s position on this topic is that the pressure of owning this land gives
him a sense of heaviness; in that, it is difficult for an individual to keep an eye on all things that
belong to them; whether it’d be the leaves on Foster’s trees to the blackberries on his bushes,
the fact of losing what is rightfully his intimates him. Also, the aspect of trying to be larger than
anyone and everything else comes to play for the sense of having this land. No other contact
should physically be made with his land. Forster goes to explain that a person should “think
twice” before they engage in anything that doesn’t seem right. His attitude is rather obvious;
Forster thinks about the purchasing of the wood and if it will result in a disastrous
consequence. Using common, everyday language for the understanding of the general public,
Forster, also integrates historic events and religious symbols such as the gates of Heaven and
the Bible as examples that relate to his topic. For instance, the event of Ahab, a former King of
Israel adjoined his palace grounds with grapevines to his wife, Jezebel. However, in relation to
Forster, he states that “Ahab did not want that vineyard – he only needed it to round off his
property,...