Annotation Post based on The Vacation by Wendell Berry
Be present
Ferris Bueller once said, “Life moves pretty fast. You don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.” In “The Vacation,” Wendell Berry not only “describes a video camera as an objective narrative instrument (6),” but he alludes to the idea that using such an apparatus can be limiting and restraining; preventing one from truly grasping the fullness of life.
In “The Vacation,” Wendell Berry tells a story about a man who is only able to see his vacation through the lens of his video camera. Essentially, the man is try to “preserve his vacation.” He is trying to capture every aspect of it: the trees, the river, the sky, the light, the bow of his rushing boat (6).” He is using his camera as a means to capture every moment so that once the vacation is over he will still be able to relive the memories. Yet, the last two lines of the poem take an interesting turn, saying, “ But he would not be in it. He would never be in it.” Personally, I believe Berry uses this poem to remind people to live in the moment. As a famous quote says, “ Wherever you are, be all there.” While it is important to document important aspects of life so that memories can be made, it is equally important to learn to simply be present; to learn to live in the moment and soak up all life has to offer without having to incessantly be taking pictures or constantly filming or documenting the scene at hand (2).
In order to better understand the meaning and intent of the poem, certain words such as vacation, preserving, video camera, and flying were more clearly defined. Specifically, according to the Oxford English Dictionary, the word vacation means- “freedom, release, or rest from some occupation, business, or activity (1).” Not only was the man supposed to be on vacation, but the second line of the poem says, “He went flying down the river in his boat.” According to dictionary.com, the word flying means, “ making flight or passing through the air, moving swiftly, very hasty or brief (3).” The word preserving is mentioned twice in the poem, in lines eight and eleven. The word preserve, taken from the phrases “preserving it forever: the river, the trees, the sky, the light, the bow of his rushing boat…” and “preserving his vacation even as he was having it so that after he had had it he would still have it,” means “to protect or save from( injury, sickness, or any undesirable eventuality (1).” Lastly, the word video camera means, “a portable, handheld camera that records onto videotape for playback, especially on a television screen.”
It seems like Berry displays irony purely by the entitling the poem, “The Vacation.” Since the man is constantly videoing the entire vacation, is he really gaining rest from his occupation, business, or other activity? Is he really on a vacation if he is only able to enjoy moments that are within the scope of his video camera? Even though a video camera is able to record moments on videotape so as to play them back later, the video camera can only capture so much. One is not able to fully see all that is going on if one is looking only through a camera. Thus, your field of view is limited. It is not necessarily freeing or restful from an occupation. How can it be a vacation? Furthermore, if he is flying down the river on his boat, how much of a vacation can you capture? How can you fully appreciate the beauty of the trees, river, sky, and light if you are flying by?
The means of transportation used in the poem is a boat. Interestingly, a boat “represents a journey, a crossing, adventure, and exploration (4).” Crossing an ocean or river can be seen as being symbolic of making the journey across life (4). Thus, a boat can be viewed as the means in which the journey of life is travelled. In essence, it can be viewed as a vehicle and means of transportation (4). So we have the man travelling on a boat down a river with “his video camera to his eye” trying to preserve his vacation forever. The word preserve is important to consider because Berry mentions it twice. The man is trying to protect or save every moment of his vacation. He is trying to prevent any undesirable thing from happening. He is trying to “maintain and reserve, to keep up; to maintain (5),” every moment of his vacation so that not a moment is lost. However, it is in his haste, furry, and intent on documenting every moment that he is missing out on the actual experience. He is not fully able to enjoy all the beauties and mysteries around him because he is so intent on filming and attempting to document every detail. The concept of trying to preserve a moment or experience reminds me of a popular saying of Jesus in Matthew: “ For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it.”
While it is important to document and take time to note important experiences, it is even more important to learn to enjoy every moment of every day; to learn what it means to slow down and feel the sunshine on our faces, to not be in such a hurry, and to not limit our field of view. If we only look through a small lens, how are we to ever enjoy the beauty of things that are beyond its scope? The things that are unable to be captured by a camera? The vastness and incomparable beauty of a sunset, mountain range, ocean? If one does not take time to do things that are out of our comfort zone, to slow down, to remove our eyes from the peep hole, and get out of the boat, how will we every experience all the complexities, beauties, and mysteries of life?
It is imperative to consider the word choice, setting, and reoccurring themes of this short poem to fully understand its significance. The setting of being in a boat, on a river, flying by, with his eyes zoned in on the camera- all reflect the limited view and experience this man was having on “vacation.” As mentioned above, a boat represents an adventure or exploration, or a means to further pursue an adventure. Why not get out of the boat to take a hike in the woods? To explore a new option? To put the camera down and let go of technology and all the other distractions that steal our attention? Unfortunately, the man is unable to embrace the full potential of the experience because he is flying down the river. How do our lives compare to this man? As an American society, we are constantly racing around, trying to cram fifty things into our schedules. We can get so caught up in our own agendas and lives that we fail to see the needs, splendor, and glory around us. We can be caught up in our ipods, facebook, movies, TV shows, etc, that we fail to get involved in things that our beyond the scene of our own lives. We can let fear of the unknown get in the way of doing things that will stretch and grow us, but nonetheless things that will be good for us. What does it mean to lose our lives? To focus on something greater and bigger than ourselves? To simply reflect and embrace the moments of life without worrying about responding to a text message right away or keeping up with the latest facebook and twitter updates?
What would our lives look life if we took a vacation? Went on an adventure without feeling the strong desire to capture every moment? What does it look like to lose your life so you can find it? How tragic it is that this man filmed his vacation, but “would never be in it.” He would never truly grasp the beauties and mysteries of life because he was so focused and intent on himself capturing every moment. Indeed, life is short and moments are fleeting. If we fly through life, we will never reveal in the beauty life has to offer. May we take the implied advice of Berry and allow it to reshape our lives. May we take time to reflect, put down our many gadgets, embrace precious moments and friendships, and truly live and experience all life has to offer. To view and to a part of things that are beyond our view so that we will find our lives. So that we won’t miss it. So that we won’t miss out on the abundant life God had planned for us.
Works Cited
1. Home : Oxford English Dictionary. Web. 22 Feb. 2011. <http://www.oed.com/view/Entry/220896?rskey=boq07C&result=1&isAdvanced=false#>.
2. "The Vacation by Wendell Berry | Loving Poetry | Eons.com." The Online Community for BOOMers | Eons.com. Web. 23 Feb. 2011. <http://www.eons.com/groups/topic/993230-The-Vacation-by-Wendell-Berry>.
3. "Flying | Define Flying at Dictionary.com." Dictionary.com | Free Online Dictionary for English Definitions. Web. 23 Feb. 2011. <http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/flying>.
4. "Boat." University of Michigan. Web. 23 Feb. 2011. <http://www.umich.edu/~umfandsf/symbolismproject/symbolism.html/B/boat.html>.
5. "Preserve | Define Preserve at Dictionary.com." Dictionary.com | Free Online Dictionary for English Definitions. Web. 23 Feb. 2011. <http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/preserve>.
6. Beiderwell, Bruce John., and Jeffrey M. Wheeler. Literary Experience. Boston, MA: Thomson/Wadsworth, 2009. Print.
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