Wilderness

Wilderness

BY CARL SANDBURG

There is a wolf in me . . . fangs pointed for tearing gashes . . . a red tongue for raw meat . . . and the hot lapping of blood—I keep this wolf because the wilderness gave it to me and the wilderness will not let it go.    

There is a fox in me . . . a silver-gray fox . . . I sniff and guess . . . I pick things out of the wind and air . . . I nose in the dark night and take sleepers and eat them and hide the feathers . . . I circle and loop double-cross.

There is a hog in me . . . a snout and a belly . . . a machinery for eating and grunting . . . a machinery for sleeping satisfied in the sun—I got this too from the wilderness and the wilderness will not let it go.

There is a fish in me . . . I know I came from salt-blue water-gates . . . I scurried with shoals of herring . . . I blew waterspouts with porpoises . . . before land was . . . before the water went down . . . before Noah . . . before the first chapert of Genesis.

There is a baboon in me . . . clambering-clawed . . . dog-faced . . . yawping a galoot’s hunger . . . hairy under the armpits . . . here are the hawk-eyed hankering men . . . here are the blonde and blue-eyed women . . . here they hide curled asleep waiting . . . ready to snarl and kill . . . ready to sing and give milk . . . wating—I keep the baboon because the wilderness says so.

There is an eagle in me and a mockingbird . . . and the eagle flies among the Rocky Mountains of my dreams and fights among the Sierra crags of what I want . . . and the mockingbird warbles in the early forenoon before the dew is gone, warbles in the underbrush of my Chattanoogas of hope, gushes over the blue Ozark foothills of my wishes—And I got the eagle and the mockingbird from the wilderness.

O, I got a zoo, I got a menagerie, inside my ribs, under my bony head, under my red-valve heart—and I got something else: it is a man-child heart, a woman-child heart: it is a father and mother and lover: it came from God-Knows-Where: it is going to God-Knows-Where—For I am the keeper of the zoo: I say yes and no: I sing and kill and work: I am a pal of the world: I came from the wilderness.

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The different characteristics that we associate with animals can be found in ourselves; each is beneficial for our survival when used properly, so the wilderness forces us to keep them, but it is not these characteristics that define us, but how we control them.

Naked Empire pg. 394-423

Zed and Adie have finally made it to the Imperial Order camp after their capture. Zed and Adie have received little water and food to this point and are struggling to make it along. Zed realizes that thing from the Wizard's keep have be taken with them, and comprehends the destruction they can cause when use properly or improperly, and the threat they represent in the Imperial Order's hands. Zed and Adie are then taking in front of the Emperor Jagang. Although the Imperial Order teaches self-sacrifice, the gift is corrupt evil, how all men are evil and unredeemable, and people are old worth what they can contribute to the group, Jagang throne room contradicts each of these teachings.
I think this is meant to show normally which you go to a radical idea there are many inconsistence in what they say and actually preform.Being radical may help win support through powerful rederick, but it is impractical to be so radical most of the times that they compromise their ideas to have an enjoyable life, or a function life. In this case there it is impossible for everyone to be equal because we need some people to do menial jobs which most people would consider unequal to many other jobs.
Jagang demands that Zed tell him the function of the items in the Wizard's Keep so he can use them in the assault of D'Hara, and when Zed refuses, he decides to not torture Zed directly, but make him witness other captured people of the land of D'Hara tortured until he will speak. After describing his torture, he makes an interesting contradiction saying that because he will eventually reveal his secrets because his heart is cold where quite the opposite is true.

Naked Empire pg. 348-393

Richard and his group are faced with a small narrow crevice that leads to the other side of the mountains and Owen's homeland. Richard wants to go through it, so they do not risk being seen by the birds, but it is a very tight fit in some places with only room to wiggle through. They were making it through with little problems until they were almost at the end were they had to go around the edge, and not go straight to the light or risk being struck. Jennsen rushed towards the light against Richard's orders and got stuck. Richard go everyone out of the save then went back and managed to pull Jennsen out. While saving Jennsen, he found the second beacon which was for him meaning Richard is the only one who can fix the boundary.
The beacon appeared to be Richard in a statue, but it was slowly becoming black. Richard and Kahlan do not think that these represents the poison in him, but his gift failing. Once his gift fails they are uncertain about what will happen, but then the boundary will not be able to be reconstructed.
Once they were in Owen's homeland, they found a interesting statue. It looked like a warden watching for any enemies that may attack, and to protect against them. It had writing on it about some kind of danger in D'Haran that Richard could not interrupt. Tom and Owen were sent to get Owen's friends while Richard, Kahlan, Cara, and Jennsen went to make a camp.
The warning at first glance made it seem that it had to do something with the ungifted, but I do not think it will be that simple an believe it refers to Nicholas. Richard is about to take matters into his own hands and act on his will not other which will turn things for a more interesting turn. While making the camp Richard gave an interesting talk about how people are individuals, and most be judged on their actions, not the actions our the group people associate them with which I believe is something that we all need to work on because people have tendencies to try and judge people before they know them based on actions.

Naked Empire pg. 317-348

Nathan finally came down to talk to Ann about the lesson he was teaching her. That she when she kept him locked up for fear of his potential to cause harm, she was doing exactly what they enemy they fought planned to do eliminate magic because of the potential threat and harm it could cause. But he did not have time to wait show  her the lesson any longer, He found that Richard is in trouble. From the current events he learned that a Richard is going to face Nicholas, the Slide, and no one can prevent a slide from being able to manipulate your soul. Richard is heading into a battle that he cannot win and is ignorant of the situation. Ann and Nathan are now on their way to help him.
Richard however was able to make Nicholas lose track of him, so that he did not know which way he is coming. Richard and his group are making their way through a old unknown entrance that Richard found to come into Owen's homeland unseen, and allow Richard to begin to act on his own terms.
I believe Richard needs to make Owen's people believe strongly enough in their right to individual freedom, so they will help him in his fight again the Order there. The main point of the war is not the fighting to defend their land, but the ideas that back each side. The believe that everyone is their own individual and cannot be judged base on anything but their actions, and that we are not fundamentally corrupt and unable to do what is right, but we have our own minds are must choose what we use our gifts on which decides if we are good or evil.

I will persist until I succeed. by Og Mandino

I will persist until I succeed.

In the Orient young bulls are tested for the fight arena in a certain manner. Each is brought to the ring and allowed to attack a picador who pricks them with a lance. The bravery of each bull is then rated with care according to the number of times he demonstrates his willingness to charge in spite of the sting of the blade. Henceforth will I recognize that each day I am tested by life in like manner. If I persist, if I continue to try, if I continue to charge forward, I will succeed.

I will persist until I succeed.

I was not delivered unto this world in defeat, nor does failure course in my veins. I am not a sheep waiting to be prodded by my shepherd. I am a lion and I refuse to talk, to walk, to sleep with the sheep. I will hear not those who weep and complain, for their disease is contagious. Let them join the sheep. The slaughterhouse of failure is not my destiny.

I will persist until I succeed.

The prizes of life are at the end of each journey, not near the beginning; and it is not given to me to know how many steps are necessary in order to reach my goal. Failure I may still encounter at the thousandth step, yet success hides behind the next bend in the road. Never will I know how close it lies unless I turn the corner.

Always will I take another step. If that is of no avail I will take another, and yet another. In truth, one step at a time is not too difficult.

I will persist until I succeed.

Henceforth, I will consider each day's effort as but one blow of my blade against a mighty oak. The first blow may cause not a tremor in the wood, nor the second, nor the third. Each blow, of itself, may be trifling, and seem of no consequence. Yet from childish swipes the oak will eventually tumble. So it will be with my efforts of today.

I will be liken to the rain drop which washes away the mountain; the ant who devours a tiger; the star which brightens the earth; the slave who builds a pyramid. I will build my castle one brick at a time for I know that small attempts, repeated, will complete any undertaking.

I will persist until I succeed.

I will never consider defeat and I will remove from my vocabulary such words and phrases as quit, cannot, unable, impossible, out of the question, improbable, failure, unworkable, hopeless, and retreat; for they are the words of fools. I will avoid despair but if this disease of the mind should infect me then I will work on in despair. I will toil and I will endure. I will ignore the obstacles at my feet and keep mine eyes on the goals above my head, for I know that where dry desert ends, green grass grows.

I will persist until I succeed.

I will remember the ancient law of averages and I will bend it to my good. I will persist with knowledge that each failure to sell will increase my chance for success at the next attempt. Each nay I hear will bring me closer to the sound of yea. Each frown I meet only prepares me for the smile to come. Each misfortune I encounter will carry in it the seed of tomorrow's good luck. I must have the night to appreciate the day. I must fail often to succeed only once.

I will persist until I succeed.

I will try, and try, and try again. Each obstacle I will consider as a mere detour to my goal and a challenge to my profession. I will persist and develop my skills as the mariner develops his, by learning to ride out the wrath of each storm.

I will persist until I succeed.

Henceforth, I will learn and apply another secret of those who excel in my work. When each day is ended, not regarding whether it has been a success or a failure, I will attempt to achieve one more sale. When my thoughts beckon my tired body homeward I will resist the temptation to depart. I will try again. I will make one more attempt to close with victory, and if that fails I will make another. Never will I allow any day to end with a failure. Thus will I plant the seed of tomorrow's success and gain an insurmountable advantage over those who cease their labor at a prescribed time. When others cease their struggle, then mine will begin, and my harvest will be full.

I will persist until I succeed.

Nor will I allow yesterday's success to lull me into today's complacency, for this is the great foundation of failure. I will forget the happenings of the day that is gone, whether they were good or bad, and greet the new sun with confidence that this will be the best day of my life.

So long as there is breath in me, that long will I persist. For now I know one of the greatest principles of success; if I persist long enough I will win.

I will persist.

I will win.

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From: [Og Mandino, 'The Greatest Salesman in the World]

The only time we truly fail is when we give up on ourselves. We will not reach every goal we set for ourselves, and if we do than we do not have high enough goals, but they are there to push us farther and allow us to rise to where we need to be.

Naked Empire pg. 294-317

The perspective of the book in these few chapters switches to a the new character that had been mentioned before, Nicholas the Slide. From them, we learn that he was an experiment of the Sisters of the Dark trying to make another dreamwalker, but instead them make someone who can not enter the minds of others and control them through it but manipulate their souls if he comes in contact with them in different ways. He is currently in the land of Owen's people where Richard is heading, and he has some deal with Jagang that he will get whatever reward he desires if he can bring Richard dead and Kahlan alive to Jagang. He was is the on using the races to follow Richard, and the chapters gave some insight into his mindset. He was the only one to survive the torment the of the experiments to gain the benefits and hates life.
These chapters helped clear the last part of the uncertainty of the current events happening. It also showed the perspective of Nickolas who may be trying to show some kind of lesson although I do not have anything solidified for the lesson yet.

Naked Empire pg. 246-294

Owen gives Richard the antidote, and it cures him of the present infection, but it has not purged the poison from his system. The only way to get more of the antidote is in Owen's homeland forcing Richard to come help his people. Richard later wakes up and learns of the situation.
Richard asks a sequence of question that leads Owen into telling why he is here, and to inform Richard of the situation he is facing. As demonstrated from Owen's mind set his people abhor violence and before the Imperial Order came, they would not ever harm animals that may attack them. They banished anyone who could not be conformed to this way, but when the boundaries fell because of the Chimes the Imperial Order invaded, and started making requests to keep the peace. The request kept being met by Owen's people wanting no place in the a fight, but soon the Imperial Order learned that they had use for the people too and began to take them away. Even after this Owen's people stood vigilant and would not try and cause violence, but soon the Order had taken everything they had, and a few broken from the old ways to try and come up with a plan to free their people. They decided that Richard was their only hope because they could not fight, so they sent Owen who was banished because for standing  against the elders when the Order had first started their demands.
I think these illustrates that we can never be static in how we deal with problems that face us in our lives. Although Owen's peoples ideas had giving them a paradise for a time, when they faced a force that would could not be faced with their beliefs, they held on to them too long causing them to lose everything they had. They would not respond to warnings, and dismissed the problems that they saw coming as something that could never happen and it did. Sometimes we try not to believe the a future we do not want to see, but only the truth can prepare us for it.