New Beginnings

Beginning something new can be such an exciting feeling, but it can also be scary. Embarking on an adventure alone can be one of the most life-changing experiences. This feeling is one that almost all college freshmen are going through right now. The thought of a heavy course load, a roommate, a dorm, strange new faces, and a completely different lifestyle can seem daunting. On the other hand, these are all exciting elements of the college experience that once acclimated to, will be the best four years of our lives. Similarly, the protagonist, Everett, of A Question of Latitude, sets out alone to see the Congo and maybe even reform their people in the process. He plans to write a story about the people of the Congo, thinking that they will be accepting of his white presence, that they are a mundane group of people. He is quite culture shocked when he comes to find that the Congo is anything but mundane and accepting. He learns that these people are violent, enigmatic, and even cannibalistic. Upon entering the Congo, Everett feels excitement as well as uncertainty, for he knows nothing of what lies ahead. College freshman can relate to these same feelings, for while the Congo and college are two separate places, both are foreign and new in the same way. Both A Question of Latitude and freshman year are related in the ways that they see, approach, and adapt to a new environment, regardless of how different the environments may be.

            Everett and college students are the same in the way they approach new experiences. Both are overtaken by nerves and excitement. It is easy to compare these points of view, for both Everett and the college freshman are taking on adventure alone in a mass of strangers. They are nervous about the unexpected that lies ahead; likewise, they are excited by the unexpected that lies ahead. The thought of a fresh beginning is what fuels both characters to embark on their new adventure.

Everett enters the Congo naïve to the workings of this African culture. He is now independent and has one chance to make an impression. However, right from the beginning, he quickly realizes that his highbrow credentials that were substantial in the United States have no face value in this society. He is shocked to hear of the Congo’s cannibalistic tendencies, yet thinks he can undertake the position of reforming these people. Everett’s initial tone indicates just how naïve he is, and here, the reader can see that Everett is headed for more than he may have anticipated. It is easy for an outsider to analyze this situation, but for Everett, he sees this new culture as an opportunity for a new start, rather than the bizarre culture in front of him. College students do not enter a new university thinking that they can change the world, but we do come into the first year with a high school senior mentality or tone that quickly vanishes. New college students are also naïve to the lecture-style classes, laundry, setting our own schedule, making a whole new set of friends, keeping our dorm room clean, etc. This list continues for the numerous responsibilities that college students must undertake. We are used to knowing everything expected of us, and we are used to our familiar surroundings, as is Everett, whose first word to describe the Congo is “strange.” He witnesses the violence between blacks and whites firsthand, as well as the nonchalance toward such atrocities; he cannot comprehend why no one does anything to stop it. College students are also amazed by such aspects of college life. New environments excite and scare the outsiders experiencing them, but it is how one takes on this challenge of the unknown that affects the gains from the journey.

Adaptation is tricky, for it can require abandoning all previous belief to conform to something new. Everett acclimates to the harsher climate of the Congo. He reflects back to how he would have handled these situations at home. Instead of dialing 911 at a murder scene, he looks right through. He even engages in some of the violence himself, although he feels great shame. He constantly seems to be making life or death decisions, something he was not accustomed to in the United States. The college experience requires students to adjust to living on one’s own independently, which is harder for some. It takes months, even a semester, to get used to this new life. Just as Everett chose to look away from things he did not want to see in order to tolerate life in the Congo, college students give up certain comforts associated with home to get a college education.

The problem with adaptation is that it may or may not be beneficial in the end. It can create change for better or worse. In the case of Everett, he respects that he abandoned his previous morals to survive in the Congo. He makes the point that he has not forgotten these principles, but that he has put them aside for the time being. He acclimates to the lifestyle of living just to see to the next day. College forces adaptation on students. In most cases, college matures students and brings them into the real world, but there are times when college can send young adults down the wrong path. In this way, adaptation is all about how the specific person changes. Everett venturing out into the Congo can be compared with that of a college student’s first semester because they are both in new environments that will become familiar. Both instances stimulate nervous and thrilling emotions, yet it is hard to still feel comfortable and at ease. Any kind of adaptation to new surroundings follows this sequence, but the main goal is that one day soon the unfamiliar will become the familiar by gaining experience and knowledge along the way.