Home vs House
Material and Spiritual Possessions John Berry, the homeless man from Yorba Linda was stabbed in the back thirty times. He did not have what people viewed as a house, but the bench near Carl’s Jr. was considered his home, a place of comfort and value close to the heart. “Homeless” an essay written by Anna Quindlen, focuses on the people who don’t have that sense of place, “a place of certainty, stability, predictability, and privacy” (Quindlen 528). “Homeless” is not about the people who are living on the streets, but the people who never had a house to call their home.
The difference between the two is that a house is a possession that functions as a protective shelter, an area to do daily routines and is a monetary asset to the owner, while a home possesses sentimental value, memories and traditions. First, a house is an architectural structure that provides shelter and also used for financial gain for its inhabitants. A house has four walls and a roof to block wind, rain, heat, and other outside elements for the people inside.
Therefore, the outside of the house is made of materials that are waterproof while the structure is sturdy to withstand high winds. A house contains air conditioning and blinds to block heat from the outside. This building doesn’t only protect from weather, but also from people. The doors and windows have locking mechanisms to keep unwanted intruders out. A house also can be equipped with a security system that has cameras, alarms, and motion sensing lights for the people who want to be extra safe. Each room in a house is built specially to serve a purpose.
The kitchen is filled with appliances to cook and store food. The bathroom is built with a toilet, shower, and a mirror to help accomplish morning routines. The bedrooms have a closet, bed, and desk so that the person living there can have his own private area to change, sleep, and complete work. However, the main purpose for a house for many people is for the financial gain. A house can be sold, bought, rented, foreclosed, and even abandoned. Many people bought a house so in the future they hope that they can resell the house for when they retire.
Some people buy inexpensive houses to fix them up with a small amount of money and sell it for more than they bought the house including the repairs. Others buy a house in a certain area so they can vacation and stay there whenever they please. Houses are a realtor’s way of making a living. A house is treated like a possession that is passed from owner to owner and becomes nothing more than a structure. On the other hand, a home is a special place that holds memories that will never be forgotten, traditions and feelings that cannot be found anywhere else.
A home has those crayons blemishes on the wall that track how the children are growing over the years. Home has that smell of Korean style hotpot every Christmas, that certain area where there is perfect lighting with peace and quiet to indulge in a novel, and the window that has a perfect view and has sun seep through it every morning. Birthdays to holidays are spent together with friends and family in this safe haven celebrating the special occasion. A home sees the ups and downs of the family living there.
A family grows together in a home not only by age, but bonds between family members. A living room in a home hosts the Super Bowl game every year where friends and family get together with snacks and drinks to watch the game. A living room in a home is where the tree stands every December towering over the presents. The living room has the perfect love seat to be lazy on and watch favorite television shows and movies. The mahogany coffee table right next to the sofa is the perfect rest for feet compare to being pressed against the cold tile floor.
Board games are placed on the coffee table in the middle of a circle of friends and family to compete with each other in Monopoly, Life, and Scrabble. To sum up, home is the best place to be to unwind from the day and have all the stress die way. A home is original, there is no place like home. It is decorated with memories and sentimental items; it has a feeling of permanence. The family in the home has privacy knowing no one is looking over their shoulder, no one is in their area of relaxation and no one is going to be bothersome. The home owner has control of what happens within the walls of the home.
The home owner chooses what activities, parties and people that are allowed inside the home. Home is where the heart, privacy, and memories reside. Lastly, a home is a sanctuary and private place, while a house is a shelter monetary possession, and full fills basic needs. A home provides way beyond a house can ever give. They all vary in size, shape, color and design, but what is always different is the feeling inside.
Works Cited
- Quindlen, Anna. “Homeless. ” The Longwood Reader. 4th ed. Ed. Edward Dornan (Indent) Charles Dawe. Boston: Allyn and Bacon, 2000. 527-529. Print.
