Out of Africa

 Word Count: 265 words

    This memoir takes place from 1914 to 1931. This takes place on a coffee-plantation in Africa, where Dinesen runs this plantation with her husband until they separate. When they are no longer together, she runs the plantation by herself and lives her life here until she later loses this farm/estate and goes back to Denmark where she is originally from. 

    Her storytelling is impeccable as she got great at it while telling her stories to African locals who love using their imagination to dive into stories. She tells her stories with great detail and excitement, something we can all learn to add into our writing. She finds her love for the country of Africa and what comes with the land, people, and experiences. 

    A powerful quote from this reading is, "“It is more than their land that you take away from the people, whose Native land you take. It is their past as well, their roots and their identity. If you take away the things that they have been used to see, and will be expecting to see, you may, in a way, as well take their eyes. This applies in a higher degree to the primitive people than to the civilized, and animals again will wander back a long way, and go through danger and sufferings, to recover their lost identity, in the surroundings that they know.” 

    She appreciates things most people's minds don't cross. Living this life gave her a beautiful perspective of the land and of the natives, which changes what qualities you have the ability to bring into other people's lives.