4a-Group #1

Write the story title and author name.

The Big Valley
by Mark Arax

Summarize the reading in one brief paragraph.

The Big Valley is Mark Arax's tale of his experience with culture in the Fresno and surrounding areas, influenced by what he had learned from his father and grandfather. The culture his ancestors had experienced was far different from the experiences he had and the experiences his kids were having. A point he made very clear was how many people were willing to sell the farmland since the things that made money long ago are not necessarily what sells now. After taking a journey to a farm-equipment show, Arax describes in further detail how if given the chance, a lot of people are willing to sell their heritage. Above all, Arax shares with the reader how he is still an "honest farmer," as opposed to a farmer who farms for money: "a grower."

Which was your favorite sentence or paragraph?

"As another orchard gets plowed under out there, I plant another pomegranate or apricot
tree back here. I know it's futile, but my garden is now ample and year-round, and the dirt
under my nails is honest farm dirt" (26).

This was my favorite because of the symbolic point he made. No matter how much money is involved, the genuine joy of something will still remain. Although he did not agree with the building of several corporate buildings, which essentially depleted the history he had known, he was still able to find it in him to do what he loved: farm.

What did the reading make you think of?

The reading made me think of this one particular trip I took to San Diego. I remember seeing a Fresno sign and thinking about a friend of mine who went to college there. I had no clue what Fresno was like, but after reading about Arax's view on Fresno I realized that a lot of times the impression I get of places may not actually have much to do with its roots. I do not recall ever hearing anyone say anything close to what Arax described. This story was another reminder of how easy it is to get caught up in how we live now, instead of appreciating history as much as we should.

What is one thing you did not know before you started the reading that you now know?

I had no clue that Fresno was a fig-capital. In the very first paragraph of Arax's story, he makes it very clear exactly how much figs were a part of his growing up; "With one orchard stitched to the next, it was easy to lose your sense of geography and time" (17). I also did not know that Fresno was such a huge farming area in general.