TOW #19 - Derivative Sport in Tornado Alley (IRB)

David Foster Wallace grew up in Philo, Illinois, a town filled with vast farmlands and frequent tornado warnings.  In his essay, Derivative Sport in Tornado Alley, Wallace speaks of the way his experiences as a child shaped who he grew up to be, as well as the still-important details he holds in his mind from long days spent on tennis courts, amidst gusty winds and clouds of bugs.  The details Wallace remembers represent the importance of the concept of knowing where you come from, an idea that is absolutely important and applicable to anyone.
When Wallace was younger, he was in the top twenty of junior tennis players for his region.  Wallace uses tennis to account for his later love of math.  The sharp angles of the court and the curves of the ball were comfortable to Wallace, and when he moved to the east for college, these familiar angles and curves felt like coming home.  In my own life, it is important to remember the details that shaped me.  Vague memories of songs I used to sing and games I used to play still make their way into my daily life.  These experiences taught me a love for something nearly intangible, and when I come across them nowadays, it does indeed feel like coming home.  The detail with which Wallace is able to describe the experiences he had shows how these details provide a sort of timeline in his life.          Remembering details and using them to understand greater concepts of what is happening around us is a great way to stay grounded and remember the journey we have made to get where we are today.
Small details and childhood-loves follow us wherever we end up in the future.  It is nearly impossible to end up a different product than the sum of the small details and experiences we grew up.  The smells and sights of the typical days of our childhoods translate to later loves of cut grass or sunsets.  In his essay, Wallace describes, through detailed accounts of tennis matches and tornado warnings, the experiences that made him who he later became.  In this way, Wallace shows how important it is for everyone to take in the small details of their everyday lives and remember where they came from.