Your very own castle

A man’s home is his castle, or at least a place of warmth. We are firmly reminded of just how reliant we are on our houses this time of year when frost and snow greet us in the mornings.

A house, apartment, or dorm can seem like a very transitory thing for college students because many of us are transitioning between the family house and a permanent house of our own. We may move each school year from one part of town to another, or just down the street or the hall to be closer to campus or with friends.

But even in this time of transition, we rely on some place of rest and security.

Although the phrase “An Englishman’s home is his castle” applied originally, of course, to the British and can be traced back to 1581, having a place of security is a fundamental human need.

The Third, Fourth and Fifth Amendments to the U.S. Constitution all provide for this need, our right to property, ensuring that the lifestyles we develop in our houses can be secure for our enjoyment.

This freedom has been true through most of our history. The U.S. was colonized and cultivated quickly in large part because of the offer of private land to farmers and settlers in the New World.

One of the hallmarks of the United States was ready availability of cheap or even free land. Prices for government-owned land remained fixed at $1.25 an acre until 1854, and the 1862 Homestead Act allowed any U.S. citizen who had never borne arms against the U.S. government to claim 160 acres of surveyed government land if they built a 12-by-14 foot dwelling on it and grew crops for five years. 

We certainly have come a long way since then, but our houses are still, basically, performing the same functions as those 12-by-14 huts of the pioneers less than 150 years ago. Living spaces, then and now, not only provided shelter, but also helped define many aspects of who we are. As we move out and form our own homes, we are also forming our own ways of life.

But now, especially in a college town, with thousands of students crammed into dorms and neighborhood houses built originally for single families, our residences may seem more like a collegiate version of Old Mother Hubbard’s shoe.

With all the concerns of homework, sports, hang-out time with friends and any other number of activities during the semester, paying attention to our houses and neighborhoods may seem a much lesser priority.

John Ruskin, a literary figure and social critic of the 19th century, argued, however, that it was one of our “moral duties...to hold our dwellings with care, and patience, and fondness, and diligent completion.”

Since our homes protect us from the cold and structure our communities and interactions with other people, we have a responsibility to look after them. This might mean looking after neighborhood sidewalks to keep them free of broken glass or snow, or putting out flowers in the spring.

Our castles deserve it.