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Rhetorical and Visual Waves in Composition: Viewing Topsail Island, North Carolina as a Text
Betsy Cutler
What characteristics make a place different from others? On a warm, calm day, some people choose to sit and read a great thriller novel on the Beach of Topsail Island as waves gently crash in the background and seagulls coast overhead. Sometimes readers direct their attention away from the written words on the page, catching a quick glance of surf-side fishermen and beach strollers. But what about this island makes it different from others? Anyone can sit on any beach and enjoy reading a novel. And although I am one of those people who enjoy a good read on the beach, I am also one that reads Topsail Island as a text. Since 1996, I have been visiting the island, snapping photographs that signify change, such as the ongoing beach erosion on the north end. I remember visiting the island after Hurricane Bertha had struck on July 12th, 1996. I sat on the beach, about midway on the island, near a badly damaged pier called Barnacle Bill's. I snapped a few pictures of the remnants, and I watched construction workers rebuilding the pier. Little did I know that those would be the last images I would record of Barnacle Bill's. Another monster storm formed a couple of months later and headed for the island. The storm grew into Hurricane Fran, coming ashore on September 5th. Many homes and businesses were destroyed. Barnacle Bill's did not survive to be rebuilt again. Instead, only memories remain of it-its story ended by nature's force.
It was during that time in 1996, that I decided to start recording the island-its changes, its atmosphere, its durability, its resilience. I began to read the island as a text, letting it speak to me through words and images. In this paper, I will describe some hands-on ways Topsail Island can be viewed as a text. I will accomplish this by employing research tools, collecting data, and then interpreting the results. Then, I will justify why reading places, such as Topsail Island as a text can be beneficial in the classroom.
How do we view Topsail Island's landscape as a text? And how do we take this physical space and make sense of it? Topsail Island is a 26-mile long barrier island ranging in width from about 500-1500 feet (Stallman 5). So where do we begin? First, I consider a few ways in which the island can be read. Some examples are historically, culturally, and environmentally. Here, I will briefly discuss each.
How can I read the island historically? What if I wanted to shape the text as a historical fieldwork project? What remains there on the island today that would mark or indicate the past? Are there any visual remnants? There are some small ones, such as a small sign at the intersection of Flake Avenue and South Anderson Boulevard which says, "US Navy successfully tested ram jet engines in rocket flights 1946-1948. Observation towers line Topsail Island; Assembly Building 2 blocks west." This seems interesting, but without incorporating fieldwork, I miss out on the islands remarkable history-right now it seems to lie silent and subdued.
In conducting fieldwork, I'm looking for aspects that make Topsail Island stand out as an individual. How do I go about doing this? I could read about the history, but I want local accounts of the history to make my data more personable-I want to become a part of the island in order to read it as a text. I want to gain an understanding and sense of how the atmosphere was in the past.
First, I will listen to people who know and live the island everyday. In doing so, I will find stories that belong to Topsail Island and Topsail Island only. Rose Peters, employed by the Missiles and More Museum, tells me about the island's past. Peters starts out by saying, "People are amazed at the history here. It's really a lot for this little island." Historically, the island was seized from 1946-1948 by the United States government. A military project termed Operation Bumblebee was developed, and their mission was to test supersonic guided missiles. It seems to be an odd name for a naval military project, Operation Bumblebee, however, the project was given that particular name by Dr. Merle Tuve because of the myth that the bumblebee should not be able to fly. "According to recognized aerotechnical tests, the bumblebee cannot fly because of the shape and weight of his body in relation to the total wing area. But, the bumblebee doesn't know this, so he goes ahead and flies anyway" (Stallman 115). The "bumblebee" name also reflects the challenging, almost impossible undertaking of developing a supersonic guided missile propelled by a ramjet engine for the Navy in 1946. Lt. Commander Tad Stanwick comments "The Ramjet is the basis for all our jet aircraft. If you consider our dependency on jet transportation, Topsail Island's contribution to today's technology and ability to travel globally is significant" (115).
Rose continues to tell me about Operation Bumblebee, and she shows me some images of the eight observation towers that line the coast. The towers were used to collect data as missiles were launched from a large concrete block near the island's shore. Originally, they were bland, concrete structures, but now some have been remodeled into houses. One beach front tower grabs my attention, and I decide to drive out to it. In my historical text of Topsail, I will include an image of this observation tower. I want the tower to speak to the viewer, so I am particular about the angle and position from which I take the picture. The tower is weathered, but it is still encased in two stories of concrete. It stands alone, with no closely neighboring cottages. Many people would interpret the structure as an ugly eyesore, but to the people of Topsail Island, it is an important part of history. It is a remnant of the past, a reminder of what was-a resilient resident of the island that adds character to the atmosphere.
Through viewing the island as a historical text, the atmosphere gains a quiet respect-the island has served our country although its residents do not seem to flaunt much about that aspect. Perhaps the quietness the island possesses lies within its residents. What makes up Topsail's culture? How do we read the culture as a text? First, the island is divided into three regions. From south to north they are Topsail Beach, population 481; Surf City, population 1,423; and North Topsail Beach, population 833(Town of Topsail). The population numbers are from 2001. I realize my cultural experience started as soon as I crossed the swing bridge. It brings me into the heart of Surf City-the only other roadway on and off the island is the high rise bridge on the north end. After crossing the swing bridge, time seems to slow, and I enter a place that doesn't match my fast paced life. I don my cultural spectacles, and start observing my surroundings that will shape my experience. One characteristic about the culture is its resilience to become a completely commercialized vacation place. There are a few flashy tourist shops that don't seem to belong-right away, one of the tall-windowed buildings located in Surf City spews bright, neon colors into the atmosphere, which detracts from Topsail's natural culture. Years ago, a waterslide inhabited the grounds nearby, but the attraction was torn down after Hurricanes Bertha and Fran. To me, this black-sheep building should drift on to some other place-it does not belong here.
As I move on, I see more fitting shops and restaurants that compliment the island. One restaurant in particular is called Batts Grill. It's located near the swing bridge, and inside the atmosphere reminds me of the 1980's. The restaurant is a place of small change over the years-it's nothing fancy-just like the island. I enter by pulling open a screen door. Inside, permanent residents and cigarette smoke linger peacefully. Small conversations take place as elders glance through newspapers. I sit down in an old wooden booth and order a hamburger from a nice waitress. I get what I expect-grease city, but nonetheless, I enjoy it while I soak in my surroundings. What I will remember most from this restaurant is how worn and leisure the people seem-I remember the wrinkles working in their content faces.
Later, I stop by a dockside seafood business near the swing bridge called Surf City Crab. Next to the quiet bay, there is a line of large coolers. I lift up a cooler top and see large head-off shrimp resting on ice. A tall and skinny young man approaches me, asking me what I would like. I buy a pound of shrimp, noticing his weathered look-he couldn't be over 30, yet he seemed to project an image of worn out jeans. He lights a cigarette and I spot a beer lying next to the scale as he weighs my shrimp. I put the shrimp into my cooler in the trunk-they are going to be good for dinner this evening.
I check in at the oceanfront Jolly Roger Inn and Pier. I stand at a counter, and again, I am in an old fashion setting-there's nothing impressive here-but perhaps that's what so attractive about it. There are pictures tacked up on a wall, most of proud anglers holding large fish caught from the pier-there is even a newspaper article showing a black bear on the beach.
The people of Topsail Island seem to have cast some sort of spell on time, slowing it down. In many ways, the island is like stepping into the past. Somehow, I find comfort in that stability-being able to visit a place where people aren't concerned about following the latest trends-the resident's culture is a trend in itself.
Over the years, Topsail's environment has had a trend of its own, and it has not been silent to the observant eye. I hear the island's voice, and I turn it into a text as I stand on the northern tip of the island. On this end, I hear the island pleading-pleading to be left alone-alone to migrate and drift naturally. Throughout the years, humans have fought the severe beach erosion on the north shoreline by trucking in loads of sand and rebuilding the dunes after storms. Not only is erosion hastened by storms, it is aggravated by members of Camp LeJune, a nearby military base. In order to keep the base separated from the island and to keep the channel clear, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in New River Inlet dredges the waterway four times a year. Stanley R. Riggs, a coastal geologist at East Carolina University says "without humans continually replacing sand eroded by storms and dredging channels where sand has accumulated, Topsail would migrate freely to where it could accumulate the most sand from currents and big storms. It would grow into a higher, stronger barrier to storm surges" (On Topsail Island). It seems like the island is being weakened by fighting erosion on the north end-tax dollars are constantly dumped into a loosing battle.
As I walk along the curved northern shore, the island speaks. The wind blows sand southwesterly across the smooth beach, signifying that erosion never stops. The grains sound ghostly as they travel in patterned waves, snaking in the direction of endangered cottages-telling them that the topographical shift is inevitable. Defeated sandbags line the coast in front of a beach house-a beach house that will find its grave in the Atlantic. Waves roll up, taking turns weakening the cottages. Will a hurricane take them? Or one day, will quiet waves make the wooden stilts yield, making the cottage bow into the ocean?
I travel back to the south end, where Topsail's environmental voice shifts.the island seems bolder, stronger-enriched with a long stretch of sand. Here is where the island grows-over the years the sandy land has expanded from 20 to 125 acres, over which half has been deemed habitable (On Topsail Island). As I begin to walk around the tip, I notice quite a difference from the north end. The beach is expansive, curving westerly from the oceanfront. I notice that the waves become smaller and quieter as I round the Q-tip shaped migrant island. A flock of pelicans rest near the shore, and I turn, walking into the center of the giant sandbar. This is an important place. Sea turtles nest on the sound from May to August. I see that the natural sandy additions on the south end of the island have birthed a habitat for female turtles to lay eggs and then return to the sea. After 60 days, tiny, two-ounce hatchlings emerge and scurry to the water, trying to escape the pinchers of ghost crabs.
Nearby on the island, the Karen-Beasley Sea Turtle Hospital aids sick and injured turtles. Protecting the turtles is very important to the caregivers at the hospital. They estimate that only 1 in 5-10,000 turtles survive to be adults. As I continue walking on the beach, I realize that it's easy to recognize the complex environment and ecosystem that thrives here-only simple observation is needed to begin reading the island as a text.
So, how can reading places as text be beneficial in teaching English composition? The ability to read landscapes like Topsail Island-to complicate our ideas about them-is important for students. Students can go beyond just merely seeing a beach dotted with people and umbrellas-they can start becoming aware of their surroundings, and then go beyond the surface to start asking questions. When students start asking questions, they become more engaged in the classroom-and society. This is where fieldwork comes in-the student begins their reading of place through thoughtful interviewing and careful observations.
What do students think about observation and place? In my freshman English class, which has a theme of People and Places, the students were asked to write a six to seven page essay on a place of observation, such as a restaurant, park, or garden. Near the deadline date, I asked them a few questions about the place that they had observed. One student wrote his essay on observations of the Virginia Tech drill field, which is a large, grassy oval space that students cross walking from dormitories to class and vice-versa. It's where many people gathered on April 16th. When asked how the space spoke to him, he says, "The drill field held a sense of comfort for me, almost an escape from everyday life here on campus, similar to the eye of a hurricane-very calm amongst all the chaos." Not only has this student interpreted the drill field as speaking comfort, he has interpreted metaphorically what the area is like-similar to the eye of a hurricane-very calm amongst all the chaos. I also asked, "How can you read the place as a text?" He says, "Not only is there a great deal of history behind the drill field, there are new environmental issues being presented all the time, including why the drill field keeps sinking into the ground." Here, the student becomes aware of environmental issues that affect the drill field. He might start considering the future-what can be done about this problem to preserve the drill field? Finally, I asked, "Why should you be aware of the place?" He states, "Because the drill field should be a place that all students can go and use for whatever they please, whether it is to get out of the storm or just play with some friends-it's always open." The student realizes the importance and use of the drill field, so even though it seems just like a crossing-place for students, it's really not.
When students look beyond the surface of a place, they start to become more aware-more aware of their surroundings. This is important, not only because we want them involved in our English classes, but because they will be our future voices. Awareness begins right where students are the moment they become aware. Being aware leads to questions and the ability to make changes for a better future. How will today's observations affect Topsail's future? Should the island's north end be left alone so it can become a better barrier island for North Carolina? Are we taking our human wants too far by dumping tax payer money into projects to keep building up the dunes on the barrier island? Mr. Riggs, the coastal geologist, says, "The sole function of a barrier island is not for you to lay on the beach. It is there because of the storm. It's built by storms and maintained by storms. It needs storms" (On Topsail Island).
When students are taught how to look beyond the surface of a place, they grow intellectually. They are better able to form opinions and take appropriate actions. Tackling a small project, such as an observation paper assignment, gives students the experience to start looking at larger factors. What changes can I make to improve the environment? How can I encourage others to be aware of their actions in relation to the environment? Through viewing places as texts, students can form opinions, questions, and concerns-which prepares and equips them to handle the obstacles of the future. Students aren't just developing to be good workers, they are developing to become better citizens for a better future.
Works Cited
Bauerlein, Valerie. On Topsail Island, Storms Fuel Battle Over Right to Build. 08 Dec 2005.
http://www.realestatejournal.com/buysell/regionalnews/20051208-bauerlein.html. 16 April
2008.
Town of Topsail Beach Core Land Use Plan 2005.
<http://72.14.205.104/search?q=cache:F_czvBIbcBgJ:www.topsailbeach.org/vertical/Sites/
%257B5E1AEA3E-F785-4F95-9EB5-56D4CBDC452E%257D/uploads/%257B0A7
E25EF-26FB-4EBC-BFB3-95439BBE747B%257D.DOC+topsail+island+serenity+point
+zoning&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=3&gl=us>. 16 April 2008.
Peters, Rose. Personal Interview. 17 March 2007.
Stallman, David. Echoes of Topsail. Bethel, CT: Rutledge Books, Inc., 1996.
Topsail Turtle Project. <http://www.seaturtlehospital.org/nest.htm>. 16 April 2008.
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