West Carolina

He mused with them occasionally that he was from East Carolina—the state situated between North and South Carolina, which should not be confused with the state of West Carolina, which bordered the Atlantic on the west side of the ocean.

The above speech does address "the state of things existing at the time"; unlike Aristotle's model, however, the Cherokee oration also evokes memories of the past, as well as hope for the future, by reminding the audience that the Native Garden at West Carolina University represents "the continuation of our tradition of cultivating knowledge about the natural world," as well as "the continuation of the circle in which we live and learn."