Tree Man Thompson: The Life Story Of A Appalachian Child

In 1964, President Lyndon Johnson declared an unconditional war on poverty in the United States and the most photographed area was the Appalachia region. Many of the photographs intentional or not, became a visual definition of the Appalachia region. The images have drawn from the poorest areas and people to gain support for the war on poverty, but came to represent the entirety of the region. The point of the Looking at Appalachia project is to explore the diversity of Appalachia and to establish a visual counter point. (Home - Looking at Appalachia.) The three images I am going to analyze are challenge some of the stereotypes put on the Appalachia region. I believe my images challenge the stereotype that all Appalachian people do is work hard, go to church, and don’t have time for anything besides those two things.

When people think Appalachia, they think of West Virginia, but the Appalachian Mountains stretch far from West Virginia and the people living in their hills have a shared cultural heritage that is evident no matter what state they are a part of.

Growing up in Appalachia is unlike growing up anywhere else in the world. Appalachia is a region that is often the focus of negative media and cruel, sadistic stereotypes. Appalachia

“He was a quiet , soft-spoken man who wore old-timey clothes, fedoras, button-down wool coats, suspenders, and dressed neatly at all times, regardless of how dirty his work made him” (Mcbride 6).“His father was a black man, a railroad brakeman, and his mother a Native American, so he had a lot of indian in his face: brown skin, slanted brown eyes, high cheekbones and a weather-beaten outdoor look about him..” (Mcbride 120).The writing is figurative by the use of similes and metaphors. “In running from her past, Mommy has created her own nation, a rainbow coalition that descends on her house every Christmas and Thanksgiving.” (277)“Her grits tasted like sand and butter, with big lumps inside that caught in your teeth and suck in your gums.”(McBride 67) . “Ma cried, and she wailed and wailed, the sound of her cries circling the house like a spirit and settling on all the corridors and beds where we ay, weeping in silence.”(McBride 128) Allusions are used to give a timeframe of the time period by talking about issues.“She actually liked Malcolm X. She put in nearly the same category as her civil rights heroes, Paul Robeson, Jackie Robinson, Eleanor

Being known as the region synonymous with destitution and home to some of the pauperized counties in the country, Appalachia has always been hidden from or sort of isolated from the rest of the world because of their geographic location. The people of Appalachia are often seen as unintelligent and less civilized than other Americans as they were less developed and not exposed to the commercial world. Because of

Hawthorne starts the story with a clear division between Salem and the forest. Young Goodman Brown is safe at the village when he lives happily marry with his wife Faith. The village represents all his puritan beliefs, people who live there are good Christians with a set of rules and behaviors that are considered correct for their community. For another hand, the forest represents the wilderness, the unknown, his unconscious and his true nature. Young Goodman Brown travels from the village, his conscious world, to the forest, the unconscious world. He goes to the forest to meet with the devil by prearrangement. The devil represents his other self, they can even pass for father and son. He feels that he can take the risk and meet with the devil because at the end of the night not matter what Faith will be at home waiting for him. His wife represents his faith, his religion and his beliefs. Goodman Brown is confident he is going to heaven thanks to his marriage with Faith.

In the world of Appalachia, stereotypes are abundant. There are stories told of mountaineers as lazy, bewildered, backward, and yet happy and complacent people. Mountain women are seen as diligent, strong, hard willed, and overall sturdy and weathered, bearing the burden of their male counterparts. These ideas of mountain life did not come out of thin air; they are the direct product of sensational nineteenth century media including print journalism and illustrative art that has continuously mislead and wrongfully represented the people of Appalachia. These stories, written and told by outsiders, served very little purpose to Appalachian natives other than means of humiliation and degradation. They served mostly to convince readers of the

Kevin Brady was born on April 11, 1955, in Vermillion, South Dakota. He was raised by his mother after his father was killed in a courtroom shooting when he was 12. Kevin attended Rapid City Central High School where he was a four-sport athlete. He worked a variety of jobs: construction worker, meat packer, manufacturing worker, waiter, and bartender. Brady attended the the University of South Dakota where he obtained a degree in Mass Communications. Kevin currently resides in The Woodlands, Texas with his wife and two sons. Brady is known as an Original Hometown Hero of the Woodlands, which is awarded by Interfaith-of-The-Woodlands. Kevin Brady went to college and has a degree which is common amongst most members of the U.S. House. A majority of members of the U.S. House move to Washington D.C.; Kevin Brady in contrast still resides in The Woodlands, Texas in order to spend time with his family.

Daugneaux, Christine B. Appalachia: A Separate Place, A Unique People. Parsons: McLain Printing Company, 1981. Print.

It was a common fear among the African-Americans. The Younger Family knew that the discrimination would hold them back from their dreams and goals, but because they believe in prosperity and pride, that was the last thing on their mind. The “want” in their spirits, is what sets them at place of tranquility and hope. “In fact, here’s another fifty cents… buy yourself some fruit today - or take a taxicab to school or something! (1.1.1840) Walter is letting his son know that there is no problem when it comes to their economic status. One of the difficulties that the adults faced was their self-righteousness. The discrimination was really enabled when it came to anything in their life. Whether it be buying certain houses, jobs, or even sitting in a restaurant, it was something so common; they learned that it is far more important for their child to know how to live with no fear and worrisome in life. When it came to Walter, he knew that keeping the innocence in Travis’ life was the right thing to do, where for Ruth she was far more upright. The self-doubt they displayed was becoming a burden in their lives, but that transformation and growth is what helped them come to a better understanding of themselves. The Younger Family’s moral development would be their sense of pride, and Mama’s destiny was to continue that pride. Mama’s development within herself had grown to great measures, but when it came to her

Where there are various regions there are bound to be a variety of people with alternate cultures, beliefs, and ways of life. The cultures found with the Appalachia are unique in their own ways and represent a body of individuals who found their way to such an area. Land that is included within the Southern Appalachia can be best described by Horace Kephart as he does so in his book The Southern Highlander and His Homeland to include: “the four western counties of Maryland; the Blue Ridge Valley, and Allegheny Ridge counties of Virginia; all of West Virginia; eastern Tennessee; eastern Kentucky; western North Carolina; the four northwestern counties of South Carolina; northern Georgia; and northeastern Alabama.” (22-24) With so much

The people of Appalachia are often characterized as ignorant, lazy, uneducated, drug addicted, and incestuous. Many believe that this impoverished area is full of hicks, hillbillies, and rednecks, but when examining the truths one might find an enriched culture with generous people who are hardworking, artistic, and family oriented with a strong religious faith.

What makes Appalachian Americans unique? Starting with characteristics one that most Appalachian’s share is an intense desire for freedom. “Freedom to live as they pleased, with lots of space to themselves– “elbow room”, as Appalachian Daniel Boone used to say. People who settled Appalachia were not inclined to be bound to institutions, religious or otherwise. Those ties and that external authority were part of what they wanted to leave behind. These people brought their traditions, values and beliefs with them. They came into contact with Native Americans, and while doubtless there were fights for land, the settlers and Indians reached an understanding” (How

Service,”much of Arkansas was once covered by vast forests of large, old trees.” As a matter of

In The Stolen Child there were many different locations since the book takes place in a span of many years in two point of views. One major setting however was the woods. The woods is where the hobble goblins live and where they capture children and switch lives with them. When the children are captured the creatures “stretch their bones and skin until it nearly snaps into the right body shape, while others begin to work on one's new head and face , and the removal of hair.” The woods is where Henry became a hobble goblin after he ran away from home. Another major setting in the book is the church where Henry played the organ. He grew a passion for playing the powerful instrument and even wrote his own symphony to tell his family his personal,