Journal Entry 1

Both Harney and Frost have been highly criticized for the ways in which they depict Appalachian people in their articles. Do you find the depictions problematic? If not, why not? If so, in what ways? For this answer, you should not merely discuss your impressions, but you should use specific examples from each text to back up your claims. In other words, what specific passages support your assertions and how?

Personally the way that I could see these writings as problematic would be the way that both of the authors wrote in as sense that can be seen as stereotypical in certain asspects and the information that is being discussed throughout it is still a topic that people have difficulty talking about because it is as if people want to forget about everything that happened in this time. In “Out Contemporary Ancestors in the Southern Mountains”, the author talks about how even Lincoln had an advantage over some people because his mother had six books and they were able to give him an edge. This is interesting because something so little can make such a big impact and effect someone in a positive way and I think that this article is also attempting to show that. The issue that I have with “A Strange Land and Particular People” is the way that they depict the people that they are referring to as if they are not equals to everyone else. Even if there is an area that is not as well versed in language people still need to realize that individuals are on differnent levels and they all have the ability to improve and that doesn’t make them any less than a different individual. For example, when they discuss the “Bantering Tennessee wife” I could hardly understand what they were trying to say she was saying, I understand they were trying to depict the language that she was using but couldn’t they have cleared it up a little?