As stated earlier, on our first day of Cultural Rhetoric class we had to write down words or phrases that came to mind when we said the word Appalachia. I also stated that I was quite confused because I knew very little about the region other than what I had seen on TV. Now, I must question why I know so little about the region and it’s people. I stated earlier that at no time in my life have I ever lived south of the Mason Dixon line and for 8 years I lived across an ocean. Growing up in the UK, I hardly ever thought about the US and certainly never thought about the Appalachia region, and I doubt I knew it existed. When I moved to America in 2002, I started learning about the different regions in the United States. However, being from upstate New York, Appalachia was hardly close to our minds, and if it was ever talked about it was only to mention that people there are all angry people with large guns, or that they have communities that still talk like Shakespeare up somewhere in the mountains. It sounds ridiculous now of course but at 8 I was willing to believe anything anyone over the age of 10 said to me, so I always imagined a town of well dressed English and Scottish Men walking around the mountains of Kentucky saying words like verily and “Methinks the Woman doth protest too much”. I suppose that not only the incompetence of my 3rd grade teacher but also the lack of experience I had with the region that ultimately led me to my misconceptions and lack of knowledge I had about the Appalachia region.