Junior and Senior year of high school, the prom is the event of the year that all students look forward to attending. Girls spend hours getting ready, while guys are anticipating whether that night is the night they make their move on their date. Although the prom usually consists of junior and senior students from high school, it is occasionally a case where a college student is asked back to a prom and allowed to party hard. This year, I was one of the few college students that were asked back to a high school prom.
While living in Wake Forest for a couple of years, my parents lived near another family, the Shaws, who quickly became extremely close family friends. After I was around four years old, my family moved only four houses away in the same neighborhood and I became really good friends with both kids from the Shaws, Austin and Amanda, who were fraternal twins. Even after moving to Lexington after third grade, our families continued to develop a strong friendship. One of my favorite trips were when my family either visited or was visited by the Shaws. Because of our close friendship, Amanda asked me to her prom and Austin in turn asked my sister, Kathryn, as well. Unfortunately, Kathryn was unable to go since her high school's prom was the same night, but I accepted and went.
The prom was fun pretty much. Although I expected a lot of dancing to be done, I was surprised that the type of dancing did not involve individuals showcasing his or her own skills, but it was more of a huge grind-fest, where every song included each couple grinding on each other, and never stopping until the song was done. This was awkward for me, because although grinding is great, doing it every song with the same person really gets tiring. But all around it was good and we went back to some girl's house and played Mario Kart for a while.
Being in a high school atmosphere once again was really different from the way it was back in high school. During my senior year of high school, I went completely insane at proms, dancing like crazy at every prom I went to (I actually went to three that year). My high school senior prom was, by far, the best prom I had ever attended, and it still holds the record to this day. At the prom this year, everything seemed different. In college, many people are brought together by what they have experienced in college. For example, they understand the ridiculously of classes, Greek parties and late night excursions on class nights. In essence, what students see in college doesn't even compare to what's in high school. I believe that's why it was so different. It was particularly difficult to carry on a conversation at some points, because the students would talk about AP exams and different teachers they had, and also gossiping about who wore what and frowning when the word "alcohol" was brought up. The social environment was different. Period. After the prom, I was able to spend some time with a friend from Elon, and it was tons easier to talk with him. We talked about coming exams, interests inside and outside the Greek world, and how awesome college is. Being able to connect with him better proved why being back in high school was different. College and high school students are different, no matter how close of friends they might be.
Being a university student, there is no real benefit to going to another high school prom. Most likely, a college student has been at least twice, and it doesn't enhance your college experience by going once more when you've experienced college parties. I never saw any southern qualities either. It was just a neutral prom.
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Event 3: Lecture
Today in the Royal Room of the GAA, Robert Cantwell gave an interesting lecture titled: "Twang: A Southern Note." In his speech, he touched on many profound, and complex, ideas that all connected "twang" and southern culture. Out of the many perspectives of how twang relates to southern culture, two specific ideas stuck out.
Cantwell first started out with letting the audience sample the intense introduction of Beethoven's 5th Symphony. Recognizing that the musical number was, of course, not a part of southern blue-grass, country, or any other southern-based music, he used the piece to support his perspective that southern music was, and still is, an extremely unique form of music. Cantwell then touched on the idea of twang actually being characteristic of only string instruments, mostly that of a guitar, banjo or fiddle. The twang sound that is heard when either of the strings are picked was a different sound that came out of the South in the nineteenth century and was completely different from the contemporary music that was normally heard at that time (referring to the earliest form of "southern" music). This "twang" that was heard in many forms of early southern music developed into modern day bluegrass and country music, but still retained the tone of pitch that was heard in the nineteenth century.
The second most interesting aspect of twang that Cantwell mentioned, was that twang had the ability to "negotiate" all the differences between the white and black race, whether it was musical, social or political. Cantwell further mentioned the periods in which Jim Crow was part of society and many poorer people had to resort to sharecropping to find money, creating an extremely large gap between the lower and higher social classes. Twang wasn't specified as any sort of particular trait that accompanied the South, rather, it was the South in its entirety: the South's history, whether past, present, or future. All those who lived in the South knew the South, which unified all social classes into a much larger category: Southerners.
As a university student, I had never attended any sort of academic lecture, not because of having little interest, but because I was never aware of such events. However, I believe it imperative that all students hear what professors, or others of prominence, have to say outside of class and in an even higher level of intellect. After half of the lecture had been completed, Cantwell's ideas became so complex, that it became exceedingly difficult to follow him and his perspectives throughout the rest of the lecture. However, many of his professional colleagues were right on top of things and asked even harder questions to understand, after the lecture was over. As a student, I think I became more aware of professors' intelligence and realized that even though some professors might be horrible at teaching, sometimes their level of intellect is far greater than students can attain.
Cantwell first started out with letting the audience sample the intense introduction of Beethoven's 5th Symphony. Recognizing that the musical number was, of course, not a part of southern blue-grass, country, or any other southern-based music, he used the piece to support his perspective that southern music was, and still is, an extremely unique form of music. Cantwell then touched on the idea of twang actually being characteristic of only string instruments, mostly that of a guitar, banjo or fiddle. The twang sound that is heard when either of the strings are picked was a different sound that came out of the South in the nineteenth century and was completely different from the contemporary music that was normally heard at that time (referring to the earliest form of "southern" music). This "twang" that was heard in many forms of early southern music developed into modern day bluegrass and country music, but still retained the tone of pitch that was heard in the nineteenth century.
The second most interesting aspect of twang that Cantwell mentioned, was that twang had the ability to "negotiate" all the differences between the white and black race, whether it was musical, social or political. Cantwell further mentioned the periods in which Jim Crow was part of society and many poorer people had to resort to sharecropping to find money, creating an extremely large gap between the lower and higher social classes. Twang wasn't specified as any sort of particular trait that accompanied the South, rather, it was the South in its entirety: the South's history, whether past, present, or future. All those who lived in the South knew the South, which unified all social classes into a much larger category: Southerners.
As a university student, I had never attended any sort of academic lecture, not because of having little interest, but because I was never aware of such events. However, I believe it imperative that all students hear what professors, or others of prominence, have to say outside of class and in an even higher level of intellect. After half of the lecture had been completed, Cantwell's ideas became so complex, that it became exceedingly difficult to follow him and his perspectives throughout the rest of the lecture. However, many of his professional colleagues were right on top of things and asked even harder questions to understand, after the lecture was over. As a student, I think I became more aware of professors' intelligence and realized that even though some professors might be horrible at teaching, sometimes their level of intellect is far greater than students can attain.
Sunday, April 5, 2009
Feeder 3.1
Literary Analysis: Dying for Dixie and Cats of the Confederacy
The South is often portrayed as an area that still possesses old prejudices and perspectives that cause significant struggles between the races. Similarly, in his novel, Confederates in the Attic, Tony Horwitz paints a vivid picture of the South that experiences the stereotypical racial divide that has plagued the region for centuries. Throughout his journey through the South, Horwitz encounters numerous scenarios that detail the violent and ongoing conflict between the white and black race, characteristic of the common perception of the South in the eyes of society.
Horwitz’s trip to Salisbury, NC, as described in the chapter “Cats of the Confederacy”, reveals the hidden, but existent prejudice that is shared between the races. Furthermore, Horwitz’s use of situational irony makes stronger the argument that there is still a prevalent racial barrier. James Conner, the black male that Horwitz first encounters, describes how he was surprised that he was treated like a regular human being when he moved to Salisbury and was expecting that “…it would be Deliverance.” Immediately, the author pulls the audience into believing that maybe the South had changed over the course of history and no longer held any major prejudices between the races. Furthermore, when the author attends the meetings of the United Daughters of the Confederacy (UDC) and the Sons of Confederate Veterans (SCV), it is perceived and plainly stated that Southern pride, mainly pride in being a Confederate, is not about disliking those of a different race, but is about taking pride in a rich, family lineage in which common ancestors where soldiers of the Confederate Army. For a few seconds, Horwitz allows the audience to view the South in a different light, as Connor does not experience any sort of racial prejudice because he is a black man and the Confederate groups are portrayed as non-prejudiced. However, in a brilliant move, Horwitz’s situational irony takes control of the narrative, as he unveils the true feelings and views of the Confederate groups and Connor. When Connor is asked by the author to visit the UDC meeting with him, Connor blatantly refuses the offer, because he believes that “…folks around here think it’s Scarlett and Mammy days,” referring to the prejudice that still exists in the South. Also, as Horwitz begins to become familiar with the members of the UDC and SCV, he quickly discovers that they hold prejudices against blacks. The members use derogatory terms to refer to blacks and believe that they are worthless in society. By his use of irony, Horwitz lets the audience anticipate that the South no longer holds prejudice, but then contrasts the anticipation with a continuous stream of examples of prejudice by both the black and white community. At the end of his stay in North Carolina, Horwitz seems to have re-lived the past, as both black and white races are pitted against each other, claiming that the other race is altogether prejudice, as in the case of James Connor, or completely inferior, shown by the UDC and the SCV.
Another exert from Horwitz’s novel, “Dying for Dixie”, depicts more extreme examples of racial prejudices that are stereotypical descriptions of the South. The author dives straight into giving examples of the racial prejudice of many whites. In Redbone’s Saloon, racism is seen at its worst, as many customers wore t-shirts with obscene racial slurs for blacks and posters that poked fun at black culture. Further, the people in the car constantly speak in a derogatory manner of blacks and one customer almost becomes violent with Horwitz when he believes that Horwitz isn’t one of the white men who stand up for white rights. Instantly, Horwitz writes of the worse condition of racial prejudice, set in the state of Tennessee. On top of the small bit of violence seen at the bar, Horwitz goes on to talk about the murder of a white male by a black male. The conflict that surrounds the shooting case resembles the racial struggle that has endured over the years. As Horwitz states, “I hadn’t realized the nineteenth-century conflict I’d set out to explore was still a shooting war.” After the shooting of Michael Westerman by Freddie Morrow, the community becomes a madhouse that creates a serious racial divide. At the high schools, both white and black students start to carry around weapons to protect against racial violence. In essence, “a low-grade guerrilla war brewed between some blacks and whites.” Because of the murder of Westerman, the white community became disrespectful and intolerant of blacks and blamed the murder of Westerman solely on Morrow, explaining that it was impossible that Westerman could have uttered any sort of racial slur that would’ve pushed Morrow over the edge, provoking violence. The whites glorify Westerman’s death as dying for a great cause, a cause that Horwitz does not understand. In contrast, the black community’s reaction to the murder is completely opposite. They do not believe that it was just the white male who started the incident, but are open to think that it was caused by both men. The blacks do not condone the actions of Morrow, but are supportive and do not take the incident as far as the white community. In fact, Morrow is sorry for his actions and regrets what he had done. The white and black community react differently to the murder of Westerman, and the death brings the struggle between the races into the light, as one can see that one race solely blames the other for the death and the other race at least tries to resolve the situation. The incident in Redbone’s Saloon and the Westerman death accurately reflects the common stereotype of the South, as both instances resemble the struggle between the white and black race.
The South is often portrayed as an area that still possesses old prejudices and perspectives that cause significant struggles between the races. Similarly, in his novel, Confederates in the Attic, Tony Horwitz paints a vivid picture of the South that experiences the stereotypical racial divide that has plagued the region for centuries. Throughout his journey through the South, Horwitz encounters numerous scenarios that detail the violent and ongoing conflict between the white and black race, characteristic of the common perception of the South in the eyes of society.
Horwitz’s trip to Salisbury, NC, as described in the chapter “Cats of the Confederacy”, reveals the hidden, but existent prejudice that is shared between the races. Furthermore, Horwitz’s use of situational irony makes stronger the argument that there is still a prevalent racial barrier. James Conner, the black male that Horwitz first encounters, describes how he was surprised that he was treated like a regular human being when he moved to Salisbury and was expecting that “…it would be Deliverance.” Immediately, the author pulls the audience into believing that maybe the South had changed over the course of history and no longer held any major prejudices between the races. Furthermore, when the author attends the meetings of the United Daughters of the Confederacy (UDC) and the Sons of Confederate Veterans (SCV), it is perceived and plainly stated that Southern pride, mainly pride in being a Confederate, is not about disliking those of a different race, but is about taking pride in a rich, family lineage in which common ancestors where soldiers of the Confederate Army. For a few seconds, Horwitz allows the audience to view the South in a different light, as Connor does not experience any sort of racial prejudice because he is a black man and the Confederate groups are portrayed as non-prejudiced. However, in a brilliant move, Horwitz’s situational irony takes control of the narrative, as he unveils the true feelings and views of the Confederate groups and Connor. When Connor is asked by the author to visit the UDC meeting with him, Connor blatantly refuses the offer, because he believes that “…folks around here think it’s Scarlett and Mammy days,” referring to the prejudice that still exists in the South. Also, as Horwitz begins to become familiar with the members of the UDC and SCV, he quickly discovers that they hold prejudices against blacks. The members use derogatory terms to refer to blacks and believe that they are worthless in society. By his use of irony, Horwitz lets the audience anticipate that the South no longer holds prejudice, but then contrasts the anticipation with a continuous stream of examples of prejudice by both the black and white community. At the end of his stay in North Carolina, Horwitz seems to have re-lived the past, as both black and white races are pitted against each other, claiming that the other race is altogether prejudice, as in the case of James Connor, or completely inferior, shown by the UDC and the SCV.
Another exert from Horwitz’s novel, “Dying for Dixie”, depicts more extreme examples of racial prejudices that are stereotypical descriptions of the South. The author dives straight into giving examples of the racial prejudice of many whites. In Redbone’s Saloon, racism is seen at its worst, as many customers wore t-shirts with obscene racial slurs for blacks and posters that poked fun at black culture. Further, the people in the car constantly speak in a derogatory manner of blacks and one customer almost becomes violent with Horwitz when he believes that Horwitz isn’t one of the white men who stand up for white rights. Instantly, Horwitz writes of the worse condition of racial prejudice, set in the state of Tennessee. On top of the small bit of violence seen at the bar, Horwitz goes on to talk about the murder of a white male by a black male. The conflict that surrounds the shooting case resembles the racial struggle that has endured over the years. As Horwitz states, “I hadn’t realized the nineteenth-century conflict I’d set out to explore was still a shooting war.” After the shooting of Michael Westerman by Freddie Morrow, the community becomes a madhouse that creates a serious racial divide. At the high schools, both white and black students start to carry around weapons to protect against racial violence. In essence, “a low-grade guerrilla war brewed between some blacks and whites.” Because of the murder of Westerman, the white community became disrespectful and intolerant of blacks and blamed the murder of Westerman solely on Morrow, explaining that it was impossible that Westerman could have uttered any sort of racial slur that would’ve pushed Morrow over the edge, provoking violence. The whites glorify Westerman’s death as dying for a great cause, a cause that Horwitz does not understand. In contrast, the black community’s reaction to the murder is completely opposite. They do not believe that it was just the white male who started the incident, but are open to think that it was caused by both men. The blacks do not condone the actions of Morrow, but are supportive and do not take the incident as far as the white community. In fact, Morrow is sorry for his actions and regrets what he had done. The white and black community react differently to the murder of Westerman, and the death brings the struggle between the races into the light, as one can see that one race solely blames the other for the death and the other race at least tries to resolve the situation. The incident in Redbone’s Saloon and the Westerman death accurately reflects the common stereotype of the South, as both instances resemble the struggle between the white and black race.
Friday, April 3, 2009
Auto 2
Since I attended a predominantly black school growing up, Lexington Senior High School, I have seen first hand the type of racism experienced in Cats of the Confederacy and Dying for Dixie (minus the murder thank goodness!). Although I hardly ever experienced, at my school, any type of racial prejudice that included yelling hurtful, derogatory racial slurs at others or fighting because of a difference in race, the schools that surrounded Lexington mimicked the characters in the two passages. Often, when a couple of my friends and I would go to basketball or football games at the schools, they would always fly a confederate flag when they played my school. I do not normally take offense to the Confederate flag, mostly because I enjoy the history behind it (I didn't agree with slavery either, but it's interesting history nonetheless). However, the flags that were flown over the years weren't just to show off pride, it was, as Morrow put it, it was to "see what we [they] would do." I never really understood why they tried to pick a fight.
Also, while playing sports in high school, a lot of my black friends would get called the n-word during games. Nobody every called me anything like that, but I really hated it for my friends. Seeing racism in a different perspective really opened my eyes. I realized how mature many of my black friends were when something like that happened, because they would never retaliate, but would let it slide and would move on with life. They told me that they there were just some crazy white boys out there. Nevertheless, I sometimes felt ashamed that someone could do that to another person just because they were a different race.
Also, while playing sports in high school, a lot of my black friends would get called the n-word during games. Nobody every called me anything like that, but I really hated it for my friends. Seeing racism in a different perspective really opened my eyes. I realized how mature many of my black friends were when something like that happened, because they would never retaliate, but would let it slide and would move on with life. They told me that they there were just some crazy white boys out there. Nevertheless, I sometimes felt ashamed that someone could do that to another person just because they were a different race.
Response: Dying for Dixie
I was actually really surprised when reading this chapter. Although I was fully aware that racial conflicts were still prevalent in modern society, it still came as a shock to read about the violence and prejudice between the races, predominantly that of the white folks.
In my eyes, there was a huge difference between the way in which both racial groups handled the murder of Westerman. The whites took the situation to the extreme by glorifying Westerman's death as that of a Confederate who died for the "cause". Further, the fact that Westerman was hardly affiliated with any of the Confederate groups, let alone the Confederate cause, made even more ridiculous the fact that whites deemed Westerman a martyr. Throughout reading the passage, I was infuriated with the righteous attitude the whites displayed after Westerman was shot. No politeness and no civility. They didn't even think about the idea that maybe Westerman could have been half at fault.
Not only was I surprised at the behavior of the whites after the incident, the way the blacks acted was dumbfounding. Contrasting to how the whites acted, the black community, at least according to Horwitz, were civil and quiet in there response to the murder of Westerman, the conviction of Morrow and the hatred to them expressed by the whites. Morrow seemed to be sorry for his murder of Westerman and although the community didn't condone the actions of Morrow, they supported him as best they could, without being rude to the whites.
In my eyes, there was a huge difference between the way in which both racial groups handled the murder of Westerman. The whites took the situation to the extreme by glorifying Westerman's death as that of a Confederate who died for the "cause". Further, the fact that Westerman was hardly affiliated with any of the Confederate groups, let alone the Confederate cause, made even more ridiculous the fact that whites deemed Westerman a martyr. Throughout reading the passage, I was infuriated with the righteous attitude the whites displayed after Westerman was shot. No politeness and no civility. They didn't even think about the idea that maybe Westerman could have been half at fault.
Not only was I surprised at the behavior of the whites after the incident, the way the blacks acted was dumbfounding. Contrasting to how the whites acted, the black community, at least according to Horwitz, were civil and quiet in there response to the murder of Westerman, the conviction of Morrow and the hatred to them expressed by the whites. Morrow seemed to be sorry for his murder of Westerman and although the community didn't condone the actions of Morrow, they supported him as best they could, without being rude to the whites.
Friday, March 27, 2009
The Auto
I like to think of myself as a country fella'. Ever since I was born, I've grown up definitely as a southerner.
I started growing up in the small, quiet town of Wake Forest. Wake Forest was about as small as it got for a rural town (this was before the local economic boom created tons of new businesses and targets/wal-marts). I lived in an old, wooden house that had a large backyard and endless woods, where I could just go outside and fool around in the creek for a while and not have to worry about the things in life (sounds serious for an 8 year old!). The only urban experiences I really had were taking occasional trips to the malls in Raleigh, or maybe a trip to disney world every couple of years. I had a very strong, southern accent as a child. Also, my grandparents had/still have a very large farm that has been handed down for many generations. They used to have both sheep and cows, but we had to sell the sheep because my grandparents are mid-80s and my cousin isn't there anymore to help around the farm. It's way out in the country and it's wonderful. Like I mentioned in class, my great-great-great grandfather was a civil war cavalry soldier. That side of the family (my mom's side) is rich in southern culture. We used to have an old plantation house that was built in the early 1800s that was owned by my great-great grandparents and we have a lot of "southern" family heirlooms that have past down from that generation. A lot of the stuff were religious items, such as old hymnals and an old-fashioned, self-peddled organ (that still works!). And speaking of religion, my family has been Baptists ever since we can remember. However, we're moderates and the battle between fundamental and moderate Baptists is something that is almost characteristic of the south.
I started growing up in the small, quiet town of Wake Forest. Wake Forest was about as small as it got for a rural town (this was before the local economic boom created tons of new businesses and targets/wal-marts). I lived in an old, wooden house that had a large backyard and endless woods, where I could just go outside and fool around in the creek for a while and not have to worry about the things in life (sounds serious for an 8 year old!). The only urban experiences I really had were taking occasional trips to the malls in Raleigh, or maybe a trip to disney world every couple of years. I had a very strong, southern accent as a child. Also, my grandparents had/still have a very large farm that has been handed down for many generations. They used to have both sheep and cows, but we had to sell the sheep because my grandparents are mid-80s and my cousin isn't there anymore to help around the farm. It's way out in the country and it's wonderful. Like I mentioned in class, my great-great-great grandfather was a civil war cavalry soldier. That side of the family (my mom's side) is rich in southern culture. We used to have an old plantation house that was built in the early 1800s that was owned by my great-great grandparents and we have a lot of "southern" family heirlooms that have past down from that generation. A lot of the stuff were religious items, such as old hymnals and an old-fashioned, self-peddled organ (that still works!). And speaking of religion, my family has been Baptists ever since we can remember. However, we're moderates and the battle between fundamental and moderate Baptists is something that is almost characteristic of the south.
Response to Confederates
I found the piece from Confederates in the Attic extremely entertaining. Horwitz's way of describing his experience is phenomenal, specifically by discovering, bit by bit, what the Confederate organizations are about. At the beginning of the chapter, Horwitz first compares the preconceived notion of the Confederate members by James Conner, to the first experience Horwitz has with the members. Conner seems to be skeptical of the group, solely because he is black. However, to the surprise of Horwitz, and to the audience as well, the first encounter with the Confederate members of the UDC is without word of hardly any prejudice towards black or yankee folks. At once, the typical stereotype of those who take pride in their Confederate heritage is dismissed as the group explains how they are in the group only because they are proud of their Confederate history. My favorite part of the book was that specific moment, because for a few seconds, Horwitz allows the audience to see the Confederate group in a different light than normal. Then, in a brilliant move by Horwitz, he gradually unveils the hidden prejudices that the group had, in fact, possessed the whole entire time. Just the way that Horwitz decides to show the UDC in a different manner and then gradually paint it back into it's stereotypical pictures made the reading thrilling!
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