My South After this Class

From this class, I've learned to appreciate the different aspects of Southern culture. From north Georgia to Virginia, there are different Southern dialects as well as culture. In addition in this class, we examined the different social classes from the New Orleans elite to the white trash of North Carolina. With all these new perspectives, I still think that my South is the South I grew up in. My family has lived in Georgia for 200 odd years in Lincolnton, Ga and just outside of Augusta, Ga. My grandfather was the first in our family to go to college after his service in WWII and he went to UGA. The rest of my family except for me followed in his footsteps and went to college in Athens so my childhood is full of remembrance of watching David Greene cheering on Rocky Top as Larry Munson screamed about hobnail boots. My summers were filled with fishing in my grandma's pond and playing baseball. My South is a picture of a middle class Georgia family, much like my dad's view.

Southern Music

Ill be honest. I really dont know too much about southern music. Ive never really been a fan of country. Given what i could gather from this class, Johnny Cash is my prime example of southern music. He was born in the south(Arkansas), and made very influential music that spanned many different Genres including country, rock and roll, folk, gospel, bleus, and rockabilly.

Lynyrd Skynyrd

I know this sounds so stereotypically Southern but I think my favorite representation of Southern music is the live Atlanta version of Free Bird by Lynyrd Skynyrd(click for video). Its actually not even my favorite song by them (don't even say Sweet Home Alabama), Swamp Music or The Ballad of Curtis Lowe. Lynyrd Skynyrd was ,I would say, the flagship Southern Rock Band of all times if not the 1970's. The band was originally named after a gym teacher who gave them horrible grades because they wouldn't cut their hair.

Eng 1102 and the South

Over the course of the semester we have been involved in many projects in this class. The question I pose to you today is which project has given you the most insight about what the south truly is. Investigate, ponder, and then relay your results back to the blog. Have fun

The South through Music

Below I've compiled a series of different music videos from different genres. Each one portrays the South either visually or lyrically and includes imagery of open fields and front porches. Give 'em a listen!

Alabama - High Cotton

Nappy Roots - Small Town

Ray Charles - Georgia on my Mind

The Growth of Tolerence

The South will always have to live with a stigmatism: the negative image created by the civil turmoil left behind from the days of slavery and its institutions. When someone thinks of a "southerner" often times the figure is clad in white sheets. Media does nothing to forget this image and it can be found in movies and tv shows including: Justified, Bad Boys 2, Harold and Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay, Blazing Saddles, and Step Brothers. What is not as advertised is how far our society has grown from those pre-Civil War days. America is more diverse than ever before and the Southern United States is no exception. Schools and neighbor hoods are no longer divided by race and single race institutions are losing popularity. The current status of the Morris Brown College is evidence that as the South has become more cultured the demand for all black universities has declined. Another good example is and article about the controversy of the Confederate Flag found here.

My New South

At the beginning of the semester I would have described what's Southern just like everyone else would have: exactly how its been marketed. By examining areas of Southern culture and the novels and articles presented in class I have drastically changed my notions about the Southern United States and how I interpret everything in general. What we have learned in this class can be applied to much more than just the southern image and should. Life and how our society works often makes the truth difficult to discern but the techniques and practices taught to me in this second semester will help me for the rest of my life.