Well, once again while I was not studying for a test... (this is quickly becoming a bad habit) I began musing on my performance... I'm considering a costume... this is gonna be sweet... I hope everyone brings earplugs. Anyway, in researching my topic, I'm reading a book that brought up two really interesting and pertinent quotes referring to what we have been talking about in class.
First, one that would have fitted nicely into my last blog... look below if you want to see what I mean. "Here at hot bubble is the familiar chemistry employed to prepare the ground for persecution: establish that your victim is debased and barely human, thereby justifying inhuman, draconic measures."
I think some one used that term "dehumanizing" to describe the rape of cultures inflicted upon black slaves and other exploited minorities.
Second, here is a quote that puts Chicago in an interesting light, especially as it is describing Chicago from around the time when Muddy Waters and other blues musicians began emigrating there from Mississippi.
"This dumping ground, with accelerated change, has prolonged in Chicago the atmosphere of the frontier town it had so recently been. This leads to an atomization of social relationships, the swill of the shipwrecked and unadjusted through their half-life, their world apart: that quality of the adventitious that they seek yet which makes despair and detachment easier, but which also gives the life its element of chance and adventure, and stimulates behavior that is like 'the attraction of the flame for the moth, a sort of tropism.'"
I think this pretty well describes not only hobo culture, which the book is about, but also a certain amount of the blues attitude, especially in the lines "that quality of adventitious... which makes despair and detachment easier, but... gives life its element of chance an adventure."
Needless to say, I really like this book... but rather than copy the whole thing on my blog and risk copyright infringement, I'll just tell you the title and author and let you read it for yourself should you care to- HARD TRAVELLIN': The hobo and his history by Kenneth Allsop.
Alright... now I'm seriously going to study. No really. I mean it.
-Ruby X
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2 comments:
I just wanted to say that I really like your blogging (this post and others). You're clearly thinking seriously about the issues (even though you should be studying for a test :->). I also like your mixture of quotes (so we get a concrete sense of what you're referring to) and analysis in your voice (so we get to hear your thoughts on the matter at hand). All this, and a nice sense of humor - keep up the good work!
Great Blog here!! Keep up the good work. I have found it to be very informative, Thanks for all the help
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