Monday, March 30, 2009
The following photographs convey a sense of loss and loneliness throughout the Mississippi Delta as well as the surrounding, rural areas of Oxford. The buildings that are photographed carry a feeling of antiquity and view rickety. Other photographs show aged and barren plantations and fields throughout the delta and northern Mississippi. Although life in the rural areas of the South have developed significantly since the antebellum period, at first glance these same places seemed to have not changed at all. The land of the South has contributed greatly to the lifestyles of southerners in the past and still does to this day. Although the land plays an important role in the lives of southerners, the process by which the surroundings and buildings, which rests on this land, is deteriorating greatly affects their lives as well. This process can not be solely be traced to how southerners treat and take care of their surroundings. The land itself plays an important role in the aging process of the buildings and surrounding agricultural locations of the South. The land is very fertile and capable of growing a multitude of crops. Although the land gives the opportunity for southerners to make a profession by growing crops on many acres, the shear location of such places takes a toll on the upkeep of distant buildings and surroundings. These buildings, if located in a more urban and convenient location to civilization would be more susceptible to be maintained by people. In the first photograph, an old and abandoned shack is seen still standing. The building obviously has been neglected so long that the builder of the cabin has even disregarded to dispose of the building. The actuality of this building still standing gives off a sense off destitution and loneliness. The second photograph is of a sign outside of Ruleville, near Cleveland Mississippi. The sign is surrounded by a bevy of shrubs and trees which have made it almost inconspicuous amongst the land. Again, as seen with the previous photo, there seems to have been no human upkeep for quite some time. It makes one wonder whether the inn which it advertises even exists at all. The rural location of the sign forces upon the viewer a feeling of bereavement. The following two photographs show two separate plantations located in the Mississippi delta. Each photo displays old iron signs that seem noticeably aged. The signs rest on plantations that still are in operation today. Although the signs sit on a plantation that is still used, they do not give off a sense of capability. The signs seem as if they have never been renovated nor contain any value. The photograph of the church comes from the same plantation near Schlater. The church sits in the middle of a field with nothing else around. Again a sense of loneliness emerges. The fact that the church is also abandoned adds to the them of loss in the southern landscape. The photograph of the trailer home on stilts also adheres to this theme. The home is forced upon stilts on the sloped land and rests miles away from any form of civilization. Although the home may not look as rickety as other buildings it still fails to show any significant sign of major improvement. The final photograph displays a hay field near Oxford. The field itself is in use but still portrays a sense of disarray. A lone palette rests on the side of the field. If this field was constantly monitored there would be no palette polluting the view. This scene gives evidence to a lack of concentration on the southern land. In conclusion, all the photographs shown and mentioned coexist in the theme of loss and loneliness in the American south. If the buildings and fields were maintained they would no longer fit into this description. The reality however, displays this continuing theme.
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