In response to Monday’s post on snow, Monica Jackson writes, “This
post made me think of Where the Wild Things Are (movie
version). I was excited to take my older son to see it when it came out, but in
the film the story is so depressing and I think it's because of the snow. Max
is sad, alone, and angry because the teenagers are too rough when playing with
the snow. They break his fort and hurt him unintentionally, but then it leads
into a string of depressing
issues that always seem to arise during the winter months. There are layers
to winter and snow. It's nice to look at, brings up memories or associations,
but it leaves your fingers numb and if you get hit with a snowball, it will
sting.”
Following up the
same post, Ronny Belmontes considers the film Cinderella Man, and specifically the way in which winter can be
the toughest time for those experiencing economic
and familial hardships; and so Ronny reflects on how Jim Braddock’s young children
(as represented in that film) were forced to grow up particularly fast in their
coldest moments.
Rob
Velella follows up the Fireside Poets post, writing, “I love your reading
of "Snow-Bound" by putting it in the context of post-bellum America.
It's also interesting to note how radical Whittier must have looked in his
earlier period when he was using
his poetry almost exclusively for the abolitionist cause (and he wrote some
violently angry poetry for a Quaker). Longfellow, by far the superior poet,
also wrote
out against slavery before, as I say, using his poetry as a unifying force
to create the American identity - to that end, he used history, calming
imagery, etc. The reality was, of course, that it worked, which is reflected by
his popularity. Further, I agree with your conclusion: I wouldn't take any of
these folks out of our literary history.”
Steve Edwards follows up the
post on holiday classics by highlighting this interesting and informative story
on a revised
scene from Rudolph.
On Twitter, Luke Dietrich highlights a couple complex
American literary representations of snow: “Wallace Stevens' ‘The Snow Man’ is a favorite. The end of Ann Petry's novel The Street
sees NYC blanketed in snow.”
Next series
starts Monday,
Ben
PS. What do you
think? What images or ideas of winter would you highlight?
12/1 Memory Day nominees: A tie between William Mahone, the Confederate officer whose complex and inspiring trajectory led to one of the post-war south’s most succesful biracial political
parties; and Minoru Yamasaki, the architect who helped his parents escape the Japanese Internment and went on to design the World Trade Towers.
12/2 Memory Day nominee: Harry Burleigh, the composer, musician, and singer who contributed significantly not
only to American music, but to Dvorak’s “From the New World.”
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