The influence that the past has on the traditions of the present south can be seen in all of the readings. Even though, the south was presented in several different ways, the family dynamics of the south were very similar. In both “Cats of Confederacy” and “Drawing Names,” the family dynamics and the southern pride changed from generation to generation.
In “Drawing Names,” Carolyn’s mother cooks a lot for Christmas, but Carolyn thinks that her mother just makes a big deal out of such events. Also, at the beginning Carolyn decides they should draw names instead of getting a gift for everyone, which bothers her mother. Carolyn’s generation seems to be more practical rather than traditional. Also, Carolyn’s father does not approve of her divorce, and because of this Carolyn’s sister, Iris, is also hiding the fact that Ray, her husband, is no longer staying with her. Based on this, it is very obvious that the previous generation tried to maintain their marriage life no matter what. However, the new generation no longer worries about the traditions and ideals of the previous generation.
In addition, Laura Jean and Jim bring a bottle of Rebel Yell bourbon, which is a little shocking for Carolyn’s mother. On the other hand, Laura states that “A couple of drinks a day are good for your heart.” Also, it was really interesting to see Pappy there with the two most recent generations. His values were surprising to even Carolyn’s mother, which clearly shows how people’s traditions and ideals change over time. It was just shocking for everyone to hear what he had to say about the men and children eating separately and the women eating last. The reaction of the other people sitting there was directly hinting towards the idea of how times have changed now and such values no longer exist.
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the thesis statement is solid and arguable. you might want to include more details to validate the point that you are making. you keep making a point but don't really back it up. In your thesis you mention the two storys but you only talk about one of them. you should either include cats of the confederacy or change your thesis so that the reader doesn't expect to read about it. You also bring up the point of southern pride but you don't really talk about it. I like the direction that you are going with your paper and you are making some good points.
ReplyDeleteYou definitely need a conclusion to pull everything together. Maybe you could talk about if the south portrayed by the short stories is truly representative of the real south- just something to think about. Your thesis seems to be arguable and you do use the text from the two stories to support your thesis. I would make sure that you keep your paper formal. For example, "Also, it was really interesting to see Pappy there with the two most recent generations" seems unnecessary to your paper. Maybe if you say something like what southern pride meant to his generation and compare it to what it means to our generation. Maybe in your intro., to add more meat to your thesis, you could say how the family dynamics and southern pride changed from generation to generation; became less personal? Maybe also add an intro. sentence to the following two paragraphs that points the audience in the right direction of how the particular instances within the text relate to your thesis. Overall, I think you're moving in the right direction. Good Luck!
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