Blog Post 12: Revision of WP1

As I look at this photo, I mainly and firstly notice the plantation setting. I then quickly discover the three people; two adults and a small child. The little boy is what mostly draws in my attention though, he really seems to stick out. I find that this is because he is not following the adults direct movements and is a little spaced between them. He is careless and just tagging along. The two adults carry themselves well, as if they are walking with pride and nothing is in their way. The argument I want to make with this photograph is that the people in this picture are family, not slaves. I also want to point out why family is important.

During this time period, the United States was just merely coming out from the Great Depression, which took place in the years of 1929 to 1939 (The Great Depression), and it was also the beginning of World War II, which started in 1939 and ended in 1945 (Worldwar-2.net). This was a rather rough time for anybody, and society suffered a great deal. As you could imagine, families with children suffered the most and carried a large amount of stress to make it by. Living a poverty type life was not, and is still not, easy; the great depression only made it worse.

This photo was taken during the month of September in 1939 on the Marcella Plantation in Mileston, Mississippi. There are two adults and one child in this photo, walking on a dirt road to what looks like a house in the near background. The adults seem to be focused on keeping straight ahead, while the child is left slightly behind them in a curious state. The little boy’s attention seems to be drawn to the photographer, Marion Wolcott. Marion Wolcott worked for the Farm Security Administration from 1938 to 1941 (The First Art), so perhaps these were friends of her. The two adults do not acknowledge the photographer, as they look to be set on their destination. I feel that they are heading home from a days work, and possibly maybe just arriving.

The architecture in the photo is relatively small. There is a house in the background and what looks to be a type of shed. There are also a couple of cars which are located near the house as well. The shed is probably used for farm equiptment and tools for everyday use. The house most likely belongs to the plantation owners, as do the cars.

Being that this photo was taken on a plantation, the landscaping is very organized. All of the crops are located in specific places, and the dirt road separates its continueing. The trees in the far, draw up a sort of dividing line between the colors as well. The bottom half of the photo which consists of mainly the crops, road, people, and buildings bring a brown hue to the picture with a low saturation. The varied colors are not as pure as they could be and look as if they flow together. The brightness in this photo is about medium strength to low being that there is not a wide range of white in the color, except for specific places in the sky. The coloration of the photo brings a gloomy look, hence, the struggles and depressed feelings brought upon by poverty. If the colors in this photo were more pure and a little brighter, It would look joyful as if they may just be on a nice walk; not near work. I feel that the author wants the photo to represent the landscaping of the environment from this time. She wants the audience to notice the setting and its appeal to the people who are there.

This looks to be like a typical family, who is struggling and working through a labourous job. I say family because there is a child in the picture. In earlier years, it was common to bring children to work and engage them in labor as well. I also sense that these people are of working class because of the clothing they are wearing. It is mostly grungy in style, and probably not tipically seem just walking around on the streets through out the town. Their lifestyle is most likely lived in poverty, simply only trying to make it by from day to day.

The lighting in this photo relates well with its time period. It is partialy dark which represents the time of need and the depression in which society was living. This helps the audience to relate on an emotional level with the need of work, and to how much labor has changed from the past. In present time, we take for granted our jobs, and feel we are asked for too much. When you look at this photo though, you realize what life used to really be like, and you learn to appreciate what you have and work for.

Having a job was a must, and it was definitely not a luxury. There was no extra spending money, and the money you receieved was from extreme labor. Mississippi has a lot of land, and a lot of the plantations required work. Working on a plantation was probably one of the easier jobs to find, but also one of the hardest. Working days consisted of long hours in the heat, and minimal breaks if any. The reason I do not think that the people in this specific photo are slaves, is because the Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution was signed in 1865. Although these could very much be illegal slaves held in capture, they seem to carry themselves otherwise.

Like I stated before, this photo was taken in Mileston, Mississippi which is located west from the direct center of Mississippi, taking place in Holmes County. Holmes County is a gererally small place and was founded in 1833(Phillips, G.). There are only two major cites, five towns, and four unincorporated palces which make up this county; Mileston is located in Thornton which is an unincorporated place. There are about 764 square miles which make up Holmes County, in which 756 of them are land based (Wikipedia). There are many plantations, as with the rest of Mississippi, and the Marcella Plantation was strictly a cotton plantation.

From some of the research that I have done, I have found that Mileston, Mississippi has usually always been in poverty. Holmes County also has the third lowest per capita income in Mississippi and the 41st lowest in the United States (Wikipedia). The average income for a family in Mileston was around $21,757 (County). Family, in the majority, is usually more of a priority when you are living a lower class lifestyle. You tend to rely on eachother more often and take comfort in them. Every person in the family takes part in work, whether it being inside or outside of the home.

When looking at this picture, I want others to understand the importance of family. During the time of this photo, family was such a necessity and was what you could rely on the most. Everybody needs that connection, and when life becomes easier it tends to fade away quicker. This photo is a great representation when bringing up ethos, pathos, and logos as well. Each part ties in with each other to make a bigger picture that we can all relate to. Whether it being the emotional or physical aspects, or the environment and color in the photo. We all know life has struggles, and chances are most of us have lived through some. We all have family, and we all need family.

Works Cited

County- There's no place like Holmes. (n.d.). Retrieved October 12, 2009, from Holmes County: http://holmescountymississippi.com/home.html

Phillips, G. (2009). Mississippi Genealogy Trails. Retrieved October 10, 2009, from Genealogy Trails: http://genealogytrails.com/miss/holmes/

The First Art Newspaper on the Net. (1996). Retrieved October 12, 2009, from Artdaily.org: http://www.artdaily.com/indexv5.asp?int_sec=11&int_new=22007

The Great Depression. (2003). Retrieved October 12, 2009, from The Eleanor Roosevelt Papers: http://www.nps.gov/archive/elro/glossary/great-depression.htm

Wikipedia. (2009, September 26). Holmes County, Mississippi. Retrieved September 30, 2009, from Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holmes_County,_Mississippi

worldwar-2.net. (2006). World War 2 Timeline 1939-1945. Retrieved October 13, 2009, from Worldwar-2.net: http://www.worldwar-2.net/