A few years ago I taught the American Civil War to a Yr 12 & 13 History class. I played them either The Band version or the Joan Baez version (I like them both) because I wanted them to see ways that the ACW has become part of our popular culture (even in far off New Zealand), but also because it referenced aspects of the war, like the cavalry raiding deep into enemy territory to pull up railway lines, the collapse of the Confederate currency's value etc. But I've also felt strange and uncomfortable about its seeming identification with the 'lost cause'. I've decided though that it's a reflection of a way of thinking - Virgil Caine isn't a plantation owner - he doesn't even seem to one of those small farmers who might own a slave or two. He strikes me as one of those many dirt poor white farmers who had illusions in the Confederacy and lost everything. That was a real demographic. The "very best" surely refers to the Confederate army requisitioning so much that they're left to starve and taking his brother, who then dies in the war.
It may have been a bit naive to write about it like that and not be accused eventually of apologising for the Confederacy but I don't think that's really what it does. It just tries to tell a story of the time from the perspective of someone who was on the wrong side of history and lost the little that he had. Cheers, John On Sun, Aug 16, 2020 at 7:59 AM Ken Hiebert <[email protected]> wrote: > I have wondered about her motivation in singing that song. Maybe she was > reaching out to a part of the American population that were not part of her > natural constituency. > > > -- "All I ask of our brethren is that they take their feet off our necks." Sarah Moore Grimke, abolitionist (1792-1873) -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Groups.io Links: You receive all messages sent to this group. View/Reply Online (#410): https://groups.io/g/marxmail/message/410 Mute This Topic: https://groups.io/mt/76186108/21656 -=-=- POSTING RULES & NOTES<br />#1 YOU MUST clip all extraneous text when replying to a message.<br />#2 This mail-list, like most, is publicly & permanently archived.<br />#3 Subscribe and post under an alias if #2 is a concern. -=-=- Group Owner: [email protected] Unsubscribe: https://groups.io/g/marxmail/leave/8674936/1316126222/xyzzy [[email protected]] -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
