Appalachia Essays

Appalachia is made up of parts of twelve states and all of West Virginia. Appalachia is a 205,000 square mile area according to the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC). There are many stereotypes about Appalachia. Some stereotypes are more popular and thus more persistent than others stereotypes about the region and its people. Unfortunately, the most persistent stereotypes are ugly and often used to make others feel better at others expense. Portrayals of Appalachian people that are often accepted

After all the readings, videos, and discussion about Appalachia, I'm honestly shocked about how oblivious I was to the hardships occurring to the people of these areas. Not to mention the resentment I feel towards the people causing these problems, particular the Massey Energy Corporation. The most impressionable for me was the documentary Overburden because it displayed the worst possible actions people can do to one another. The actions of Massey Energy were appalling. To place profits over people

The Cuisine of Appalachia - Rooted in Culture A cuisine is defined as “a characteristic style of cooking practices and traditions, often associated with a specific culture. Cuisines are often named after the geographic areas or regions from which they originate. A cuisine is primarily influenced by the ingredients that are available locally or through trade (Kocevski and Risteski).” Appalachian food is a cuisine that reflects the unique cultural and geographic heritage of the Appalachian region

Cultural standards all over the world vary based on religion, economy, morals and numerous other factors. The infamous region of the United States known as Appalachia, where values and standards are as diverse as the hollows that define the region, is no different. Native Appalachian author Sharyn McCrumb inarguably portrays such values and standards that North Carolinian Loyal Jones also outlines in his excerpt from Voices From the Hills. Throughout the novel of She Walks These Hills McCrumb illustrates

Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis by J.D. Vance is a complex concept that can be interpreted in many different ways. This is a culture that is familiar to millions of Americans that call the Rust Belt home. Many people from Appalachia take pride in their intrinsic “hillbilly culture” while others want to distance themselves as much as possible from the term “hillbilly” and many times from the region that coincides with this nickname. From Vance’s reflection about growing up

grasp the impact of hillbilly culture on the level of social decay that many hillbillies fall victim to, it is imperative to first have a firm grasp of the history of the Rust Belt and the current cycle of poverty. For generations, the states of Appalachia were quite poor, and the vast majority of jobs: such as coal mining and farming, required hard physical labour and often received very little pay or job security. However, when the Second World War ended in 1945 the American economy began an unprecedented

By Demondre Peak Hillbilly as defined by Webster’s dictionary is “an unsophisticated country person associated originally with the remote regions of the Appalachians.” Over time the word Hillbilly has developed plenty of negative connotations and some would even say that it is now even used as a derogatory term for those who live in the Appalachian heritage. Some also say that the connotation is two fold in the sense that there is a positive outlook and a negative one as well. The positive seems

Dogs Summary Response Catharine Sedgwick’s short story “Dogs,” was first published in The Juvenile Miscellany in 1828, under the pseudonym Stockbridge. S. The Juvenile Miscellany, was a children’s magazine that was published in Boston, Massachusetts. The intended audience for Sedgwick’s story, was children. Sedgwick’s story is about a mother teaching her children that even though dogs may be inferior beings, they are still capable of good, and much unconditional love. Dogs may not be able to be

regions of Appalachia are in a current state of economic decline and comprise the majority of economically distressed counties, while southern portions of the region are in rapid growth. Central Appalachia also consists of mostly non-metropolitan areas that are predominately rural. James G. Cameron, who authored an executive summary titled “A Spatial Analysis of Crime in Appalachia,” stated, “the rich diversity in topography, economic variability, and demographic change are what makes Appalachia such

minimum wages to especially protect people who worked in the abusive textile mill factories. The Tennessee Valley Authority may have been the most helpful to Southerners as it improved the poor regions along the Tennessee River. The New Deal in Appalachia Appalachia had a large amount of natural resources and were in demand after the Civil War, but the people of the region never prospered. The Great Depression worsened the situation and led to extreme poverty and rampat diseases. The New Deal worked to

Critical Review: The Black South and White Appalachia The evidence within The Black South and White Appalachia argues that African-Americans and Appalachians were believed to share many of the same traits. They were both said to be lazy, superstitious, and stubborn in their ways. The Black South and White Appalachia objectively explains that African-Americans and Appalachians have historically been seen as having many aspects of their lives in common. The dwellings of both groups are claimed

The Appalachia region is less racial and culturally diverse than the rest of the United States. Though, this seems to be gradually shifting. Traditionally, the region has been largely occupied by non-Hispanic whites. The 1990 census exposed the beginning of racial and ethnic change of the Appalachian region (Salob, 2014). The proportion of African Americans was 24.9 percent which was approximately three times greater than non-Hispanic whites at 8.1 percent The poverty rate amongst African Americans

question I propose is how has the mountaineer shaped and evolved the Appalachia region over time since the mountaineer over took the land from the Native Americans? In addition to this question, I will explain the relationship between the mountaineers and change by going in to detail of how the mountaineer shaped and evolved the Appalachia region. According the “Appalachian Journey” video the mountaineer has transformed the Appalachia region in several ways whether that’s storytelling, playing instruments

My trek first began sophomore year of High School when I heard about the infamous "Appalachia Mission Trip." When students talked about this trip, you got the impression that they had gone to New York City for a weekend bachelor party. As soon as I heard the upperclassmen guarantee it was the most fun they've had on school trip, I knew I had to experience it myself. As it turns out, I had no idea what I was signing up for until we had our first meeting. The intimidating 6 foot 10 inch Kyle Goldcamp

the story of J.D. Vance, the author of the book. The book is written about Vance’s life, growing up in Appalachia, one of Americas poorest regions. Unexpectedly, the book came to be used as an explanation for the upset in the 2016 Presidential election, when republican candidate, Donald Trump, beat democratic candidate, Hillary Clinton. The reason this was so shocking, was because the Appalachia region, has long been a democratic stronghold. In this paper I am going to look at two reasons why this

specifically in the Appalachia area, which sometimes infuriates the people of the region. One of the most popular stereotypes of the Appalachians is that all people from the Appalachia region are hillbillies. The connotation of the word ‘hillbilly’ did not start as disgraceful. The word ‘hillbilly’ was first used in American folk music and literature sometime around the 1890s. (Hackney, 2021) It was believed to be a combination of the words hill, due to the mountainous region of Appalachia, and billy,

universe. Due to interaction of systems, Appalachia is continuously restructuring. There is a predisposition to protect Appalachian culture in a secure, inflexible way. The social and cultural aspects are able to change and are not simplified to a few distinct directories (Maloney & Obermiller, 2011). Appalachia people have struggled to join modernity by accounting isolation, resistance, and individualism. The culture and heritage of southern Appalachia was protected by John C. Campbell when he

northeastern Missippi, which it composed of parts of 13 states and 420 counties. Twenty-five Million, people who live in Appalachia, considered this region as a native or home culture area based on personal perceptions. Most people believe Appalachia, as a formal culture region, is upon a measurable set of common cultural, human, and anthropogenic traits. Many people in Appalachia are descendants of several European immigrants such as the Irish-Scotish, Germans, and the Welsh. Christianity is the dominant

Men vs. Women in Southern Appalachia Two movies that have recently intrigued me include The Songcatcher, directed Maggie Greenwald Mansfield, and Deliverance, directed by John Boorman. The Songcatcher describes a woman who goes to the Appalachian Mountains, on a mission, with a recording device to capture Old English Ballads after she has been denied a promotion from her university. Deliverance portrays four city men who decide to go canoeing in the Appalachian Mountains and experience many different

The exclusive geography of Greater Appalachia and the settlers’ opposition to oppression developed the identity of the region and its inhabitants, which emphasized personal honor and individual liberty. As shown on a resource map of Greater Appalachia, the topography of the region excluded the inhabitants, who were known as Borderlanders, from acquiring necessary resources, such as forests or fish. The Borderlands did not have many resources at hand; items such as timber or oil were more commonly