Making the Most of Synchronic Reading
November 12th 2007 20:32
My penchant for reading two books at the one time resulted in a rather interesting exercise recently. Although unintentional, I found myself reading Soul Catcher by Michael White along with Red River by Lalita Tademy. Now, White’s story focuses on the years just before the Civil War and the abolishment of slavery, predominately through the eyes of slave catcher Augustus Cain, whereas River is set in the few years after and the struggle of those black who stayed behind trying to carve out a life for themselves in the Deep South. Tademy has basically taken her family’s history and woven it into a fictional account of what happened in Colfax, Louisiana the year free blacks attempted to vote for the first time. It’s not pretty, but from what oral history she has uncovered, seems an accurate picture of what the history books do not tell.
Then, after a few chapters I would open Soul Catcher and see a completely different perspective. That of the proud and ‘honourable’ Southerner. White’s hero, Cain, seems straight from the silver screen – rootin’, tootin’ shoot ‘em up cowboy, so this was not to be another Cold Mountain. But through the soap-opera plot, and fore-seeable conclusion, I did find something worth contemplating. And that is the undeniable, flag-waving imperialism of the Southern gentleman. To understand Americans (particularly those in the South during the unrest of the Civil War) we have to understand that they truly believed in what they were fighting for (White does this well through his character Cain), and that slaves honestly were better off under their ‘care’. They could not fathom a world in which their control was not essential.
Now, when belief in something is that deeply embedded it is not uprooted easily, and although many would deny it, the attitude is still alive and well today. These opinions are passed down, along with recipes, songs and grand-dads medals and you can outlaw them all you like, but you cannot erase them from people’s minds, or hearts.
So … in retrospect, I’m not sure I would have picked this up reading Soul Catcher on its own. Whereas Cain felt it as an uneasy fit, the white landowners in Red River wore it as a badge, a violent, angry badge. By taking in both stories at the one time, I was able to find some niche for the Southerner’s ‘honour’ and the part it played in the tumultuous history of the American Civil War.
To widen one’s outlook on life, is one of the reason we read. I’ve read a lot of books on this topic, but it is always good to know there is yet another thing we can learn …
Understanding is the key to acceptance and finally … deliverance. So there becomes no value in hate.
Then, after a few chapters I would open Soul Catcher and see a completely different perspective. That of the proud and ‘honourable’ Southerner. White’s hero, Cain, seems straight from the silver screen – rootin’, tootin’ shoot ‘em up cowboy, so this was not to be another Cold Mountain. But through the soap-opera plot, and fore-seeable conclusion, I did find something worth contemplating. And that is the undeniable, flag-waving imperialism of the Southern gentleman. To understand Americans (particularly those in the South during the unrest of the Civil War) we have to understand that they truly believed in what they were fighting for (White does this well through his character Cain), and that slaves honestly were better off under their ‘care’. They could not fathom a world in which their control was not essential.
Now, when belief in something is that deeply embedded it is not uprooted easily, and although many would deny it, the attitude is still alive and well today. These opinions are passed down, along with recipes, songs and grand-dads medals and you can outlaw them all you like, but you cannot erase them from people’s minds, or hearts.
So … in retrospect, I’m not sure I would have picked this up reading Soul Catcher on its own. Whereas Cain felt it as an uneasy fit, the white landowners in Red River wore it as a badge, a violent, angry badge. By taking in both stories at the one time, I was able to find some niche for the Southerner’s ‘honour’ and the part it played in the tumultuous history of the American Civil War.
To widen one’s outlook on life, is one of the reason we read. I’ve read a lot of books on this topic, but it is always good to know there is yet another thing we can learn …
Understanding is the key to acceptance and finally … deliverance. So there becomes no value in hate.
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