I’ve always been told that I was an optimist. I agree, I’ve always tried to believe that there was always a solution, that there’s always hope… even if it takes a little longer than usual for hope to get there. And because I’m a diehard optimist, it will definitely seem like I’m biased when I mention that The Kentucky Cycle by Robert Schenkkan made life in Appalachia, life in Kentucky, way more awful and violent then it actually probably was.
Now don’t get me wrong; there was serious bloodshed in the mountains. Ever since the first settlers battled with the Native Americans, there was a history of violence and retaliation in Appalachia among locals, world powers, and the people who travel through it. There were infamous family feuds that made headlines, internal battles that set towns ablaze, and labor problems that turned into revolutions. There was definitely violence, but it was seemingly necessary violence. Schenkkan portrays violence as a natural aspect of a day-in-the-life, but he never experienced a day-in-the-life. What does he know aside from the mild slice of Kentucky that he actually saw and a few shows off of the History Channel?
Nottthhinngg!
Seriously.
All the research in the world doesn’t come close to actually sitting down into what you’re studying. While The Kentucky Cycle was perfect for entertainment purposes, unfortunately less informed people would be lead to wonder, “Oh my God, they still do that there?? D:” and form a few unbecoming stereotypes that have undoubtedly stuck with us since the time of its publishing.
-Re
1 comments:
I agree that most of what Schennkkan wrote was over-exaggerated to a maximum. When he visited Kentucky, he was not on a research trip. He passed through and saw the area for a couple of days which then inspired him to write the play. The play goes along with the typical "Appalachains are quick-tempered bloody murders," type theme that a lot of outside writers protray it as. It is important to remember that overall it is fiction, and it is only centered around two families. It is your typical Hatfield-McCoy senario in a possibly even more scarring way. We should not take it to heart.
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