Why was she talking rhyme? Were those poems her father wrote or something? They were neat little stories but they should have introduced her and what she was trying to do better. I totally missed the boat the first couple of segments, but caught on after that. I would have been far more interested to hear what she actually remembered our thought. They could have had an actor recite the poetry like everything other quote.
shareI think they were poems she'd grown up with - probably known by many at the time.
The Troika of Irrelevancy: bringing off-topic enlightenment to the masses since 2006
i thought it was very poignant to hear her recite that poem. even though she wasn't a direct survivor of the war (of course) she was one of the very few children of former slaves still alive so I thought it was appropriate for her to recite the poem instead of an actor. the narrator told the story of her father, probably as told by her, so there was a mix of both.
here are a oouple of links with that poem in it
http://www.carrothers.com/madam.htm
galecandaras.org/speeches/05/Memorial Day Speech May 2005.pdf
For someone of 104 years, she spoke rather well. Each time I watch this episode, I am so impressed with her heartiness that I lose the connection with her recitation. Three cheers for the old gal.
- JKHolman
They said she was born in 1883. My great-grandmother was born in 1889 in the hills of KY, and until she died at age 97, she could recite very long (>5 minutes) "dramatic monologues"..when people had no electronics to entertain them, they were far more creative and this was a common form of entertainment. But I agree it'd be fascinating to hear her recollections. My grt-grdma fascinated me with tales of hillbilly life back then. There are books and documentaries re: the work in the 1930's of historians (dispatched as part of the WPA during the Depression) that collected firsthand accounts of slave life from very old former slaves. One book re: that is The Classic Slave Narratives by Henry Louis Gates Jr.
sharei thought she was fascinating to listen to.
Farewell,and may the blessing of Elves and Men and all Free Folk go with you.
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