Blog 2

            In Sohn’s book, Whistlin’ and Crowin’ Women of Appalachia: Literacy Practices since College, I thought her analysis of Lucy, Jean, and Sarah was very well constructed. I was able to get a sense of the culture in Appalachia and the importance of education for the women that live there. I felt as if each of the three women had their fair share of difficulties to overcome and each prevailed with hard work and dedication no matter what the situation was. None of the women lost sight of their dream and stayed true to their values. I was surprised by the way that men in Appalachia view education. I thought that it was ridiculous how Lucy’s husband Matt was abusive towards her because of his outlook on how things should be in Appalachia. Lucy would have to lie to him about what time she would need to go to class because he would not let her drive herself and she was not allowed to study at home so she had to go early to study, “He ‘allowed’ me to go to college but only if he drove me there and back and if I kept my schoolbooks in the car” (Sohn 75). Sarah also didn’t have the support of her second husband Bill and stuck up for herself by telling him that if he forced her to pick between him and her education that he would lose. In Jean’s case it was her husbands parents who did not agree with her choice to go back to school. A negative view on education was not uncommon for men of Appalachia to have during this time. I believe that men felt as if they should be the most powerful in the household and viewed being educated as having power. Therefore men did not want their wives to be educated in fear that they would lose power.

            In American culture the negative stereotypes of Appalachia are often seen in movies and television shows while the positive stereotypes are overlooked. The negative view on education and the lack of education is a characteristic that Appalachia is known for. We are shown this in the media but we are often not shown the hard work and dedication from women trying to break away from the negative stereotypes. If Americans were better educated on Appalachian culture, I believe it would entirely change the way that we construct Appalachia.

Sohn, Katherine Kelleher. Whistlin' and Crowin' Women of Appalachia: Literacy Practices since College. Carbondale: Southern Illinois UP, 2006. Print.