"Fire In a Canebrake" and Brutal Crime

Paper Summary:

In this article, the writer studies the work 'Fire In a Canebrake' by Laura Wexler and notes that the gripping saga of a brutal page in American history is written dispassionately. The writer explains that this is the story of the last lynching in America, told in the words of some of the people peripherally involved. The writer maintains that Wexler demonstrates in her candid interviews with the locals that among some people the old attitudes prevail, which indeed is the strongest use of foreshadowing in the book. The writer concludes that the book allows the reader to know that even though the investigation is open and the murderers have not been caught, in all likelihood they would remain unknown because of the prejudice and secrets still present in southern culture.

From the Paper:

"Researching this work was obviously a daunting task. Small town America, particularly in the Deep South, can be a close-knit society. The idea that a stranger could come in and gather information on a brutal crime still being investigated by policing agencies would make the task all that more difficult to achieve. When the fact that the outsider is a woman is considered it makes Wexler's accomplishments even more extraordinary, for southern men often have a chauvinistic attitude toward women, and want to see them sheltered from reality.
"Though the crime she writes about seems from a bygone era it is a festering sore needing to be lanced by the people of Walton County, Georgia, and is a contemporary matter."

Sample of Sources Used:

• "Fire In a Canebrake": Laura Wexler

More papers on "Fire In a Canebrake" and Brutal Crime:

• Book Review # 117404 : "Analysis of "Fire In a Canebrake"
• Analytical Essay # 55229 : "Fire in a Canebrake"
• Analytical Essay # 55235 : "Fire in a Canebrake: The Last Mass Lynching in America"

APA Citation:

MLA Citation: