Abstract This essay discusses Appalachian music and explores how it has always been historically based. The mountain lifestyle has been so difficult that Appalachian people had to find solace in their music and songs. More than anything, the music has represented the celebration of local life and provided an escape from the drudgery of everyday work and isolation.
Abstract This paper examines how the unique American Appalachian dialect is often greatly misunderstood. It looks at how many modern Americans characterize the Appalachian dialect as a corruption of the English language, which is spoken by uneducated and unintelligent hillbillies. Instead, it shows how the Appalachian dialect is more aptly characterized as an archaic type of English that resembles the English spoken in the time of the first Queen Elizabeth. It also discusses how geographical, cultural, and social isolation have kept the Appalachian dialect essentially pure over the past 200 years of America's history and how, today, the Appalachian dialect continues to thrive, preserving one of America's great linguistic traditions.
From the Paper "Currently, the Appalachian dialect is used extensively in the region. The Appalachian dialect spoken today closely in many ways resembles the English that was spoken by the first settlers to America. The isolation of life in the mountains of Appalachia has carried on many traditional attitudes and behaviors, as well as maintaining the dialect of Appalachia (Virgin English). Interestingly, Dial notes that the dialect spoken today is a "watered-down" version of the dialect spoken in earlier times. Perhaps the influence of television, radio, movies, as well as a more transient American population have helped to contributed to changes in the Appalachian dialect seen in the past century."
Abstract The paper relates that traditional nursing in the United States has been accused of being ethnocentric and unable to accommodate cultures other than white Caucasian. The paper examines the cultural issues related to the Appalachian region of the United States and issues that may affect nursing care. The paper explains that the needs of the Appalachian community are different than those in other parts of the country. The paper discusses how the question of spirituality causes a conflict between the needs of the patient and standard ethical practices of the health care system. The paper demonstrates how nurses can play a major role in bridging this gap and developing practices within the Appalachian region that specifically address the need to integrate some type of spirituality into the daily care routine.
Outline:
Understanding Cultural Differences
Bringing Trans-cultural Competence to the Nursing Floor
Health Behaviors and Appalachia
Putting it Into Practice
From the Paper "The Appalachian region represents a unique culture within the larger culture of the United States. The most obvious difference that one notices when they encounter someone from that region is their accent. However, if one questions them they may tell you that you are the one with the accent. The Appalachian region is a part of a proud Southern tradition that goes back to the founding days of the United States. Many people passed through the region on their way to the western frontier. Some decided to stay and set roots. These settlers blended into the patchwork quilt that became a symbol of the region."
Abstract The paper overviews the history of the development of coal mining methods in the Appalachian regions. The paper looks at underground mining, strip mining and mountaintop removal mining (MRM) as well as the problem of inadequately controlled and managed coal slurry impoundments and slag heaps. The paper also describes the harmful effects of these methods of mining on the environment. In addition, the paper refers to many studies that all emphasize the fact that a more harmonious balance between industrial coal mining and the environment needs to established.
Outline:
Introduction
The Environmental History of Appalachian Coal Mining
Environmental Impact of Coal Mining in the Appalachians Conclusion
From the Paper "The issue of coal mining in the Appalachian regions has in recent years been the cause of much debate and contention. The central concern in this debate is the dramatic and severe impact that coal mining has had on the environment of the region. In the age of global warming and climate change the issue of the devastation of the natural environment through mining methods such as mountaintop removal mining (MRM) tends to evoke strong and critical responses."
Abstract In this article, the writer discusses the Appalachian mountain region. The writer notes that today the region has a reputation that is rich in resources with a notoriously poor economy and people. The writer maintains that this is no doubt the legacy of the exploitative nature of early industrialization in the Appalachia area. The writer concludes that as infrastructure is developed there is less and less need for some of the region's riches and conversely as the resources available are depleted, industry looks elsewhere for a point of need, leaving behind the generations of workers dependant upon this type of development. The writer contends that it is for this reason that the future of the Appalachian region is yet unknown, and will continue to be a region of flux for many years to come.
From the Paper "The Appalachian mountain region was the first American frontier, sought after as a place to romantically recreate the American dream of idealistic frontiersmanship. The mountains were the back door to many of the original American colonies and within them to the settlers of the nation lay unknown riches and exotic cultures, yet to be experienced or some would say exploited by the Europeans and the American settlers. They were the first areas to be traversed and eventually developed. The name of the area is a result of the goals of the Spanish to find wealth through gold mining as the area is named for the first group of Native Americans to point toward the forests and claim them rich in gold, the Appalachee. It is thought that they may have done so to send their unwanted guests away from them but none the less the name stuck."
Abstract This paper discusses the natural sense of patience, perhaps derived from the timelessness of the surrounding forests and mountains, the people of Appalachia have practiced, through natural as well as man-made disaster. The author explores how perhaps in the twenty-first century this stubborn and persistent patience could pay off.
Table of contents
Appalachia Unmasked
The Face of Appalachia Past
The Face of Appalachia Present
The Face of Appalachia Future
From the Paper ""Trust not appearances," wrote Irish author James Joyce in the early twentieth century, "for there is nothing so deceptive and for all that so alluring as a good surface" (PG; O'Brien 300). At no other time and place could this statement prove more applicable than autumn amid the misty hills of eastern Kentucky. For in the fall, the black tobacco barns and simple dwellings of this area are framed by forests of evergreen, maple, hickory and sweet gum trees that burst forth in a variety of greens and golds against the smoky blue backdrop of the surrounding mountains. It is a beauty that could be termed breathtaking in its natural splendor, yet it is a beauty that bears the stigma of prejudice and preconception that has been decades in the making."
This paper describes the Appalachian snake handling churches, and presents them as a distinct religious subculture within the whole of American Christianity.
Abstract The paper is a detailed summary of most aspects of the culture, including a discussion of the history and theology of the cult; distinctive religious practices; role of snakes; unique uses of language; historical persecution and prosecution; and the role of the Appalachian environment in the formation of the group.
From the Paper "On a balmy summer day in rural Tennessee in 1909, George Went Hensley sat on top of White Oak Mountain pondering the meaning of a passage he had found in the Bible. The text was from the Book of Mark, Chapter 16, verses 17-18: And these signs shall follow those that believe: In my name they shall cast out demons; they shall speak with new tongues; they shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover. Spoken after Christ's Resurrection and immediately before His Ascension, these were the last words that Jesus spoke to his followers. Noting that the verse says that believers shall take up serpents, not can or may, Hensley took these words to be a mandate from God. He asked God for a sign, and his prayers were soon answered when he saw a large timber rattlesnake in a rocky gap. Hensley captured the rattlesnake, and later that week, at a religious meeting at Sale Creek, Tennessee, he cited the Bible and thrust the snake at the congregation challenging them to take it up and test their faith. The congregants handled the serpent, and a new religion was born."
A review of the the biographical books, "A Walk in the Woods: Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail" by Bill Bryson and "A Pirate Looks at Fifty" by Jimmy Buffett.
1,150 words (approx. 4.6 pages), 4 sources, 2002, $ 44.95
Abstract This paper will discuss two autobiographical memoirs and discover how they convey a story and philosophy from the author. The books analyzed will be, "A Walk in the Woods: Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail" by Bill Bryson and "A Pirate Looks at Fifty" by Jimmy Buffett. The texts will point out the certain qualities that make up a story and philosophy from these authors.
Abstract This paper explores the reasons for the extreme poverty that exists in most of the Appalachian region of the U.S., discusses the effects of Calvinism on the continuing despair of the region, and provides possible suggestions for improvement.
From the Paper "While the Appalachian region of the South suffered even in the antebellum heyday of the cotton boom, the condition worsened during the Civil War, when Appalachia suffered from the general devastation affecting the South and the exploitative tactics of Northerners, especially in terms of supply merchants and heavy, unrealistic agricultural prices for much-needed credit lines (148). The banking disaster of the 1930's and poor agricultural distribution and marketing decisions sent the region plunging even further into poverty. Furthermore, the decline in agriculture in the United States, creating difficulties across the country, has led to additional problems for Appalachia."
Abstract The connection of the people to their land is the nature of an Appalachian soul; it is the galvanizing hum that motors generations through its tangled thicket and cold ridge. This paper examines how Kathryn Stripling Byer with gracious imagery, tells the story of a woman's Appalachia, her home.
From the Paper "The unchanging spirit of the South, and the quirky restless soul of Appalachia, is epitomized by repetition. Children in the mountains - East Bend, High Point, Tuxedo, Flat Rock - know their ancestors, and their ancestors land, like it is their own. Stories in the south serve as a modern companion; for generations, in a seemingly endless circle, they have shaped the lives of the future with the lessons, values, and lives of the past. Byer, whose modern approach to the Appalachian spirit is all the more maudlin for its acknowledgement of change, speaks of the land and people like an eulogy, the sad, penultimate note before the end of the song."
Abstract This paper discusses the history of Celtic music and its migration to the Appalachian region of North America. The author points out the cultural memory embedded in the Celtic tradition. The paper examines the impact of Celtic music on musical styles of the modern period.
From the Paper "The purpose of this research is to examine connections between Celtic music, which originated in Britain, chiefly Scotland and Ireland, and which migrated to the U.S., chiefly to the Appalachian region of North America and the intergenerational aspects of musical heritage with reference to the human-development theories of Erik Erikson. The plan of the research will be to set forth a history of Celtic music from its origins in Britain and the history of migration of the music to the U.S. and then discuss the resonance that such music ..."
Tags: Celtic, Music, Appalachian, music, American, music
Abstract This paper analyzes how the development of the American Fur Company impacted the fur trade and the American frontier west. The paper discusses how the fur trading industry, via the American Fur Company established by John Jacob Astor, was an important economic way of life and trade opportunity for settlers and fur trappers eager to build settlements in the American west. The paper shows how without the fur trade, the West would not have beheld the profitability incentive for expansion beyond the Appalachian mountain chain.
Outline:
Introduction
The International Fur Trade and the American West
The American Fur Trade
The Expansion and Development of the American Fur Company
Interconnecting Alliances in the Fur Trade
Conclusion
From the Paper "The economic affect that fur trading had on the American west can be found through supply and demand. The demand for furs in Europe was growing in the early 19th century, since many of the furs were slowly diminishing due to over hunting. John Jacob Astor and his American Fur Company played a major role in determining how fur trade would become an American dominated economy, which helped to propel a massively successful impetus for pioneer settlers to settle on lands in the west. Many of the pioneers that sought to live a new life as settlers in the west, took advantage of this opportunity to make incredible profits from the many beaver found west of the Appalachians. According to Hine (2000), the economic value of the fur trade made it possible for pioneers to develop a strong economy in the wild American frontier."
Abstract This paper presents a timeline and background of the Cherokee people, a Native-American tribe who originally lived in the southern Appalachian Mountains area. The paper traces their history from the very beginnings more than a thousand years ago, through the introduction of whites and the modernization of America. The paper describes the Cherokee's way of life, customs and traditions. As well, the writer provides information on the political aspects which led to the treaty between this people and the American government.
From the Paper "The society of the Cherokee was a matriarchy. The children took the clan of the mother, and kinship was traced through the mother's family. Women had an equal voice in the affairs of the tribe. Marriage was only allowed between members of different clans. Property was passed on according to clan alliance. Cherokee villages were largely independent in daily matters, with the whole tribe only coming together for ceremonies or in times of war. They grew corn (maize) and other vegetables. They hunted with bows and arrows, and used reed blowguns to kill smaller game."
Abstract The paper explores the theme of loneliness and the concept of "home" in the poem, "A Child in the Hills", by James Still. The paper shows that much has changed since this poem was written, but the essence is still the same; many transplanted Appalachians share this sentiment. A city-dwelling man looks back on his childhood home with nostalgia; part of him is still there, the "child in the hills".
From the Paper "Literary elements comprise the brunt of this poem, transforming it from a broken observation of a childhood left behind to a true work of art. The setting is anonymous?neither time nor particular place is identified, and the language is just vague enough in certain places to be applicable at any given period in time. One can only assume that the land Still speaks of is rural, hilly farmland, but although Still was born and raised in Kentucky, this poem could have been written anywhere."
Abstract This paper explains that there is a need to evaluate the economic and social profitability of not selling rural or close-in suburban land for development, but rather retaining the land for farming or other uses, such as hunting and fishing, wildlife observations, running a rural bed and breakfast inn, and other non-farming activities. The author points out that, in 2001, the federal government made grants available to landowners in 28 states and Puerto Rico for conservation activities as part of the Endangered Species Act Landowner Incentive Program, an initiative established by Congress to provide financial assistance and incentives to private property owners who are willing to conserve listed species. The paper relates that the models created by Tara Wildlife Management Services and the Appalachian Growers Cooperative also provide lessons in the uses of land that do not involve "factory farming" or use of non-biological farm inputs, but rather add to the beauty and small-scale economic utility of a landscape that might otherwise be lost.
Table of Contents
Statement of the Problem
Methodology
Introduction
Literature Review
Farmland
Non-Farmland
Discussion
From the Paper "A 24-year old organization, American Farmland Trust, has been on the forefront of a conservation movement designed to bring the benefits of wildlife and land conservation to farmers and to the communities that surround farms, especially if those communities have been encroached by urban or suburban sprawl. Many people would be surprised to know more than half the nation's food production, in dollar value, comes form communities surrounding cities. ?The amount of U.S. fruit and vegetable production in these rapidly growing areas is even more astonishing, exceeding 75 percent.? The benefits of farm and ranch land as a backdrop for tourism and outdoor recreation is ample, as the chambers of commerce in Colorado's Rocky Mountains, the Pennsylvania Dutch country around Lancaster, Pennsylvania and the Shenandoah Valley in Virginia would attest."
