One of the sources I found to use in my essay was a book called Rethinking the Boundaries of the South. It describes traditions and the culture in the south portion of the United States. In William Eggleston’s Guide, John Szarkowski mentions that Eggleston’s “pictures were based compositionally on the Confederate flag- not the asterisk, or the common daisy, or the dove of the Holy Ghost, but the Confederate flag. (11)” Many people believe that the Confederate flag represents racism, however this isn’t true. It stands for southern heritage and the way of living in the south. It also symbolizes the independence of the diverse cultural tradition.
The South can easily be distinguished from the rest of the United States. According to Rethinking the Boundaries of the South, “the south differs demographically, economically, politically, and, most important for our purposes, culturally.” Also, in the 1950’s, C. Vann Woodward was on a quest to find the true ‘southern identity’. He closely studied “the wealth of cultural meanings inherent (natural) in almost any aspect of the South’s popular culture, self-expressions, images, and stereotypes.” These quotes represent Eggleston’s photographs. His pictures do not contain luxurious items; it’s the simple, everyday things that would be found in southern America.
