Being Country - Bobbie Ann Mason by Mary Wray https://padlet.com/mkwray/1gbhpb4n7xytgu86 A farmer's daughter's point of view en-us 2020-09-07 20:30:26 UTC 2020-09-07 23:45:26 UTC hello@padlet.com https://i.ytimg.com/vi/fW80fk_b1jc/maxresdefault.jpg Introducing Bobbie Ann Mason mkwray https://padlet.com/mkwray/1gbhpb4n7xytgu86/wish/725427988 - Bobbie Ann Mason was born on May 1, 1940 in Kentucky.
- Mason grew up on her family's dairy farm on the outside of Mayfield, Kentucky.
- Mason's love for reading at a young age was encouraged by her parents, Wilburn and Christina Mason.
- Bobbie Ann Mason earned a B.A. in English in 1962 at the University of Kentucky.
- Mason continued her education earning a M.A in 1966 at State University of New York at Binghamton.
- In 1972, Mason earned her Ph.D. at the University of Connecticut.
- After completing her education, Mason taught journalism part time while also writing fictional short stories. The New Yorker published her first short stories in the 1980s.
- Mason was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship in 1983 for her fiction works.
- Bobbie Ann Mason published her first novel, "In Country", in 1985.
- Mason's memoir, 'Clear Springs', published in 1999, was a finalist for a Pulitzer Prize. The reading, "Being Country", is an excerpt from the memoir.
- In 2016, Bobbie Ann Mason was inducted into the Kentucky Writer's Hall of Fame.
Source: http://www.bobbieannmason.net/bio.htm]]> 2020-09-07 20:56:33 UTC https://padlet.com/mkwray/1gbhpb4n7xytgu86/wish/725427988 Dairy Farm mkwray https://padlet.com/mkwray/1gbhpb4n7xytgu86/wish/725475682 Bobbie Ann Mason grew up on her family's dairy farm.]]> 2020-09-07 21:51:11 UTC https://padlet.com/mkwray/1gbhpb4n7xytgu86/wish/725475682 mkwray https://padlet.com/mkwray/1gbhpb4n7xytgu86/wish/725480012 2020-09-07 21:56:27 UTC https://padlet.com/mkwray/1gbhpb4n7xytgu86/wish/725480012 Abstract mkwray https://padlet.com/mkwray/1gbhpb4n7xytgu86/wish/725480481 In "Being Country", Bobbie Ann Mason compares her childhood of a rural life on the farm with the delectable town life of Mayfield. Through this comparison, she also addresses her desire to break through the stereotypical gender roles, to have a different lifestyle and to ultimately be somebody. Mason’s main comparison revolves around a typical day on the farm versus her few trips to Mayfield.  In the reading, Mason recalls her feelings of resentment while growing up on the farm. She often felt inferior to those living in the town. She also notes the urgency within her self to change her lifestyle was rooted in the hatred of farmer’s dependence on nature. Mason dismissed the idea of a woman’s duty on the farm unlike her Granny and Mama. She insisted that ‘progress meant freedom from the field and the range’.]]> 2020-09-07 21:56:59 UTC https://padlet.com/mkwray/1gbhpb4n7xytgu86/wish/725480481 Insights - Mason Yearns for Something More. mkwray https://padlet.com/mkwray/1gbhpb4n7xytgu86/wish/725526386 Throughout the reading, Mason uses ample imagery that allows the reader to understand how life is at the farm. Mason describes simple meals on the farms in paragraphs, to show the depth of slow country cooking. Though the paragraphs are long, the tone seems to lack enthusiasm. However, when Mason talks about the town life of Mayfield, she describes it with passion using words such as: grand, intoxicating and elegantly. Yet, irony is seen when she states, “food was better in town… It wasn’t plain and everyday”. This statement highlights just how much Mason longs for a different life. Mason states that poke salet and wilted lettuce are plain in comparison to Mayfield’s wax-paper burgers. The exaggeration and tone Mason uses allows the reader to grasp her yearning for a different lifestyle. 
In today's time, this reading is ironic. People complain that life is too fast, too industrial, and too commercialized . People willingly pay more for farm fresh food or for home cooked meals. Many scoff at the idea of a Big Mac at McDonalds as being a delicacy. In today's society, people yearn for a slower life .]]> 2020-09-07 22:47:16 UTC https://padlet.com/mkwray/1gbhpb4n7xytgu86/wish/725526386 Mayfield, KY mkwray https://padlet.com/mkwray/1gbhpb4n7xytgu86/wish/725527807 2020-09-07 22:48:56 UTC https://padlet.com/mkwray/1gbhpb4n7xytgu86/wish/725527807 Historical Context of the 1990's mkwray https://padlet.com/mkwray/1gbhpb4n7xytgu86/wish/725533684 "Being Country", is an excerpt from Clear Springs, which was published in 1999. The 1990’s were a time full of new identities for many countries around the world as they reunited, separated or declared independence from former lands. These new found identities of countries and their citizens, could have been an influence on Mason to write a memoir about her own life and identity in Clear Springs.

Important Events of the 1990’s
  • In 1990, East and West Germany are reunited after the collapse of the soviet union and the Berlin Wall.
  • In 1991, Croatia, Macedonia and Solvenia become independent from the former Yugoslavia.
  • In 1992, both Bosnia and Herzegovina declare independence.
  • In 1993, Czechoslovakia separates into the Czech Republic and Slovakia.
  • In 1994, The Channel Tunnel is completed, connecting both France and England.
Source: http://www.thepeoplehistory.com/1990s.html
]]> 2020-09-07 22:56:07 UTC https://padlet.com/mkwray/1gbhpb4n7xytgu86/wish/725533684 Bobbie Ann Mason mkwray https://padlet.com/mkwray/1gbhpb4n7xytgu86/wish/725541806 An interview with Mason on her book, "Clear Springs".]]> 2020-09-07 23:05:13 UTC https://padlet.com/mkwray/1gbhpb4n7xytgu86/wish/725541806