Postcards From Hell
Studying these photos has engendered in me an utter disgust in the satisfaction of the white men in the photographs. Looking at the faces of the men in these pictures instills an uncomfortable feeling of anger and fear. Regarding such postcards as numbers 16 and 22 from Without Sanctuary, I pose a question: how do these men stand next to a burning/charred corpse with such a satisfied demeanor on their faces? I can understand the need for the white man to feel dominant, but animalistic and barbaric? In postcard number 22, the men standing against the pole, supporting the charred body of a hanged black man, have a look of satisfaction on their faces as if they had just built a bridge, house, etc. They look as if they had really done the community an admirable deed. The scariest thing about this photo is that this is what the men in it believe.
Relating these photos to Toni Morrison’s Beloved, I have noticed that these two photos that I have selected are very similar to the plight of the character Sixo. Rather than being hanged, Sixo was burned whilst bound to a tree. Sixo belt out a song as he was being burned; the white men could not silence his spirit so they decided to shoot him. This scene reminds me of the animal of the white man in this epoch. There was no regard for humanity whatsoever in this time period. Blacks were not treated as humans in any respect; this is disgusting.
posted by Chase V. @ 2:40 PM
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