The Southland

This essay by Henry Miller is ripe with descriptions of cities and famous landmarks which provides the reader with fantastic visual stimuli. Although these descriptions are eloquently written, many of the references Miller makes are to other stories, which could possibly confuse the reader if he or she has never read these stories. His numerous references to the Civil War make me wonder when this article was written and what kind of background Miller came from. Was he from the South? What are his opinions of the Northern part of our country? What in his life caused such a passion for the South?
Drawing this conclusion completely from this essay, Miller seems to be a lover of the "South" and doesn't seem to look on the "North" with much favor. This is evident in his reference to the "slave culture", which he says was not necessarily a bad thing and could have possibly provided the world with some sort of great work if it were maintained. Although this idea seems a bit odd, the author has an obvious passion for the South and has a great ability to describe it in a very intriguing way. The strongest imagery, in my opinion, but also the simplest to understand can be found in the last few sentences of the essay when he says..." It is all over now. A new South is being born. The old South was ploughed under. But the ashes are still warm."