To Kill A Mockingbird ~ 'Maycomb' Photograph

Prompt:  Incorporating the different criteria from the Visual Literacy Guide, write a thoughtful, thorough, and well constructed response relating the photograph to Maycomb, AL.

Pages read: 0-41 

Photograph used:  "Birdhouse and Landscape at an old plantation home near Eutaw, Alabama".  Published May, 1941.  Photographed by Delano, Jack.

First Observations:  Not staged.  Most likely in the moderate South.  Vegetation is growing, it is unkempt and organic looking.  The trees are high and point towards the sun.  Benches are set up, so this might be a park.  The trees are spread apart, but the area is not at all barren.  There is quite literally a treehouse atop the stump of a former tree; where vines and other plants are growing.  Someone might describe this area as meadow, though it is not flat enough to be a prairie. Lots of shady regions, and sun is prevalent.  There also appears to be a slight breeze.

Reflection:  Even if I hadn't seen the title, "Birdhouse and Landscape at an old plantation home near Eutaw, Alabama", I would've presumed this to be a southern town.  From the scenery shown and previously described, I can infer this town experiences that kind of hazy heat that makes life move slowly.  The park benches can be used to prove that point.   The benches also show the viewer the lifestyle in their area, or at least what their residents do in their spare time.  With the placement of the benches, I can tell the pace of life is slow and at times leisurely.  The tall grass shows this area was not "high-end", and that agriculture is important to its owners.  The tree-house, or bird house, can show many things about Eutaw's citizens.  Maybe there are a lot of children, and the adults might not have the busiest of schedules.  Perhaps the birds attracted to the bird house affect the agriculture.

Questions:  Who built and placed the bird house?   Is this a park?  And if so, who takes care of it?  Is this place frequently visited, or out of the public eye?  Who comes here more, children and teens or adults?  How long does this open land stretch?  What kinds of animals live in the underbrush and wooded area?  What is the population of this town?

Could this be Maycomb County?  The rest of Eutaw may not resemble Harper Lee's description of Maycomb, but I believe this real-life setting parallels the fictional setting.  With both having characteristics of a "tired, old town" and their people leading quiet but social lives, I think this landscape could serve as a backdrop for Maycomb.  The time periods are also very similar, so both portray an accurate rural 30's setting.  We can infer from the picture that it was taken in the time of the Great Depression, and so happens to be Maycomb.   I also think Scout, Jem, and Dill would enjoy to perform their many skits in a place like this.