Compare this image to the Missouri Compromise of 1820. For example, the chair rail in this photo separates the top and bottom of the room just like the Missouri Compromise further divided the northern states and the southern states over the issue of slavery.
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Mrs. Demml
This image is open to interpretation, and what I picture is the southern states feeling threatened in terms of representation by the northern states. They'd feel as if they were being overpowered by the northern states, and would fall over if the Missouri Compromise was not passed. The southern states can be compared to the lamp on the table, and the northern states can be compared to the man holding the chair, about to break the lamp and table.
ReplyDeleteI interpret the lamp to be the states north of the 30 degree latitude, and the table as the states south of. Divided by the prohibition or allowance of slavery, the states are in a shaky situation. The broad table, for me, seems like the broad agriculture-based south, while the north is a more centered light of industrial and commerce-based economy. Like Mohika, I think that the man represents the federal government too, but as if he accidently lifted up the chair(the Missouri Compromise), and did not realize that he was about to throw things off.
ReplyDeleteThe image is a reflection on the issue of morality raised with the Missouri Compromise. As a country founded on the principles of equality and freedom, the debate of whether slavery was morally constitutional continued to escalate into the nineteenth century. For many people, slavery was crucial to their way of life, and while the north might've not depended on it like the south did, for many people, it seemed unjust to deny the "benefits" of it.
ReplyDeleteIn the illustration above, the man is shown in a moment of hesitation, inaction, rather than action. He questions whether he has the moral right to end another creature's life (no matter his fear), even if letting it live might have grave consequences. Should he bring the all-mighty wrath down upon it, or give it the benefit of the doubt?
Such a debate on moral judgement reflects the struggle America faced in the 1800s. Was there truly a right decision in the debate on slavery? And in a grander scope: was a compromise truly a compromise? Would it truly end the situation, or just invite more unintended consequences?
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ReplyDeleteThe Missouri Compromise of 1820 can be compared to this image by interpreting the man holding the chair as Congress using the Compromise to solve the problem, which is represented by the bump in the ground. The problem, or the bump in the ground, would be the issue of the regulation of slavery, and the way it is upsetting and splitting the country in its views can be likened to the chaotic state of the table and lamp due to the bump. I agree with Raj, the table and the lamp are like the southern and northern states, two separate and different entities, but together they represent the country and the state of disarray the states were in during the time of the Missouri Compromise.
DeleteIn this image, the man represents Congress and the disturbance under the carpet represents the debate between the North and South over slavery. Every few years, such as in 1819 when Missouri asked to be admitted into the Union as a slave state, this underlying conflict surfaces enough to be seen under the carpet. Congress, the man with the chair, quickly chases it away by postponing the dispute with temporary fixes such as the Missouri Compromise. This cycle, represented in the image by the fact that the disturbance is still under the carpet, continues until the American Civil War.
ReplyDeleteIf this image represents the ephemeral solutions that Congress finds for the struggle over slavery, then another image (url below) found in the same book by Chris Van Allsburg represents the emergence of the issue directly before the Civil War. In this image, unlike in the one with the man and the chair where the menace is hidden under the rug, vines are growing out of the book. These vines represent the threat posed by the dispute over slavery that is about to engulf the country. The sleeping girl represents the United States that is completely unaware of the extent of the coming carnage.
http://farm5.staticflickr.com/4142/4912121733_4eec1e495c_z.jpg
Sources:
DeleteFaragher, John M., Mari J. Buhle, Daniel Czitrom, and Susan H. Armitage. Out of Many; A History of the American People; AP Edition. Sixth ed. New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 2011. Print.
Van, Allsburg Chris. The Mysteries of Harris Burdick. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1984. Print.
The shadow of the chair on the wall represents part of the Missouri Compromise. The shadow is looming over the compromise. The shadow is on the northern part of the wall so it shows the fear of the northern states, that slavery will never be banished and the southern states could gain power in the union with a majority. The Missouri compromise could have completely destroyed slavery but it did not leaving slavery still strong in the south. The shadow in the picture represents the looming threat of slavery and the rise of southern power against the northern colonies that could amount at any time.
ReplyDeleteOne of the simplest ways to compare this image with the Missouri Compromise is the idea which both share off unbalance. The Missouri compromise was all about keeping slave and free states equal. Both sides were worried about the amount of representation they had in the national government. The photo shows a lamp about to fall off a table due to a lump on the ground. If someone wished to take this comparison further they could say that the lump represented new U.S. territory which was heavily debated over in the U.S. because of representation. In both there is an object which is unsettling the normal way of life.
ReplyDeleteThe Missouri Compromise can easily be compared to the picture. For example, the lining on the wall perfectly divides the wall into two halves just like the North and South. Then, there is the lamp. The lamp is between both the North and the South, just like Missouri was allowed to have Missouri despite being above the line that separated the North and South. Also, the lamp and table being off balance show the rocky relationship between the States.
ReplyDeleteThis picture is a very good representation of the Missouri Compromise. The north is like the falling table. If action wasn't made the north was going to have major issues, like in the picture the lamp is going to break. The north made a compromise and decided to make Maine a free state, which created even amounts of free and slave states. The man with the chair is like the south states. If the south didn't get Missouri as a slave state, they were going to take action, like this man is going to do with the table.
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ReplyDeleteIn this illustration, the man in the chair could represent the northern states while the disturbance/bump under the rug represented the southern states. Though exaggerated, the man's hostility or rather increased awareness essentially reflects upon how the north and south had opposing views on the conditions of slavery and whether this matter should be supported and continued. Debate primarily bred because of the troubling issue of representation and balance among slave and free states. The matter in which the admittance of Missouri as a slave state was argued, created a rather unstableness and put congress in the dangerous position of creating a compromise that could please both sides. The toppling lamp could essentially stand for this conflicting issue of congress having to create an agreement or policy that would prevent dissatisfaction and possible hostilities between the North and the South.
ReplyDeleteIn this particular picture, the lump could represent the conflict of admitting Missouri as a state. The lamp represents the United States as a whole; it is plugged into a power source and currently functioning. However, the lump has disturbed the balance of the table and therefore threatened the lamp. This is similar to how Missouri's request for admittance has disturbed the balance of slave and free states, therefore threatening the fundamental principles of the United States.
ReplyDeleteIn this picture, the north is represented by the tipping table, as it feels that the introduction of Missouri, the disturbance under the carpet, will upset and tip the balance of power to the south, represented by the lamp, in the US. The free north fears that if another slave state is introduced, in this case Missouri, then the slave south will gain too much power. The south obviously pushed for the creation of another slave state, and this created a conflict in the nation. The man represents congress, as he is trying to find a solution to the problem, and the chair he is holding represents the compromise, as it is the tool being used to resolve the issue.
ReplyDeleteAlong with the aforestated comparisons about the line on the wall or the chair dividing the room, like the Missouri Compromise divided the Northern and Southern states, I made the comparison of the bookshelf to the left/west, representing the future states to be admitted into the US, either as slave of free states. The bookshelf has a dark looming look that could symbolize the impending conflict between the North and South over new states being admitted. This conflict would eventually be a cause of the Civil War.
ReplyDeleteIn this picture, several comparisons can be made between it and the Missouri Compromise. The man represents the South, while the chair he is holding represents the threat of succession from the Union. The chair is threatening to crush the thing under the carpet, or the North, who so depended on the money made from shipping cotton and thus slavery. The table represents the order of the union, which is growing into chaos and will soon fall. The only thing preventing the South from using the chair, or succession, on the North is the carpet, the Missouri Compromise, as the South does not yet know if the North is a threat to their slavery-based economy.
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion, the chaos of this room represented in the image reveal the conflicts caused by a seemingly simple 'bump', in this case, Missouri's application for admission as a slave state. Indeed, the standing man represents the American people, who in both North and South reacted immensely to the prospect of Missouri's statehood, sometimes violently. The table near the right side of the page may represent the fragile balance of power between slave and free states under the Constitution. This balance is seriously shaken by Missouri's application in the same way that the table and lamp are nearly toppled by the bump in the picture.
ReplyDeleteIn the picture above i think that the bump underneath the carpet is the slave trade. The lamp and table represent america as a whole . The table represents the south and the lamp represents the north. From that i can conclude that America was built on slavery, but the bump is getting larger and shaking the table and lamp. The man in the picture represents congress and the chair is the Missouri compromise. Congress believes that the compromise will be able to fix everything but in reality its just further delaying the problem
ReplyDeleteIn the picture above the bookshelf with its neat contents stands out sharply in contrast to the rest of the room which is falling apart due to the man's rage. I think this represents how in every generation you have people that are oblivious to current political doings of their government. While political battles are constantly transpiring over Missouri and if it should be a free state or not, life goes on as usual for many people. For those disconnected from the political doings of the government, the Missouri Compromise wouldn't have had a significant impact on their lives. To me, the bookshelf represents the oblivious which are found in every generation.
ReplyDeleteThis picture shows the impending doom of the Civil War that is further escalated by the Missouri Compromise. The shadow on the wall is foreshadowing the dark times the Missouri compromise will bring. The area under the shadow represents the time left until the chair destroys the barrier the Missouri Compromise created between the northern and southern states.
ReplyDeleteThe man with the chair that is about to hit what is under the carpet represents either the north or south's feelings toward their opposite. Both the north and their want to abolish slavery, and the south and their want to keep slavery are trying to stop the other from doing what they want in regards to slavery. They both want to override the other's wants with their own which is represented by the man with the chair trying to kill what is under the carpet. This, where the rug between them represents the 36 30 parallel line because though they are seemingly separated by a barrier, the north and the south will not settle their differences and still want what is best for them in their thoughts about slavery.
ReplyDeleteWhen looking at this photo, one thing i interpret is the lamp falling down and a shadow casting over the room as a sense of darkness rising over Missouri. Why i interpret it this way is because before the compromise, Missouri had no regulations on slavery, though not really a free state. The shadow symbolizes the darkness of slavery rising over the state, and the lamp in a sense could represent freedom. To add on to that, the mouse under the rug disrupting everything could be interpreted as the actual compromise, and that one little object can change the lives of many people.
ReplyDeleteThere is something lurking underneath the carpet just like the issue of slavery was being hidden down. It seems the like the creature underneath is about to pop out anytime just like the problems within the nation over the idea of slavery. Also once the creature comes out the man with the chair is going to swing it about and cause a lot of damage just like the civil war did.
ReplyDeleteThe mans black pants represent slaves being worn down as white men hit lumps of political strife with the chairs of non representative compromise. This picture captures the struggle of a political society to remain equal, whilst the social factors of the situation itself are not addressed, or even addressed.
ReplyDeleteThis picture depicts the Missouri Compromise perfectly. The lump in the ground can be compared to the admission of Missouri as a slave state. The man holding the chair trying to "equal" out the bump represents the state of Maine. This is because Maine was added as a free state in order to equal out Missouri.
ReplyDeleteIn my eyes the man represents abolitionists/ the Missouri compromise and the bump in the carpet is slavery. Its a representation of how all the commotion happens in the south and the north is trying to keep it under control. How the disturbance of new slave states is ruining the peace up north.
ReplyDeleteThere are many things that this picture can represent regarding the Missouri Compromise. For example, the lamp represents Missouri. It is right on the divider of the two halves of the wall, just as Missouri was on the line that separated slave and free lands. The lamp and the table that it is standing on are both very unstable. This represents how the Missouri Compromise was still only a temporary solution. Also, the lamp is on. This represents Missouri as a beacon of hope to both sides. The north hoped that this would start the end of slavery. The south hoped that this would lead to the north eventually giving in to the south's ways of slavery.
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