Inscriptive Restorations - Essay Example

Inscriptive Restorations Rowell engages Trethewey in an elaborate interview, referring to her poetry as inscriptive restoration. Essentially, Trethewey’s poems address key concerns of restoration and inscription. Rowell questions the motivation behind Trethewey’s interest in taking photographs of blacks. Trethewey further justifies her expressions and gestures of people featured in the photographs. She explains her understanding and interpretation of diverse impressions depicted in the photographs, which for the basis of writing the poems.

Trethewey, however, claims that her major interests in taking photographs relate to the manner in which they create and hold objects of the moment.According to Trethewey, societal aspects that most individuals consider insignificant and take for granted are the ones that stand out as motivators of her passion. Trethewey uses Sontag quotes to demonstrate that photography is a cruel practice. She explains the ordeal poets experience to search for substance from their lives and pain of other peoples lives During the interview, Natasha recalls her grandmother as her role model and inspiration to her life (Trethewey and Petty 1024).

She hails women for playing a role in adding influencing the passion and dedication in her work as a poet. Natasha further reveals that her life revolved around traditional setting where she lived with chicken. Nevertheless, she also counts herself as a modern woman who lived by the highway 49. Natasha also makes it known that she is an independent woman. It is noteworthy that, during the entire interview, Natasha fails to address the plight of blacks who are the major victims in the photographic environments.

Three Things That Stood Out In the EssayOne of the issues standing out clearly from the essay is racial segregation. Rowell talks about black people who stand in isolation as white people take their photographss. In addition, Natasha also claims that three the black people’s gauzes, she is able to realize the attachment she has with them. The second thing that stands out in the essay is support and inspiration. Natasha recalls the role that her grandmother played in shaping her career and making her a responsible woman in the society.

Finally, modernity versus tradition is another aspect that stands out in the essay. Trethewey recounts that she belong to “old timely.” She makes claims that she belong to a community that to date still plays marbles that contained pig rooting, particularly under house. Trethewey memorizes how she lived in a society where people still kept cattle in their yards and chicken in their compounds running up and about. She further makes comparison to her brother, seven years younger than her, who never experienced such old school as she puts it.

Works CitedTrethewey, Natasha and Petty, Jill. "Inscriptive Restorations: An Interview with Natasha Trethewey." Callaloo 27.4 (2004): 1022-1034.