(Hopefully) Last thing about Maypoles

So with all this maypole discussion I thought I'd share my one and only experience with a maypole. In 8th grade I was part of a production of The Great Russian Nutcracker; this is the version that tours the country with principal dancers from Russia and children/teens/supporting dancers from the local communities in each city. I was an angel in this production (for those unfamiliar with The Nutcracker, the angels are the first to greet Clara and the Nutcracker when they enter the land of sweets). The Russian dancers (who we had barely practiced with before the show) used a maypole in this scene (which I'm pretty sure they didn't use in practice) and in the performance that evening they knocked my halo off with one of the ribbons, so it was hanging awkwardly off the side of my head. Because I was one of the 6 tallest angels I was carrying a prop (mine was a bird on a stick...not sure why, maybe because it was tropical?), so I'm trying to hold this bird, keep dancing, and subtly pin my halo back on...it was kind of a nightmare. So Russians + maypoles = not my favorite combination of things.

More on Maypoles (Seriously, why is everyone obsessed with Maypoles??)

Ok, so we all know how much Nathaniel Hawthorne dislikes the Puritans, but his account of The May-Pole at Merry Mount takes this to a whole new level, and there are some major contrasts between his version of the events and the originals as described by Bradford and Morton:

•          Hawthorne’s account makes Merry Mount sound like the stuff of legend and that it’s been there for centuries. He describes an almost classical scene, lending a mythological air to the whole thing (especially the part about the dancing bear). His account is certainly more fantastical and less realistic than those by Bradford or Morton. As far as the aged description of Merry Mount is concerned: “Two hundred years ago, and more, the old world and its inhabitants became mutually weary of each other” (404). Granted, he could be referring to the 200 years that have passed between the events described and his own writing, but this sentence and the passage following give the impression that Merry Mount has been around for centuries, while it seems much more short-lived in other accounts.
•          While there is no mention of the work model of Merry Mount, or the riddle affixed to the maypole, but there is the added element of a wedding.
•          Hawthorne seems to have more disdain for the Puritans in his account than Morton did in his, though I think it’s important to note that, if I remember correctly, it was the Pilgrims, not the Puritans, who were involved with the affair of Merry Mount. Not sure if that’s actually relevant, but whatever. Either way, Hawthorne really lays the smack down on these guys, including the manner in which they cut down the maypole and take people prisoner to be beaten and punished. Yet, he has them take pity on the Lord and Lady of May, and by the end seems to have made a 180-degree turn and is disdainful of Merry Mount: “[The Lord and Lady of May] went heavenward, supporting each other along the difficult path which it was their lot to tread, and never wasted one regretful thought on the vanities of Merry Mount” (409). It’s also interesting to note that Hawthorne never discusses Morton as Merry Mount’s father, or his role in its being shut down.

A Tale of Two Maypoles

(I apologize in advance for not having seen the notice to post by 10 a.m. Sorry!)

Here is my own interpretation of how the writers discuss (Merry/Ma-re)Mount:

Bradford: MERRYMOUNT IS A HIVE OF SIN AND VILLAINY AND THEY HAVE A MAYPOLE OMG AND THEY DRINK AND LIKE THE NATIVES AND SELL THEM GUNS AND STUFF AND THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE!!!

Morton: Hey, you know, we’re pretty chill. Just celebrating some saints’ days and making merry with our neighbors; it’s all good. Sorry, what’s that? The Plymouth folks don’t like us? Well, I think that’s their problem, not mine. I’m too busy supporting the Church of England to care what they think. Also, it’s Ma-re Mount, like the sea, you uncultured swine.

One of Bradford’s greatest problems with Morton were that he supposedly sold guns and powder to the Indians (though the introduction on Morton says this was highly unlikely, and that the whole scuffle was more likely about fur trade). The other was the “relaxed” atmosphere at “Merrymount,” thence renamed Mount Dagon (which, side note, I definitely thought said “Mount Dragon,” which I think is MUCH cooler. But I digress): “And after they had got some good into their hands…they spent it as vainly, in quaffing and drinking both wine and strong waters in great excess…They also set up a maypole, drinking and dancing about it many days together” (145). Bradford also accuses Morton of “maintain[ing] (as it were) a school of Atheism,” (ibid) which Morton claims is untrue and that he is a part of the Church of England. Morton, in turn, criticizes them for their lack of education (thinking he celebrates the goddess Flora rather than Maia; being unable to decipher the riddle on the maypole). When exactly the name was changed to Mount Dagon is unclear; Morton says that’s just what they called it when the maypole went up, but Bradford says it was renamed after Morton was sent back to England.

The other point that differs greatly is the description of the battle.

Bradford: The men go straight to Merrymount, are shot at by Morton and his men (who are incredibly drunk), and they took him by force without any discussion.

Morton: Was somewhere else when the men attacked him, so he escaped to Ma-re Mount, and when the “nine worthies” followed they made an agreement that Morton would yield but not lay down arms. Once the agreement was reached, they immediately broke it by storming in and “so eagerly was every man bent against him (not regarding any agreement made with such a carnal man), that they fell upon him as if they would have eaten him” (164).

Thoughts so far on William Bradford

May or may not have happened to me.

The popping of the Disney bubble

For those who didn't know, yes, this is a thing. And yes, it is more historically accurate than the first one. But that doesn't mean it's a good movie. This whole John Rolfe thing is pretty annoying.

Tambien la Lluvia and Spanish Conquest Narratives

First of all, I would just like to say that Tambien la Lluvia was such a phenomenal film. I found myself forgetting that it wasn’t an actual documentary and at the end saying, “But what about the movie? Did they ever get it made? Oh wait…not real.” The paradox and dichotomy in it was also phenomenal, especially with the characters of Antón/Colón (Columbus), Juan/Montesinos, and Alberto/Las Casas. It’s that dichotomy that really fascinated me and that I’m going to focus on in this post.

                In the film, these actors had essentially the exact opposite personalities of their real-life characters. While Columbus was interested in the natives only as natural resources (“In the interior are mines of metals, and the population is without number” (Norton 36)), Antón was the most concerned with the plight of the modern-day natives, challenging both fellow cast members and also the Bolivian officials. As much as Alberto embraced his role as Las Casas, he didn’t seem too concerned with how the natives were treated in modern times. In contrast, his real-life character was so distraught over the plight of the natives that he became a priest and devoted his life to getting the Spanish government to intervene to stop slavery. Another interesting thing about Antón is that he pointed out the historical discrepancies of the film, or the parts the filmmakers were conveniently ignoring, most notably De Casas’ “solution” of using African slaves instead of Indian ones. (So, does that mean we can ultimately blame him for the Civil War?)

                One of the other incredible things is how Costa is the modern-day Las Casas in this interpretation. At first he doesn’t care about exploiting the locals; he’s just happy to have an inexpensive pool of extras. By the end of the film, he risks his life to save one of the girls from the film. Like Las Casas, he saw the error of his ways and changed for the better.

                The directors of Tambien la Lluvia really did a fantastic job framing the dichotomy between the story the filmmakers were creating and the way they were reacting to the same type of situation in their own lives.