Nathaniel Epp, dry-land sailor with a bunch of photography equipment. Lands in Washington, DC, and does not have a favorable opinion of the city. Yet, the city gives him plenty to do.
What's his perspective? This is going to be an tough one, he really doesn't state his thoughts. What do you think? Use the info from the book and from your experience.
"Cows were being slaughtered by the Washington Monument". Why would you want to do that to a cow?
ReplyDeleteI think that they would want to do that because the solders would need it for food.
DeleteI think they could use the hide for something too. Like coats I have a cow skin coat I out grew it and lost it but it is around somewhere I'll bring it in when I find it.
DeleteYou are all right, just think about how much food would be needed to feed all the soldiers. We heard later in the story about the waste and remains that must be there behind the Washington Monument. The stink must have been incredible.
DeleteThe distribution and cooking of the meat would be a challenge as well. Does each person get a steak? How does it get cooked?
Dr. Rye speaks about the impact of disease. I wonder if the food preparation contributed to the disease in camp. What do you think?
I agree with because the cows hied can be used as cots
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ReplyDeleteSo that they don't starve to death.
ReplyDeleteSo that who would starve to death? Can you add more detail to your comment
DeleteI think Nathaniel Epp's perspective on the civil war is that he thinks it is a bad idea because he is trying to take pictures of the men on the battle field but people keep shooting them. "That very first day I was taking the portrait of a Swede when my subject fell dead on the ground." I also think he doesn't like the city because "cows were slaughtered next to the washington monument.
ReplyDeleteI don't know a lot about Epp. Paul Fleischmen doesn't give us a whole lot about this guy. I think he is quiet and observitive (I don't know how to spell that word) because if I was in washington Dc and saw dead cows by the monument i'm pretty sure I wouldn't be noticing lily pads. He is also good at hiding his emotion because when a man gets murdered right in front of him he doesn't react much.
ReplyDeleteInteresting commentary Brian. I wonder if the author gives us enough to know what the character is about and then builds from there. In two pages, we have discovered a few things about Epp. Artist, businessman, and part-time schemer in a city that is pretty dirty, "the stench from the canals must have turned God's own stomach."
DeleteThe reaction or lack of reaction shows me how focused Epp is on his work. He wants his luck to continue to bloom, even if it is with a picture of a dead guy.
I think his perspective is money. He doesn't really care who wins, who loses, as long as there are people around so he can sell his pictures and get money. He didn't like Washington at all except for when he sees all the regiments gathered there. I think it was horrible how he endorsed the photograph of a deceased soldier. I do not think that is respectful at all. He doesn't seem very compassionate.
ReplyDeleteA businessman is focused on money, Epp is all of that. The picture was a fluke, a random event of photographic magic, at least in Epp's mind. He is going to use that whether it is respectful or not. Reminds me of how during that era, there were "freak shows" and other not always politically correct events. Compassion is certainly not on his short list of traits. Is he wrong to try and make money?
DeleteI think so. People really believed in that stuff, and he was messing with their heads. He would already have made enough money taking pictures. It was unfair to make people think that it was true. It is sort of like taunting them, thinking they could communicate with their dead mother through a picture or something. It's like giving them false hope.
DeleteInteresting, I agree to a point. In our world of today, Epp certainly is a schemer and is "messing with people's heads". I think some people still do that today with reading tarot cards or other psychic readings. In his day and age, the line between truth and fiction were blurred even more than today. He was just being the good, old-fashioned, make as much money as possible, businessman. I guess that is still the case today.
Deletemaybe he was making money for food water and more paper and pencils
ReplyDeleteI agree because he charges 20 cent a piece. Why would not he charge more?
DeleteI agree because he does charge 20 cents a piece. What was the charge for a portrait?
Delete10 cents
DeleteI agree Adam because it is half of the price of a photograph
DeleteI think his perspective is to get profit to get money to buy cow hides and food and water do you agree or disagree
ReplyDeleteI agree but I think that he mostly just wants to do what he loves and gain the money like you said.
DeleteI think that his perspective is to make a profit. He doesn't care who wins,who loses,as long as there are people are around so he can sell his picture and get money.He didn't like Washington at all except for when he sees all the regiments gathered there.I think it was horrible how he endorsed the photograph of a deceased soldier. I do not think that is really respectful at all. He does not seem very compassionate.
ReplyDeletemaybe maybe there was barley any money at that time
ReplyDeletethere is two "maybes".
DeleteI think that he might just want to gain money to buy supplies and food and water. But Nathaniel just likes to draw and take photographs. But I don't think he really likes that city and the people around him getting killed, I know that I would not like that.
ReplyDeleteEpp is a quote "dry land sailor" he travel everywhere taking photos and portraits. When he gets to washington cows are slaughtered in front of the washington monument and the city is quite dull. He gets the idea of a back round and gets his camera. He takes many pictures. Then a shot hits a person as epp shoots the photo an he see's a gray figure and takes it as a maricle without respecting the soldier.
ReplyDeleteI think that Epp is in it for the money. All he want's to do is sell pictures. When he started his camera station as he said it was "swarmed with customers." I think that it was sort of strange to have the person your drawing shot, and then just stand there do nothing and then you decide to keep that picture. I think thats very disrespectful. Then again he doesn't care because all he wants is money.
ReplyDeleteI agree Nadya he is definitely in it for the money it's not like he just want to go take random pictures for the soldiers families and just random pictures.
DeleteI think he is not in it for all the money. I think he was until that person he was taking picture was shot then thought this is cool it looks like the soul is leaving the body. It was just the person or soldier moving that made it blur. I wish I could see that picture it would have looked very cool.
DeleteHis perspective about the cival war is that he is a person from tha north side and he does not want slavery to happen. What i thank about his thoughts is that he does not tell people about them he keeps them to him slef witch is not bad but if he saw some thing and did not tell any one that would be a problem.
ReplyDeleteYou spelt civil, your i should be capital, self and thats the wrong kind of witch you want which wrong check spelling but good post.
DeleteAlexandria you spelt some things wrong but other than that great job.
DeleteNathaniel is a photography artist so he takes pictures...right? This man is very brave to take pictures on a battle field...brave man. He could get shot and die or suffer and die what a brave an he is pretty stupid too because if he does de he is gone FOREVER!!!!! What about all of his family i wonder what they're opinion he probably wasn't worried though he probably thought it was not going to be as bad as the battles and dead men were going to be. He will have to be braver than he is to survive and live the battle.
ReplyDeleteHe was using a back drop Tyler so the only way he could get hurt is if a drunk shot him
DeleteOh well still he could get hurt Josh but good point when they make it to the battle he could get shot or killed then he would be dead!!!
DeleteNathaniel Epp takes pictures of soldiers for them to send to their family and as I look back to the book he says that after taking a picture a drunk soldier shot the man he was taking a picture of. If I was in his shoes I'd be terrified and want to get the heck out of there so I wouldn't get shot. So I think he is very brave.
ReplyDeleteNathanel Epp is a photograph who is now in washington.D.C. and is making some good money because all the soliger wont there photo taking.But one man was shot wen he tok the photo so the movemet the body made it look like the sole was coming out of the body.
ReplyDeleteI meant soldiers
DeleteNathaniel's perspective is on the city because when he is dropped into the city he doesn't like it because it is very dirty. He also likes to takes photos of people and of buildings.
ReplyDeleteYou might want to change "is on the city because" because it doen not make seans to me!
DeleteCows are being slotted next to a mountin in DC
ReplyDeleteNathaniel Epp takes pictures in the the war of soldiers and sends the pictures to there family back home. I think he would be a little bit scared because he's taking pictures of people and he sees people die right in front of him. But I think he states his thoughts because people again are again dying next to him so he might be a little terrified.
ReplyDeleteNathaniel Epp is a photogragher and he takes pictures for 20 cents a pop...he travils looking for a nice place to set up shop... everyone really wants a picture of them..but when taking a picture of a man a drunk soldier shot him and nathaniel is scared to develop the picture..but he dose anyway and finds that the blur of his body standing looks like a soul leaving his body....I think Nathaniel is very brave to be a photogragher.
ReplyDeleteHe was the photographer in these story's. I thought it was James Dacy, but he is the painter, I was confused. Let me see what I can write about Nathaniel Epp. Well in May he was in Washington, beside the monument, where cows were slaughtered. He liked how the lilies were rising out of the swamp. He said "it's beautiful." He hung up a backdrop of the canyons, and as soon as he set up his camera he was swarmed with customers. "how fiercely there glare! How proud their postures,each one a Caesar to himself and his family." is one of the sentences.
ReplyDeleteSoldiers wanted their photos taken to send back to their families. There were so many soldiers there.
ReplyDeleteHe also took pictures of soldiers fighting. When the soldier was shot, right next to him he caught a picture of the soul of soldier's body leaving, like a ghost photo.
there is two same states fighting togather
DeleteI think when Nathaniel arrived in Washington he did not think anything of it at all the streets were covered in mud and slop. Cows were being slaughtered in front of the Washington monument. THe only beautiful thing about Washington was that flowers boomed out of the pitifully ugly swamps. But he found somewhere to set up his camera and took some pictures of some people. Then he was about to take a picture of a man then the man was shot.
ReplyDeleteDo you think you would want to take pictures in washington when it looked like that?
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