This painting, along with the text of Maggie, seems to
depict the late 19cenury as a time that prized violence, or at least the spectacle
of violence. In the baroque style of the painting, we are shown the true brutality
of the act. The focal point of the piece is the white man wearing green shorts with
a red, bloodied face. The black man is heaving all his force into taking down
the other fighter, showing a superior athleticism that has the crowd on their
feet craning their necks to see the show. But there are also two men about to
enter the ring to seemingly break up the fight that has been escalating.
Students will most likely pick up on the shared physicality
of the text and painting. They may also not that in a time when poverty is
rampant, the sport of boxing brings people of all backgrounds and classes
together. Taking both of these themes and putting them together in relation to
Maggie might help students understand why Maggie’s family does not talk about
the abuse but allows it to continue. I would have students consider the role of
the onlooker; maybe they could form a text-to-self connection between who they
might be in the painting: a member of the crowd, the man jumping into the ring
to break up the fight, or one of the two fighters. They could even do the same
thing with characters in Maggie; who would the father be in this painting? Or where
would the old woman fit into this painting? Shock seems to be another theme
that could be explored. Are audience members shocked by who is winning the
fight? We could also tie in race and see
how this violent culture that is at times filled with bystanders deals with racial
tensions, if it does at all.
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