The Eulogy and the Dead

American Woman

This flow traces the survivors’ delayed mourning and the way their eulogy turns private grief into a public threat.

increasing

Bearing strength in each event

decreasing

News of the Fire News of the Fire from "American Woman". News of the Fire A Broadcast from Los Angeles Jenny hears a live report of the siege and fire that has killed most of the cadre.

News of the Fire from "American Woman". News of the Fire A Broadcast from Los Angeles Jenny hears a live report of the siege and fire that has killed most of the cadre.

News of the Fire A Broadcast from Los Angeles Jenny hears a live report of the siege and fire that has killed most of the cadre. She does not yet know that Juan, Yvonne, and Pauline have survived and are being moved east. Grief Without Witness The radio makes catastrophe audible, but Jenny has no one nearby with whom to share what she hears.

Three Survivors in Shock Three Survivors in Shock from "American Woman". Three Survivors in Shock A Living Remnant Jenny meets Juan, Yvonne, and Pauline after their flight from the Los Angeles siege.

Three Survivors in Shock from "American Woman". Three Survivors in Shock A Living Remnant Jenny meets Juan, Yvonne, and Pauline after their flight from the Los Angeles siege.

Three Survivors in Shock A Living Remnant Jenny meets Juan, Yvonne, and Pauline after their flight from the Los Angeles siege. Their silence, exhaustion, and drinking make their survival seem almost as difficult to face as their comrades’ deaths. Mourning Held Back The survivors speak of vengeance before they can speak openly about loss.

Writing the Eulogy Writing the Eulogy from "American Woman". Writing the Eulogy A Memorial Takes Shape Jenny suggests that the survivors write about the people who died before attempting their larger book.

Writing the Eulogy from "American Woman". Writing the Eulogy A Memorial Takes Shape Jenny suggests that the survivors write about the people who died before attempting their larger book.

Writing the Eulogy A Memorial Takes Shape Jenny suggests that the survivors write about the people who died before attempting their larger book. Juan and the others turn the idea into an uncompromising account of their comrades and the violence of the siege. Private Pain Made Public The eulogy becomes a political act, carrying grief into the media rather than containing it within the farmhouse.

The Tape Broadcast The Tape Broadcast from "American Woman". The Tape Broadcast Voices Across the Radio The survivors hear their eulogy played on the radio, including Pauline’s personal remembrances of the dead.

The Tape Broadcast from "American Woman". The Tape Broadcast Voices Across the Radio The survivors hear their eulogy played on the radio, including Pauline’s personal remembrances of the dead.

The Tape Broadcast Voices Across the Radio The survivors hear their eulogy played on the radio, including Pauline’s personal remembrances of the dead. Pauline breaks down while listening, and the group’s response exposes the tension between grief and its demands for discipline. A Message with Consequences The broadcast renews public attention and makes their communications more dangerous.

Mourning Without Closure Mourning Without Closure from "American Woman". Mourning Without Closure A Journey with the Dead The fugitives carry the memory of their lost comrades as they continue traveling and hiding.

Mourning Without Closure from "American Woman". Mourning Without Closure A Journey with the Dead The fugitives carry the memory of their lost comrades as they continue traveling and hiding.

Mourning Without Closure A Journey with the Dead The fugitives carry the memory of their lost comrades as they continue traveling and hiding. Their words of vengeance cannot undo the deaths, and their grief becomes harder to separate from fear and guilt. An Unfinished Ritual Jenny later recognizes that mourning had been both necessary and politically appropriated.

May 1974

The first evening at the farmhouse

The first week at the farmhouse

Four days after Jenny mails the tape

After the survivors leave the farmhouse