Timeline for What does "worm of yellow convicts" mean?
Current License: CC BY-SA 4.0
20 events
| when toggle format | what | by | license | comment | |
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| Nov 14, 2020 at 3:28 | comment | added | G_B | @BoldBen Yes, according to Wiki the last convicts were moved off Blackwell's/Roosevelt in 1935, after Rikers opened. | |
| Nov 13, 2020 at 14:39 | comment | added | BoldBen | @GeoffreyBrent I bow to your superior knowledge. I didn't realise that the gaol on Rikers Island was so recent. Was the Blackwell's Island gaol decommissioned and demolished then? | |
| Nov 13, 2020 at 2:00 | comment | added | G_B | @BoldBen Rikers didn't open as a jail until 1932. Given the dates, more likely to be Blackwell's Island, now known as Roosevelt Island. | |
| Nov 12, 2020 at 23:14 | comment | added | davidbak | @Jim - yes, both | |
| Nov 12, 2020 at 17:10 | comment | added | Jim | @davidbak- Maybe. I doubt it. I think it might allude more to the way a worm moves by bunching and stretching as opposed to a snake which slithers. | |
| Nov 12, 2020 at 15:59 | comment | added | davidbak | "worm" (instead of, say, "snake") could in addition to the line or queue of convicts also allude to the individual convicts, as a slur - they were "worms" - lowly creatures, defenseless, easily stepped on by everyone, etc. | |
| Nov 12, 2020 at 13:53 | history | edited | Robusto | CC BY-SA 4.0 |
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| Nov 12, 2020 at 13:51 | comment | added | Conrado | @nick012000 True and true, but I still agree with Jim. High-visibility clothing is still used as an aid in keeping track of prisoners, and this would be the most noticeable optical feature of a humanoid figure across the river. | |
| Nov 12, 2020 at 13:47 | comment | added | Robusto | @Tristan: See my note. | |
| Nov 12, 2020 at 13:46 | history | edited | Robusto | CC BY-SA 4.0 |
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| Nov 12, 2020 at 11:11 | comment | added | Tristan | Prisoners of war generally haven't been tried, let alone convicted of a crime. As such I don't see how they could be considered convicts | |
| Nov 12, 2020 at 6:03 | comment | added | nick012000 | "Yellow" when applied to a person could be a slur used to describe Asians, or a word used to describe cowardice in a military context (e.g. if they were prisoners of war), rather than describing a literal yellow color. | |
| Nov 12, 2020 at 0:17 | comment | added | Jim | @DanielMoreiraSafadi - While I don't know for sure, I'd tend to go with the idea that their prison garb was yellow rather than their skin. She's watching them from across the river. It's far enough away that the line of convicts looks like a yellow worm. You can't see skin color from that distance only the major color in their clothing. And even if you could see skin color, their clothing would dominate. | |
| Nov 11, 2020 at 22:58 | comment | added | BoldBen | Also, if the story is set in New York 'the Island" would be Rikers Island where, I understand, the main gaol in New York is situated. As it's in the East River according to Wikipedia it will be easily visible from riverside apartments in The Bronx and Queens. | |
| Nov 11, 2020 at 21:39 | history | edited | Robusto | CC BY-SA 4.0 |
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| Nov 11, 2020 at 21:38 | comment | added | Robusto | @Xanne: Good point. I'll add that. | |
| Nov 11, 2020 at 21:31 | comment | added | Xanne | The convicts may be chained together, so they can only move in a single, not necessarily straight, line. | |
| Nov 11, 2020 at 20:43 | comment | added | Daniel Moreira Safadi | Thanks a lot. I did think the convicts referred to prisioners, but I could not get the image of the worm as you said, a Chinese dragon on New Year Celebrations. Thank you so much! I will also accept the idea of yellow referring to the jaundiced look of their skin, since they crawl the river's bank. | |
| Nov 11, 2020 at 20:41 | history | edited | Robusto | CC BY-SA 4.0 |
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| Nov 11, 2020 at 20:36 | history | answered | Robusto | CC BY-SA 4.0 |