Roaring Twenties Essay Example for Free

Roaring Twenties Essay Roaring Twenties refers to the 1920s, principally in North America, one of the most colorful decades in history. During the era, there was a turn toward normality in politics, the return of veterans from World War I, the growth of jazz music, the emergence of a new face of modern womanhood (the flapper), and Black Tuesday, the harbinger of the Great Depression. Moreover, the years of the Roaring Twenties were marked by several inventions and discoveries of far-reaching consequences; unprecedented industrial growth and accelerated consumer demand and aspirations, coupled with significant changes in lifestyles; and a series of events, national as well as international, which shaped a large part of the history of the 20th century. The eras affluence, however, did not include all social groups since many sharecroppers and tenant farmers (black and white) in the South continued to live in poverty. The Roaring Twenties started in North America and spread to Europe as the effects of World War I diminished. In Europe, the years following the First World War (1919-1923) were marked by a deep recession. Europe spent these years in rebuilding and coming to terms with the vast human cost of the conflict. Unlike in the aftermath of World War II, the United States did little to try to rebuild Europe. Instead, it took an increasingly isolationist stance. In Canada, an important economic transformation accelerated as Britain was wholly supplanted by the United States as Canadas main economic partner. By the middle of the decade, economic development started to soar over in Europe, and the Roaring Twenties broke out in Germany, Britain and France, where the second half of this decade was termed the Golden Twenties. In France and Canada, they were also called the Crazy Years (annà ©es folles). The spirit of the Roaring Twenties was marked by a general feeling of discontinuity associated with modernity and a break with traditions. Everything seemed to be feasible through modern technology. New technologies, especially automobiles, movies and radio spread the idea of modernity to a large part of the population. Formal decorative frills were shed in favor of practicality, in architecture as well as in daily life. At the same time, amusement, fun and lightness were cultivated in jazz and dancing, in defiance of the horrors of World War I, which were still present in peoples minds. The period is often called the Jazz Age. The Roaring Twenties are traditionally viewed as an era of great economic prosperity driven by the introduction of a wide array of new consumer goods. Initially, the North American economy, particularly the economy of the US, took some time to convert from a wartime economy to a peacetime economy. After this dull phase, the economy boomed. The United States increased its role as the richest country in the world, with industry aligned to mass production and a society with a culture of consumerism. In Europe, the economy did not start to flourish until 1924. The government was associated with laissez faire economics, which helped create the conditions for the boom. In 1922, t The development of mass production allowed for cheaper prices of technology products. Most of the devices that became commonplace had been developed before the war but had been unaffordable to most people. The automobile, movie, radio, and chemical industries skyrocketed during the 1920s. One of the most important of these was the automobile industry. Before the war, cars were a rare luxury. In the 1920s, cheap mass-produced vehicles became common throughout the U.S. and Canada. The popularity of jazz spread. Jazz became associated with all things modern, sophisticated, and also decadent. Because of the dreary economic situation after World War I, many American and European families needed to replace the incomes of the family fathers lost in the battlefield; women had to accept a job and move outside the home. It reflected on the fashion. corsets went out of style, and some women even bandaged their breasts to make them look flatter. Flappers, as these women were called in the U.S., wore short dresses with a straight loose silhouette. Speakeasies became popular and numerous as the Prohibition years progressed and lead to the rise of gangsters such as Al Capone. They more commonly began to operate with connections to organized crime and liquor smuggling. The Roaring Twenties was a period of literary creativity, and works of several notable authors appeared during Books that take the 1920s as their subject include: The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald is often described as the epitome of the Jazz Age in American literature. All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque recounts the horrors of WWI and also the deep detachment from German civilian life felt by many men returning from the front. This Side of Paradise by F. Scott Fitzgerald portrays the lives and morality of post-World War I youth. The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway is about a group of expatriate Americans in Europe during the 1920s.

Rebel Without a Clue in John Updikes A&P Essay example -- Updike A&P

Rebel Without a Clue in Updike’s A & P  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚   Adults always stress that it is important to make a good first impression. That is what Sammy was trying to accomplish in John Updike’s "A & P." Although some people believe that Sammy is a hero for standing up for his beliefs when he quit, there is conclusive evidence that he quit in an attempt to impress a girl he was obviously attracted to, Queenie. We know he is attracted to Queenie because he goes to great lengths to tell us what she looks like, what her mannerisms are, and the way that the other girls follow her. For example, he says, "She was the Queen. She kind of led them, the other two peeking around and making their shoulders round" (1026). This simple quote shows that Sammy immediately identified Queenie as the one in charge. Another quote that describes this perfectly is, "but you got the idea that she had talked the other two into coming in here with her, and now she was showing them how to do it, walk slow and hold yourself straight" ( 1026). Naturally Sammy is attracted to Queenie and wants to be noticed by her. Sammy thinks to himself "She must have felt in the corner of her eye me and over my shoulder Stokesie in the second slot watching, but she didn’t trip. Not this queen" (1027). Sammy is surprised to see something like this in his town. He says, "and the women generally put on a shirt or shorts or somet hing before they get out of the car and into the street. And anyway these are usually women with six children and varicose veins mapping their legs and nobody, including them could care less" (1027). Sammy’s descriptions also indicated he had a lot of sexual interest in Queenie. He describes her as vividly as he can. He starts with saying, "With the s... ...will be from there on. Sammy was able to bring attention to himself, but it did not work the way that he had hoped it would. The girls most likely didn’t even acknowledge that he even quit. He tried very hard to get Queenie to see him and accept him, but that didn’t work either. Since Sammy’s attempt to impress the girls did not work, he was left standing in a deep shadow called life. I agree with Nathan Hatcher who wrote, "Sammy quits his job not on a matter of ideals, but rather as a means of showing off and trying to impress the girls, especially Queenie" (37). Works Cited Hatcher, Nathan. "Sammy’s Motive." Ode to Friendship & Other Essays: Student Writing at Virginia Wesleyan College. Ed. Connie Bellamy. Norfolk, Virginia, 1996. 37. Updike, John. "A&P." Harper Anthology of Fiction. Ed Sullivan Barnet. NY: HarperCollims, 1989. 1026-1030.      

“Ethnic Notions” Analysis Essay

â€Å"Ethnic Notions† is a historical film that takes the viewer through the entire course of American history from the 1820s to the 1980s. The songs, watching the films and seeing all the artifacts is what makes this film such a powerful tool. The film describes some of the terms that were used to depict black Americans. Well into the twentieth century the â€Å"Mammy†, the â€Å"Coon†, and the â€Å"†Sambo†Ã¢â‚¬  were all terms used in reference to black Americans. In 1941 the cartoon was made and made its way into many of the homes of American culture. In the early 1900s the image of the â€Å"Sambo† spread and it became a portrayal of black men in film. The Character is lazy and irresponsible that will easily avoid work to take part in food and dance. As the civil war approached, a new character accompanied the â€Å"Sambo†, the â€Å"Zip Coon†. This character tried to portray whites that mocked the notion of racial equality. With these two together, they both defended slavery by saying that blacks can’t handle freedom. In films the role of the â€Å"†Mammy†Ã¢â‚¬  was a servant that was stereotypically a very dark and heavy woman that had her priorities set to doing whatever her master or mistress wished. â€Å"Mammy† was shown as a loyal person that was protective over the white household. She was a powerful person which became a stable figure in each image of the south. It became hard to go without seeing this character in a southern home. This character was also a defender of slavery. But within her own family the â€Å"Mammy† is the controlling force which is the direct opposite of the way the household is viewed in society. She is shown as being asexual and unattractive. Once the slaves became emancipated many white people said that the former slaves couldn’t handle being without constant subordination to their white masters. Society called the emancipated blacks brutes, and the increasing public fear of them gave them the nickname of â€Å"black menace.† Once motion picture was developed in the 20th century the images and the depiction of black Americans didn’t change at all. The only difference now is the hate is now on film. Blacks began to enter theater and they used it as a step in the right direction to get out of the south and start a new life with  opportunities. Through the 1940s the blackface became discarded but its image left its mark on society. Soon cartoons became the voice for racism. This way when any violence or mistreatment were occurring it would be entertaining and humorous. The cartoons had the power to influence young minds to see stereotypes as being entertaining by making references to black Americans being savages. Furthermore the only thing that domesticated black Americans was slavery. The myth says without the whites control over the blacks, their entire race would wind up being nothing more than savages. â€Å"Ethnic Notions† is an in depth look at the roots of African American racism and stereotypes. The movie goes through 150 years of racism and hatred towards black Americans, and the images that were spread throughout society that depicted African Americans to being lazy and careless. Also without slavery to keep them in check, myths say that they would resort to savage behavior.

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