Just as the multicolored leaves of the trees of autumn 1929 fell so did the United States Stock Market. Thursday, October 24, 1929, Monday, October 28 and Tuesday, October 29, brought with them widespread panic and despair throughout the country. Finger pointed moved from executives, to local government to average Joe and back again in an attempt to find the cause of this disastrous crash. When blame could not be definitively placed the mood shifted from anger to hope and thus the spotlight shifted from the culprits to the hero. Americans yearned for, then President, Herbert Hoover to save the country. After years of negative progress including the controversial non-veto of the Hawley-Smoot Tarrif Bill (should I make a footnote to explain what this is?) Americans were in need of more than just a change. They were in need of jobs, money and for many, just basic necessities. Franklin Deleno Roosevelt promised all three. Roosevelt offered his “New Deal” program which would provide recovery of the economy, government sponsored jobs for the unemployed and reform the monopolies in the banking and financial systems. While Hoover believed in non-action, Roosevelt believed in immediate action that involved not just the government but everyday people. Roosevelt tapped into the American desire for an individual to feel a part of some larger body striving to a common goal through, in effect, propaganda that romanticized the American ideal of hard work and cooperation.
In his September, 1932 Common Wealth Club Address, Roosevelt constantly points out the value of group cooperation. In the second sentence of his speech Roosevelt refers to the nation as “a group of citizen leaders interested in fundamental problems of government …” (FDR, par. 1) Without hesitation Roosevelt claims, as fact, that the nation is a group working together toward a common goal. He goes on to say that he,”… want[s] to speak not of parties, but of universal principles.” (FDR, par.2) Immediately Roosevelt has laid the groundwork for his position: we are all Americans striving toward a common goal, not as individuals or even groups of individuals but as one cohesive unit. He praises the men of the Commonwealth Club (consisting of well respected individuals) for thinking, “ … beyond their own immediate tasks, [and] beyond their own individual interests” (FDR, par. 7) with the hope that those listening outside of the walls of the club would follow their lead.
As the speech continues Roosevelt moves on to speak about a set of rights that every American will have. He promises, four main rights of man: freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom from want, and freedom from fear, on the condition that the individuals obtaining these new rights are working toward the common good, within the parameters of FDRs New Deal.
If we dissect each freedom we can see the benefits both for man but more importantly for the furthering of FDR’s agenda. The first, freedom of speech, allows individuals to speak out for what they believe in but, in fact, it also gives Roosevelt a longer leash. There can be no argument against works of art (film, photography, painting, etc.) promoting the New Deal. (The majority of the art released during the Roosevelt regime was financed by his New Deal government therefore it obviously contained a strong slant in favor of this government.)
The second, freedom of religion, of course, allowed individuals to practice his own religion freely but it also eliminates much of the contention between religions and allows everyone to band together regardless of religious preference.
The third, freedom from want, works primarily in favor of the government as opposed to working for the people. Freedom from want is, in essence, saying, “If you do what I ask, you’ll have everything you need.”
The fourth, freedom from fear, is similar to the previous promise. Again, in essence it says, “if you do what I ask, we will protect you from all your fears (financial, physical, religious, etc.)
Go on to say:
• Once individuals willing to buy into Roosevelt’s promises he was set up to promote his ideas and gain further support while in office.
o Fireside chats
o Paintings, movies, soap operas, etc (all make the point, we know how you feel, join together and we can fix this)
• Propaganda:
o mural of building a dam (William Gropper)
o Rosie the riveter
o Gold diggers (working together to make the show)
• Each make the statement that working together brings great success and in gold diggers: fortune
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Friday, February 20, 2009
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Paper 2 Rough Draft
Okay so here is my draft. It's more of an in depth outline really, I find it easier to get my thoughts down this way and edit this until I'm pretty comfortable with it then I turn it into a flowing piece and purely focus on language edits etc.
Note I am answering question 2.
My questions for you are: Am I stretching too much? Sara really wants material goods but even when she does have them (ex: scene at the freshman dance) she is not accepted. Can I argue that Sara was special and bypassed the material stage or that she combined the two stages (material acceptance followed by intellectual acceptance?) Any other ideas/points I can make?
Thanks,
Adam
I. Introduction:
• Turn to the 20th century brought with it the desire for material goods
• Whether or not you had the opportunity to be accepted depended on wealth
• The demands of native-born white American society required acceptable appearance, “proper values” and intelligence
o Immigrants arrived having none of this and only when each requirement was carefully fulfilled was the immigrant accepted into white America
• In order to have new representation for all newly arrived immigrants many had to blaze the trail.
• New representation required: acceptance by white America through possession of material goods and only then could that individual prove himself/his people mentally
Thesis: In order to change representations of newly-arrived immigrants many tenured immigrants had to assimilate themselves into white-American society using a two step approach: first gain physical acceptance based on outward appearance and possessions and follow with intellectual stimulation
(The point I am trying to make but can’t seem to find the right wording: new immigrants as a whole could not be accepted until a significant number of individuals proved themselves “worthy” in white-American society. In order to do this an immigrant must first assimilate himself through material goods such as clothing, makeup, jewelry, furniture, etc. Only then will white-Americans give that individual the opportunity to prove himself intellectually)
II. Body:
Paragraph A: American society changes to one that strongly values material wealth which is evident through appearance.
o Piess: New production of cosmetics p372
o Piess: Built a national consumption base by “convinc[ing] women that being ‘painted’ was not only respectable but a requirement of womanhood. “ p373
o Men had to be well groomed, in fancy clothing
o Success: “by 1900 the use of face powerder seems to have become more common among urban middle-class women. . . even the subtle application of rouge an d eyebrow pencil, if concealed wasd deemed acceptable” p373
• Make the point that urban middle class was the primary goal of all immigrants even if a more extreme goal was reached urban middle class is part of the path of “rags to riches” therefore styles of urban middle class filter through immigrant communities and individuals trying to assimilate.
Paragraph B: Immigrants seen as “the other” (Barthes) and therefore pushed aside and ignored (I will argue that Barthes does not believe that “the other” does physically exist but rather their lack of existence falls in the “out of sight out of mind” realm of non-existence)
o Results in discrimination/excommunication of immigrants through un-required yet intentional separation between white-America and new-America
o This excommunication elevates white-America to the level where it has the ability to either take-in or further push away Immigrants
o Citable Evidence: Introduction, Foreward and early chapters of Yezierska’s “Bread Givers”
• Point that the Smolinsky’s community is identical to all other immigrant communities; it is a literal relocation of a (in this case) Russian village
Paragraph C: Breaking free of this “ghetto” first requires an entrance into a society of consumption and material wealth.
o No one in white-America needs/wants to associate/work with someone who looks/acts like an immigrant
o Include description of “immigrant” stereotype (Chapter 1, Yezierska description of clothing/apartment p6.
o Immigrant’s desire to assimilate can be helped by the beauty culture (material goods): Piess: “Beauty culture promised self-transformation that was both internal and external, an idea that resonated powerfully in American middle-class culture” p375
(Expendable?)Paragraph D: Beauty culture valued skin complexion as opposed to bone structure or physical features,
o this allowed immigrants one of their only short cuts, light creams and powders would make their complexion acceptable, there was little to no discussion of the differences in their physical features.
o Masha with powders and make up
o Sara, first make up purchase, to fit in with girls at her job/when she becomes a teacher.
Paragraph E: Slowly those immigrants who gave into the beauty/material culture became respected enough by white-America so that the individual could begin to prove himself through intellect.
Rest of Essay:
o Sara gains enough respect from her appearance by her classmates and is then given the opportunity to prove herself intellectually, her mother knows she’s made it just by her appearance when she comes to visit after college.
o Material goods very important to sara (her own space end of book 2)
Note I am answering question 2.
My questions for you are: Am I stretching too much? Sara really wants material goods but even when she does have them (ex: scene at the freshman dance) she is not accepted. Can I argue that Sara was special and bypassed the material stage or that she combined the two stages (material acceptance followed by intellectual acceptance?) Any other ideas/points I can make?
Thanks,
Adam
I. Introduction:
• Turn to the 20th century brought with it the desire for material goods
• Whether or not you had the opportunity to be accepted depended on wealth
• The demands of native-born white American society required acceptable appearance, “proper values” and intelligence
o Immigrants arrived having none of this and only when each requirement was carefully fulfilled was the immigrant accepted into white America
• In order to have new representation for all newly arrived immigrants many had to blaze the trail.
• New representation required: acceptance by white America through possession of material goods and only then could that individual prove himself/his people mentally
Thesis: In order to change representations of newly-arrived immigrants many tenured immigrants had to assimilate themselves into white-American society using a two step approach: first gain physical acceptance based on outward appearance and possessions and follow with intellectual stimulation
(The point I am trying to make but can’t seem to find the right wording: new immigrants as a whole could not be accepted until a significant number of individuals proved themselves “worthy” in white-American society. In order to do this an immigrant must first assimilate himself through material goods such as clothing, makeup, jewelry, furniture, etc. Only then will white-Americans give that individual the opportunity to prove himself intellectually)
II. Body:
Paragraph A: American society changes to one that strongly values material wealth which is evident through appearance.
o Piess: New production of cosmetics p372
o Piess: Built a national consumption base by “convinc[ing] women that being ‘painted’ was not only respectable but a requirement of womanhood. “ p373
o Men had to be well groomed, in fancy clothing
o Success: “by 1900 the use of face powerder seems to have become more common among urban middle-class women. . . even the subtle application of rouge an d eyebrow pencil, if concealed wasd deemed acceptable” p373
• Make the point that urban middle class was the primary goal of all immigrants even if a more extreme goal was reached urban middle class is part of the path of “rags to riches” therefore styles of urban middle class filter through immigrant communities and individuals trying to assimilate.
Paragraph B: Immigrants seen as “the other” (Barthes) and therefore pushed aside and ignored (I will argue that Barthes does not believe that “the other” does physically exist but rather their lack of existence falls in the “out of sight out of mind” realm of non-existence)
o Results in discrimination/excommunication of immigrants through un-required yet intentional separation between white-America and new-America
o This excommunication elevates white-America to the level where it has the ability to either take-in or further push away Immigrants
o Citable Evidence: Introduction, Foreward and early chapters of Yezierska’s “Bread Givers”
• Point that the Smolinsky’s community is identical to all other immigrant communities; it is a literal relocation of a (in this case) Russian village
Paragraph C: Breaking free of this “ghetto” first requires an entrance into a society of consumption and material wealth.
o No one in white-America needs/wants to associate/work with someone who looks/acts like an immigrant
o Include description of “immigrant” stereotype (Chapter 1, Yezierska description of clothing/apartment p6.
o Immigrant’s desire to assimilate can be helped by the beauty culture (material goods): Piess: “Beauty culture promised self-transformation that was both internal and external, an idea that resonated powerfully in American middle-class culture” p375
(Expendable?)Paragraph D: Beauty culture valued skin complexion as opposed to bone structure or physical features,
o this allowed immigrants one of their only short cuts, light creams and powders would make their complexion acceptable, there was little to no discussion of the differences in their physical features.
o Masha with powders and make up
o Sara, first make up purchase, to fit in with girls at her job/when she becomes a teacher.
Paragraph E: Slowly those immigrants who gave into the beauty/material culture became respected enough by white-America so that the individual could begin to prove himself through intellect.
Rest of Essay:
o Sara gains enough respect from her appearance by her classmates and is then given the opportunity to prove herself intellectually, her mother knows she’s made it just by her appearance when she comes to visit after college.
o Material goods very important to sara (her own space end of book 2)
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