Essay question: What message do you think Alice Walker is trying to
convey in the short story 'Nineteen fifty-five'?
In Nineteen fifty-five, a short story written by Alice Walker, there
seems to be a variation of different messages that she is trying to
convey. As an author she relates the story to real life issues as well
as using the character Gracie Mae to highlight the way in which black
people have been exploited by whites.
The story is set over quite a vast timespan, from 1955 to 1977. By
setting the story over this period of time Alice Walker is reminding
us of the interlocking political and racial situations from the Civil
Rights Movement. At the beginning of the 1968 section, Gracie Mae
mentions that 'Malcolm X, King, the president and his brother' had all
died. All of these people were concerned with gaining equality for
black people.
The plot of the story and its characters is closely related to Elvis
Presley's career. Elvis rose to fame in 1955 and died in 1977, exactly
the same as the timespan of the story. Also the character Traynor is
based on Presley, in both the way his career developed and the fact
that as a white man he had the black sound.
The Civil Rights Movement that swept through the Southern states in
the 1950's and 1960's affects the lives of all Americans today. We now
have many laws against discrimination, laws that were created in
response to the movement. We all live in a country that is coming to
acknowledge that discrimination is wrong. This is just one of the many
messages that Alice Walker wants the reader to pick up on and notice.
Gracie Mae is shocked that Traynor and the deacon are in her
neighbourhood. This is because of the racial situation at the time of
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...d didn't even
know what they was crying for. One day this is going to be a pitiful
country, I thought.' I think this means that she feels pity for them
because they feel emotion but they do not know why they are feeling
it, she also feels that in time the whole of the country will be like
this with everybody's lives. This also shows that the exploitation of
another race's genius will lead to emptiness and lack of fulfilment.
So to answer the question what message do I think Alice Walker is
trying to convey in Nineteen fifty-five is extremely difficult as you
can see she manages to include so many views and points in such a
short piece of text. However some of the main ones are not to live a
lie, racial prejudice and how it is wrong, but finally most important
of all every one no matter what differences race, sex or anything else
should be treated equal.
Throughout the first half of the 19th century, and especially after the War of 1812, America has taken on yet another revolution. In this time period, the country saw a rapid expansion in territory and economics, as well as the extension of democratic politics; the spread of evangelical revivalism; the rise of the nation’s first labor and reform movements; the growth of cities and industrial ways of life; a rise in abolitionism and reduction in the power of slavery; and radical shifts in the roles and status of women.
During the 1970’s, the United States experienced "Watergate," the most famous political scandal in American History. It was a scandal that began with a break in and ended in resignation. On June 17, 1972 five intruders were caught and arrested for illegally entering the rooms of the Democratic National Committee headquarters in Washington’s Watergate Complex. "The investigation of the break-in lead directly to the reelection campaign of President Richard M. Nixon and unraveled a web of political spying and sabotage, bribery and the illegal use of campaign funds" (Washingtonpost.com). Two-and-a-half-years later along with a number of court hearings led to the 1974 resignation of Richard M. Nixon. Nixon became the first President in U.S. History to resign. During all the political drama the United States brought an end to an unpopular war and made great strides in space exploration.
The 1950’s was a time in history when America began to flourish, through its advancements in music, technology, and its emphasis on the individual. The emergence of Rock and Roll contributed to the birth of the ‘rebel’ by giving teenagers an excuse to disobey their parents through the expression of music. Adults of the 1950’s insisted that Rock and Roll corrupted the minds of the youth. This revolution in music not only affected the decade from an entertainment standpoint, but also from a fashion perspective. Teenagers wore leather jackets, poodle skirts, slicked back hair, and beehive hairdos. Through sports and the civil rights act, blacks began to be more accepted into the 1950’s society. Although segregation was still alive, many blacks swore they could see freedom in the near future. Black athletes, like Jackie Robinson, proved that talent outweighed skin color. Existentialism became a popular philosophy during the 1950’s, which emphasized the individual. The true meaning of this movement was vague, but followers believed that society was trying to control their every action. Many authors and philosophers of this decade wrote on the subject of existentialism, including Flannery O’Connor. Flannery O’Connor’s short story, “Good Country People,” was published in 1955 and demonstrates the 1950’s view of existentialism through the use of symbolism and irony.
Society in America during the 1950’s was one that portrayed men and women in very different, but rigid roles. Women were housewives, secretaries, and mothers. Men were providers, war heroes, and businessmen. Television, newspapers and magazines played an important role as well in determining ways men and women should behave. Advertisements for real estate were designed to sell to the “All-American” family. For example; Dad would be the returned home veteran who is now running the company, Mom is an ideal housewife who works a couple days a week for extra vacation cash, little Billy likes baseball and his sister Susie plays with dolls. Houses designed with this type of family in mind would prove very effective in luring away many from the city to live in suburbs like this at a rapid pace. Most jobs in the work place were gender divided. Help-wanted ads placed in newspapers in the 1950’s were very gender biased as well. Some ads with attention getting headlines could have read: “Sales Girl,” and “Brides! Housewives!” Occupations offered to women at this time were very limiting.
revolt against the world’s standards and their resolve, if not to live then to die on their own
Freedom has been discussed and debated for a while now and yet no one can completely agree that it exists. Since the Civil, War America has been conditioned to be divided politically. The conflict over the meaning of freedom continues to exist from the civil war, throughout the sixties and in the present. The Civil War was fought over the question of what freedom means in America. The issue was in the open for all to see: slavery. Human slavery was the shameless face of the idea of freedom. The cultural war in the sixties was once more about the question of what freedom is and what it means to Americans. No slaves. Instead, in the sixties and seventies four main issues dominated the struggle for racial equality: opposition to discriminatory immigration controls; the fight against racist attacks; the struggle for equality in the workplace; and, most explosively, the issue of police brutality. For more than two centuries, Americans demanded successive expansions of freedom; progressive freedom. Americans wanted freedom that grants expansions of voting rights, civil rights, education, public health, scientific knowledge and protections from fear.
The fifties was a learning year and the 60's became the time to express everything that they learned. The 60's was a time for new and innovative ways to entertain the people. Since the blacklisting continued in Hollywood, the making or films became very difficult to express. The restrictions, such as the production codes, kept the big corporations to produce films that had no interesting subjects. These films also had to be films that show no signs of communistic values. The film industry was failing to bring in the audience to the theaters. With the TV making a big wave all over, the U.S. the film industry was losing it is money. Then in 1961 something big happened, 20th Century Fox took apart its lot. This act was one that led to a chain reaction. Studios were assuming the role of distributors. This would allow the independent companies to come in and add a new flavor to the silver screen. During this time films changed it's traditional film making ideas. Things started to get graphic, more violent, sexual and more expressive. Movies had found a new look and with the production codes now gone and the blacklisting ending, there was an explosion of ideas that would be presented to the United States.
disappointment. It was a decade classified as the "roaring twenties." Men returning from World War I had to deal with unemployment, wheat farmers and oil companies were striking it rich, new modern conveniences were being thought up, and fashion was a major issue among the rich.
The Who, a band defined by their destructive stage performances and appeal to the rock ‘n’ roll scene of the 1960’s, revolutionized the music world with their hit “My Generation” in the fall of 1965 (Erlewine). The four band members, Pete Townshend, Rodger Daltrey, John Entwistle, and Keith Moon, took the world by storm with the song as it appealed to the younger population and defiantly projected hatred towards the old and wise (Greene, Simon, and Schuster). “My Generation” was a call to the conservative adults of the 1960’s that traditional principles were of the past, and the vibrant, young aged had arrived and were there to stay (Shmoop Editorial Team).
1950's The 1950's were quite radical in fact, this is the decade that began rock n' roll, the civil rights movement, better family living, advances in technology, fashion, medical research, other wonderful things this country was not used to seeing or hearing. The 1950's were looked at more as a state of mind or a way of living rather than just another decade or time era in American history. Everything was peaceful now, which looking back on the two world wars and the great depression this country was not used to at all. Nobody worried about war, nobody worried about how they were going to feed their children and keep a roof over their heads because everyone had jobs and the economy was doing great.
The 1940s changed through just about everything: war, technology, and presidents. After the great depression in the 1920s the American Dream went in a new direction and began the postmodernist era. The American Dream in the 1950s was different from the American Dream in the 1940s because of the culture and by many factors throughout the twenty year span like government, technology, war, and women's rights.
During the 1930's American citizens witnessed a breakdown of the Democratic and free enterprise way of life. The government saw that the free enterprise system was failing. The New Deal increased the government's regulation and intervention and the economic system, thus temporarily abandoning the capitalism system and turning toward socialism to find the answer. The answer... the New Deal. Socialism is usually thought of as a form of government that advocates public ownership and public control of wealth (Britannica Jr. Encyclopedia 1980, p.231).
History is what creates the future. There are many events that impact society, and transform the daily life of all nations. Much of the change experienced throughout history is social change. During the 1920’s, many events took place that altered the way of life in America. Prohibition was passed, banning alcohol, and it caused a domino effect of change throughout the United States. The economy was booming, cities had electricity that allowed for the night to be lit up, and people were adjusting to the new way of life. Most of the adjustment was social, because people now wished to express themselves in new ways. The 20’s brought about alteration in the daily lives of most American citizens, and allowed people to express themselves unlike ever before. Flappers transformed the look of American women, the Harlem Renaissance exposed the troublesome lives and emotions of African Americans, and the mob brought organized crime and corruption to cities. The 1920’s were a decade of extreme change in the social norms in the United States’ society. The United States was changing more than ever before, and life would never be the same for the men and women living in America after the 1920‘s.
In the twentieth century, musicians were very open to change. Many new styles and genres were made. In a way, they got rid of all of the rules and created new ones. Composers, trying new things, created ragtime, jazz. Some of the new approaches towards tonality were atonality, polytonality, neotonality and the twelve-tonal methods. Different styles were impressionism, expressionism, neoclassicism, primitivism and minimalism. Composers trying to create completely new sounds produced experimental music, spatial music, and electronic music. Not all composers aimed for completely new things. Some wanted to continue the traditions of old classical composers while also finding ways to make their music relevant in their time. All of these elements together are what characterize the twentieth century and what influences much of our music today.