There are those certain days in a person's life that they will always remember. They leave such an impact that you will remember where you were, what you were doing, what time it was, and all the other uncessary details that you usually would not remember on a day to day basis. September 11, 2001 was the day in my life so far that I remember every little detail. Being that I lived so close to Washington D.C, September 11 did not only affect me in the way I look at things today, it was also a wake up call to how I need to be aware of things day to day.
It was my first week of highschool and I was so excited to be starting a new school and meeting new people. The last thing I think that was on everyone's mind was a terrorist attack. I was sitting in the front row of spanish class when we all heard a big boom. Everyone just ignored it and went along with class. A few minutes later our principle came over the loud speaker and told everyone to stay calm. No one had the slightest idea to what was going on. He told us not to turn on the TVs and continue on with class. The class ended about two minutes after he came on the loud speaker. As Im walking to lunch I pass the main office and I see people inside crying. Still absolutely clueless to what was going on, I decided to be a rebel and turn my cell phone on and call my mother. She told me to stay where I was and she was coming to pick me up imediately. As soon as I got off the phone with her I felt like I was in a dream or something.She told me about the Twin Towers and the Pentagon. Of course I knew what the Pentagon was, but the Twin Towers did not quite ring a bell. All I knew is that we were being attacked and that was one of my biggest fears. I didn't really think that this could be happening. What made it that more scary was that I was only about 10 minutes at max from the Pentagon. Then I thought about that huge boom that I had heard in spanish class. To this day I still believe that I heard the plane crashing into the Pentagon. My mom picked me up and I went home and turned on the television. It was all so unreal to me. I was thankful that my mom had picked me up because I can not imagine what it would have been like sitting in a classroom all day with this going on. I got ahold of one of my friends that was still at school and she said that in one of her classrooms they had turned the TV on to watch the news and the principle came in and turned it off and told the teacher to keep teaching. I think that is completely wrong. I don't know of any other school that wasn't watching the TV if they were still in school when this was going on. I was just happy that I was at home with my family.
I personally did not know anyone that was killed, but a few people that I knew had their parents killed. I do not think that I ever shed a tear, but my feelings of anger and loss were with them. I was only 13 at the time, I was a young freshman, so I did not really understand a whole lot of this. I knew the basics. I had no idea who Al Queda was or Osama Bin Laden. I watched the news everyday and so eventually I figured it all out. All I could think about is, why would people do this? What do they get out of killing thousands of people? My heart goes out to everyone who lost their life that day. They were the victims of a cruel act.
I always thought that the United States was the greatest country in the world, and that everyone else was too scared to do anything to us because we were the most powerful. September 11 sure changed that mind frame. I quickly learned that anything could happen. You can't take your life for granted because you never know what is going to happen. To this day, everyday there is that little bit of fear inside of me that something is going to happen. We live in the primary target and I think that is what makes it a lot more scary. September 11, 2001 will always be a day in my heart filled with sorrow and anger. It has taught me a lot about the world and there is nothing that can make me happier then to be an American. United we stand.
December 14, 2005 | Permalink | Comments (0)
When looking at the top 10 songs and top 10 movies in 1970, there is a general feel good theme to them. Songs such as, I want you back, by The Jackson 5, and the number one movie in 1970, Love Story, are basically movies and songs that can bring a smile to your face and maybe make you shed a happy tear or two. When comparing the songs to the movies in 1970 you have to look at their genre/type, the evident differences and similarities in the songs and films, and the disperate events that each of them portrayed or publicized.
The number one song in 1970 was B.J. Thomas, Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head, the corresponding number one film of 1970 was Love Story, starring Ali McGraw and Ryan O'Neal. When you look at the theme of the song and the movie they both have the basic theme of overcoming difficulty. In the song, B.J. Thomas expresses how the rain (hard times) keeps falling on his head, but he is still going to be ok and he is still making it. The tagline from the film Love Story was Love means never having to say you're sorry [1]. The movie is what the title says it is, it's a love story. It is a story about a couple who overcomes trouble with the help of love. You can really classify mostly all of the songs as feel good songs. Songs like Let it be, by the Beatles, ABC, by the Jackson 5, and Every thing is Beautiful, by Ray Stevens, all give share an overall happy theme. The actual list of top 10 songs is as follows: Raindrops keep fallin' on my head - B. J. Thomas (Scepter), I'll be there
- Jackson 5 (Motown), Bridge over troubled water - Simon & Garfunkel (Columbia), I think I love you - Partridge Family (Bell), (They Long To Be) Close to you - Carpenters (A & M), I want you back - Jackson 5 (Motown), The tears of a clown - Smokey Robinson & The Miracles (Tamla), We've only just begun - Carpenters (A & M), Let it be - Beatles (Apple), and War - Edwin Starr (Gordy). [5] For the most part this is also true with the movies. Looking at the total U.S. gross the films brought in, the
top 10 movies of 1970 starting with the number one were: Love Story, Airport, MASH, Patton, The Aristocats, Woodstock, Little Big Man, Ryan's Daughter, Tora Tora Tora, and at number 10- Catch 22 [2].
For the most part the themes of the top 10 songs and movies in 1970 are very similar. When you watch these movies or listen to the songs, you don't go away with a sad, depressed, violent, or angry mood. These movies and songs were made not to upset people but to give them a feeling of everything is going to be good. Even the movie Woodstock had a tagline that read �3 days of peace, music...and love [3]. Catch 22 is a comedy/war movie that makes you laugh but also provides a serious anti-war message that was to go along with the time period, with Vietnam going on and all.
You can really account for the themes of the songs and movies being as they were because of what was going on at that time. A lot of protesting and anti-war groups were pushing towards peace and love. That's why there is peace and love innuendos present in the songs and films in 1970. One major event that happened in 1970 that could have caused the peace and love theme to be more evident in the songs and films was the Kent State Incident [4]. In 1970 the National Guard open fired on a group of anti-war protesters at Kent State University in Ohio. Four students were killed and 8 students were injured. When President Nixon described the incident by saying, when dissent turns to violence, it invites tragedy [4]. The students had actually started the incident when they began to throw rocks and empty tear gas containers at the guardsmen, but that in no way excuses what happened after that.
After the Kent State incident, America's films and songs really focused on a safer, more peaceful society. With the issues at hand involving U.S. presence in other countries, it was hard to achieve the peaceful and loving society that some pictured in their minds. And even today the peaceful society that most want is very difficult to have. But thanks to some of the artist and filmmakers of 70's, it gave people hope that maybe one day they could experience the happiness that the songs and films depicted.
[1] http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0066011/
[2] http://www.the-numbers.com/movies/index1970.html
[3] http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0066580/
[4] http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/vietnam/timeline/tl3.html#b
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From the early 19th century, there was a multitude of new ideologies that arose in terms of the way that society should be run. One among many was the thought of Utopia or a perfect civilization. “One radical way of reforming the world was by withdrawing from it, to form a utopian community that would demonstrate the possibilities of perfection.” (1) The thought behind this type of living was that rather than being uber-competitive like the rest of the thriving Americans, the small gated community would be able to self-preserve and not have to deal with too much drama and incident. “Such communities looked to replace the competitive individualism of American society with a purer spiritual unity and group cooperation.” (1) It is evident that the following was moderately successful by looking at the small population of Azeroth, which achieved this by having a logical geographical structure, strong economical organization, and most importantly analogous beliefs.
Map The small town of Azeroth was another in the long list of Shaker movements. It is well known that the main staple of the Shaker diet was Church. Therefore it only makes sense that a large church is the centerpiece in the community of Azeroth. While the community itself wasn’t large, there was a very high population density. Their homes were built very close in proximity and all right around the central church. All of the homes were built identically because there was no difference in class in the town of Azeroth, everyone was created and seen as equals. There is no class system, no difference in wealth, no theory that men were greater than women, and most definitely there was no slavery. Off to the North and Northeast were the local shops and farm lands respectively. The town was built near a river for easy access to water and water related trade but only if that was absolutely necessary, because for the most part they were a closed gate community. To the West of the
Great Church are the two school buildings. The cemetery is located to the far North, bordered by the thick forest.
In terms of the economy of Azeroth, they are self serving. There is practically zero trade because everything that the town needs is made within its own vicinity. The farms are able to grow enough produce to sustain the civilization, along with ample numbers of tradesmen to supply the community with anything they need. The children of Azeroth are all schooled right to the left of the Great Church. And once they reach the age of 15 they begin to go to learn at some of the shops so that they may eventually become skilled craftsmen or women.
However the most important issue is most likely that all of the community has bought into the same beliefs. The simple town of Azeroth was just like the other Shaker developments, even with some of their odd faiths. “Convinced that the end of the world was at hand and that there was no need to perpetuate the human race, Shakers practiced celibacy, separating the sexes as far as practical. Men and women normally worked apart, ate at separate tables, and had separate living quarters.” (1) That accounted for separating the men and women on everyday daily activities; it also explained the separation of daily duties. “Community tasks were generally assigned along gender lines, with women performing household chores and men laboring in the fields.” (1) It is due to this that the communities of Shakers were successful because everyone knew what they were supposed to be doing; however the population did slowly decline. One of the most important and prominent issues was that in t
erms of decision making and important roles, men and women were looked at equally. “Leadership of the church, however, was split equally between men and women.” (1) The town of Azeroth can be looked at as a very prosperous civilization. And it may be due to this simple quote on the lifestyle of most Shaker populations. “The sect’s members worked hard, lived simply, and impressed outsiders with their cleanliness and order.” (1)
(1) Davidson, Gienapp, Heyrman, Lytle, & Stoff. (2006). Nation of Nations. Boston: McGraw-Hill. pg. 324-326.
For additional information in regards to the Shakers and their way of life we have provided the following links:
Hancock Shaker Village
Shakers
October 12, 2005 | Permalink | Comments (1)
The British’s overall view towards the increasing activism in Americans was anything but accepting. The British did not take the new found activism seriously whatsoever. "An ironic fate overtook that generation of Americans who loved being English, boasted of their rights as Britons, and celebrated their membership in the all-conquering empire. That very pride drove colonials into rebellion, for the men who ran the British empire after 1763 would not allow Americans to be English." This quote from Nation of Nations (p.122), shows how the Americans activism came about. A good visualization of the British’s view on the patriots activism is seen in the picture " Society of Patriotic Women at Edenton, North Carolina (1774)". In this picture you can see how the British view the patriotic women as irresponsible, loose, and not really serious or in charge, the picture is a good example of the British’s displeasure with the activism of the patriots.
The basic idea of the picture is showing the women of Edenton meeting in response to the "Coercive Acts", called by the patriots, the " Intolerable Acts". The women are meeting to discuss the refusal to buy British products, especially tea. The picture, which is done by the British is basically mocking the women’s feeble attempt to be " involved". The British don’t take the activism seriously at all and they want to portray the patriots as having a similar non-serious attitude toward their overall goal to be liberated. You can see that they view the women as irresponsible if you look at certain places in the picture. Underneath the table is a small child, left unattended to, eating scraps off the floor and having its face licked by a dog who at the same time is urinating on the floor. The women also seem unfocused, several women are off on different sides of the picture talking in small groups or talking to a man. The women are also viewed as being loose and only being allowed to have this much involvement because of their "loose" nature. In the middle of the picture you can see a woman being groped by a man.
The British view the women’s activism a joke, and that the men of the colonies are letting the women "think" that they are contributing but in all actuality they are not doing anything of any importance.
Another thing seen in the picture is the apparent change in the role of the women. Instead of having the women being at home doing what were known as "womanly duties" back then, they are trying to take an active role in politics because of the struggle with the British’s policies. But obviously the British are mocking the women’s newfound determination.
The basic attitude of the picture and the British is a mocking attitude. The men view the women as irresponsible and loose and the view of the men is as if the women are now politically in charge over the men. For the most part the picture is biased in that it was drawn by the British to show that they do not have to worry about the colonies and the patriots making any advances in society and will stay controlled by the British government and policies.
October 12, 2005 | Permalink | Comments (1)
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