Definition and Discussion of Renaissance Rhetoric

The Symbols Of The 1920s - 934 Words

The 1920s were an age of dramatic social and political change. For the first time, more Americans lived in cities than on farms. The nation’s total wealth more than doubled between 1920 and 1929, and this economic growth swept many Americans into an affluent but unfamiliar â€Å"consumer society.† People from coast to coast bought the same goods (thanks to nationwide advertising and the spread of chain stores), listened to the same music, did the same dances and even used the same slang. Many Americans were uncomfortable with this new, urban, sometimes racy â€Å"mass culture†; in fact, for many–even most–people in the United States, the 1920s brought more conflict than celebration. However, for a small handful of young people in the nation’s big†¦show more content†¦By the end of the 1920s, there were radios in more than 12 million households. People also went to the movies: Historians estimate that, by the end of the decades, three -quarters of the American population visited a movie theater every week. But the most important consumer product of the 1920s was the automobile. Low prices (the Ford Model T cost just $260 in 1924) and generous credit made cars affordable luxuries at the beginning of the decade; by the end, they were practically necessities. In 1929 there was one car on the road for every five Americans. Meanwhile, an economy of automobiles was born: Businesses like service stations and motels sprang up to meet drivers’ needs. Cars also gave young people the freedom to go where they pleased and do what they wanted. (Some pundits called them â€Å"bedrooms on wheels.†) What many young people wanted to do was dance: the Charleston, the cake walk, the black bottom, the flea hop. Jazz bands played at dance halls like the Savoy in New York City and the Aragon in Chicago; radio stations and phonograph records (100 million of which were sold in 1927 alone) carried their tunes to listeners across the nation. Some older people objected to jazz music’s â€Å" vulgarity† and â€Å"depravity† (and the â€Å"moral disasters† it supposedly inspired), but many in the younger generation loved the freedom they felt on the dance floor. During the 1920s, some freedoms were expanded while others were curtailed. The 18th Amendment to theShow MoreRelatedThe Great Gatsby By F. Scott Fitzgerald1389 Words   |  6 Pagesnot only of crime, changing action and roles of women, but also of many other different social and cultural trends. The 1920s was the Progressive era that was a response to the Gilded Age. The Progressive era was filled with many reformers that aimed to reform the social issues like the women’s movement who had started a temperance movement to prohibit people from drinking. The 1920s was also a time of a social gap where the wealthy got more rich and the poor increased and stayed beyond the povertyRead MoreSymbolism Of The Great Gatsby By F. Scott Fitzgerald1130 Words   |  5 Pagesconstantly throughout the book. In The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald uses symbolism such as the eyes of Doctor. T.J. Eckleburg, the valley of ashes, and the green light as tools to develop the theme, the corruption of the American Dream. The distinctive symbols used in The Great Gatsby connect the ongoing themes of the 10920s throughout the novel with the social and morally destructive characters trying to achieve the American Dream, inflicting more internal and external conflict throughout the story. Read MoreThe Great Gatsby By F. Scott Fitzgerald1210 Words   |  5 Pagesconsidered the 1920s as a transitional period that shifted Americans society from traditional values to a new era of modernization. During this time, the economy boomed, which made the 1920s one of the most prosperous era in the U.S. The Roaring twenties was associate as the era of consumerism, the prohibition and the disillusionment with the American dream. Many historians and Literature scholars recognized F. Scott Fitzgerald s novel, The Great Gatsby, as the iconic book of the 1920s. In the novelRead MoreEssay Cars in F. Scott Fitzgeralds The Great Gatsby695 Words   |  3 PagesGatsby, symbols are an important and integral part of what makes it a great novel. Though there are numerous and different aspects that could be explored, a repeated and often mentioned aspect are the revolutionary vehicles. Cars in the 1920s were a symbol of status and privilege as they were becoming increasingly affordable. Thoug h most people could own a car due to Ford releasing the Model T, the colored vehicles usually a sign of wealth and status. Fitzgerald often uses the car as a symbol of deathRead MoreThe Great Gatsby By F. Scott Fitzgerald Essay983 Words   |  4 PagesThe 1920’s embodied a people who strove for wealth with complete disregard to the moral disgraces committed in the process of becoming rich. F. Scott Fitzgerald, the author of The Great Gatsby portrays the general feeling of the 1920’s through complex characters such as Jay Gatsby, Tom and Daisy Buchanan, and Nick Carraway. Fitzgerald uses symbols such as the billboard, the green light, and the valley of ashes to convey themes and propel the plot forward. T.J Eckleburg’s giant eyed billboard isRead MoreThe Green Light Symbolism In The Great Gatsby796 Words   |  4 Pagesachieve success and prosperity through hard work, determination, and initiative†. But, by the 1920’s the American dream had become twisted and was more about becoming rich than being happy. In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s â€Å"The Great Gatsby†, several symbols are used to illustrate the corruption of the American Dream. These symbols include the green light, the valley of ashes and the eyes of Dr. TJ Eckleberg. A symbol that is repeated multiple times throughout the novel is the green light. The green light isRead MoreF.Scott Fitzgeralds The Great Gatsby Essay967 Words   |  4 Pageshigh society in the Roaring 20s. F. Scott Fitzgerald captured all three with his literary voice. He made impressions everywhere with the supreme achievement of his third novel, The Great Gatsby. This novel is a tale of people’s exciting lives in the 1920’s. Fitzgerald uses the Great Gatsby to illustrate the American identity during the early twentieth century. Fitzgerald uses symbolism and narrative techniques to illustrate the materialistic chase of the American dream by upper-class society in theRead MoreThe Role Of Fashion During The 1920 S974 Words   |  4 PagesThe 1920’s was a time of great change.   (Some changes that happened during 1920s were the nation s wealth doubled, more americans lived in the cities, advancements in technology, and women being able to vote.) One big cha nge that occurred during the 1920’s social shift was the fashion industry. Fashion is something that reflects the beliefs and social standards of that time. This industry, along with others, had an immense boom during the 1920s. The evolution of fashion during this decade is describedRead MoreEssay on Symbols of The Great Gatsby 1249 Words   |  5 PagesThe 1920s were a time of big dreams, moral decline, and hardships in America . The Roaring Twenties were a different time altogether with its bootleggers and speakeasies, women becoming more independent, the poor becoming poorer, but through all this was The American Dream keeping the hope afloat. F. Scott Fitzgerald captured this era in his book, The Great Gatsby. Through his many symbols he illustrates the hopes, the forgotten God, and the oppressed Americans of the Twenties. The symbols inRead MoreThe Great Gatsby By F. Scott Fitzgerald1076 Words   |  5 PagesIn the book, The Great Gatsby, written by F. Scott Fitzg erald, Gatsby is exemplified through many symbols and idols. Fitzgerald uses cars to represent wealth, success, status, and glamour. As Friedrich Nietzsche states, â€Å"There are more idols in the world than there are realities.† Nietzsche’s quote shows how idols and symbols are used to create impressions. Images are powerful and set a stage for others to judge one’s character, enabling human beings to avoid seeing what realities are. Idols are

Explain why women failed to gain the right to votebetween 1900 and 1914 Free Essays

Female Emancipation was one of the greatest changes in human history. Only in the last two centuries has progress been made; the right to vote was part of this global process. In the 19th Century Britain was profoundly unequal in terms of class and gender. We will write a custom essay sample on Explain why women failed to gain the right to votebetween 1900 and 1914 or any similar topic only for you Order Now Women were of inferior status both in society’s views and legally, and their role was to marry and have children. On marriage they promised to serve their husband and a woman’s property became her husband’s. (Until late 1880, they had absolutely no rights over their property or children. ) Around the turn of the century, groups such as the Suffragists and Suffragettes started up, championing the right for women to vote, which in turn would help female candidates run for a position in parliament. This was the state of Britains social hierachy. The matter of why women failed to gain the right to vote in the years leading up to the first world war is quite a complicated issue. With all the huge campaigns lead by the Suffragists and Suffragettes there are a number of key points to understand. First of all, the vote was very exclusive at this period of time, even all men did not have it. Only homeowners in full-time employment were allowed to vote, which limited the vote to virtually the upper-middle and upper clases, and the lucky workers. Then there were the traditional views on women in general; they were seen as practically â€Å"second class† citizens of the country. Only in 1870 had education up to the age of 11 become free and compulsory for girls. (For boys it was earlier) Women had only just won the right to vote and run in local government elections. Most people felt the womans place was in the home raising children. Young girls who wanted to go on to higher education instead of marrying at the age of 16 were generally looked upon with disgust. They were seen as abnormal. It is easy to see that in a male-dominated country with an all-male government and cabinet it was an almost impossible task to win the franchise, or so it seemed. The Suffrage movement was increasing constantly, however compared to the nations population, the members of the various groups seemed very small. Many men did not want women to gain the vote for the long term reasons stated earlier, and even many women felt that they did not need the vote. It is hard to understand, but the whole mentality of British society was so deeply set in traditional thought that bringing about a change of such proportions was an immensly difficult task. Some people even started up Anti-Suffrage movements. The Suffrage groups started putting massive amounts of pressure on the government, which was for most of the duration run by the Liberal Party. (Lead by Lloyd Asquith after 1908. ) Hopes were high for a women suffrage when the Liberals came to power in 1906, because their policies were based on equality, although women’s suffrage was not on their manifesto. Asquith, however, was against the right to vote for women. All the women’s suffrage groups had intensified their campaigns when the Liberal Party was elected, and they had a high level of support. The Suffragettes were the smaller of the two largest groups, but were by far the most publicised. They believed in â€Å"Deeds not Words†, and were a more militant group than the larger and more respectful â€Å"Suffragists†. The Suffragettes were growing impatient and started intensifying their campaigns, growing more and more violent. Incidents involving stoning and heckling MP’s, confronting authorities, getting fined and not paying; leading to imprisonment plagued the headlines of newspapers on a regular basis. Although this was putting pressure on the government, it also had the negative effect of alienating the movement from the public who generally did not like this approach. The Suffragettes started launching attacks on property, attacking Key MP’s houses or property, setting fire to pillar boxes (thus destroying the property of Her Majesty) and chaining themselves to rails outside important political locations. This caused intense dislike towards them, and caused splits within the group itself. A free vote showed that the Parliament was overall for women to have the vote, as long as an adult male suffrage was introduced aswell. This was so all the working class males would be allowed to vote which would be an adcantage to them, so the increase in upper class people voting (women) would not hurt their chances of becoming re-elected. They also did not want to be seen as giving in to what was literally terrorism. The government also had greater issues to deal with, such as the crisis in Ireland, and the threat of War with Germany. Compared to these issues, the womens demonstrations and attacks seemed a minor problem. In 1914, The First World War had begun. This was the first total war, which required the whole nations contribution. The Suffragettes and other groups called off their protests and volunteered to help the government in the war effort. They had failed to win the right to vote, at least in the years between 1900 and 1914. How to cite Explain why women failed to gain the right to votebetween 1900 and 1914, Papers