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Reyna Lusson
 * Comparison Essay **

There are many similarities between the 1980s and the 1920s, and one major similarity that I’ve identified is the prominent force that shaped the decade: society as a whole. Both had numerous great individuals, but it was society’s momentum that drove America through periods of prosperity and periods of depression. I’m going to be examining and ranking fashion Fads, sitcoms, and CNN in the 80s, and modern dance, jazz, and modern art in the 20s as the societal movements that shaped each decade. These topics have helped me conclude that throughout American history, it has been societal movements—not extraordinary individuals—who have shaped history.

Modern dance was a significant new art form in the 20s that influenced American culture. Martha Graham was the mother of modern dance, a new dance form that allowed women across the nation to love and express themselves. She represented women’s empowerment, equality and strength. “Modern dance represented a new frontier and reflected the thoughts and opinions of people in the 1920s; along with everything else in the 20s, modern dance was about exploration, freedom and new frontiers” (Reyna’s wiki). Graham was only one small part of a major movement advocating women’s equality.

Jazz was a new era of music that swept America, and Duke Ellington was a major part of it. Jazz was a way for black people and white people alike to unite and share their love for music together. Jazz helped to define blacks in American music, and allowed them to influence the social and artistic world. “The most important part to the evolution of jazz was that people became more artistic”; the definition of musician began to include blacks in addition to whites (Arat’s Wiki). Ellington took part in the overall Jazz movement, though the societal and racial force of desegregation had more impact than any one individual.

Modern art was a rising art form of the 20s that influenced many aspects of American life. Georgia O’Keefe was a famous artist who embraced the new style of contemporary drawings and paintings. “Most of these paintings exemplified modern life and symbolism”, reflecting a new way of life in America (Johns’ Wiki). O’Keefe was one of the many artists who adopted modern style, and the overall impact of modern art long outlasted any one artist.

All three of these 1920s topics exemplify the mindset of Americans at the time, and each have a different level of importance. In my opinion, Jazz was the most important since it represented the desegregation of races in America. Modern dance takes second rank since it shows the progress of women’s rights and equality. In third place, modern art shows people’s morals and values changing in the 20s. All three were very important, however this ranking shows the long-term significance of each movement.

CNN was the first news network to broadcast breaking news 24 hours a day, and this was a big deal in the 1980s. Ted Turner was the creator of CNN, and through his network he impacted millions of American lives. “At first it wasn’t that successful because of lack of professional reporters, but that changed” (Lydia’s Wiki). As CNN became more respected, the quality went up, along with the success. Though Turner certainly impacted the movement, the idea of more efficient news broadcasting was more important in the long run than Turner himself.

Fashions fads were very prominent in the 1980s, as with most other decades. These fads, however silly they may seem today, gave individuals a way to express themselves through clothing. They promoted self-love and self-expression in a healthy way. Some of the many fads were shoulder pads, headbands, leg warmers, and miniskirts. “People were so in tune with what was happening and loved everything, clothing was their way of showing they love something” (Givi’s Wiki). Though the fads of the 80s have long been replaced by new fads, we can see the effects of individualism today; people have gotten more open about expressing their thoughts and feeling, which in my opinion makes a better country.

Though sitcoms have been around since the 1930s, they were at their highpoint in the 80s. Warmedy, or Warm Family Comedy, was emerging, and the Coseby Show was one of the first to make it big. Sitcoms were a way for families to connect, though most only lasted a season or two; however, the Coseby show outlasted it competition, airing from 1984 to 1992. Additionally, “this show sparked controversy about race and class in America” (Arat’s Wiki). We still see many sitcoms on TV today, many which were influenced by The Coseby Show.

Though all three topics greatly impacted the 1980s, each can be ranked based on importance. I would rank Fashion Fads as the most important since they advocated self love and individuality. In second place I would put CNN, because the network allowed Americans to get the world’s news in a more efficient manner. Finally, I think that sitcoms are of least importance since they merely promoted family television.

In both the 1920s and 1980s, the societal movements were far more impactful that any great men. America’s culture is ever changing, and the momentum behind an active movement will generally surpass that of any one individual in terms of changing our society as a whole. Great movements like modernism and self-acceptance will always have longer-lasting effects than any one person. Through examining the driving forces of the 20s and the 80s, I have concluded that movements, not individuals, have shaped history.

Reyna L. "Martha Graham/ Modern Dance” //Buchholtz Sidor American Studies. //Web. 29. March. 2011. Arat I. "Jazz/ Duke Ellington” //Buchholtz Sidor American Studies. //Web. 29. March. 2011. John S. "Georgia O’Keefe/ Modern Art” //Buchholtz Sidor American Studies. //Web. 29. March. 2011.  Lydia E. "CNN/ Ted Turner” //Buchholtz Sidor American Studies. //Web. 29. March. 2011. Givi G. "Fashion Fads” //Buchholtz Sidor American Studies. //Web. 29. March. 2011.  Arat I. "Warmedy/ The Coseby Show” //Buchholtz Sidor American Studies. //Web. 29. March. 2011.

RUBRIC

A quality comparison essay will

•Use the __four__ criteria of Great Man Continuum to analyze the significance of three 1920’s topics and three 1980s topics. general discussion, little analysis of individual criteria

•Analyze of each of the 6 topics with evidence taken from the 1920s and 1980s wikis, Supporting evidence for each topic

•Develop a thoughtful and thorough conclusions on all 6 topics, yes

•Rank the three topics for each decade and explain why one topic is more influential than the other two, yes, with little supporting evidence

•Answer the essay question with a clear, well reasoned argument, sweeping claims are not always supported

•Explain why the __second__ choice fell short compared to the __first__ choice but is more just than the __third__ choice, generally attempted

•Organize ideas in extended power paragraphs, inconsistently done--explaining sentence or evidence often omitted

•Identify the source and establish its credibility with an appositive phrase, not always done

•Cite evidence with internal citations and in a Works Cited. Click links for exemplars. Mostly correct, alphabetize WC