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The 1920s and the 1980s were two of America’s most revolutionary and ever changing decades. In this essay, I will utilize the Great Man Criteria to determine the most influential topics of each decade. The criteria includes an evaluation of the significance of the accomplishment, the endurance of the legacy, the extent of influence, and the impact the topic has on our daily lives. With these things in mind, I have selected what I have thought to be the most influential aspects of life in each of the decades based on the legacy and impact the topic.

The 1920s was highly impacted by things such as music, radio, and entertainment, which is the reason why I decided that Broadway, jazz, and The Radio Corporation of America (RCA) were the most influential topics of the time period.

Broadway was a fast growing form of entertainment in the 1920s that “attracted rich and poor alike with its wide variety of themes, including ethnic issues and race relations” (Michael M). It was a new way to discuss issues in society while exploring the music and theatrical aspects of the art. Because of the new market that was emerging, “ there was more business for people to go to and while they were 10 times more expensive than movie tickets, people began to rapidly begin showing to the new Broadway shows” (Michael M). The beginning of Broadway was a significant accomplishment that was widespread throughout America. Additionally, it is safe to say that Broadway has endured the test of time, seeing as that there are still many major Broadway productions being created as well as traveling shows to major cities. Broadway has also “ pushed along the invention of TV shows, radio and Hollywood” (Michael M) as the need for a broader entertainment industry was being established. Broadway was one of the driving forces during the time period and still remains as a major form of entertainment, spreading from all social classes and still impacting us to this day, although the Broadway industry will never be as thriving as it once was.

Jazz was another strong force in the development of the 1920s. As jazz music started to be played more and more in clubs and dances, the form of art became to expand as it became one the the culture's greatest accomplishments. The most important part of the evolution of jazz was “that people became more artistic and as artists’ voices began to be heard constantly and you could see that when Broadway developed its musical theatre” (Arat I). Since its creation by the African American community in new Orleans, it began to expand as new artists emerged as the want for more jazz was increasing. Jazz would be considered a “great hero, for it began, and it became popular and still is evolutionizing music slowly, a man at a time” (Arat I). The jazz age has a great sense of accomplishment as it still manages to be recognized as one of the greatest movements, as it affected almost all people and still affects us today.

“Owen D. Young was an innovative, multitasking, and an industrialist young mind of the nineteen-twenties. Young initially created the company General Electric in 1919 which was a giant movement in the electric appliances production. Young also ‘at the request of the government, Young created the Radio Corporation of America to combat threatened foreign control of America's struggling radio industry’” (Givi G). The RCA was extremely extensive in creating the first radio station. The RCA and radio has an extensive legacy and has grown into an enormous industry today that we still use today. It is something that still impacts our daily lives as it has emerged into what it currently is.

The 1980s was a decade of change and development. I have determined that the most influential topics of the 1980s is fashion, pop culture, and music. This is why I have chosen fashion fads, the cult of celebrity, and hair metal bands during this time period.

“Shoulder pads, leggings, piercings, over-sized sweatshirts, and beaming colors and prints” (Ashley M). The 1980s was a time for bold fashion statements that affected people of all ages. The change of more risque styles of dress began to be almost a symbol of revolution for women, who wanted to have as much independence as men. Additionally, things like exercise clothes changed the way that women saw their bodies. The fads were something new that mostly affected young people as “name brands” became more and more important in fashion at the time. Its sudden change from previous styles will forever be remembered as something revolutionary. Its legacy still inspires fashion fads today and heavily influenced daily life during the decade, as well as influencing all areas of social classes and people.

The general interest of the lives of celebrities truly started to grow during the 1980s. People began to obsess over public figures such as Princess Diana and John Lennon, which inspired other people to begin to want to become famous and successful in the public eye. “The only people to look up to and idle in that situation are those who have accomplished that goal such as Diana or Lennon” (Michael W). It was one of the decade’s most powerful driving forces because of how the lives of other people began to affect those of the public. The topic has had a large scope of influence and has endured the test of time, as we still worship the famous and are still impacted by them in our daily lives.

“During the 1970s, the American music scene was dominated by disco, country rock, and southern rock. These styles were all reminiscent of the funk movement and hippie protest culture of the 1960s and there wasn't much innovation in music. However, during the 1980s, a new innovation started to form. The hard guitar riffs of punk music and strong lyrics of southern rock combined to create the Pop-Rock movement” (Brian M). During this movement, metal bands wore outrageous clothes and makeup and platform boots. The flashy appearance of the bands captured the attention of fans and held on to them for majority or the 80s, although the trend began to decline by the 1990s. The extent of the influence was widespread, as it established a dedicated fanbase and grew more successful. However, the genre is nowhere near where it once is even though it still exists today.

In the 1920s, I would say that the most influential topic would be the development of radio. Radio was a main form of news., entertainment, and sports, and most people relied on it in their everyday lives. The next influential topic would be Broadway, since the industry boomed at the beginning of the decade and turned into something enormous, but it did not however change as much as the radio industry has. Jazz would rank as the third most influential, since it was the least widespread. However it was still an important part of the culture at the time. In the 1980s, I would rank fashion fads as the most influential topic. It was something that defined the generation and affected every type of person in the era. I would rank the Cult of Celebrity second, since it was another booming fad that grew as time went on, but did not impact as many as fashion fads. Hair metal bands would rank third, since they did not affect as broad of a scope of people but still remained a prominent genre during the decade. The 1920s and 1980s were two of our most interesting eras of the 19th Century because of what they accomplished and what defined their culture. Ultimately, the cultural changes in society determined what influenced them, which is something that still stays true to this day.

G, Givi. “RCA.” Buchholtz Sidor Am. Studies. N.p., n.d. Web. 2 Apr. 2012. .

“Hair/Glam Metal Bands & Bon Jovi.” Buchholtz Sidor Am. Studies. N.p., n.d. Web. 2 Apr. 2012. .

I, Arat. “Jazz.” Buchholtz Sidor Am. Studies. N.p., n.d. Web. 2 Apr. 2012. .

M, Ashley. “Fashion Fads.” Buchholtz Sidor Am. Studies. N.p., n.d. Web. 2 Apr. 2012. .

M, Micheal. “Broadway.” Buchholtz Sidor Am. Studies. N.p., n.d. Web. 2 Apr. 2012. .

W, Micheal. “Cult of Celebrity .” Buchholtz Sidor Am. Studies. N.p., n.d. Web. 2 Apr. 2012. .

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.

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

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

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

•Answer the essay question with a clear, well reasoned argument,

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

•Organize ideas in extended power paragraphs,

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #008000; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 15px;">•Identify the source and establish its credibility with an appositive phrase,

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #008000; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 15px;">•Cite evidence with internal citations and in a Works Cited. Click links for exemplars.