Zach+O.+-+Comparison+Essay

Home Comparison Essay Assignment Comparison Essay-Student Posts Works Cited Exemplar Internal Citation Exemplar Civil Society Defined Great Man Continuum

Post Essay and Works Cited HERE Part 1: There were many events and individuals that influenced the 1920s and 1980s. It was very difficult to narrow each era down to three, since they all had an impact on society. The associations/movements and individuals that I chose for the 1920s were The Blues (Music)/ Robert Johnson, Federal Bureau of Investigation/ J. Edgar Hoover, and the Columbia Broadcasting System/ William S. Paley. These were all influential because they brought security and entertainment. Citizens could live happy in America and fell secure at the same time. The three associations and movements of the 1980s that I chose were MTV, Personal Computers/Apple II and Microsoft, and CNN/ Ted Turner. These movements of video entertainment swept the nation and all over the world. Part 2: The 1920s was a time of better entertainment and improvement. The idea that was influenced by everyone, especially African-Americans, was the blues. Robert Johnson was the man that inspired many other musicians and transformed the blues with his amazing talent and played it in a completely different way. His music inspired many other famous bands and musicians that were popular in the 1980s. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) was a huge change in history because everyone felt more protected and people were less likely to get away with crime. The FBI was one of the most non-respected agencies, but once J. Edgar Hoover stepped in, it became one of the greatest. Another influential association, was the Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS), founded by William S. Paley. It brought news to everyone in the nation to keep up to date with the latest stories, musicians, and events.

Robert Johnson was an eventful hero because he did not create the blues genre, he changed it to make other musicians follow after him. His legacy has greatly impacted the music everyone listens today. Many of the rock groups like Led Zeppelin, Eric Clapton, The Rolling Stones, and Cream either covered Johnson's songs to make them better, or took the roots of his songs and changed them up a bit to make them their own. Many of these bands would not of had formed if it were not for Robert Johnson. The FBI was a big change because it brought security to everyone. No one would get frightened anymore since they had much stronger sense of protection. They have had a pretty big legacy because the FBI is still present and active today.

The influence of these topics are still active because of the acts around 90 years ago. The FBI is stopping crime, CBS is now America's most watched network, and rock bands are making more new music. They have helped and made everyone happy. That is why so many people enjoy living in the USA, because we have so many means of entertainment.

Daily life was a little similar before these movements, but not the same. They became more happy and proud to live in a country with all of these advancements. The radio was a big step in society because it allowed people to listen to music and the news much like R. Johnson and CBS. Ads and commercials would also be played to inform the people about new products. Life was much better after these changes have been made. Part 3: The 1980s was a time of video entertainment. The reason for that was because of the creation of MTV (Music Television). It featured music videos and news to entertain millions of viewers with their favorite artists. MTV made bands popular and very successful since their music was being televised, therefore someone had to see them, and that someone was everyone. The creation of Microsoft and Apple was another big accomplishment because now people could have home computers like the Apple II. CNN was (and still is) a huge news coverage, and was the first non-stop one. Much like CBS, people would get informed on news and updates, but it was also live coverage. One of the big wars in the 80s was the Gulf War, which was the first war to be televised live on TV. It was mainly shown on CNN.

MTV has not lasted as long as most people had planned it to. It is still a channel on TV, but it is not the same. It mostly plays reality TV shows and has little to do with music. In the 80s it was just music and nothing else. Everyone would enjoy all the music videos of hundreds of artists. MTV would host televised concerts of various artists that many people would attend and pay money, which would go to MTV and musicians. Apple and Microsoft computers and other technology are still around today and still competing with each other. Bill Gates and Steve Jobs were the founders of each and they got these ideas of the amazing technology. They were the leading companies in technology and they still are. CNN is still one of the top new broadcasting stations. It is just as popular today as it was in the 80s. It possibly had even more viewers back then since it was one of the few big news stations and had live coverage. Now everyone uses the internet for things.

MTV influenced many individuals in the 80s because it would often inspire them to become future musicians. MTV was making money to put out even more and better videos, from the help of the people. Apple and Microsoft influenced many people with their computers so they could access information and data easier. The big thing about Apple, which is still happening today, is that they were/are coming out with devices that people didn't know existed. At first, people thought that CNN was not going to be a success, but they were wrong. It captured live coverage of The Challenger, the Gulf War, and the San Francisco earthquake. This way the whole country could be informed.

The impact on daily life was huge for MTV in the 80s because everyone found a new form of entertainment and they really enjoyed it. They did not have the capability of downloading music videos on iTunes. MTV was all they had. Daily life changed with Microsoft and Apple as well. People were very excited when the Apple II came out, the first personal computer. CNN made it much easier for people to access the news. It was just as easy as MTV, they just had to sit and watch the TV. The news was what people wanted to watch and they wanted more in depth stories. Thanks to CNN, that was possible.

Out of the three 1920s topics, I would rank CBS the highest following the FBI, then the blues. CBS had all of the news of what was going on in the 1920s including music. People felt that the the news met their level and they were being personally informed to because of the friendly broadcasters. The FBI was important too, but news about them catching a criminal would just be played on CBS. The blues was important for music, but it was just a form of entertainment and people would still be able to function without it. Of the 1980s topics, I would rank from greatest to least, CNN, Apple/ Microsoft, then MTV. CNN provided millions of stories to keep people up to date. No one did not have a big idea of what was going on in the world before it. Apple and Microsoft was important as well since they were the start of our technology today. MTV, like the blues, was just another form of entertainment, but of course, MTV would not of been as big if it weren't for the blues. All of these associations and movements were all from the help of single individuals so I believe that great persons were more influential in the 1920s and 1980s.

Works Cited 1920s topics: John M, The Blues/ Robert Johnson Becca J., CBS/ William S. Paley Jill W., FBI/ J. Edgar Hoover 1980s topics: Mitch N., CNN/ Ted Turner Drew S., Personal Computers, Apple II, Microsoft

 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 of individual criteria

•Analyze of each of the 6 topics with evidence taken from the 1920s and 1980s wikis, no evidence cited

•Develop thoughtful and thorough conclusions on all 6 topics, sweeping claims

•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--no evidence used to support ideas

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

•Cite evidence with internal citations and in a Works Cited. Click links for exemplars. Incorrect WC format--NO IC

