Final Essay Questions

For the final essay, you will be asked to respond to one of the two questions below.  Your essay should have a clear thesis and contain SPECIFIC references/quotes from our readings.  

 

Question One:  Write a historical essay about the film Far From Heaven (2002), placing the film’s characters and themes in the context of readings from For the Record and A People’s History of the United States.  How does the film reflect the different challenges and opportunities faced by different kinds of individuals in 1950s America?

 

Question Two:  Write a historical essay about the film Taxi Driver (1976), placing the film’s characters and themes in the context of readings from For the Record and A People’s History of the United States.  How does the film reflect the different challenges and opportunities faced by different kinds of individuals in 1970s America?

A People’s History of the United States, Chapter 20: The Seventies: Under Control? (Group 2, Due 12/12)

Instructions:  Let’s generate a list of key terms for this chapter. Using the “New Post” function, write a brief (1-3 paragraph) blog post that describes a specific person, event, organization, or institution mentioned in this chapter and how it fits into the larger narrative. Your group should aim to produce as diverse a list of terms as possible, so try to pay attention to what others have already posted and choose your term accordingly. A blog post should include:

(1) the name of a specific person, event, organization, or institution,

(2) a (brief) relevant quote from the text

(3) a short (no longer than one paragraph) summary of how the term fits into Zinn’s argument about the era. Why do you think he mentions it? 

IMPORTANT:  Be sure to categorize your post under “A People’s History, Chapter 20″ (the Categories buttons should be on the lower right) so you can get credit for your post! 

For the Record, Chapter 32: Rebellion and Reaction: The 1960s and 1970s (Group 3, Due 12/12)

Instructions:  Using the “New Post” function, write a blog post that discusses a specific quote from one of the primary source entries in Chapter 32 of For the Record (listed below). Your group should aim to produce evenly distributed posts on each of the entries, so try to pay attention to what others have already posted and choose your source accordingly. A blog post should include:

(1) The title, author, and year of the entry

(1) A specific, brief quote from the entry

(2) a brief description of how you think the quote reflects the social, political, and/or economic realities of the specific era in which it was produced.  How might the author’s position in American society determine WHY they feel the way they do?

IMPORTANT:  Be sure to categorize your post under “For the Record, Chapter 32″ (the Categories buttons should be on the lower right) so you can get credit for your post!

Entries:

Gloria Steinem, Equal Rights for Women—Yes and No (1970)

The Report of the President’s Commission on Campus Unrest (1970)

Tom Grace, The Shooting at Kent State (1970)

Richard M. Nixon and John Dean, The President and John Dean in the Oval Office (1973)

Extra Credit Blog Post: A People’s History, Chapter 19 (Optional)

Cesar Chavez

 

For this (optional) extra blog post, you should read Chapter 19 in Howard Zinn’s A People’s History of the United States.  The chapter is titled “Surprises” and is about the various important liberation movements that occurred in America during the 1960s and 1970s. Zinn discusses women, Latinos, gay people, Native Americans, and many more. Choose TWO individuals from the chapter and write brief profiles, focusing on why you think Zinn includes them.  In other words, WHY ARE THEY IMPORTANT?  Your post should include direct quotes from each figure. Do not post repeats!

 

Taxi Driver (Group 5, Due 11/26)

Instructions: Using the “New Post” function, choose a specific moment from the film Taxi Driver and write a brief (1-3 paragraph) blog post explaining how the moment reflects how American society in the 1970s defined the life options for a specific character (Travis, Betsy, or Iris).  Remember to think divergently, and avoid repeating moments that have already been written about. Your group should aim to produce posts about a diverse range of characters, scenes, and topics, so pay attention to what others have posted and choose your moment accordingly.         

IMPORTANT:  Be sure to categorize your post under “Taxi Driver” (the Categories buttons should be on the lower right) so you can get credit for your post!

A People’s History of the United States, Chapter 17: “Or Does it Explode?” (Group 6, Due 11/14)

Instructions:  Let’s generate a list of key terms for this chapter. Using the “New Post” function, write a brief (1-3 paragraph) blog post that describes a specific person, event, organization, or institution mentioned in this chapter and how it fits into the larger narrative. Your group should aim to produce as diverse a list of terms as possible, so try to pay attention to what others have already posted and choose your term accordingly. A blog post should include:

(1) the name of a specific person, event, organization, or institution,

(2) a (brief) relevant quote from the text

(3) a short (no longer than one paragraph) summary of how the term fits into Zinn’s argument about the era. Why do you think he mentions it? 

IMPORTANT:  Be sure to categorize your post under “A People’s History, Chapter 17″ (the Categories buttons should be on the lower right) so you can get credit for your post! 

For the Record, Chapter 30: Affluence and Anxiety in an Atomic Age (Group 1, Due 11/7)

Instructions:  Using the “New Post” function, write a blog post that discusses a specific quote from one of the primary source entries in Chapter 30 of For the Record (listed below). Your group should aim to produce evenly distributed posts on each of the entries, so try to pay attention to what others have already posted and choose your source accordingly. A blog post should include:

(1) The title, author, and year of the entry

(1) A specific, brief quote from the entry

(2) a brief description of how you think the quote reflects the social, political, and/or economic realities of the specific era in which it was produced.  How might the author’s position in American society determine WHY they feel the way they do?

IMPORTANT:  Be sure to categorize your post under “For the Record, Chapter 30″ (the Categories buttons should be on the lower right) so you can get credit for your post!

Entries:

Busy Wife’s Achievements (1956)

Their Sheltered Honeymoon (1959)

Betty Friedan, from The Feminine Mystique

Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka (1954)

Southern Declaration on Integration (1956)

Dwight D. Eisenhower, The Situation in Little Rock (1957)

Far from Heaven (Group 4, Due 10/31)

Instructions: Using the “New Post” function, choose a specific moment from the film Far from Heaven and write a brief (1-3 paragraph) blog post explaining how the moment reflects how American society in the 1950s limits the life options for a specific character (Cathy, Frank, or Raymond).  Which characters are most trapped, most kept from living “authentic” lives? Remember to think divergently, and avoid repeating moments that have already been written about. Your group should aim to produce posts about a diverse range of characters, scenes, and topics, so pay attention to what others have posted and choose your moment accordingly.         

IMPORTANT:  Be sure to categorize your post under “Far from Heaven” (the Categories buttons should be on the lower right) so you can get credit for your post!

A People’s History of the United States, Chapter 11: Robber Barons and Rebels (Group 3, Due 10/21)

Instructions:  Let’s generate a list of key terms for this chapter. Using the “New Post” function, write a brief (1-3 paragraph) blog post that describes a specific person, event, organization, or institution mentioned in this chapter and how it fits into the larger narrative. Your group should aim to produce as diverse a list of terms as possible, so try to pay attention to what others have already posted and choose your term accordingly. A blog post should include:

(1) the name of a specific person, event, organization, or institution,

(2) a (brief) relevant quote from the text

(3) a short (no longer than one paragraph) summary of how the term fits into Zinn’s argument about the era. Why do you think he mentions it? 

IMPORTANT:  Be sure to categorize your post under “A People’s History, Chapter 11″ (the Categories buttons should be on the lower right) so you can get credit for your post! 

Midterm Essay Questions

For the midterm exam (Tue 10/22), you will have to write an essay in response to one of the questions below. Your essay should have a clear thesis and include at least TWO specific examples from each source (Film, For The Record, and A People’s History of the United States). 

Question 1:  According to the different sources we examined, what role did race play in determining the level of freedom experienced by different kinds of individuals during the era of slavery and Reconstruction in the South? Your essay should focus on ONE “type” of freedom:  political, economic, or social/cultural.

Question 2:  According to the different sources we examined, what role did industrialization play in determining the level of freedom experienced by different kinds of individuals during the Gilded Age? Your essay should focus on ONE “type” of freedom:  political, economic, or social/cultural.