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Why prohibition failed and effects on social values
American dream during the 1920s
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”So we beat on,boats against the current,borne back ceaselessly into the past”(Fitzgerald,180) The 1920s was also known as The “Roaring twenties” because of the exuberant lifestyles of Americans. A part of these exuberant lifestyles was going to pubs and drinking illegal alcohol and dancing the night away. The main political issue in the”Roaring twenties” was the prohibition of alcohol. The book The Great Gatsby gives it’s readers a good view on the prohibition of alcohol and how Americans easily got around this law. The prohibition of alcohol caused many of Americans to rebel and act out towards the government. Many Americans made their own alcohol and became known as “bootleggers” and would sell alcohol to other Americans to make a profit. …show more content…
The 18th amendment is the prohibition of alcohol and the women of America were beyond happy when this law got placed because they got their husbands back for a while until bootlegging became a thing in America. Many American men would get drunk after work and would not come home to their families and this made women extremely depressed and angry. To continue there were many social issues during the “Roaring twenties”. One main social issue of the “Roaring twenties” were the rise of the flappers. From All about Flappers it states that “FLAPPERS were northern, urban, single, young, middle-class women. Many held steady jobs in the changing American economy....Increasing phone usage required more and more operators...But the flapper was not all work and no play.”Flappers were women that wanted to stand out and be independent. Flappers usually cut there hair short and wore short skirts and this was an extreme social issue because some people did not agree with the flappers ways. Flappers engaged in alot of dancing so you can see why men usually did not have a problem with flappers and why women …show more content…
The "American Dream" of the 1920s was not really accomplished by many Americans because everyone focused on fitting in and not what really matter. You see this alot in The Great Gatsby , for example in the book it states “ I lived at West Egg, the – well, the least fashionable of the two, though this is a most superficial tag to express the bizarre and not a little sinister contrast between them. My house was at the very tip of the egg, only fifty yards from the Sound, ...a partial view of my neighbor's lawn, and the consoling proximity of millionaires—all for eighty dollars a month.” (Fitzgerald,14) This quote describes Nicks social class and it talks about how much money you had reflected upon your house. The great Gatsby focuses on the "American Dream" through characters and you get a glimpse of the “"Roaring Twenties"lifestyle and how individuals attempted to accomplish their american
... They provided the accepting of women to do want they want including: dressing to their own style, living on their own, acting the way they want and working for any job they want. Flappers may have caused issues in the past, but without these ladies women would still be stuck in the past with long clothes, household jobs, taking care of children and sexist views from men.
Flappers were not just spunky young rebellious woman who tried to defy there mother’s traditions and cause an uproar in society. Her bluntness about sexuality created a new emotional and sexual culture for women. It also created a new foundation for male and female courtship. They showed women around the world that being submissive could only harm the remarkable female. The flappers created a new youth identity.
So basically, the 1920's or “Roaring Twenties” was a time of major change for America as a nation. Just following the Great War America was on the fast track to new times. There was the model t car, the stock market boom and crash, the banning of alcohol, the radio, jazz music, women seeking independence, Americans seeking higher education, union strikes, the red scare, the death of President Harding and many more. Many people say this was an enjoyable time of constant dancing and entertainment galore, while others would say that the hardships of racism and poverty made this time period one of struggle and hardships. While others only remember the 1920's as the creation of mickey mouse or babe Ruth. This decade truly was “The Roaring Twenties”.
The United States and our government has been shaped entirely from its past. We have learned right from wrong, what has worked and what has failed. The 1920s was a time in our country where the government created a law that upset the people. This decade is often referred to as The Roaring 20’s, The Jazz Age, The Prohibition Era, The Cocktail Era, etc. All these names perfectly describe this time, but it was also a time to learn from the mistake of creating a law that prohibited alcohol. This law played such a huge role in the decade, and has been forever remembered. The Great Gatsby is a romance novel that also hints on the time of prohibition. F. Scott Fitzgerald talked greatly about alcohol and the part it took in The Roaring 20 's. Though
... fewer children was stressed to the patriarchal, consumerist society. The roaring twenties were a consumerist and capitalist age for America, and the liberalization of women occurred naturally as the younger generation was born into the new age of Freudian sexuality, however the flapper as a symbol for young women is incorrect. Out of proportion, and unfounded the flapper was a consumerist to exploit a rising cultural market. Women gained the right to their bodies, as America gained the right to its profit.
Some women of the 1920s rebelled against being traditional. These women became known as flappers and impacted the post-war society. People in the 1920’s couldn’t make up their minds about flappers. Some were against them, and some were with them. Therefore, some people in the 1920’s loved and idolized flappers, I on the other hand, believed that they were a disgrace to society.
The Great Gatsby is a story of the American Dream. The Great Gatsby is a view into the society of the 1920's masterfully created by Fitzgerald. In this society, the one and only Gatsby falls right into the middle. Gatsby is an exemplary example of one trying to live out the American Dream.
The roaring twenties, a decade of celebration and partying after world war I finished, a decade of breaking way of tradition, and also a decade of banned alcohol. As part of the 18th amendment, alcohol was prohibited and the manufacturing, transportation, importation, exportation and selling of alcoholic beverages were illegal. This ban was put in place to lower crime and corruption, reduce social problems, lower taxes needed to support prisons and poorhouses, and improve the health and hygiene in America. Unfortunately, the problems the prohibition sought to resolve went on to become worse, causing a rise in crime (making it organised), courts/prisons to overload, and the population's health took its toll.
Prohibition in the 1920s America sits for its portrait through an era of wonderful nonsense as stated in the book, This Fabulous Century 1920-1930, describes the Roaring 20s, which was a frivolous, free wheeling decade when ladies. wore flapper gowns and bobbed their hair. Men started to engage in business affairs, such as the Stock Market and many sports events. held like a derbie. Many new dances like the Charleston were invented.
The 1920s were greatly influenced by prohibition. The prohibition law restricted the manufacturing, consumption, transportation, and sale of alcohol. The law was put into effect to lower the crime and corruption rates in the United States in the 1920s. It was also said to reduce social problems and lower taxes. In The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald examines the negative repercussions of prohibition on the economy, characters in the Great Gatsby, and on the different social classes of the 1920s.
Throughout the novel The Great Gatsby, there is a constant theme present: social class. Fitzgerald makes a connection between the theme of social class, and the settings in the novel for example The Valley of Ashes which is described as a “desolate area of land” (p.21) and a “solemn dumping ground” (p.21) which is where the poor people live. The Valley of Ashes is situated between West Egg and New York, West Egg being the place where the aspiring classes are situated, which is the “less fashionable of the two” (p.8), this is where Gatsby lives. West Egg is the place of ‘new money’, Fitzgerald shows this by the idea of the main character Jay Gatsby, rumoured to be selling illegal alcohol (prohibition) which means he is quickly making vast amounts of money.” Who is this Gatsby anyhow? Some big bootlegger?”(p.86) Gatsby shows off the amount of wealth he has by his fabulous parties and oversized mansion. “There was music from my neighbour's house through those summer nights. In his enchanted gardens, men and girls came and went like moths, among the whispering and the champagne and the stars.”(p.33) Fitzgerald uses the word ‘enchanted’ to paint a visual picture of what the house and the scene looks like, a magical and enchanted castle, with elegant furniture. This is in comparison to East Egg where Tom and Daisy Buchanan live, in a house where “The windows were ajar and gleaming white against the fresh grass outside” (p.10). East Egg being the place of ‘old money’ which is made from the inheritance of their past generations, the people who live it East Egg are mainly well educated, historically wealthy and live quite elegantly, but they are also quite ‘snobbish’. Gatsby’s background does not fit into the social standards of East Egg...
Americans in the 1920s were fresh off of World War I and fresh into the Prohibition Era. The American Dream is well defined- a life of wealth, comfort, and exuberance. After a World War I victory, the dream was thought to be in the near future for every American. The country was seen as a world superpower, wealthy after the devastation of a war fought entirely overseas and brimming with hope and possibility- at least on the surface. Despite the highs experienced by much of the country, it wasn't without its problems.
History is an abundance of movements that demonstrate the changes in societal ideals and beliefs, it also conveys the struggle many people had to maintain conservative ideas. The 1920s was a major time frame when many changes occurred and began, it is the epitome of the struggle between a changing nation and the Conservatives who want it all to stay the same. The power struggle between the Conservatives and the rebellious members of society had been going on for years but it was the passing of the Volstead Act, which had kicked started the Prohibition, that created an explosive change throughout the society. Drinking became fashionable, everyone wanted to do it because it was forbidden. With one law being broken people began to break the societal norms; woman drank and smoked in public, blacks were becoming popular in society, and even the accepted religious facts were called into question. This disregard for the norms caused an uproar throughout society and were the main tensions between old and new ideal; the tension stemmed from the ideals about women, blacks and religion.
American prohibition act comes into effect (1920). Height of success is achieved in early 1920s when imports are cut off from the outside. Conclusion: The 1920s was characterized by abrupt and extreme changes, the spirit of the Roaring Twenties was marked by a general feeling of discontinuity associated with modernity, and a break with tradition. prosperous years for Canada and Canadians. Wages were up, unemployment was down and memories of the First World War were slowly being left behind.
In the 1920’s, the Nineteenth Amendment was passed, which gave women the right to vote. During this decade women became strong and more independent. Women were accomplishing a lot more than they had before. Women started going to college so she could earn her own living. More women started leaving the home and working at a factory or as a secretary. Women were discriminated at the work place. They received lower wages then man did. In the 1920’s, the term flapper was introduced. It was first used in Britain after World War 1. Young women were labeled as flappers who wore makeup shorter skirts. Fl...