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World War II affected American society by
Jazz and its influence on african americans in the 20th century
Impact of World War 2 on American society
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Historical fiction is a genre that can bring made up stories into the real world using the events and places of the world and its history. In Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet, Jamie Ford uses such real world situations like the growing jazz culture and clubs, the tension in America during WWII, and the unfair prosecution of the Japanese-Americans at the time to make her story real and allow us to truly connect with her story and characters.
Making a reader feel what it's like in a different time period is very important in a historical fiction novel. One way in this novel the author does this is by including the character of Sheldon and showing the importance of Jazz in the main character Henry's life. While talking to Keiko he explains why he likes it by saying, "Maybe because it's so different, but people everywhere still like it... Plus, my father hates it" (78). His simple interest in this type of music and his rebellious thoughts help show Henry as a real person, and it shows his desire to be different than his parents and how he has different thoughts than them. Also just by using a real Seattle jazz artist like Oscar Holden made the story feel alive. While playing a minimal part in the plot, the jazz clubs and its part in the novel make the story come alive.
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Another piece of history shown in the novel is the way WWII played a role in daily American lives.
It helps build setting along and it makes the story seem real as Henry's father reads to him about it or when Henry is just thinking about it. WWII greatly changed many Americans' lifestyles as shown when Will, one of Henry's classmates, doesn't go to school for a week because "His father had been killed while serving..." (111). The way the military conflicts and President Roosevelt's action are talked about really allows the story to fit into the real
world. The largest way in which this novel connects to history is by how it shows the poor treatment of Asian-Americans during the time after Pearl Harbor was attacked. In the beginning Henry is forced by his father to not speak his Cantonese and to wear a button saying "I am Chinese". Students in Henry's school taunt and torment him about his race and don't seem to care about China's alliance with their country in the war. After meeting Keiko, Henry questions all the judgement he sees and hears about the Japanese. All he knows is that a nice Japanese girl is his friend even though he's supposed to hate her. The people like Keiko's teacher, who are taken and arrested in the jazz club, or the people burning their belongings in an alley, show really how much the story ties in what happened in real life into its plot. Henry reflects on this when he thinks about life as an old man and a child but the main thought of Japanese-Americans during their prosecution is said but Keiko after the club conflict when she says, "But I'm American" (97).Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet feels extraordinarily like a biography about how unfair life can be to some people, and it is because of how Jamie Ford uses plenty historical events in making her story real.
The story would be very different is the element changed. Sonny used jazz music as an outlet to express all of his emotions and tell his life. When his brother understood Sonny’s reason for loving music just by listening to him play it shows how universal music can be. Sonny’s older brother has entered into the white soc...
“His relaxed phrasing was a major change from the staccato style of the early 20’s and helped to set the stage for the Swing Era” (“Life & Legacy”). And as such a prominent artist, and in particular, jazz artist, Armstrong did not only change the perception of jazz and swing, but the views on African Americans and their culture. Armstrong and the Harlem Renaissance reflected black history and culture, and it became popular, even in white communities and clubs. Jazz as a whole genre helped further society’s views through the universal language of music, where any ethnicity could partake in it. And the revolution of jazz was lead by the stylings of Louis Armstrong. The duration of the jazz and swing era, lasting decades past the 1920s, symbolized the civil rights movement directly through the lyrics, sounds, and artists
The energy of jazz was a very new and almost uncomfortable style for the very traditional, rigid family of the 1920s. Young people in particular seemed to enjoy this new music the most, as it made them feel carefree. The energy of jazz was symbolic of the era’s transition from a more traditional feel to a more provocative and carefree nature (Epstein 9).... ... middle of paper ...
"Jazz is very important to my vision of life in our time." (Lamb, 1). Jazz gives him a feeling of individuality and community. This means that when individuals push him, and he pushes them back, they both become better
Imagine you are walking the streets of New Orleans. You are standing right where jazz was established in the United States of America. Jazz wasn’t just about music, it also affected the culture involving social, economic, artistic and jazz leaders.
Suspense is a 1913 film that portrays the story of a tramp intruding into a family’s home, where a mother takes care of her child while her husband is away. The plot is a common one that had been used previous times before the film’s release, such as in The Lonely Villa (1909). However, through taking advantage of the single frame shot, the filmmakers were able to create a masterful aesthetic of two separate stories that turn a basic plot into a complex story. The film created an inventive way of illustrating stories within cinema by allowing the audience the chance to consume more narrative in less time within just one take.
Jazz music prospered in the 1940’s and 1950’s. Jazz was created by African Americans to represent pain and suffering and also represented the adversity that racial tension brought. (Scholastic) African American performers like Dizzy Gillespie and Charlie “Bird” Parker came to be recognized for their ability to overcome “race relati...
Jazz culture to be exact, is the topic at hand. Jazz culture expands throughout many genres and is expressed in many ways. The many genres of jazz are Big Band, jazz funk, modern jazz, smooth jazz, Latin jazz, and jazz fusion. Each of these comes with its own unique sound and origin. Latin jazz, for example, employs rhythms from both African and Hispanic backgrounds. The sound is particularly up tempo with divided eight beat patterns. Jazz artists who have portrayed these qualities of jazz to the world are at the very core of its culture. Many people who are in places of power in this society or are held in some form of esteem have had some exposure to the arts, whether it is classical or jazz. This is due to a desire to be culturally diverse which is a quality held in high esteem in regards to a more worldly point-of-view. There are many aspects of Jazz music that could be approached, but there is one point in particular that must be expressed in detail. The influence on the genre ...
Jazz is referred as “America’s classical music,” and is one of North America’s and most celebrated genres. The history of Jazz can be traced back to the early era of the 20th century of the U.S. “A History of Jazz” presents From Ragtime and Blues to Big Band and Bebop, jazz has been a part of a proud African American tradition for over 100 years. A strong rhythmic under-structure, blue notes, solos, “call-and response” patterns, and
As it grew in influence and popularity, Jazz brought many young people together. It was such a social movement it brought mixed young people together to dance “The Charleston, The Cakewalk, The Black Bottom, The Flea Hop.” Since Jazz was such a influential and persuasive musical style. It had its time as a great social leveler and unifier. It brought together African Americans and Americans, in a love of fast, rhythmic music, which was multiplied through the radio and the recording industry. “What a crowd! All classes and colors met face to face, ultra aristocrats, bourgeois, communists, park avenue galore, publishers, broadway celebs, and harlemites giving each other the once over.” Jazz became attractively to popular Jazz Bands, it traveled widely playing all kinds of venues from restaurants, to dance halls, and even nightclubs. One of the many best renowned nightclubs would have to be the Cotton Club its where hollywood, paris and broadway rubbed elbows, people who came from all over the United States wanted to experience what was going on Harlem in the
The war contributed to making the working class society believe that they were doing they’re part in helping “Big Brother” stop corruption and keeping the society in an orderly state. Big Brother manipulated the society by making up a war using previous pictures and images of a war that happened years ago. The war was also used to erase existing history that the government did not want the society to know. Furthermore, the war was used to keep the government and economy as the basis of power and maintain the balance of “Big Brother’s civilization”. The war mentioned in the film and book led to a conformed and controlled society.
In order to see the parallel between the novel and jazz, one must first see how Ellison incorporates jazz music in the prologue of the novel. He not only sets the scene with jazz music in the background but also gives the narrator a deep understanding of music. The music that the narrator listens to is Louis Armstrong’s “Black and Blue,” which is appropriate because Armstrong is a prominent African-American jazz musician who protests the treatment of African-Americans through his music. The narrator embraces every line of the song and gives an apt description of its message:
Jazz was portrayed through different styles of writing throughout each story. The first author focused on telling a story based on a time period of revolution while the second, focused on writing an interview-formatted story. Both stories did display sense of Jazz as a catalyst to feeling different types of ways no matter the situation. The group mentioned in the first story was able to revolt and share their beliefs of Jazz through performances. The author showed how Jazz affected even the people who were against it. Jazz touches everyone in some way like many other types of music. The second story didn’t mention Jazz a lot, but gave way to the feeling that Jazz heals people. As soon as the protagonist heard Jazz music, he was cured from his disease. Not everyone will view Jazz in the same way, but Jazz affects everyone as seen in the passages before.
Now a days, many believe that jazz is not that important of music genre, but with our history, jazz plays a big role. “Jazz does not belong to one race or culture, but it is a gift that America has given to the world.”, quoted by Ahmad Alaadeen. Jazz in the 1920’s opened the eyes of whites and invited them into African American culture; it evolved Americans to where we are today since it brought a change to the music scene, an acceptance of African Americans, and a change of lifestyles.
1. My first impression of the story was the setting reminds me of a fall day in Michigan. It was dark and cool so it reminds me of my childhood in the mornings getting ready for school. At first I thought it was something like a family trip for the guys before the characters where describe. The thought of a young boy on a trip into manhood with his father and Uncle. As the story goes along my impression changes over time to its a story about life circle and the development of a young man 's understanding about life at the hands of his father.