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More handpicked essays just for you.
Segregation in the 1950-1970s
Segregation in the 1960s
Racial segregation during the 60's
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Recommended: Segregation in the 1950-1970s
Welcome to the 60’s, a time of sky-high hairdos, colorful clothing and jivin’ music. But beyond all the glitz and glamour of the era, segregation and discrimination is ever present in the city of Baltimore, until one big girl with even bigger ideas challenges the norm. In an infectious production of “Hairspray,” Thomas S. Wootton High School had the audience tapping their toes and moving to the beat all evening.
Based on the 1988 non-musical film of the same name, Hairspray was written by Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman and was originally created as a social commentary on racism and integration. The Broadway production of Hairspray opened in 2002, winning eight Tony Awards, including one for Best Musical, and has garnered many subsequent revivals, including a 2007 film adaptation featuring a star-studded cast. The timeless musical chronicles unlikely protagonist Tracy Turnblad and her dreams of dancing on a hit television show, despite the fact that she doesn’t fit the mold, and her mission to defy stereotypes and prejudice.
Corrieanne Stein tackled the demanding role of Tracy wit...
The 1960’s changed the world in an explosion of sex, drugs, and rock and roll, for the first time women and men where declaring freedom and free love. The sexual revolution of the 1960’s saw changes in the way the world saw its self, and the way we saw each other. It changed what we wanted to buy, how we bought it and how we sold it to each other. Artistic free thinkers began to push boundaries everywhere they could. This is reflected in the music of the times, the notable events and the fashion.
Hairspray, a John Waters’ musical, demonstrates progressive messages about the expansion of race-based civil rights in the 1960s . Although this is typically the lens through which Hairspray is viewed, this is not the only significant societal shift portrayed in the film. The stories of Edna Turnblad and Velma Von Tussle illustrate the progressive shift of women from “old” gender roles such as being excluded from the workplace to “new” gender roles where women begin taking managerial positions.
From the outside, the 1950’s was a great time for America. Society revolved around the idea of America being a middle-class nation. Americans worshipped conformity, and materialism satisfied the need to conform. However, the prosperity of materialistic America hid the growing, numerous problems. Dissent in any way was not tolerated; all injustice was stifled by a fear of difference. In “Fifties Society,” Alan Brinkley discusses the truth of the era; that the fear of nonconformity was hidden by the seemingly prosperous middle-class nation. Brinkley argues the Beat movement and “feminine mystique” show that the people who did not fit in reveal the true colors of 1950’s society.
The Sixties, by Terry H. Anderson, takes the reader on a journey through one of the most turbulent decades in American life. Beginning with the crew-cut conformity of 1950s Cold War culture and ending with the transition into the uneasy '70s, Anderson notes the rise of an idealistic generation of baby boomers, widespread social activism, and revolutionary counterculture. Anderson explores the rapidly shifting mood of the country with the optimism during the Kennedy years, the liberal advances of Johnson's "Great Society," and the growing conflict over Vietnam that nearly tore America apart. The book also navigates through different themes regarding the decade's different currents of social change; including the anti-war movement, the civil rights struggle, and the liberation movements. From the lunch counter sit-in of Greensboro, N.C. in 1960 and the rise of Martin Luther King, Jr. to the Black Power movement at the decade's end, Anderson illustrates the brutality involved in the reaction against civil rights, the radicalization of some of the movement's youth, and the eventual triumphs that would change America forever. He also discusses women's liberation and the feminist movement, as well as the students' rights, gay rights, and environmental movements.
What could make a comedy film better? Combine it with a musical that will have you singing along with it. I have decided to look at the 2007 movie “Hairspray”. This is a light hearted film that is loved by all ages. While most see this movie as a comedy/musical the film can also add campy to its genre list. This movie address several different social issues while making the audience laugh and sing along with it. The main social issue at hand in this movie is that one of racism. This movie also touches on gender roles with John Travolta playing a woman, as well as being judged by personal appearances. The main character, Tracy Turnblad is at the center of all these issues.
Since the beginning of time, humans have been changing, developing, and evolving. The 1950s was a fascinating era in American history, and whether its people altered for good or bad is debatable, but one thing is for certain - many drastic changes were made during this time, especially involving teenagers. Juvenile delinquency erupted from the depths of the community, and countless gangs arose. Different genres of music were also emerging. Old perspectives were being replaced with controversial ideas; a lot was about to change.
While the materialism of the 20’s faded into the economic depression that followed, and the glow of the 1950’s was dimmed by the onset of communist fever, both decades proved to be successful and iconic in the way that they brought about massive prosperity, and because youth found new ways of expressing themselves and inviting progress. Unfortunately, not all outcomes were good, and both eras triggered an onslaught of racial tension that would continue well into the future.
Chalmers, David. And the Crooked Places Made Straight: The Struggle for Social Change in the 1960s. Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins University Press, 1991.
Throughout the history of the United States, there were various decades in the 1900’s which each had unique characteristics. One such decade, amongst the others, seemed to step out of its comfort zone and pushed outside the boundaries, pushing for a new identity and culture. This decade is referred to as the 1960’s. The 1960’s was characterized by an intense movement of social change that pushed for freedom of expression and human rights without restrictions to race, color or sexuality identity. The 1960’s was a decade characterized by great social disturbance and drastic change.
The 1970s was a tumultuous time in the United States. In some ways, the decade was a continuation of the 1960s. Women, African Americans, Native Americans, gays and lesbians and other marginalized people continued to fight for their freedom, while many other Americans joined in the demonstration against the ongoing war in Vietnam. Due to these movements, the 1970s saw changes in its national identity, including modifications in social values. These social changes showed up in the fashion industry as well, delivering new outlooks in the arenas of both men’s and women’s clothing.
The Fifties were a good time to be a white middle class American These years brought an UN-thought of prosperity and confidence to Americans who barely remembered the Great Depression. Popular music of the early fifties mirrored the life of mainstream America: bland predictable and reassuring. Which didn't seem bad after the depre...
“The Shampoo” by Elizabeth Bishop was written near the beginning of Bishop’s residence in Brazil and is a direct homage to her lover Lota. Even though Lota is not directly addressed in the poem, an earlier draft of the poem reveals a connection to her longtime lover. Bishop uses the mundane act of washing a loved one’s hair as the basis for a brilliant meditation on the nature and progression of time. In “The Shampoo” Elizabeth Bishop uses imagery of nature, metaphor of time, and deliberate diction to compare the gradual movements in nature over time with the process of aging. Bishop draws a contrast between the process of aging and the timeless relationship she has with
In the end, the voters at home, most likely predominantly white, vote overwhelmingly for a black girl to win the competition and to end up integrating the show. This is the most utopian idea in whole film, because in the 1960s there is no way that is how the idea of integration would be taken. This is a provable fact, the story Hairspray is based on ended with the show being shut down, because of integration, not celebrated. However, in the movie everything turns out exactly how the characters and audience want, because people joined together and acted like a real utopian
Have you ever looked in the mirror and seen many white flakes in your hair? That is a sign you have trouble with dandruff. There have been many shampoos that have been created like Dove, Suave, and Pantene. Every shampoo brand has a different way of using ads to persuade buyers, but one shampoo who is made for men, guarantees greatness, and not dandruff is Head & shoulders. This advertisement is found in the Sports illustrated magazine. Head & shoulders advertisement effectively persuades its target audience to purchase their shampoo through the use of ethos, logos, and pathos.
The sixties was a decade of liberation and revolution, a time of great change and exciting exploration for the generations to come. It was a time of anti-war protests, free love, sit-ins, naked hippie chicks and mind-altering drugs. In big cities such as San Francisco, Los Angeles, New York and Paris, there was a passionate exchange of ideas, fiery protests against the Vietnam War, and a time for love, peace and equality. The coming together of like-minded people from around the world was spontaneous and unstoppable. This group of people, which included writers, musicians, thinkers and tokers, came to be known as the popular counterculture, better known as hippies. The dawning of the Age of Aquarius in the late sixties was more than just a musical orgy. It was a time of spiritual missions to fight for change and everything they believed in. Freedom, love, justice, equality and peace were at the very forefront of this movement (West, 2008). Some wore beads. Some had long hair. Some wore tie-dye and others wore turtle-neck sweaters. The Hippie generation was a wild bunch, to say the least, that opened the cookie jar of possibilities politically, sexually, spiritually and socially to forever be known as one of the most memorable social movements of all time (Hippie Generation, 2003).