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Generation gap between parents and children introduction: thesis statement: the
Effects of rock and roll on society
Generational gap essay
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My grandma was born in 1945 and I was born 49 years later in 1994. We may have grown up only a few hundred miles from each other, but we experienced very different structural and cultural surroundings. To help one fully get the understanding of these differences between my grandmother’s and my own upbringing you can compare a simple Midwest country lifestyle to a Detroit fast-paced city structured life. Yet, remembering my grandmother and me only lived a small distance from one another, but in reality our structure and culture of the U.S. is far from familiar to each other. Looking back at the 1950’s from my grandmother’s point of view to the 21st century today is far different because the world keeps revolving around the sun and people progress, …show more content…
For example, each one of us experienced a generation gap with our parents where we were either viewed as delinquent juveniles or a generation heading in the wrong direction. In the 1950s the problem that arose between teens and their parents was the new freedom and growing economy after the war. With this freedom and growth came liberty of thought and more money to spend. It was more common for parents to give their kids money than in the past for food and clothes. A new kind of music was introduced as well and teens were buying and popularizing a genre not listened to or understood by their parents. Rock and Roll was and an ununderstood new wave in American culture and was believed to be poisoning their children and future generation. Just like rock and roll today teens and young adults still have a generation gap it just comes in other forms. Technology is today’s misunderstood rock and roll of the 50s. Technology by many is seen as a form of rebellion and that the generation that has grown up with computers, cellphones, etc. are not adequate for the real world. Because of this rock and roll and technology have a lot in common when it comes to social critique as well as my grandmother and I share this generation gap
On the night of Saturday, February 1, 2014, I sat down with my grandfather, David Latta, to conduct an interview with him. He currently lives in Clarkston, Michigan, in the newly refurbished basement in my mother's house, along with my step-father, sister, and her son. One could say that my mother's household is quite the crowded nest, with four generation living under one roof. The perspective my grandfather obtains from living in such an atmosphere, is not only something I kept in mind while conducting this interview, but something that guided my questions.
After World War II, Americans experienced a time of rapid social change. American soldiers were discharged and returned home from the battlefields, hoping to find work and to get on with their lives. Marriage rate increased dramatically after the war. North American population experienced what is known as the “Baby boom” – an 18-year period of rapid population growth from 1946 to 1964. During this period, many children were born than in the same period before or after. During the post war years, the United States embarked on one of its greatest periods of economic expansion. Many Americans had enjoyed economic prosperity. However, the United States has changed since 1950. American society today is different from our grandparents’ generation. The rising divorce rates, population growth in the suburbs, the lives of women and mothers working outside the home marked the tremendous social changes in American society today.
Families have changed greatly over the past 60 years, and they continue to become more diverse.
At the end of World War II, American culture experienced an overhaul that ushered in a period of complacency beneath which paranoia seethed. A generation that had lived through the privations of the Depression and the horrors of world war was now presented with large suburban homes, convenient and impressive appliances, and pre-packaged entertainment. Such wonders so soon after extended hard times were greeted enthusiastically and even treated with a sense of awe. They may have encouraged few distinctions among the middle class -- the houses in a suburb were generally as identical as hamburgers at McDonald's -- but they represented a wealth to which few had before enjoyed access. Life became automated, with dishwashers cleaning up after dinner and air conditioning easing mid-summer heat. The new conveniences left more time for families to absorb the new mass culture presented through television, records, and Spillane novels. Excitement over the new conveniences and entertainment led America to increasingly become an acquiring society. To my parents' generation, childhood in the 50s was a time when people were generally pleased with themselves and with the...
A lot of the pain and anger felt by the younger generation made them resist the social establishment. As a result, the war had created a gulf between generations but further reduced the gap between blacks and whites. The youth of the 1950s felt unconnected to their society and began looking at the world more globally, and also began looking for new role models who reflected their ideas and beliefs. They knew that ideas of the old generation would no longer work in a modern society. Thus several young leaders stood out and took center stage setting the pace for the direction of society and its music from that point on.
While many people around the world look to America and see a better life waiting for them and the American Dream waiting to be lived, often times this dream never comes to fruition, even if they do reach America. Such is the case in the short story Grandma’s Tales, by Andrew Lam in which a recently deceased Vietnamese grandmother becomes reborn as a much younger and improved version of herself ready to live life to the fullest. This rebirth symbolizes the life that she wishes she lived, however due to constant conflict and famine in Vietnam, and her deteriorating health in America, was never able to do so. Instead of mourning this fact, in her final days the grandmother chooses to live her life through her granddaughters,
Post World War II there was a new generation known as the “baby boom” generation. The arrival of this new generation called for new entertainment (Rock and Roll). Music of the 1960s was the new entertainment for the baby boom generation and impacted America by: starting new trends in genres of music, opening diversity of artists, counterculture movements, and music festivals.
The only technology my grandma had was a three station tv. For fun most teens would hang out with friends, go to the swimming pool almost everyday, macro may, and ride bikes. The swimming pool my grandma would go to was a rock cory or a gravel pit. The type of music that was listened to was rock and roll or hard rock. Chores that my grandma had to do was to clean, mow, babysit, and work at a family owned restaurant as a waitress. My grandma’s parent used to own Prairie Dinner, and my grandma had to work there without any pay when she was my age. The daily routine for my grandma was to get up, get ready, eat, walk to school, have school, walk home, eat dinner, and then go to bed. On the other hand, most kids my age listen to hip hop or rap music. We have much more technology now than the 1970’s, so most kids spend a lot of their time on their phones or electronics. However, most kids have chores still and for fun I like to hang out with friends and go swimming. My daily routine is the same as my grandma’s was when she was my age. All in all, there are many differences, but also many similarities of the daily life of a
This reflection paper is based on the life history interview conducted on me and a 78-year-old woman who is soon going to celebrate her 79th birthday on Sep 21st. I would call her with a fictitious name “Smita” in the entire paper to maintain and protect her privacy. The interview was about our life. It was divided into six major life categories: childhood, adulthood, identity, the present, aging, and life lessons. Having an opportunity to interview a 78-year-old woman and writing this reflective paper about the life history and experiences had made me realize that I have a lot to learn about the stages of human life. Every individual lives are different and it varies tremendously. As an interviewee my goal was to collect the details of life, different stories, and experiences that makes our life unique from the rest of the people.
The generation that a person has grown up in can offer perception into the impact society has on that person’s well being, thoughts, and reality. This is contributed into what C. Wright Mills called “Sociological Imagination”. Sociological Imagination is the ability to see the world from the perspective of society, moving away from the individual's personal problems, and focusing on social circumstances that produce social problems. In other words, it is when people are able to see the connection between individual experiences and the larger society. For example, when one person is unemployed it’s considered a “private trouble”, but if many people are unemployed then it’s considered a “ public issue”. Depending when and where someone grew up, their sociological imagination can differ from anyone that grew up somewhere else or in a different generation. For this project, I had to interview somebody who is sixty-five or older who has lived in the United States for most of their life and see how their life was and how the generation they grew up in shaped their sociological perspective. The person that I interviewed was a sixty-six year old
The Baby Boomer generation consists of those born between 1946 and 1964. Like the Veterans before them, Baby Boomers also shared significant, “life-defining social changes such as the civil rights movement,
My mother use to tell me “When I was young the things your generation is doing now couldn’t fly back then." everything was different back in the day the clothing, the level of respect, and technology. People worked, and moved out their mom’s house as soon as they turned eighteen. On the Other hand, the 2000 generation still stays with their parents at the age of 25 and does not have jobs. Some people tend to not have jobs because of drugs. However, both of the generations have done drugs, and some are still doing them till this day.
My generation has been handed a lot of issues to hopefully be solved by my generation. The government has a national debt and unsustainable welfare programs. Programs that are well-meaning but cannot be financed by my generation. Changes will have to come through inventive minds of my generation. Also currently there are very few job opportunities for my generation. Many college graduates cannot get jobs. College cost are at an all time high, many of my generation wonder if it is worth the cost or is it even a possibility. The American dream of a college education, a good job, nice home, and car are seeming more and more unattainable to my generation.
generation different from your parents’ generation? Use specific reasons and examples to explain your answer.
The interests,food, habits,slang, entertainment and also the way of thinking of the younger generation differs from the older generation. These changes are indicative of progress, unfortunately, the older generation find it hard to accept these changes that make the gap wider. They differ in the way of dressing for example, the younger generation wear jeans and stay up to date in their style unlike the older generation. As the older generation has their own style according to their age. So the older generation might find these outfits inappropriate.