More handpicked essays just for you.
Effect of media and films on society
Effect of media and films on society
Cinematography's impact on society
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Howard Zinn “Stories Hollywood Never Tells” After reading this passage from Howard Zinn, I can agree with his beliefs to a certain extent. When he starts off saying that we shouldn’t give up but keep playing to create possibilities of changing the world, I could relate as I am a person who doesn’t like to give up on any task but to keep trying until I know I there’s nothing more I can do. Howard’s statement about this was, “I am totally confident not that the world will get better, but that we should not give up the game before all the cards have been played. The metaphor is deliberate: life is a gamble. Not to play is to foreclose any chance of winning. To play, to act, is to create at least a possibility of changing the world.” (Zinn pg. 784). Another note to add is how much I enjoy Howard saying “life is a gamble”, because it is. We all make decisions every day that determine certain outcomes that we would like to benefit from, whether good or bad. If we don’t feel beneficial from these decisions, we sure do learn from them and that puts us in a better situation than to just give up. After, Howard goes on to talk about how Hollywood doesn’t show society certain stories or perspectives on events that occurred in our U.S. history. One example of an historic …show more content…
event Howard used is the Revolutionary War.
Howard goes on to share that the story needs to be told from the standpoint of people from the war that’s not told in schoolbooks, “But to tell the story of the American Revolution, not from the standpoint of the schoolbooks, but from the standpoint of war as a complex
phenomenon intertwined with moral issues, we must acknowledge not just that Americans were oppressed by the English, but that some Americans were oppressed by other Americans.” (Zinn pg. 785). Howard is right on the fact that things like this aren’t in our textbooks and that we are taught differently and from a different perspective on the Revolutionary War. Another example Howard uses is the fact that Former President, Theodore Roosevelt was portrayed differently as opposed to some of his actions, which I was never aware of. Howard explains, that after the U.S. Army murdered a Moro village of six hundred, unarmed men, women and children, President Theodore Roosevelt sent out a letter thanking the military commander who had ordered this massacre, “President Theodore Roosevelt sent out a letter of congratulations to the military commander who had ordered this atrocity, saying it was a great military victory. Have you ever seen a movie in which Theodore Roosevelt was presented as a racist? As an imperialist? As a supporter of massacres? And there he is, up on Mount Rushmore.” (Zinn pg. 787). Even if Howard shares some strong opinions I have to still agree to a certain extent, we aren’t taught about this in our society, but then again I wasn’t there and it’s still someone else’s perspectives so I can’t make allegations about one of our former presidents. Howard also gives more examples, more on War and the Civil Rights movement. With the one on War, he believes war should be presented on film to encourage the public to say no to war. People should have the right to be anti-war, but we have to remember our society has become accustomed to films that entertain us, not promote anti-violence but the classic good guys versus bad guys. With Howard’s opinion on the Civil Rights movement being shown, he states that it should be shown from a black person’s point of view. This can be agreeable, someone who actually went through the Civil Rights movement should be allowed to share their story instead of it being from someone who just witnessed. To conclude, Howard Zinn shares some valuable ideas that others can agree upon.
1776 is a must read for a student of the Revolutionary War. It offers insights into the personalities of George Washington, his subordinates, and how one man can truly change the history of the world. Without George Washington, the Continental Army would not, in all likelihood, have survived 1776 and the United States would have had a dramatically different history. I recommend this book for every serious history student.
David McCullough author of 1776 puts faces and feelings to the events of the Revolutionary war making this an exciting novel even when the ending is known. Acting as a companion to an earlier work of McCullough’s, John Adams, 1776 is a strictly military view of the era versus political. Although the reader may have to get accustomed to the vast amount of characters introduced McCullough makes sure that those you are supposed to remember you will. Every character introduced is described incredibly well and throughout the novel you begin to feel as if you know the character and are going through the battle with them, specifically General George Washington with whom the reader emphasizes constantly with throughout the war. With the great description of the characters and events we feel as if we are there and in doing this the author creates understanding, the reader by knowing all sides and characters’ personalities the feels they know why the Revolution happened the way it did.
When one explains his or her ingenious yet, enterprising interpretation, one views the nature of history from a single standpoint: motivation. In The American Revolution: A History, Gordon Wood, the author, explains the complexities and motivations of the people who partook in the American Revolution, and he shows the significance of numerous themes, that emerge during the American Revolution, such as democracy, discontent, tyranny, and independence. Wood’s interpretation, throughout his literary work, shows that the true nature of the American Revolution leads to the development of United State’s current government: a federal republic. Wood, the author, views the treatment of the American Revolution in the early twentieth century as scholastic yet, innovative and views the American Revolution’s true nature as
...display how the average citizen would see war for the first time. Colonel Kelly sees her as “vacant and almost idiotic. She had taken refuge in deaf, blind, unfeeling shock” (Vonnegut 100). To a citizen who even understands the war process, war is still heinous and dubiously justified when viewed first hand. The man who seems to have coldly just given away her son’s life without the same instinct as her has participated in this heinous wartime atrocity for so long, but it only affect her now because she cannot conceive of the reality of it until it is personally in front of her. That indicates a less complete political education of war even among those who war may have affected their entire lives. The closeness and the casualties of this “game” will affect her the most because she has to watch every move that previously could have been kept impartial and unviewed.
Most people are likely to relate Hollywood with money. If a person lives in the Hollywood area, people assume she or he is probably rich. If she or he is a Hollywood movie star, the person probably makes a lot of money. Therefore, to follow that line of thought, when Hollywood producers make a movie, they make it just for money. And some filmmakers do seem to make films only for the money the movies will earn. The action movie "Die Hard", the fantasy movie "Star Wars", and the adventure movie "Jurassic Park" are examples of exciting movies that were made just for the money by satisfying the audiences' appetite for escapism.
The Revolutionary War has been seen as a fundamental period into American history. The revolution was not just about politics and rights but also about a social revolution. Some historians like Gordon S.Wood see the revolution in social terms:
The most vital proclamations in the story explain the unchallengeable understanding of the Vietnam experience by those who were there. Without having been in Vietnam, and specifically, without having been battling in the war in Vietnam there is no way to comprehend the situation. By extension, people who were not there should not even be talking about it (Kaplan 43).
Throughout the book, Gary B. Nash narrates the war in chronological order to recount the war as it happened and emphasize the events that allowed for people of different class, gender, and/or race to stand up and call for American Independence or to turn on their country and join the British forces. In short, Nash emphasizes that the revolution was a “people’s revolution” [Page XV] and as such divided each chapter with
O’Brien, Tim. How to Tell a True War Story. Literature and Ourselves. Sixth Edition. Eds.
Although Band of Brothers is similar to many other non-fiction war novels, what makes this novel standout is the authors ability to prove to the reader that the Revolutionary war wasn’t just about lining up and killing as many people as possible, but rather the strategic approach that was needed for the Americans to even stand a chance against the powerhouse British army. What the braves soldiers went through in a time where they didn’t even have shoes to cover their feet was astonishing. Kelley’s main focus is to prove to the audience that the Revolutionary War was a demoralizing event in history. Kelly does a wonderful job capturing this by displaying in graphic detail, which in some instances, was hard to fathom. Kelly provides the reader with detailed mapping throughout the book providing the reader a better opportunity to visualize the battles as the occurred. In addition, Kelly’s tops it off by displaying detailed background about each “Giant” before their time in the spot light giving the reader the opportunity to build a relationship with each
Henry starts his case by asking questions regarding the military presence in the colonies. Henry asks, “Can you assign any other possible motive for it?” referring to why British are militarizing in the colonies. Henry fears a war is imminent and uses emotional language to emphasize the importance of the British soldiers. Henry reasons his case by asking rhetorical questions concerning the British occupation. After asking all these questions Henry and his audience soon come to realize the only viable answer to many of the questions is war. Henry knows the colonists must act now for if not now than when.
In this historical and culturally divided book, Jill Lepore examines and tries to define the King Philips War and how people wrote about it. At the beginning of the colonies it was a start of a “New England" and after the King Philip’s War with all of the religious conflicts and war stories, a new American identity was born. Throughout this book she tells gruesome tales about murders, massacres, and battles. Even thought his book jumps a lot in chronically order she successfully tells the tales for both sides pretty accurately. I enjoyed reading some parts of this book. Especially the beginning and the middle because I thought the End dropped off and slowed down.
...ry a soldier tells is the truth. It also contradicts what is portrayed in movies. O'Brien makes the reader question the truth behind war in a way that Owen is not able to. In fact his entire book is dedicated to unraveling a true war stories.
Wars affect a country one way another, either for best or for the worst. The outcome of the war can change a country and the citizens of the country. The American Revolutionary was a war where the affect was tremendous. The American Revolution began in 1775 till 1783. The American Revolution is also known as the United States War of Independence. As soon as people left England to come to United States there was smell of revolution in the air. The revolutionary war was a way for the United States to make a statement and move forward as a country that wasn’t underneath the British rule. John Adams, the second prime minister of the United States explains how the American Revolution began when he says, “The Revolution was affected before the war commenced. The Revolution was in the minds and hearts of the people” . Adam basically means that everyone was thinking about the revolution and in their minds they were already there, wanting to break free from the British rule. Once everyone was against England the people were ready for war. The American Revolution started for many reasons, some of the few are; social, economic, and political changes. These changes provided America to be an independent country with its own government. The increase in strict laws and violent events made many Americans angry and that’s why the revolution began. The French and Indian war, taxes without representation, as well as the first continental congress. These are just some of the reasons that Americans wanted the revolution; there are many more causes that can be justified for this major event. Americans did not want to be ruled by the British who were thousands of miles away from them, they wanted to have control of their country and have their own laws....
The people knew that freedom was important, but now was the time we took stand; now was the time we stopped wishing and started demanding. The action towards freedom could have been “The Boston Tea Party” for some, for others “The Declaration of Independence”, but for everyone it meant the first stride towards freedom. The thoughts of freedom had stopped and now the illusion that had once been was real. Freedom was no longer hope or beliefs, it was actions. Everywhere we are actions are being made, some little, some big, but all changing something. In the Revolutionary War this was the idea of