The Roaring Twenties

1. The Roaring Twenties Notion du programme du cycle Terminal : * Mythe et Héros (*Mythes et héros/ Espaces et échanges / Lieux et formes du pouvoir/ L'idée de progrès) Extrait du programme du cycle terminal, B.O. spécial n°9 du 30/09/2010, notion : « Mythes et héros Le mythe évoque la condition humaine dans son ensemble, son histoire transmise d'abord oralement et souvent incarnée par un héros, un lieu ou une communauté. Interroger les mythes, c'est s'intéresser aux héros et aux récits qui fondent une identité collective. Le caractère universel du mythe permet de mettre en évidence la façon particulière dont chaque aire culturelle interprète l'expérience humaine et construit des œuvres pour l'exprimer. Chaque époque emprunte et réactualise certains mythes ou en crée de nouveaux. Le héros peut être un personnage fictif ou réel qui a marqué la tradition, l'histoire, la vie quotidienne. La culture populaire et la contre-culture ne cessent de produire leurs propres héros (folklore, bandes dessinées, etc.).»  Problématique : (Dans quelle mesure…) To what extent celebrities were heroes in the 20’s ?

2. What are the Roaring Twenties ? The 1920s were an age of dramatic social and political change. For the first time, more Americans lived in cities than on farms. The nation’s total wealth more than doubled between 1920 and 1929, and this economic growth swept many Americans into an affluent but unfamiliar “consumer society.” People from coast to coast bought the same goods (thanks to nationwide advertising and the spread of chain stores), listened to the same music, did the same dances and even used the same slang! Many Americans were uncomfortable with this new, urban, sometimes racy “mass culture”; in fact, for many–even most–people in the United States, the 1920s brought more conflict than celebration. However, for a small handful of young people in the nation’s big cities, the 1920s were roaring indeed. http://www.history.com/topics/roaring-twenties/videos/1920s-inventions

3. The Roaring 20’s • What did the 1920’s roar with ? A lot of inventions, Gin and Jazz • What was the decade’s loudest vow ? Liquid Fuel Rocket • What happened in 1923 ? Traffic signal was invented • In 1920 ? National radio networks were created • How many national radio networks were there at the end of the decade ? 5 • What happened in 1928 ? Where ? TV broadcast in Washington DC • What did Earl Dickinson invent ? When ? Band-aid in 1921 • What was the insulin for ? Diabetics • What launched the age of antibiotics ? When ? The invention of penicillin In 1928 • When did home refrigeration become widely available ? 1927 • How did they keep things cool before ? Ice from the truck • Name other inventions of the 20’s

4. Roaring 20s Revisited at New York Women's Museum • What happened for the women during the 1920’s ? • Define what is a flapper • Define the myth of the flapper • What was the major change for the women’s rights ? • Describe what they could do then • What was the cosmetic revolution ? • Give the name of influential business women of this era • Describe what were the women’s reactions towards their mothers and grand mothers ? • Explain what happened with the women’s underwear • What is the main point of Roaring into the 20’s ?

5. THE “NEW WOMAN” A flapper onboard ship (1929) http://www.voanews.com/content/a-13-a-2003-03-28-46-roaring-66845502/375511.html

6. Alphonse Capone ( 1899-1947) • Italian – American gangster. Also known as « Scarface », he was the most flamboyant and widely publicized criminal of the Prohibition era. In 1925 he took over Chicago’s south side gang from Johnny Torrio, and dominated the city’s underworlds, dealing in bootleg liquor, extortion, prostitution, and other rackets, and controlling the corrupt administration of Major Bill Thompson. His war on other syndicates, culminating in the St Valentine’s Day Massacre of 1929 against Bugs Moran’s gang, went unchecked until his indictment for federal income tax evasion in 1931 led to a prison sentence. Physically and mentally broken by syphilis, he was released in 1939. • http://www.history.com/topics/al-capone

7. The Great Gatsby 2013 directed by Baz Luhrmann • Describe the general atmosphere of this extract • How does he depict the American society ? • What is your opinion on Nick’s character ? • On Daisy ? • On Gatsby ? In the light of this definition of a hero: ‘ A hero can be a mythical figure, a person who is admired for his or her achievements, a super hero or maybe a role model or an icon.’ Does he represent a hero of the 20’s for you ? Would you be attracted by Jay Gatsby’s way of life ? Why ( not ) ?

8. The Jazz Age hits main street • How did they call Clara Bow ? • What happened in the 20’s ? • Describe the flappers appearance • What did the movies spread ? • How many cinemas were there across America in 1928 ? • What was the Amendment concerning ? • What did gangsters use it for ? • What were the saloons replaced by ? • Who made his name as a trumpeter in Chicago ? • How were treated Black migrants in the North ? • What was their position in the South ? • What was the Ku Klux Klan committing ? • How many members did they count in the 20’s ? • Who did they also target ? • What were they acting for ? • Where were they the most powerful ?

9. Jazz age • http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/7896380.stm

10. 18th and 19th Amendments • http://www.socialstudieshelp.com/USRA_18th_19th_Amendments.htm

11. Prohibition • http://www.pbs.org/kenburns/prohibition/watch-video/#id=2082675582 • What used to characterize the American’s habits ? They drank all the time • Give examples of historic episodes The ship from the South coming to Massachusetts was full of barrels of alcohol beverages Washington was making sure his troops would have their cup of Rum everyday • What were the virtues of whiskey ? It makes you feel as if you were a President Physicians were recommending for health care Alcohol was a sign of masculinity, if you drink you become a real man • What is alcohol a part of ? Alcohol is a part of their lifestyle. It’s a part of being social, you drink at every occasion: breakfast, weddings, hangings, acquaintances • What happened in the 1800’s ? Rum and whiskey production increased because it got easier to cultivate cereals. People got drunker and drunker. • How much did they drink on average ? 88 bottles = 3 times more than nowadays • Who were the victims of this situation ? Women and Children • What did they suffer of ? Rapes, domestic violence • How did they manifest against these habits ?

12. http://www.nytimes.com/2002/04/07/opinion/editorial-observer-jay-gatsby-dreamer-criminal-jazz-age-rogue-man-for-our-times.htmlhttp://www.nytimes.com/2002/04/07/opinion/editorial-observer-jay-gatsby-dreamer-criminal-jazz-age-rogue-man-for-our-times.html • http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/19/arts/design/american-spirits-at-the-national-constitution-center.html?ref=topics

13. The great GatsbyFinal Task That’s my Middle West . . . the street lamps and sleigh bells in the frosty dark. . . . I see now that this has been a story of the West, after all—Tom and Gatsby, Daisy and Jordan and I, were all Westerners, and perhaps we possessed some deficiency in common which made us subtly unadaptable to Eastern life. Continue the novel writing up some of their experiences. Type it on a Word document, to hand back on Dec 16th It has to be a personal work, creative and with at least 500 words. TOOL BOX Throughout the novel, places are associated with themes, characters, and ideas. The East is associated with a fascinating lifestyle, decadent parties, new moral values, and the pursuit of wealth, while the West and the Midwest are associated with more traditional moral values. In this moment, Nick realizes for the first time that though his story is set on the East Coast, the western characters are the source of his life’s tensions. He considers each character’s behaviour and value choices as a reaction to the wealth-obsessed culture of New York. Finally, this perspective contributes powerfully to Nick’s decision to leave the East Coast and return to Minnesota, as the infeasibility of Nick’s Midwestern values in New York society mirrors the impracticality of Gatsby’s dreams of happiness.