1st Semester Essay

1st Semester Essay 

           The United States of America has undergone a mass of transformations since Columbus first set foot on American soil. So far in this year of US history class we’ve learned an ample amount of things from segregation, to reconstruction, to cowboys, to the industrial boom, and so much more. Through all these changes have come new economies, new forms of politics, and countless new societies.

In a way this is what I was most pleased to learn about the United States. I enjoyed studying all the hardships that the United States has surpassed, building up to the country that we live in today. Seeing the great business typhoons emerge and submerge as their legends live on for new generations to admire and learn from, as well as the rise and fall of fads such as the romanticized west. Retaining the knowledge of the allure of the United States and why it was so appealing to others; from the better job opportunities, to the political and religious freedom, to the overall opportunities that we had to offer.  Seeing the quantity of conversions that our country has gone trough as well as the success and failure that occurred to reach our present day position has allowed me to have a steady foothold in our past.

With all the good however came some bad, from our semester only one thing really displeased me about our countries history. The downgrading way that we treated the people that simply didn’t look like us for that reason alone. Stating off with the majorly obvious example of this, slavery. Native Americans were treated terribly because of the color tone in their skin, they were not allowed the chance to succeed in life simply because of this one thing that set them about from the “average” white American citizen. Elaborating on more people that were looked down upon in earlier society were immigrants in the early to late 19^th century. Simply because their native born country was not the United States, equal rights were not received. Lower wages, social isolation, and horrific living conditions were the effects of this patronization. Learning about the unfairness that was cast onto harmless lives was very unpleasing for me to hear about my beloved country.

From this semesters studies in ten years I will be able to talk about in great detail slavery and the impact that it had on me. If you were to stop anyone on the street and ask him or her if they knew what slavery was their answer would be yes. Everyone knows what slavery is, but a lot of people don’t really know the true horrors that come with slavery. Through the historical film study of 12 Years a Slave I was able to see the true feelings that were experienced and pain that was endured for numerous years. To me slavery is one of the most important things that an American citizen should know in great detail about because of the intenseness that it embodies.

If I were to name the time of history of the United States from 1865 to 1920 the name would be the Age of Transformation and Reformation, because of the changes that the United States went through in this time. Varying from social, to political, to economical change all add up to the country in which we call home today.

Thinking About Success

Thinking about Success

Luck 

Opportunity 

Skill 

Hard work 

Ingredients of Success: 

1. Hard work 

2.Opportunity 

3. Skill 

4. Luck 

I personally think that hard work is the number one factor to success because their is no way that you can achieve something without working for it. The harder you work the more successful you will be. I chose opportunity as the second most important factor in being successful because with great opportunities comes great things. Without opportunities nothing can be done. Opportunities can make or break a career. I ranked skill as third because skill is important but it is not everything. Hard work can make up for skill. If you aren't great at something but you work at it then it will eventually become easier for you and become almost natural instinct. Luck is the last in the ranking because it is something that can not be relied on. If you base your entire life on luck, your life is a gamble. Hard work and dedication to something is much more promising than hoping that luck will be their to catch you if you fall. 

Consumer Summary

While ready both articles on the growing consumer retailing I have learned that their are multiple ways to sell relatively the same thing. In the Business Week article about the chain store Zara I learned that they use the idea of fast fashion. Zara uses fast fashion and predicting what their customers want to make their brand successful. In the Forbes article I learned about how H&M heavily relies on guessing what the up and coming trends will be to allow their brand to succeed. H&M doesn't stock their stores as much as Zara and many would argue that this is why H&M is not the number one store and Zara is. Zara has new clothing items to display every week which keeps their customers interested and makes them continue to come back for more. They are one of few stores that use this method of retail because of the intensity that it requires to run smoothy. However it is shown to be an affective method for those who are willing to put the time into it.
Reading these two articles has shown me that their is much more of a science behind retail than I had ever known. The amount of different ways to buy and consume is quite amazing to think about. Shopping seems like such a simple thing when in reality it is very unique and tedious task that takes a lot of hard work to succeed.

Immigration Letter

Dear Mom,
Its been seven months since Sarah and I came here to America. The least I can say is that its been
interesting. Its not how I thought it would be, yet it is better then we had. I thought that coming to
America would give me a chance to get my professional career going, however that is completely untrue. The only jobs I can seem to find are factory jobs, no one takes me seriously as a profession.

I thought the americans were going to be welcoming, don't get me wrong some are but most don't even make eye contact with us. Its like their on a completely different level than us just because of where we are born. The place that we live is rough, its small with no windows or heating. I feel like I'm letting Sarah down which is the last thing I want to do to her and to you. You let your only two daughters come to America for a new start and its not what we thought it was going to be at all. Even with all the bad there is still good that is coming out of this. Life here, though it may be rough now is growing into a life that was much needed.

Sarah and I are beginning to learn and adapt to the culture here, while staying true to what we learned from home. Learning the language was hard at first. But now that I have to speak english at work and Sarah has to learn it at school, it is becoming much easier. Factory life is hard but I have to work my way up to the jobs that I desire. Nothings going to come easy here. We will have to work hard but eventually we will be better than ever. This move was definitely worth it, please think about coming. We miss you and don't want to live separated anymore.

We love you.

Native American Research Project

Native American Research Project: Western Artists

When the west began to advance into a civilization artists started to gravitate towards it as their new muse. Artists wanted to depict the west because of the culture, beauty, and lifestyle that had never been seen before. The west was a new world that was waiting to be seen through the eyes of others. Some artists looked at the west in a romanticized way, while others trying to capture what they believed as the true west. Fritz Scholder was one of few artists that wanted to show the realism and actuality of the west, and Albert Bierstadt was one of many to romanticize and idealize the west.

Fritz Scholder was a well-known painter before the movement of western/ Indian painting, but this movement put him on the map. Fritz was annoyed at the fact that all art surrounding the west were these beautiful landscapes and high cultural people. He wanted to show the authenticity and reality of an Indian, or better known as a person. Even though this was his goal he sometimes struggled to meet it. During this time, romanticized art was a humongous fad that could not be stopped. Thus leaving Fritz with a hard challenge that he had to overcome. Fritz Scholder’s main subject matters included: locals where he worked, his ethnic heritage, and various romantic and misguided ideas of the west. The main reason that Fritz wanted to depict the Indians as their true selves was because he was sixteenth percent Indian from his grandmother. He did not embrace this side of his heritage until he began to paint them and realized that he had to show the truth. Fritz wanted to show Indians in the twentieth century such as in cars or drinking a can of beer. To emphasize that Indians are normal people, yes they do have a great culture that surrounds them but that is not all that Indians are. This way of the thinking is the reason today that Fritz is regarded; he changed the way that Indians were respected. This did not happen right away however. Most people really didn’t like the way he chose to show Indians and their lifestyle. People wanted to see the beautiful and captivating images they were used to, instead of the green faces distorted bodies that Fritz was painting. This did not get to Fritz at all, he loved any sort of reaction he could get from his paintings, “I’m interested in someone reacting to my work and I don’t care if they react negatively or positively, as long as they react.” This quotes was taken from a documentary from 1975 about Fritz Scholder. The first painting of Fritz Scholder’s that is shown below is called “Untitled Portrait of an Indian”. This painting is a simplistic, rugged painting that shows the culture with the feathers on the top of the head. However the abstractness from this paintings show that Fritz was not in anyway trying to show the beauty of an Indian, he was showing the true beliefs and lifestyle of an Indian.  The third paining that is shown below is called, “Indian with Beer Can”. This piece is one of Fritz Scholder’s most well know and most controversial of all of his paintings. As you can see the painting shows an Indian casually holding a beer can like any other man would. This was huge. People did not like to see Indians doing things that they did because they didn’t people that Indians were on the same level as them. Some believed them to higher and some believed them to be lower. All in all however Fritz Scholder completely kept his promise to himself that he would not romanticize the west, and with this kept promise came one of the most influential painters of the Western time period.   

Albert Bierstadt was a wonderful and beautiful painter that made his mark in the world by painting romanticized versions of the west. Albert was always a landscape artist but with the western movement of art came his fame. Albert painted what he saw but altered it to create an even more awe-inspiring look. He believed that things were beautiful, but that he could make them even better. Most of Albert’s paintings were done on huge canvases to emphasize the effect of greatness. Albers painting of the newly accessible American West made him a renowned artist. Unlike Fritz Scholder he painted to shoe beauty and love instead of true culture and lifestyle. Albert did paint culture but the way that he painted it changed the way people viewed it. When viewers look at romanticized art they immediately think beauty and are instantly moved by what they see. This is why most people gravitate towards romanticized work or realism work. People want to see what they see instead of having to comprehend what the artist is trying to show. Albert Bierstadt believed that, “our own country has the best material for the artists in the world”. Both of Albert’s paintings that are below us complex color patterns that are pleasing to the eye and that make you want to continue glancing at the paintings. He did show Indian settlements but they are from far away and not personalized in any way. Fritz Scholder put so much personality into every single one of his paintings. You can feel the emotion that is being depicted from the painting. While Albert Bierstadt chose landscapes looking in onto Indians instead of initially drawing the emotion he sees. Albert Bierstadt was an amazing painter that fully captured the beauty and life of the west; he completely captured the imagination of all Americans in the ninetieth century.

Both artists are amazing for different things, Albert Bierstadt is known for his beauty and moving sensation that is captured through his art. Fritz Scholder is known for his realism and starkness of his paintings. I personally feel as though Fritz Scholder paintings had more of an impact on me because of the emotion and truth behind it, while Albert Bierstadt’s paintings are lovely and awe-inspiring they do not convey a certain truth about the west. 

Fritz Scholder untitled portrait of an Indian

Fritz Schilder "The American Indian"

Fritz Scholder "Indian with a Beer Can"

Albert Bierstadt "Indian Encampment, Shoshone Village "

Albert Bierstadt "View of Chimney Rock, Ohalilah Sioux Village in Foreground"

1. Academy of Achievement Fritz Scholder Biography
2. NYTimes Fritz Scholder
3. Fritz Scholder: indian not indian Book  
4. Fritz Scholder Voice of America Article
5. Albert Bierstadt Biography
6. Encyclopedia Britannica Albert Bierstadt
7. Haggin Museum Albert Bierstadt  

History Film Essay

Claudia Lynn

9/11/14

History Film Essay

            Learning through film puts a new perspective into a situation. This was shown to me through watching the films, Glory and 12 Years a Slave.  These films are key ways of learning because they show a depth and emotion that you cannot always hear or feel when reading. Slavery is the main focus in both of these films and I learned a multitude of things because of the historical accuracy placed into them. It is absolutely possible to develop great analytical skills and explore real events, circumstances, and attitudes simply by watching movies in a critical way, and doing some research.

The film 12 Years a Slave, is a depiction of the horror that occurred during the time of slavery.  This film was a portrayal of Solomon Northup’s life and how he came into slavery, and is based on a book of essays that he wrote called “Twelve Years a Slave: Narrative of Solomon Northup.” This film “makes you feel you have a actually witnessed American slavery in all its appalling horror for the first time”; this quote is taken out of story from a writer at The Atlantic. I found that this quote showed the tremendous affect that the film had on people and how it made them view slavery in way that they had not before. This film showed me the true horror of slavery and the real, unfathomable emotion that it brought with it. 12 Years a Slave is almost completely historically accurate, there were only little things changed to enhance a scene to make it more memorable. On example of these enhancements that were put into the movie, was when the character Patsy asks Solomon to end her life and drown her in the river. In the original narrative Mistress Epps bribes Solomon to drown Patsy because she cannot stand the way her husband looks at her. I believe that this scene was altered to show the longing of a slave to end their life, because they believe that live is not worth living anymore. To me this was a very powerful scene that showed how deeply this life impacted the slaves emotional and physically. Although the film is hard to watch, people loved how raw and engrossing it was. Before watching the film I knew that slavery was a terribly tragic occurrence, but the film 12 Years a Slave actually showed me what it was like to be a slave and how lives were affected by slavery.

The film Glory is an illustration of the 54^th regiment of Massachusetts in The Civil War. This film follows a white soldier, Shaw that is promoted to lead a regiment of all blacks. During this time slavery and back discrimination was still a major thing. All these black men wanted to do was fight, and the one thing they weren’t allowed to do was fight. The reasoning behind this was because of the color of their skin, and during the movie a line stuck out at me, “what’s the different of a white man being shot and a black man being shot”. This quote to me made all the sense in the world. What is the difference? Skin color? Both black and white men are the exact same on the inside so what really is the difference between who dies and who lives. The difference is the will that the 54^th regiment have. This will and fight of each black soldier could not have been depicted without seeing to faces of these men on screen. Reading about the 54^th regiment and its story throughout the Civil War could not even begin to show to emotion that the soldiers had. Historical accuracy is the main reason why teachers do not like the idea of movies, because they could teach something that is actually incorrect. Glory however is very historically accurate; the only major point that was adding into the movie was a few smaller characters. These smaller characters were added to show the story in a more memorable way, which as I stated earlier completely did. The director of the film Glory said this, ”I tried to focus on neither blacks nor whites, but on the regiment… I wanted to focus on the coming together of the regiment in all its aspects.” This film taught me that even when the black soldiers were going to die for their people, they were still looked down upon and thought of as outsiders until after they had died did they finally get the respect of their peers. 

Both 12 Years a Slave and Glory showed me how different slavery and black discrimination can be depicted through film. Each film had similar aspects, but both were completely their own. Both films have taught me a great deal about the lives of slavery and the hardships that they had to encounter throughout the entirety of their lives. 

This picture shows the scene that I wrote about earlier where
Pasty begs Solomen to end her life. The emotion
that is shown through their faces helps to put visuals
into our heads.

This picture shows the scene when the 54th regiment charges into
battle. Even though the soldiers know that many of them
will die, they go on fighting. The emotion and will
that these soldiers have even when no one
else believes in them is absolutely astonishing.

Sources:

12 Years a Slave

1.  12 Years a Slave Rotten Tomatoes Review

2. 12 Years a Slave Awards IMDb

3. 12 Years a Slave Box Office Mojo
4. 12 Years a Stave IMDb Review  

5. 12 Years a Slave Box Office IMDb

6.12 Years a Slave NY Times Historical Accuracy  

7. 12 Years a Slave Historical Accuracy History Extra

8. 12 Years a Slave Filmmakers Goals

Glory

1. Glory Awards IMDb

2. Glory Review IMDb

3. Glory Rotten Tomatoes Review

4. Glory Box Office/Money IMDb

5. Glory Historical Accuracy Reelviews

6.  Glory Historical Accuracy   

7. Glory Filmmakers Goals Interview