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Times are changing :
Why may the 60’s be considered as an age of progress ?
Definition of the notion: the idea of progress
Could be defined as the process of changing and developing things to lead to a form of improvement, under various forms ( in various fields) : science, technology, society, culture, economy, politics, moral values,…
This idea of progress is thought to lead to a better society in general.
Definition: The Swinging 60’s
It’s the label used to refer to the period of time during which London was at the centre of the world. It’s applied to the cultural and fashion phenomenon and was mostly initiated by young people who at the time fuelled the countercultures, which opposed the conservative norms of post-war England.
It was a time of economic prosperity, backed up by the new prime minister Harold Wilson ( elected in 1964) who contributed to giving British people hope and optimism.
That’s also the time when feminists groups started fighting to get equal rights.
-To what extend where the 60’s a complete revolution for British people and how did they bring progress to a climax?
-Time cover
Revolution in London –) cultural capital of the world
Opposition young vs conservative
The faces ( happy vs sad), the clothes, the places depicted, the political and cultural references.
-Times are changing
World cup 66 + Harold Wilson 64
Moon landing 69
“radio pirates” –) the Beatles, The Rolling Stones, the Who
True decade of consumerism
–) colour TV
–) fashion: mini-skirt, coloured clothes, wedge-heel shoes
Sexual revolution—) the Pill transition
-50 years of the Pill:
Before: women didn’t have free sexuality + risk unwanted pregnancy
-) progress: it gave women the possibility to choose pregnancy.
+ more equal status
+ more security, backstreet abortions
= women got more equality in their rights
-Made in Dagenham:
Another step in the fight for equality
–) equal wages
–) 1968: sewing machinists fought for equal wages
—) women’s determination to obtain a better quality of life, through (work, salary) working conditions but also social environment = Rita having to prove her point
-Finishing with: Mira and Norm:
–) clean proof that progress was needed
‘–) women financial status
‘–) women were considered a very different way
Conclusion:
The 60’s, a decade known by most as a decade with world-changing events and innovations like the moon landing in 1969 or the arrival of the colour TV.
The decade is particularly important in England were “ Times are changing”, it will see the rising of a younger generation who wants to be free and have fun over the conservative party who holds tight onto the old norms and values, in London especially, the cultural capital of the world at that time is marked by this movement.
THE AMERICAN DREAM:
Myths and Heroes
The Notion:
A collective idea or belief ( based on a tale or a legend) relating facts which are true or not. It’s transmitted from one generation to the next. Myths are centred on heroes, characters who are defined as such thanks to their exceptional acts, courageous opinions or even extraordinary skills. Those heroes can be role models.
The Theme: the “ American Dream”:
It’s the idea that anybody can succeed in the USA through hard work. It corresponds to the way to see things in America. People who want to achieve the AD of becoming rich and reaching a high social status, of becoming a self-made man. This belief in the AD made many people want to try their luck in the “Promised Land”.
To what extend does the American Dream involve heroes?
The Picture:
-A family looking for hope, maybe they fled
‘-) The light and the position of the clouds aswell as the statue represent hope
‘—) they are looking at it!
-They want to achieve a happy life and a better social status, they leave everything behind= even change names
This is the American dream
-A tour of Ellis Island + On the threshold of a new world:
First, A man who is passing through Ellis Island, a set of medical exams
‘-) for the rich, they only had one quick exam.
The cages
The letter on the back
The quick questions- writer in the USA isn’t a good job?
And even before Ellis Island;
-The boat
‘-) harsh living conditions
‘-) contagious diseases= no acces, due to a lot of people in a cramped space.
——- = It was all like surviving obstacles, just like heroes do in the tales.
-Why the caged bird sings:
Anna, a Mexican illegal immigrant who went through a lot to realise her American dream.
-Again, hard conditions–) travelling- smuggler, doing