1880-1920 Research: Frank Lloyd Wright

In the late 19th and early 20th Century, architecture began to change drastically. Frank Lloyd Wright (1867-1959) played a large role in the change of architecture. He did this by designing the first "prairie home". He liked the area because of its horizontal landscape which he felt was the line of the earth and human life. Prairies were an inspiration to him by the way that every part was significant. He wanted his homes to fit in with their surroundings. He liked areas that were low and spacious as opposed to ones he felt that built up and stuck out, causing him to favor prairies as locations for his homes. Wright preferred freedom of space over useless height. He felt that typical American homes were all the same, stuck up, and lacking in unity and sense of earth and he wanted to transform them to become natural, wide open, and genuine, as he talked about in his book, The Natural House. He brought the idea of organic architecture to the architecture world.

When Wright was young, he was always known as creative and inventive, so his aunt let him design her homeschool building, Hillside Home School (1887-1915). When he first got his start, he furnished Schiller Building, which was an office building. He later began his own practice around 1893. During this time, he taught others, who admired him and his work, through lectures and writings. His style began based on his love of prairies. Wright's prairie homes became known as "the Prairie School" by his contemporaries. He soon had his first client, Herman Winslow, for his new styled homes.

Wright's new prairie homes only appealed to certain clients, who had an acquired taste for his style; Herman Winslow was one of them. The lack of clients caused them to not be very popular when he first began. His homes were organic, safe, and integrated, as he wanted them to feel natural. Wright wanted to complete the look of "organic simplicity" of Midway Gardens with furnishings, art, and music. The owners were curious and admiring of his work. Although he always had a goal for his designs of organic simplicity, it often was not fulfilled due to the fact that most clients could only afford the house, not the interior. This caused them to bring use their old furnishings in their new homes, which bothered Wright. He wanted to be able to see "plasticity working as continuity" in his designs.

Wright was hired, by The Larkin Company of Buffalo, New York, to design office complexes that stood as a representation of the Larkin culture. The first building, the corporation administration building, was done in 1906. Wright and Larkin worked to create a physical representation of Larkin's abstract culture. Wright wanted to create a new style that was efficient, yet comfortable. While designing, he purposely made access to the annex difficult in order to avoid overuse. A review of Wright's speech, "Wright spoke eloquently about the ideal of domesticity he tried to build into the corporate structure, which he called "this family home": "The family-gathering under conditions ideal for body and mind counts for lessened errors, cheerful alacrity and quickened and sustained intelligence in duties to be performed...", was written to show Wright's goals for this building. After completing the project of The Larkin Administration Building, Wright also built Larkin employee homes. The Larkin Administration Building was a representation of "the Larkin Idea", but was considered "A Shame of Our City" by the Buffalo Evening News, due to the fact that only certain audiences enjoyed his work.

Wright's designs were made up of mainly lines and wide areas, rather than curves and height. Concrete began to be used during this time and became one of his tools in his designs. His style lead to more homes slowly becoming more linear and modern. Between 1880 and 1920, Wright designed at around 200 homes, most of which were in or around Chicago, IL. Wright's career lasted for a long and successful 72 years. During his career, he started the Arts & Crafts Movement in Europe and America which included over 300 of his pieces. Wright's influence on American architecture remains to continue today because of how large of an impact he had on the architecture world.

Layout of one of Wright's prairie homes

Robie house in Chicago, IL

Lamp designed by Wright for the Susan Lawrence Dana House

The Larkin Administration Building

Wright's aunt's home school, Hillside Home School

Citations:

"The Arts and Crafts Movement in Europe and America, 1880-1920: Design for the Modern World." Clevelandart.org. N.p., Winter 2005-2006. Web. Dec. 2015. I used this site to learn about the Arts and Crafts Movement

"List of Frank Lloyd Wright Works." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 1 Dec. 2015. Web. 16 Dec. 2015. I used this to see all the buildings or homes he designed between 1880-1920.

"Frank Lloyd Wright." Frank Lloyd Wright. N.p., 2001. Web. 12 Dec. 2015. I learned about the timeline of Wright's life by using this site.

Obniski, Monica. "Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History." The Arts and Crafts Movement in America. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2000. Web. 16 Dec. 2015. I got some background information on the arts and crafts movement from this.

"Frank Lloyd Wright." - Architect. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Dec. 2015. Background info about Wright and his style of "organic architecture"

Stanger, Howard R. "From Factory to Family: The Creation of a Corporate Culture in the Larkin Company of Buffalo, New York." The Business History Review. 3rd ed. Vol. 74. N.p.: President and Fellows of Harvard College, 2000. 407-33. Print. I learned about the Larkin Company and it's buildings designed by Wright.

Wright, Frank Lloyd, and Donald D. Walker. The Natural House. New York: Horizon, 1954. Print. I used this book for background info on Wright and his start, as well as his style of architecture.

Movement of Human Population

The Europeans migrate between areas, but stay within Europe. Most of Sub-Saharan Africa moved around within itself, although there was some migration into Northern, Southern, Western Europe, and Western Asia. North America had the most immigrants, coming from nearly everywhere. Areas with the least amount of migrants headed to the North America included: Europe, Central Asia, and Northern Africa. Emigrants out of North America either headed to Europe or South America.
It appears to me that the majority of Europeans are content in Europe with no desire to leave. The US has one of the largest number of immigrants, but a lower emigration rate. I never realized that Europe's emigration rate was so low, but thinking about it now, it is more understandable. They have no real reason to leave because they have resources and their cultures available to them, so why leave? I think the US has a higher rate of emigration than Europe because of mission work and also the desire to travel and experience other cultures. So much of the world's population moves around, whether it is in search of a change or the need for resources, medical attention, or simply a search for a better life, human migration is constantly happening around the globe.

Philanthropy Research Overview

Philanthropy has a component of volunteering/involvement and donating. Many people who make millions and billions of dollars donate their time, ideas, and money in order to benefit an organization, group, or individual they want to support. Some of the top modern philanthropists, according to Forbes, differ in donation amounts. Although one person may donate $5 billion, someone else who donated $2 billion may be ranked higher because it is a higher percent of their net worth that they're donating. Philanthropy is to benefit a group, individual, or idea for the long term or the what-it-could-be, rather than charity which supplies the immediate benefit. Other than Rockefeller and Carnegie, there are many modern day philanthropists such as: Warren Buffet, Bill and Melinda Gates, George Soros, Michael Bloomberg, Chuck Feeney, and many more. Several of which have their own foundations of philanthropy which give out grants to fund beneficial ideas or people in need.

Bradley Martin Ball Research

1. The front page article in the New York Times implies that the Bradley Martin Ball is quite a big deal. The entire front page is just about the ball and costumes, so the publishers had to assume that the readers would find it interesting and exciting. The newspaper's perspective of the ball is that it is important and intriguing to the society--noteworthy enough to use the entire front page talking about it.

2. This article explains how grand and wonderful the ball was, even though less than half of the invitees showed up (some of which even left early). The author basically states that those who didn't come missed out on a magnificent evening. This view is different than the one on the New York Times' front page because unlike the NYT, it gave an insider view on the extravagance and beauty of the event rather than just facts of the appearance of the night.

3. The clergyman felt as if the ball was way over the top and unnecessary; almost unchristian. He felt as if it was obnoxiously showing the Martin's wealth in a negative way. I think the newspaper published this article showing his views so that several different views of the ball were shown and everyone reading was able to find an article they could agree with whether it was the previous articles view, the NYT front page description, or the clergyman's.

4. This article shows that during this time society liked to be extravagant and party. It says "Under the Gray Dawn of Day" showing that the party went long into the early hours of the morning.

Thinking About Success

In order of most to least important to be successful, I said that hard work was followed by skill, then opportunity and then luck. I chose this order because you can be very successful if you put your mind to something and care about it, regardless of if you were born with talent or not. Being naturally talented at something, but not putting in any effort will only get you so far. This is like the quote, "Hard work beats talent when talent doesn't work hard". I follow these two with opportunity and then luck because even if you have skill and work hard, if it isn't the right time, it won't happen. I finish the list with luck because not everyone believes in luck. Luck is lazy and is by chance. You cannot depend on luck to become successful. What comes around goes around and if you get somewhere merely by good luck, the bad luck will get to you eventually. In the end, it is a combination of the four ideas to become successful. Natural talent needs to be backed up by hard work and opportunity with the occasional help of good luck.

Business & Clothing Industries

According to Wikipedia, "fast fashion is a contemporary term used by fashion retailers to express that designs move from catwalk quickly in order to capture current fashion trends. Fast fashion clothing collections are based on the most recent fashion trends presented at Fashion Week in both the spring and the autumn of every year."

Most clothing stores are aimed towards a certain crowd whether it's old or young, professional or casual. Former A&F CEO said that, "his perspective that A&F was for “the beautiful people,”" which is very subjective. His idea of "beautiful people" may be different than someone else's view, but this idea seemed to dismiss the company's past issues. Several companies have been booted out by fast fashion in the teen clothing market such as, Delia's, Wet Seal, and Deb Shops. American Apparel is headed that way too. Several known fast fashion retailers are, H&M, Forever21, and Zara. Forbes says, "The clothes are low-priced but stylish, styles cycle in and out of stores (and web sites) as quickly as every three weeks. That means, the product is turning well over twelve times a year, when traditional fashion retailers get excited at turns of 6 or 7." This idea shows that because of fast changing trends, people don't want to spend tons of money on designer items that will go out of style within a few months, so these stores offer low-priced 'copies' of designer items and change often. This not only is appealing to customers, but the companies make lots of money due to the constant income of new items, even though their items are cheaper in price.

Today I learned that we, as young people, fall into the trap of fast fashion and ever changing trends because we are never content. Youth is targeted because we care about the trends more than making good buys. By being oblivious to this, we are fueling the fast fashion industry. I particularly am not a fan of these fast fashion brands mentioned because while they may be inexpensive, they are poor quality. I would much rather pay more for something that will last much longer. I have also learned that fashion industries target certain audiences. I find it odd that fast fashion is taking over though because, personally, I would rather have the real, high quality item rather than a cheap fake version. 

Indian's Representation in History Textbooks

Savage: adj- fierce, ferocious, cruel, untamed, unpolished, rude, rugged, barbarous, furiously angry
             noun- an uncivilized human being; fierce, brutal, or cruel person; boorish person, a member                of a preliterate society
Savagery: noun- an uncivilized or barbaric state or condition

Today in class we read a passage from an 1887 textbook. The passage given is a description of Native Americans, they were often called Indians or savages. As shown above, being called a savage isn't exactly a compliment. They are described as very rough or rugged people, in which the women did all the work and were considered "slaves and drudges of their lazy lords", showing that they didn't receive much respect. Native Americans are perceived in this text as "very revengeful" and war was considered the greatest employment. They would scalp their enemies which leads to them being viewed as someone to fear.

If you were an American student reading this text as part of your schoolwork, how would that shape the way you viewed Native Americans?  This text would lead me to view the Native Americans as scary forest people who treat women poorly and have the need to kill. The text shows them as 'savages' which relates to why they were referred to as that. Knowing what I have learned in this class, I know that Native Americans are much more than this description.

Reading Questions pt. 2

1. When and why were Indians increasingly attacking stagecoaches, wagon trains, ranchers, and the US army? From the 1850s to 1880s because they were threats to their civilizations.

2. Arapaho and Cheyenne Indians came into conflicts with white miners in eastern Colorado. They were also attacking stagecoaches and settlements in the region in the hopes of regaining lost territory.

3. The government urged "friendly Indians" to congregate at army posts for protection before the army began its campaign. The Black Kettle band responded by camping near Fort Lyon on Sand Creek in November 1864.

4. The volunteer militia led by Colonel J.M. Chivington was composed of unemployed miners, many of which were drunk. They killed 133 people which was known as the Sand Creek massacre.

5. The intense conflict between the Army and Sioux Indians in Montana resulted from the army attempting to build a road, the Bozeman Trail, to connect Fort Laramie, WY to the new mining centers. The Indians didn't like this because it intruded into the heart of their buffalo range.

6. Indian hunting was unofficial violence from the white vigilantes. In CA, some whites considered it a kind of sport to track and kill Indians. They were basically Indian bounty hunters.

7. Sioux warriors united under Crazy Horse and Sitting Bull in 1875.

8. George A. Custer and the tribal warriors met at the Battle of Little Bighorn in 1876. The tribal warriors surprised, surrounded, and killed all of Custer's 264 men.

9. The Indians weren't able to follow up on their victory because they didn't have the political organization or the supplies to keep their troops together.

10. Eventually Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse accepted defeat and the monotony of life on the reservations. Both were later killed by reservation police after being tricked or taunted into a last pathetic show of resistance.

11. Chief Joseph, leader of Nez Perce, persuaded his followers to flee from the expected retribution. American troops pursued and attacked them, but were driven off in a battle at White Bird Canyon. After that, Joseph's people scattered and he moved with 550 people to attempt to reach Canada and take refuge with the Sioux. They were caught after 1321 miles and 75 days at the Canadian border. Some escaped, but Joseph and most of the others gave up.

Reading Questions

1. How many Indian tribes are there in North America?
   According to ncai.org, “There are 562 federally recognized Indian tribes, bands, nations, pueblos, rancherias, communities and Native villages in the United States. Approximately 229 of these are located in Alaska; the rest are located in 33 other states. Tribes are ethnically, culturally and linguistically diverse.”
2. Photographer of picture of Chief Garfield on p. 453: Edward Sheriff Curtis
3. The name of the man pictured is Jicarilla Apache chief in 1904, later named Chief Garfield. White officials assigned new names to the Indians because they wanted to give them English or Spanish names. Jicarilla chose the name Garfield himself.
4. White Americans' goals for Indian tribes in the West: they tried to force the region to be what they imagined it would be. They were determined to not allow Indian tribes to be an obstacle in the spread of the white society.
5. The traditional policy of the federal government was to regard the tribes simultaneously as independent nations and as wards of the president, and to negotiate treaties with them that were solemnly ratified by the Senate.
6. What had the government done prior to 1860 that hadn't been successful and why: The government attempted to erect a permanent frontier between whites and Indians, to reserve the region west of the bend of the Missouri River as permanent Indian country. It was unsuccessful because treaties or agreements with the tribes rarely survived the stress of white settlers eager for access to Indian lands.
7. White benefits of the "Concentration" policy and putting Indians into reservations: It divided the the tribes from one another and made them easier to control and also allowed the government to force tribes into scattered locations and to take over the most desirable lands for white settlement, but it didn't survive the basis of Indian policy for long.
8. How did the Indian Peace Commission get Indians to agree to treaties and move to new reservations in the west? Government agents cajoled, bribed, and tricked representatives of the tribes into agreeing to their treaties during a series of meetings.
9. Issue with the Bureau of Indian Affairs' management: the bureau's agents were products of political patronage and were often extremely incompetent and dishonest. Even honest and competent ones were poorly prepared and didn't understand the tribes causing them to not be successful.
10. A form of economic warfare against the Indians: the relentless slaughtering of the buffalo herds which supported the tribes' lives. 
11. Buffalo products popular with Americans: buffalo hides for robes, belts, and leather.
12. Other factors that impacted them: Railroad companies hired people to kill buffalo to thin the herds and avoid obstruction to the railroad traffic. They were also killed to be sold in the booming new market.
13. Buffalo population in 1865 vs 1875: 15 million buffalo to less than a thousand 
14. The buffalo killing was encouraged because the Indians relied on them for survival. Without buffalo, the Indians would diminish also which is what the whites wanted.
15. I was not able to watch the video, but I have eaten bison. I don't anymore because I am a vegetarian and have been since 2009.
16. Ted Turner use for bison and why it's controversial: He is saying that we should "eat it to save it" meaning that if there is no market for it, they will not be bred anymore leading to their decline, but I disagree. If we allow them to be free, they will reproduce on their own. If we are only breeding them to be killed, what's the point? The different views from different people is what causes it to be controversial.

Newspapers: Indians in the West

The Salt Lake Daily Herald has a front page story, The Ugly Ute, about an altercation between and Indian and a white man. It reminds me of the romanticized idea we have of cowboys vs. Indians. This paper was published in Salt Lake City, UT on Tuesday morning, October 19, 1880. The article says that Jackson, the white man, shot the Indian for no obvious reason, he was not being threatened or provoked. The scene was witnessed by four white men and an Indian. This altercation quickly escalated into a massacre.

Today there was an altercation between a white man, Jackson, and an Indian that escalated quite quickly. There has been too many disagreements between whites and Indians these days. It was said that the Indian was shot by Jackson and had not provoked Jackson prior to the shooting, but others have said that the Indian shot first and Jackson was practicing self defense so I'm not quite sure what to believe. The situation then escalated into a massacre which is terrifying to know that is happening around me. Even families were murdered, poor innocent children. This makes me fear for my family's safety and my own. I feel as if Indians are being protected more than us by our own government. Everything is going awry and I fear for the future of our country. I feel that the communication between government, whites, and Indians needs lots of improvement in order to keep everyone safe. I want to be able to know my family will be safe and protected by our government, not fear it.

Social Media vs. Newspapers

Our use of social media is selective and intentional so that we tend to remain interested in only things we've already been interested in, whereas newspapers expose readers to information on a broad range of topics. This can connect communities by providing information about what others may be interested in. It may raise questions I never thought to ask.

• Social media can put us into a box by not exposing us to new ideas.

History of Newspaper

3. According to dictionary.com, a newspaper is a publication issued at regular and usually close intervals, especially daily or weekly, and commonly containing news, comment, features, and advertising.  

4. Newspapers first came into existence in 17th century Europe according to wikipedia. Although there were mentions of earlier newspaper-like printings (16th century), wikipedia says, "The first newspaper according to modern definitions was the Strasbourg Relation, in the early 17th century".

5. Some of the oldest US newspapers were:

• The Boston News-Letter (1704)
• The New England Courant (1721)
• The New Hampshire Gazette (1756)
• The Hartford Courant (1764)- still being produced today, first known as the Connecticut Courant
• The Boston Chronicle (1768)

6. The 'Top News" for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution:

• Scared of Huge Trucks? Put the Odds in Your Favor: Johnny Edwards
• Photos: Sneak Peek of Braves' Ballpark Development
• Ousted Fire Chief at Center of Religious Liberty Fight Goes to Court: Katie Leslie

7. To be the "newspaper of record", "is a major newspaper that has a large circulation and whose editorial and news-gathering functions are considered professional and typically authoritative." The New York Times was the first US paper to be designated as the nation's newspaper of record in 1913. Another US paper that could be considered a newspaper of record is The Washington Post.

8. There are several differences in a real newspaper and news on social media, while they are both used for the same purpose. Newspapers are more words; less pictures, they're a physical copy, and the information is more political and news based rather than celebrity based as most social media is. Social media is more aimed towards the younger generations and newspapers are more for adults and sophisticated thinkers.

Native Americans: Fashion Controversy

"Ralph Lauren's Native American Fashion Ads Reveal the Sad Truth About the Fashion World"

The ad says, "Critics charged that the ads reduced people, and indeed entire cultures, to mere marketing props. Many called for a boycott. Dr. Adrienne Keene, a postdoctoral researcher and citizen of the Cherokee Nation, wrote in a post for Indian Country Today Media Network that Ralph Lauren had reached a "new low."". This review explains that what some consider "fashion" is often a unrealistic play off of someone else's culture and can be offensive.

A person who was offended personally says, "“Ralph Lauren has been doing this my whole life,” Ruth Hopkins, a writer in her 30s who lives on the Spirit Lake Tribe reservation in North Dakota, told The Huffington Post. “He is a repeat offender. Cultural appropriation is apparently his thing.”". Fashion designers need to take other cultures into consideration when making new lines. It is important to always do your research also. Although we may not always think about it, the fashion industry is a good example of a time where empathy is extremely necessary. Offending cultures is definitely frowned upon and does not give designers (Ralph Lauren) a good reputation, especially not with the Native Americans. The article states that the pictures were taken down shortly after and the company issued an apology. Its important to always think before we speak, act, or make decisions.

Not only is this an issue with Ralph Lauren, but in the fashion industry as a whole, and quite frankly the American culture as well. As the article says, "Many people seemingly remain tethered to the idea of a romanticized Old West -- a time of death and carnage for America’s indigenous population.". This country as a whole needs to brush up on the reality and history of the Old West. It is important to have our facts correct in order to avoid offending others.

The article makes a good point, "“Our original designs were purposeful,” she said. “The colors, the designs -- everything has a specific meaning and a spirit connected to it.”

Bethany Yellowtail's "Old style floral elk tooth dress" on the runway at the Santa Fe Indian art market. (Image credit: Lehi Sanchez)

Patricia Michaels, a 48-year-old Native American fashion designer who appeared on Bravo’s "Project Runway" in 2013, told HuffPost that she doesn't consider it her place to police what people can or can't use in their designs. It should come down to thoughtfulness and taste, she said, adding that if the non-Native American designers who have gotten in trouble in the past had simply collaborated with Native American designers who know the culture, everyone would have benefited."

I have learned a lot from this research and noticed a lot of ways to tie it into what we have learned so far this year: empathy is relevant in nearly every situation, we (US culture as a whole) are stuck on the romanticized version of the Old West and need to learn the reality of it, and that we need to be conscious of other cultures.

Review and Reflect

This year is my first year to ever take US History. I hardly knew anything about the US when I first came into this class at the beginning of the year, so I have learned a lot in this short period of time. So far, I have learned about the Constitution, slavery, the treatment of African Americans, the Civil War, Black Codes/Reconstruction, the Old West, and the importance of learning history through movies. All of these topics were completely new to me, other than that I had heard of them.

When I thought of slavery before this class, I imagined people working in fields and being owned by slaveowners and that was about it. I quickly realized there was much more to slavery and it wasn't good. Not all slaveowners were the same either; some nicer than others. After watching Glory and Twelve Years a Slave, the harsh reality of slavery and its conditions became clear to me. Some slaveowners took advantage of their access to absolute power of their slaves and were unnecessarily cruel. After learning this, we moved into the West in the 19th century. Before learning about it, I always pictured the West like it is in Clint Eastwood movies, but I learned that the view of the West shown in movies is the romanticized version of the West, not a realistic one. The West was full of Hispanics, Native American Indian tribes, and Anglo-Americans. Of course there were cowboys, but they were not how we think of them. They were low paid, rugged, working men; not exactly heros who win showdowns.

Thoughout this quarter, I have learned to enjoy history more and to analyze everything I read or watch. I never realized that you can learn so much from watching a movie. I believe that analyzing movies and worksheets tying the ideas together, has helped me grow as not only a thinker, but an analysist, and a learner in general. I am not a huge history fan, but the way I've learned this year has given me a new appreciation for it. I have begun to enjoy history as a whole and realize the importance and impact it has on our lives today. I think my biggest strength is my analyzing skills, which have only improved since taking this class.

I originally did not find value in studying history, but after learning about empathy, it has given me a new perspective. It is important to have empathy in all situations, but especially when studying history. I believe that learning through movies has helped me appreciate the relevance of history and be more interested in it. I hope I continue to appreciate the value of learning of peoples' lives in the past. I have realized the tough reality of how it used to be, which makes me very greatful for the life I am lucky enough to live. I have this life because of the past mistakes made and corrected by people studying history.

I would like to improve my research skills and discussion skills this year. I do not have any specific requests for new topics because I know very little about the US, so anything we go to next will be new for me. I like the format for US History this year and hope to keep it going for the rest of the year.

Film Essay

Film Essay

It is possible to develop great analytical skills and explore real events, circumstances, and attitudes just by watching movies in a critical way, and doing some research.

I believe that movies are a very effective way to learn history because it keeps the audience engaged and makes it feel like a story rather than hard facts. I personally have learned more in the past month and a half from watching Glory and Twelve Years a Slave than I did in all of World History through lectures. History is not a favorite subject of mine, but by putting it into a movie format, I have come to enjoy it. Learning history through movies isn’t just sitting and watching a movie, but analyzing what is going on, why things happened the way they did, and how the filmmakers and producers made it realistic. After watching the movies, research is necessary to dig deeper into the information and accuracy behind the actual events. Learning history from movies teaches more skills than lectures do. Skills of research, analyzing, discussion, listening, watching and many other skills come from teaching through movies.

During a lecture the teacher usually has a monotone voice that puts the students to sleep and hardly holds anyone’s attention. If the historical events are in a movie format, they’re more likely to not only listen and pay attention to whats happening, but to take something from it. Movies put a visual into the students’ heads of the reality of past events in history. Often we read about slavery and segregation, but to actually see it is totally different. The website Heart of Wisdom says that we’re much more likely to actually learn from listening to stories rather than just facts, especially if they are in a visual form. They also mention that Jesus taught many many people through parables or short stories. 

I learned a lot from watching both Glory and Twelve Years a Slave. Although the budget for the two movies were similar, the time in which the movies were made was very different causing Glory to have had a higher cost for that time. Both movies won lots of awards for not only the movie itself, but for acting, producing, and costumes. The directors both wanted to show the reality of how slavery was during that time and the brutality of it. Director of Twelve Years a Slave, Steve McQueen, said, “There is no black and white, just America.”. To show this to the world was one of his goals. He wanted his movie to show people that they need to face the reality of history, not avoid it. He also felt that there was a lack of knowledge of American history among Americans. He explained this by saying, “It upset me in the way, ‘How did I know Anne Frank but I didn’t know Soloman Northrup?’ I read ‘Twelve Years a Slave’ and thought, ‘This is the Anne Frank diary of America.”. The accuracy and harsh truth of the movies is very close to exact. 

The level of accuracy in both movies is what made them so successful. People really began to realize what it was like for both slaves and black people in general, which was a hope of Glory director, Ed Zwick. He also wanted people to go back and take a second look at history through the movie (tech.mit.edu). Glory is not only known in the theaters and on TV, but in the classroom as a way to teach history. A reviewer of the movie Glory referred to the movie as, “a truth truer than the literal truth”, which proves the accuracy of historical movies. When a movie is very close to historically accurate, it is a very useful learning tool. I have learned so much from just watching and researching two historically accurate events in the form of a movie. Movies help bring real events, that seem impossible to believe, to life.

Sources, Film Research- Glory & 12 Years a Slave

Glory:

• google search
• http://www.boxofficemojo.com/people/chart/?id=denzelwashington.htm
• http://ashbrook.org/publications/oped-owens-00-patriot/
• http://www.historynet.com/basking-in-two-decades-of-glory.htm
• http://tech.mit.edu/V109/N60/zwick.60a.html

12 Years a Slave:

• google search
• http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=twelveyearsaslave.htm
• http://www.historyvshollywood.com/reelfaces/12-years-a-slave.php
• http://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2013/10/how-em-12-years-a-slave-em-gets-history-right-by-getting-it-wrong/280911/
• slate
• indiewire

Both Films:

• http://www.rethinkingschools.org/restrict.asp?path=archive/28_04/28_04_stoddard.shtml

Practicing Incorporating a Quotation

I thought the scene where one of the soldiers was being whipped was very intense and film critics agree. The reviewer on Reelview said, "the camera moves in for a close-up of Washington's face and holds there, showing an incredible range of emotion: fury, pain, humiliation, and isolation.".

What I learned today: Today I learned that you have to be very careful when paraphrasing so you don't plagiarize. I also realized that adding a quote is to support your statement, not to fill space on a page. It is important to always hyperlink to give credit where it's due.

What Mrs. Lawson wanted me to learn today:

• Only use a quote when it adds power and style to my writing.
• Always make it clear, from context, that I understand the full meaning of the quote.
• Whether I quote or paraphrase, always be transparent about the source and how I'm using it.
• If I use another author's exact words or phrases, to any extent, I have to use quotation marks and give credit.
• If I use another author's presentation of facts or ideas, but put their ideas into my own words, I better have a good reason for doing that, and I MUST give credit.
• Hyperlinking is so easy, there is no excuse for not being transparent about my sources.

I do understand the rules, but I may need some more practice just to be safe.

Paraphrase Practice

1. "Glory could have easily become one-sided, but, instead of presenting just Shaw's perspective, Zwick successfully gives us five distinct points-of-view. We see events not only from Shaw's vantage point (his is the "dominant" voice, since much of the narration is taken directly from the real-life historical documents written by the Colonel), but from those of Trip, Jupiter, Thomas, and Rawlins. In the end, none of these men are shortchanged. The sense of balance presented between the characters is one of Glory's strengths."- Glory (United States, 1989) by Reelviews

2. Glory shows five different viewpoints, rather than just the perspective of Shaw, the main character whose dialogue was based on true notes written by the actual Colonel of the time. The views shown are of Shaw, Trip, Jupiter, Thomas, and Rawlins. Zwick manages to show all an equal amount of focus. The fact that so many viewpoints were shown is one of the key elements of the movie Glory that makes it so good.

Historical Accuracy in Glory

Glory

Empathy vs. Sympathy

In class we talked about the definition of empathy which is the intellectual identification or vicarious experience of the feelings, thoughts, or attitude of another. Empathy is the experience of understanding another person's condition from their perspective, while sympathy is the feeling of pity and sorrow for someone else's misfortune.

I can empathize with Nazi soldiers even though I believe that what they're doing is awful because they feel pressure from authority. Nazi soldiers were considered weak, unmanly, or traitors if they could not carry out the task of killing the Jewish people. Although some didn't agree with it, they feared for their own lives and for their punishment they would receive if they didn't carry out the given task. I can empathize because sometimes you have to choose between moral obligations and authority.

Empathy is important for people studying history because you have to be able to put yourself in their shoes in order to understand why they did what they did. Without empathy, you would not be able to make sense of some of the decisions that were made in the past.

Empathy