Guts and Glory

          Why was it that so many famous writers in the 20th century chose to serve in World War I rather than concentrate on their literary careers? It is said that at least 23 authors drove ambulances in the first World War, and many served in other ways, working in medical fields. Some of the most famous literary figures to do so were Ernest Hemingway, John Dos Passos, e.e Cummings, and Somerset Maugham. Gertrude Stein also worked in the medical field during the war. 
          What was it that made the appeal to drive these ambulances so strong for these famous writers? And why did this occur in World War I more than in other wars? Up to this time, there were not many ambulance services to join. The first ambulance wagons were seen in the 1480's with Queen Isabella's forces and in 1792, the chief surgeon of the Grand Armee of France developed the first of these wagons specifically designed as ambulances. They had medical supplies and refreshments, but the first motorized ambulances were not seen until the late 19th century. The medical care of this time however, was not known to be of good quality. Early ambulance wagons were also pulled by animals, which did not prove to be very effective. 

Early ambulance wagon

          When the first automobile ambulance was created in Chicago in 1899, it had the an attractive allure due to its speed and novelty. Young, educated men were drawn to this and, in fact, many young men had to learn to drive first, before they could serve. There was also prestige to driving these ambulances, and volunteers were considered "gentlemen drivers"and equivalent to officers. 
            

Early automobile ambulance 

          Moreover, a number of these famous poets and writers who became ambulance drivers did so because they did not pass the qualifications to serve. Some had bad vision, such as Hemingway, and in Maugham's case, some were too old or too short. People joined to help serve the country, to be with their friends and people they knew, and for adventure. Many of them simply joined the army to escape their dull lives. Many soldiers in the war, however, looked down on these ambulance drivers for having non-combattive roles in the war. 
          Being part of this war experience first-hand provided for a lot of literary subject matter. It inspired many of the famous poets and authors, as they had much time to think while driving and were emotionally moved by witnessing the suffering of war. Hemingway, for example, published A Farewell to Arms, which was about an ambulance driver who fell in love with a nurse in the war. e.e. Cummings wrote The Enormous Room about his own experience in a French prison. 
          After returning from war, many of these authors were too restless to stay at home. They continued to travel in order to experience and see new things, inspiring more of their later poems. 

Sources:
http://www.firstworldwar.com/poetsandprose/ambulance.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_ambulance_drivers_during_World_War_I
http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/literature/laureates/1954/hemingway-bio.html
http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/169718/John-Dos-Passos
http://www.poets.org/poet.php/prmPID/156
http://www.ctspanish.com/legends/isabella1.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grande_Armée
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Farewell_to_Arms
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Enormous_Room
http://www.powerweb.net/bbock/war/trans.html
http://www.google.com/imgres?q=WWI+ambulance&um=1&hl=en&client=safari&sa=N&rls=en&biw=1186&bih=632&tbm=isch&tbnid=nPjh5lvQYOZHKM:&imgrefurl=http://www.ourstory.info/library/2-ww1/Keplinger/kepTC.html&docid=fAEguopZZd6yPM&imgurl=http://www.ourstory.info/library/2-ww1/Keplinger/thumbs/smk001tn.jpg&w=432&h=399&ei=ahxpUIW0HuH30gHT5YGoBA&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=800&vpy=302&dur=50&hovh=216&hovw=234&tx=104&ty=129&sig=106803548166308161713&page=1&tbnh=124&tbnw=134&start=0&ndsp=18&ved=1t:429,r:10,s:0,i:118

Pin-Up Girls: Sexist or Morale Booster for Troops?

Betty Grable, famous pin-up girl from the 1940s

    The 1940s was a decade of hardships and loss; World War II was not only hard on the soldiers physically, but mentally as well. It wasn't easy seeing close friends lose their lives every day on the battlefield, and being away from home was a struggle for many.

    Thus, the Pin-Up girl was born. A pin-up girl is a model whose mass-produced pictures see wide appeal as popular culture. They are intended for informal display, generally found "pinned-up" on a wall. 

    Soldiers across the United States who were either away at training camp or off at war filled their walls with pin-up models like Betty Grable, Bettie Page, and Esther Williams. They were considered to be a sign of good luck for the troops and a reminder of what they were fighting to come back home to. 

    The images of these gorgeous women could be found in newspapers, magazines, and advertisements. Due to such popular demand, posters, paintings, calendars, and photographs began to be mass produced in order to satisfy the country's craving for the voluptuous All-American women. 

    There's been a long standing debate about whether or not this concept of a pin-up girl is degrading to women, and I'm not sure there will ever be a clear consensus on the issue. On one hand, women are being objectified; they are being photographed while wearing little to no clothing and hung on walls for men to look at. On the other hand, if that's the least we could do for our troops while they fight for the safety of our country, then is it really all that bad?  

    This question is purely opinion based, but if we're asking for opinions here I might as well share mine. I'm not sure I see anything wrong with this concept. These girls are willingly allowing themselves to be labeled as "objects" in order to further motivate the troops overseas to fight and return home safely. War is ugly and horrifying, and anything we can do to brighten the soldiers' days and keep them sane sounds good to me. As we say today, "No harm, no foul."

 

Sources: 

http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=409

http://grableonline.tripod.com/betty001.jpg

http://foodtruckfestivalsofne.com/the-history-of-the-pin-up-girl/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pin-up_girl

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hEDgymwImhg

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0656114/bio

http://www.biography.com/people/esther-williams-259340

Not Just a Poet, but a Painter Too!

Edward Estlin (E.E.) Cummings was born in October of 1894 in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and passed away in September of 1962, at the age of 65.  Cummings is most famous for his poetry, which he began writing at only 10 years of age.

Cummings was a unique poet of his time period, veering from the traditional forms of 20th century poetry and experimenting a lot with unusual typography (alteration of the traditional capitalization, punctuation, appearance, and form).  He eventually settled into his own unique style of poetry though and became very popular for his poets about war and sex, consisting of simple, easy to understand language.

Cummings was not just a poet, but a widely praised painter also.  His paintings actually reflect his style of poetry in a way.  Just looking a a piece of his artwork, it seems as if he pictures a certain scene, then adds vibrance and life and emotion to it by distorting what the would "normally" look like.


The painting below is called "Fantastic Sunset." Being an abstract piece of art, it is hard to say this is a painting of a sunset just by looking at it.  Cummings adds a twist to his art in order to convey his feelings about a certain scene or moment in time.  He uses very vivid colors and a puts a sort of twisting, windy movement to this particular painting, possibly conveying some happiness mixed with confusion.

"Fantastic Sunset" by E.E. Cummings

There were a number of people who loved Cummings's poetry but did not think his paintings lived up to the same standards.  Cummings pushed the boundaries and veered a lot from traditional ways of painting and writing.  He still however gained much respect and became very famous, mostly for his poetry.


The video below is a slideshow of some of E.E. Cummings's famous paintings accompanied by music.



SOURCES:
http://www.dailyartfixx.com/tag/e-e-cummings/
http://www.poets.org/poet.php/prmPID/156
http://www.artsofinnovation.com/cummings.html
http://eecummingsart.com/prosp/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y5jQKwiVr1A

Dada- Is it Art or Not?

The Dada movement was a European literary and artistic movement lasting from 1916 to 1923.  It began in Zurich, Switzerland as a reaction to World War I.  Dadaists believed that the war was irrational, and the reasons for it- nationalism and rationalism- were absurd.  Therefore, these protestors began a movement that mocked the direction their society was headed in.  

Fountain by Marcel Duchamp

They decided that Dadaism consisted of  "non-art." This art form did not really make sense, and has very little significance if we only pay attention to the art itself.  The rationale behind WHY the Dada movement occurred is what makes the movement significant.  Otherwise, the art was extremely odd and meaningless.  Artwork from this movement is mostly colorful, sarcastic, silly, odd, and sometimes scattered.  A well-known example is Fountain by Marcel Duchamp (shown to the right).  This is exactly what it looks like- a picture of a urinal signed by "R. Mutt."  This is just one of the many examples of ridiculous, bizarre Dada artwork.

Deciding on a title for this movement was not easy.  Richard Huelsenbeck ultimately came up with the term by randomly sticking a knife into a dictionary.  "Dada" is French for a hobbyhorse.  It also mimics the first words of a child, which was particularly attractive due to the foolish and childish nature of the movement.  

The Dada movement was just an odd and absurd reaction to to World War I.  It was influenced by Cubism, Futurism, Constructivism, and Expressionism, yet it was far more meaningless than any of those styles.  The absurdity of this movement is what makes the concept difficult to grasp- it is not art, but it is- Dadaism is simple, yet so baffling.

SOURCES:
http://www.theartstory.org/movement-dada.htm
http://arthistory.about.com/cs/arthistory10one/a/dada.htm
http://www.pbs.org/greatwar/
http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/duch/hd_duch.htm
http://mama.indstate.edu/users/dada/huelsenbeck.html
http://phomul.canalblog.com/archives/stieglitz__alfred/index.html (picture)

The Lost Generation

          "The Lost Generation" has a few different meanings. According to some, it is known as the time from the end of WWI to the beginning of the Great Depression. Others think of it as the people who came of age during and soon after WWI. This generation was generally presumed to be born between 1883 and 1900, and in Europe, it is known as "The Generation of 1914," because this was the year in which World War I began. It is also known to be the people who died in WWI. More recently, it is referred to by some people as the generation of young adults today who do not leave home and begin a career and start a family.
          Today, however, the term is most widely thought of as a very distinguished group of writers, which included Ernest Hemingway, F. Scot Fitzgerald and Gertrude Stein. Apparently, this term originated with Gertrude Stein in France. The story is that she was getting her car fixed, but the job was unsatisfactory, so she asked the garage owner where his workers had been trained. The garage owner replied that the young workers were easy to train, but they were part of "une génération perdue," French for "a lost generation." He believed that these men in their twenties and thirties who had been through WWI were "the lost generation."

"The Lost Generation"

          In 1926, Ernest Hemingway published The Sun Also Rises, which utilized the term as the group of post-war expatriates. Hemingway, however, specified that he believed this generation was merely "battered, not lost." This generation was unified by the war experiences as well as the fact the they were born and raised in a society which had begun WWI.
          The three writers mentioned above were part of this "lost generation." While there were other writers of this time, including Sherwood Anderson, Kay Boyle, Hart Crane and Ford Maddox Ford, the three writers previously mentioned were the most influential. Because the term was mentioned in Hemingway's famous book, it stuck with these writers.
          After the war, people lost faith in the country. They believed that doing good and being good did not lead to goodness, because innocent people fought and died in the war. They had no faith in their previous "moral guideposts," and were therefore "lost."

"WWI soldiers"

Sources:
http://www.montgomerycollege.edu/Departments/hpolscrv/jbolhofer.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_War_I
http://www.english.illinois.edu/maps/depression/about.htm
http://www.historyguide.org/europe/lost-gen.html
http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/literature/laureates/1954/hemingway-bio.html
http://www.poets.org/poet.php/prmPID/315
http://www.gradesaver.com/author/sherwood-anderson/
http://www.poetryfoundation.org/bio/hart-crane
http://www.english.illinois.edu/maps/poets/a_f/boyle/bio.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ford_Madox_Ford
http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2011/09/are-todays-youth-really-a-lost-generation/245524/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lost_Generation
http://personal.stthomas.edu/KOEN2121/productionfinal/images/hemingway.jpg
http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.cagenweb.com/placer/images/WWI_soldiers.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.cagenweb.com/placer/military/wwi_draft.htm&h=364&w=500&sz=86&tbnid=1N6fT7eY-OcF7M:&tbnh=90&tbnw=124&prev=/search%3Fq%3DWWI%2Bsoldiers%26tbm%3Disch%26tbo%3Du&zoom=1&q=WWI+soldiers&usg=__xF-moMWM8gc-5X9ZF9TXwk6C54Y=&docid=JNGSocYimlrrCM&sa=X&ei=W8xfUMvJD6_V0gHr5oDwDA&ved=0CCIQ9QEwAA&dur=581

It's Up to the Women

Working women of the 1930s

     The 1930s was the era of the Great Depression, in which the women took on a completely new role. Now that the rebellious flapper stage was over, many expected women to resort back to their traditional roles; however, washing the dishes, cleaning the household, and strictly taking care of the children were all things of the past. They took it upon themselves to get a job and help support their families.

     Women began to acquire jobs as school teachers, nurses, factory workers, secretaries, social workers, and journalists. Although this was a major step for them, women still struggled to be treated as equal citizens. During the Depression,  they often worked for long hours, in poor conditions, and for half the pay of what a male would receive. Even though women began to work in factories, they still weren't considered suitable for heavy construction jobs, and they were sometimes stuffed into minuscule sewing rooms.

     In addition to the already deficient conditions that women worked in, they faced much social criticism because they were believed to be taking away jobs from the men. In many of these cases though, the women were doing the work at wages that most men wouldn't be willing to accept. These were types of things that made women so strong and courageous. Despite all of the obstacles in their way, they did what they thought best to keep their families secure.

     Although at the time many were against the new roles that women were taking on, when you take a step back and examine the crisis, the country would not have been able to piece itself back together without their help. Being able to bring in two incomes for some families helped significantly and single women needed the jobs to keep themselves afloat, especially if children were involved. The days of the quiet, obedient housewife were numbered and the rise of strong, independent women was on the horizon. As Eleanor Roosevelt once said, "A women is like a tea bag; you never know how strong it is until it's in hot water." 

Sources: 
http://paperchildren.com/2011/02/gender-roles-in-the-1930s/
http://www.gilderlehrman.org/history-by-era/great-depression/essays/women-and-great-depression
http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/Working_women.aspx
http://mayfieldfhs.wikispaces.com/file/view/1930_women.jpg/122494903/480x336/1930_women.jpg

Cheers

                                                                 
          Have you ever wondered why Prohibition was so unsuccessful in the 1900's, yet the ban on other drugs has been strictly enforced?

          The 18th Amendment to the Constitution in 1920 banned the manufacture, transportation and sale of alcohol in the United States until 1933, when it was appealed by the 21st Amendment. While Prohibition was enacted to prevent the "evil behaviors" associated with drinking alcohol, it actually caused a black market into which organized crime and gang violence became very prevalent. 

          This illegal production and sale of alcohol became known as bootlegging. Speakeasies were also opened, which were social places people could go to illegally drink alcohol. There were also people known as "rum runners", who smuggled alcohol across boarders, especially from Canada.

          These were all reasons that Prohibition was so difficult to enforce. While America banned alcohol, it was still embedded into the daily lives of other countries. It was a huge part of their social lives, and many countries prided themselves on the quality of their wines. 

         Another reason that Prohibition did not last is the fact that alcohol has been part of worldwide culture for centuries, beginning with its religious roots. Alcoholic beverages appear in the Bible, and many other religions use it in their rituals. While drunkenness in condemned in the Bible, the use of alcohol in moderation has been part of the world's history.  Alcohol, such as champagne, is also commonly used in celebrations.

          Wines were also often used in the ancient Indian healing system of Ayurveda. This system of medicine recommends wine for some specific health conditions and for some certain body types. 

          Breweries and vineyards have been a huge part of the economy for ages, so taking alcohol away from the United States hurt economies worldwide. 

          Alcohol's use is so old and widespread, many people thought of Prohibition as an infringement of their basic rights. 

Sources:

http://www.history.com/topics/prohibition

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eighteenth_Amendment_to_the_United_States_Constitution

http://www.archives.gov/education/lessons/volstead-act/

http://prohibitionrepeal.com/history/21st.asp

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/bootleg

http://www.thefreedictionary.com/speakeasies

http://www.vintageperiods.com/prohibition.php

http://visualartsminnesota.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/Speakeasy.jpg

http://nccam.nih.gov/health/ayurveda

https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihyphenhyphenx8ODbkOZ8uz2_4s_PK_EtjZWXyYGpIfzILMsasC6Nopl_jyiiZGcNNJoEDowwrqeKrl_650sk_0jg3-Hcnk-mmQYjOde03cZANFKDeKu0mHIjau9JWTT5ZGlJx4IJHIN7JtK3g1zBDa/s400/Monk+drinking+wine+right+out+of+the+barrel+Li+Livres+dou+Santé+by+en+Aldobrandino+of+Siena+-+France%2C+late+13th+century.+British+Library.jpeg