Assignment 2For Assignment #2, you will analyze the attached.docx

Assignment 2
For Assignment #2, you will analyze the attached image. By
analyzing the image, please answer the following questions:
1. How are the following ideas expressed in the image:
American imperialism, racial segregation, American military
force, and treatment of Native Americans?
2. Do you consider this image a positive image of America, or
is this a critical image of America? Explain your answer in
detail
SOC3310 Intercultural Communication Dr. Tom
Miller
Examples of past student final projects
Note: These samples are provided to illustrate
the desired format and someof the approaches
students have taken in the past. (The names have
been redacted.) A key part of this assignment
is that each of you will have to find what works
best for you and your interview subject.
PART ONE EXAMPLES – SUMMARY AND
ANALYSIS
SAMPLE #1

FinalProject: Life History of an Immigrant to
America
Introduction
For the purpose of this project, I interviewed my friend A, who
goes by N. N emigrated
from Israel in 2016, and is currently pursuing a Masters in
Human Rights Studies from Columbia
University. N is twenty six years old and is from Tel Aviv. N
was born and raised in Israel, and
speaks Hebrew as her first language, but is fluent in English.
We met in June while we were both
interning at the same department in the United Nations.
The interview was conducted on November 22nd, 2017, and
lasted about forty-five
minutes. However, due to some technical difficulties, the
recording was a bit fragmented. The
interview was conducted at N’s apartment in Bushwick.
Summary
The interview involved us talking about moving
to America from Israel. N mentions that
she did not feel Israeli enough when she was in
Israel. But now that she is here, she realizes

how
Israeli she really is.
The first question involved asking N if she
considered America her home. N mentioned
that even though she gravitates towards America and
her physical stuff is here, it is not really
home. The most striking pointmade was that moving
here made her realize how Israeli she is,
because of which she is not sure where home
is anymore.
The next question involved gauging her opinion of
whether this difference between being
Israeli in an American society is somethingshe
could reconcile if she stayshere long enough,
and
she did not believe that would be possible.
Nreiterated that she is just differently wired,
and sees
thingdifferently, and reads social situations
differently. She does agree, however, that it
would
become easier to read into social complexities
with time. She further mentions that she is

adopting an ‘American persona’, but it can never
change her enough for her to become
‘American’, as she didn’t growup here. This made
her feel sorrythat she did not growup here,
as it is a better place to be. It is
somethingshe would wish for her children.
The next question involved discussing whether she
would stay here upon graduation or
go back to Israel. N said that she was certain
she would stay when she first moved here,
but as
time passes she is unsure about that. She says
that theremight be more opportunities for her in
Israel.
The next question was about assimilating into the
American society, especially with her
moving with her partner and specifically making
American friends. This question elicited a
response implying her partner helped her deal with
the ssues she faced when she moved
here,
but it also kept her in a comfort zone of
speaking to her partner in Hebrew and being
the way

they were in Tel Aviv. Additionally, N mentioned
it being hard to make friends, but that
also that
that was never one of her priorities. Thus, this
has not been an issueto her. However, she did
make it a pointnot to get too involved in
the Israeli community here, as she did not
want to stay
in her comfort zone.
The next part of this portion of the interview
entailed talking about how her familial
relationships have changes sinceher move here. She
said that she talks to her parents more, and
appreciates them more as it would’ve been much
harder for her to be here without their
support.
Finally, it was asked whether she had trouble
understanding and following the American accent
when she first moved here. She didn’t, as she
explained that the Israeli culture is shaped by
American culture so the American accent is the
one she understands the best, and in fact is
the

baseline she uses for all otheraccents she encounters.
Analysis
Presentation of Self According to
Goffman, we are all dramaturgs playing a
role. N
herself talks about how she is a certain way
when she is with non-Israelis here, which
represents a role she is playing in American society.
She also mentions that when she moved
here with her girlfriend,she continued speaking to her
Hebrew, and was the same way with N
here as she was in Israel, which implied that
her role with her girlfriend did not change even
with their move. Additionally, she mentioned during
her interview that she even speaks English
to her Israeli friends and family in a
different manner. This code-switching is in
alignment to her
role as a member of the Israeli community.
However, it is implied that this role most aligns
with
her persona.

Her body language is very relaxed, and she exudes
confidence. She does not give the
impression of being embarrassed of her accent
or pronunciation, but does not hesitate to ask
how a word is pronounced when she is unsure.
Dialect and Accent N has a heavy
accent and sometimes struggles with the
pronunciation of certain uncommonly used words.
Her pronunciation of certain sounds such as
the first e in ‘definitely’, are different, with more of
an ‘ae’ sound. This is also observed in her
pronunciation of the word “better”. Additionally, her ts
and ds are softer. Finally, her
pronunciation of e where is should be ‘ee’ is
of i, as in pronouncing deal as “dill”
instead of
“deel”.
SAMPLE #2
Interview
I had the opportunity to interview my

aunt J who has been here in the United States
for
about 18 years. Before I camehere I didn’t
know anything about her. We just met four
years
ago, but she became like a mother to me. We
both spend a lot of time together and share
a lot
of our problems, she is my aunt but at the same
time my best friend. She migrated to the
United States when she was very young and
doesn’t have the opportunity to go back
Ecuador
yet. I wanted to interview her because I think
that it should be very hard for someone who
leave her country so many years and don’t
have the opportunity to go back for at least a
vacation. The interview with her took place at a
Colombian restaurant called Sebas Sebas,
most
of the time we go thereto drink a coffee or
have lunch together, while having a
conversation
about how was our day. Sebas Sebas is like
the place where we know more about
each other,

give each othersupport and have a good time together. I
knew this restaurant would be the
perfect place to interview my aunt Jessica. I
went to her house on a Sunday and took
her out to
eat at this restaurant. I brought with me a
pen and paper to writedown our
conversation, since
she doesn’t like pictures or videos neither to be
recorded. While we ordered our food, I
was
letting my aunt know what the interview was going
to be about, and she was okay with it. As I
have mentioned we spend time together and talk
about what’s going to go on in our
lives, but I
had never asked her the reason for why she
cameto the United States.
Analysis
When people want to interview someone, it is
very important to do it face to face. In my
opinion is much better to do it this way

because you can see the interviewee body
language
too. Body Language is a key when having a
conversation because what the interview does not
tell you in words you can tell how they feel or
what they really what to say, just by examining
their body languages. A face to face interview it is
also important for the interviewer because
they can be more concentrated when doing the
interview. If you have to do an interview over
the phone you are most likely to get distracted
with otherthings going on around you and
you
will not be paying attention to what the otherperson
is saying. In this interview me and my
aunt were together, so for me it was very easy to
tell the emotions that my aunt was having
when she was answering my questions, I had the
opportunity to see her body language and
how she was very concentrated during the whole
conversation, I got very concentrated too. I
also recommend to try to find someone who can
communicate with you in the same language
as your interview has to be. For example, my

interview should have been in English because
the
transcription has to be in English, so it was
going to be easier for me to tell my
aunt’s accents
and the way she speaks another new language. Even
though it was a little hard to tell her
accents in the interview, therewere times when
she included an English word in her answers,
so by hearing someof those words I already
could tell the little accent that she has. Since
I
know her already for about four years, every
time when we go out together, for example
when
we are at the mall I hear her speak English in
somestores, so I already know her accent
and
how comfortable she feels speaking in otherlanguage.
Summary
This interview was very interesting for me because
I knew more things about my aunt’s

life. All the sacrifices that she had to make, the
important and painful decisions that she had to
decided. All the struggle that she had to face to
come here to the United States. The
problems
that she faced once she was here. Mostimportantly,
how difficult was to her to adapt here and
I can relate to that because even though I
am living around four or five years in
the U.S I still do
not feel comfortable. People would thinkthat the
main problem for someone who is trying to
come to America for the first time,in order to
get a better life, better opportunities and
achieve
their dreams, is only in the way how they manage to
come here. But, people are wrong. The
real struggle is when the person is already
here. For my aunt it was difficult to try to
get a visa
to come to the United States, but most the
major difficulties were when she camehere
and had
no one to help here. She didn’t know anyone
here, she could not communicate with the
majority of people here because of the new

language.
Another major problem for my aunt J was
the way of living here. In Ecuador she was
used to another completely different life style.
There were a lot of obstacles that she had to
face because of her decision to come to the
U.S. As she told me, thereare times where
she
regrets having come to the United States,
but the problems and depression that she was
facing
after her divorce obligated her to make this
decision. She knew that if she had the courage
to
stand up for herself, don’t give up and fight
for her future, she would not have had to
migrate
to another country, but she was so affected that
she only saw the option of coming to the
United States. Of course, almost all the time
she is happy to be here because she likes
traditions
and things that Americans do here, and she is
already adapted to this country. First of all

she is
always thankful for all the people who helped
her at the beginning, she is also thankful to
have
a job because she has the opportunity to help
her dad in Ecuador, she had the opportunity to
buy her own little house in Ecuador because of all
her hard work, she has a family now here
and
even though she misses her country, she knows
that everything happens for a reason, and
that
all of the obstacles that she faced by migrating to
the U.S made her be a courageous and
strong
woman.
SAMPLE #3
Between Port Said and New York City
In order to conduct the interview, Y and I met on a Wednesday
morning at the
corner of 42nd Street and 10th Avenue. I met Y a several weeks
ago for the first time. Y

works the night shift of a food truck in Hell’s Kitchen. I was
on my way back home from
my Philosophy class in the Upper East Side, when I saw the
food truck and suddenly felt
hungry. It was going to be the first time I ate something from a
street food truck in New
York City. Therefore, and due to my lack of experience when it
comes to New Yorker
street food, I asked Y which plate he recommends. He
suggested the rice and chicken
combo with his special sauce. Before he started cooking, I
asked Y if I could pay by card.
As I learned then, food trucks only take cash. Unfortunately, I
did not carry any cash
with me. Nevertheless, Y prepared the rice and chicken menu
for me, despite the fact
that I could not pay him. I promised him that I would come
back and so I did. After our
first encounter, I stopped by his food truck once a week and got
his rice and chicken
menu with his signature sauce.
We always had a very pleasant chat when I stopped at his food

truck. Hence, he
was the first person that came to my mind when this assignment
was given to us.
Actually, the food truck is not his but according to Y, business
goes down when he is
absent for a while. On that account, I like to call the food truck
his. He seemed a bit
hesitant when I first asked him if he would be willing to
participate in this interview and
tell me about himself. He was worried about his English skills
as he considers his
English rather bad. I explained the purpose of the interview and
assured him that I do
not have difficulties understanding him. At the end, he agreed
but warned me several
times about his “bad English”.
Y was born in Egypt and his entire family still lives in Egypt;
in a city called Port
Said. He has a wife and three children; two girls and one boy.
His mother lives very
close to his house where his wife and children live. When he
goes back to Port Said, he
visits his mother daily. He used to practice javelin as a
professional athlete. He

belonged to the top five javelin athletes in Egypt. Sport made it
possible for him to
travel around a little bit.
As mentioned previously, Y works the night shift in the food
truck. Hence, we
met on a chilly morning at 8am after his shift. We went to a
coffee house I had
suggested. I wanted to invite him as a thank you for his time
and help. He refused and
ended up paying my breakfast. I was not very happy about it
but I also did not want to
insult him. The place was quite busy and music was playing.
Once we sat down, I asked
Y one more time if he felt comfortable with the recording of the
conversation. He said it
was okay but that his English was not good enough. As the
music was quite loud, I was
worried that the voice memo from my iPhone would only record
the music but not our
conversation.
The entire interview lasted 46 minutes. The roles were clearly
distributed at the

beginning of the interview. I was the interviewer and Y was the
interviewee. At some
point of the interview, the exchange became more natural. I
decided to transcribe the
first part of our interview because I think it shows the
“transformation” of Y during the
interview. At the beginning, he appeared to be quite tense and
his answers were rather
brief. After a short while, he seemed to accommodate himself
and feel more relaxed; his
statements became more lively and detailed. Additional
evidence of this process of
relief– which unfortunately cannot be fully conveyed through
this summary or the
transcription – were the subtle changes of Y’s adaptors, i.e. his
posture, gestures, and
facial expressions. My impression was that Y was always aware
of the recording.
Our previous conversations as well as the conversation we
maintained after the
interview was completed had been more “natural” or fluent than
the interview. Both of
us were not thoroughly laid-back. One of the reasons for this
could have been the

unusual environment. Usually we meet in the evening at the
food truck. Even though Y
became more relaxed after a while, I still noticed a slight
change in his way of speaking
and voice when I stopped the recording. Also, I think he made
more errors during the
interview than he normally does.
When analyzing my patterns, I noticed that I used nodding as
regulator quite
often during the interview. Additionally, I applied “hm”, “ok”,
“I see”, and “yes” as an
answer. This is a pattern I had not noticed before. However, a
pattern I was conscious
of before revealed itself during the interview; I adapt my way of
speaking to my
counterpart. Given that Y did not always formulate entire
sentences, I started to omit
parts of a full sentence too. Code-switching is deeply anchored
in my language habit;
switching between languages, adapting the word order, or using
a different vocabulary.
I have been told that the tone of my voice changes depending on

the language I speak.
Though, I cannot hear it myself.
As mentioned before, I noticed that I was not feeling relaxed
either. It was very
important to me to make Y feel as comfortable as possible. I
felt guilty for having him
doing the interview after he had been working a 10 hours shift.
It was him that
suggested the time for the interview. Nevertheless, I felt bad
about it.
After the “official” interview we continued to chat. Y then told
me that he is
thinking about moving to South Carolina and starting his own
business. He would like
to open an Italian Restaurant since he enjoys cooking. He has
been living in South
Carolina for a short period before coming to New York City and
liked it very much. Not
only are the costs lower in South Carolina but the people are
friendlier than in New York
according to Y. If he moves to South Carolina and starts a
business over there, he would
bring his wife and children to the U.S.

With reference to Goffman’s statement: “Choose your self-
presentations
carefully, for what starts out as a mask may become your face “,
I realized that it is quite
difficult to change our “mask” and perform when required. At
least that is a conclusion I
discovered for myself.
PART 2 EXAMPLES: TRANSCRIPTS ANDC.A.
SAMPLE #4
A: What is your name, age, and where were you born?
Y: My name is [Y]. I was born in Mexico in the state of
Morelos, I am thirty-eight years old
A: Did you live all your childhood in Morelos?
Y: Part of my childhood I lived in Morelos and after I moved to
Pueblo during my adolescence
A: Which did you prefer living in? Puebla or Morelos?
Y: I like both states but I can say that Morelos is my preferred
place because of the climate the

climate is very beautiful, it’s very spring, all year round its
spring in Morelos, and I like that climate
more
A: At what age did you migrate to the United States?
Y: I migrated to the United States at the age of 18
A: Who did you migrate with? Did you come alone?
Y: I came from Mexico to here married, with my ex-husband
A: What did you leave behind?
Y: In Mexico there were a lot of things left behind, the family
was left behind, the friends, the
memories from my childhood that one had there
A: What was the most difficult thing to leave behind?
Y: The hardest part was leaving the family behind
A: How was the process or coming to the United States? Why
did you want to come here?
Y: The process more than anything to come here was to form a
future, a future that in Mexico one
would not have been able to because of the economy that the
country suffers and we decided to
come to New York because it’s in the closest country and that
was the choice we made

A: How was your life before migrating?
Y: My life before migrating in Mexico was a normal life, as a
child I was going to Middle school,
I was a student, and had a job as a nanny, I would study and
then work in the afternoons
A: What’s a memory from your childhood that you like
Y: I memory I have from my childhood is, I liked the afternoons
at the Plaza of the town
A: What would you do at the plaza?
Y: We would ride our bikes around the plaza, we would play
basketball, these are some memories
I cherish that I won’t forget
A: ->How was your journey to the United Sates?
Y: ((speaker sighs)) -> The journey it was ::: a very long
journey of (.) many days
A: ->About how many? How were the conditions?
Y: -> What I remembered was that at (.) first on the side of (.)
Mexico it was hot, and the more we
::: walked (.) hh and the more the hours passed (.) toward the
border of the (.) U.S the climate was
changing (.) we felt the :::cold (.) and there was :::rain hh I

remembered it rained on us (.) our :::
clothes were wet (.) and it was the month of February hh so the
temperature was ::very low
A: _>I know there are two ways to cross illegally by crossing el
Rio Grande and by foot (.) why
did you decide to :::walk?
Y: ->We decided to walk because although it’s a ::: longer
journey we believed that it would be
the safest (.) I remember we would walk a :::mountain (.) and
once we had :::finally reached the
:::top we would then have to walk down the :::same mountain
on the :::other side (.) and have to
go :::up :::another :::mountain (.) hh I don’t even know how
many mountains we walked up and
down hh but it was :::mountains and mountains (.) there was a
moment when we were all tired and
exhausted hh we didn’t have water or food (.) it was a very long
and difficult walk and in some
occasions we walk on the edge of the mountains (.) hh and they
were tall and we had to walk
:::very carefully because if we took a bad step we would fall
from this immense and high mountain

(.) hh :::at night it was also :::very dangerous because someone
could fall down and below there
was a river
A: -> About how many people were with you when you crossed?
(.) Were you all able to cross?
Y: I remember (.) it was a small group of about (.) fifteen
people and yes (.) we were all able to
cross I don’t recall if I was the only woman or if there were
others with us
A: ->When you finally arrived to the U.S how did you feel?
Y: (.)After all these events we arrived to San Diego California
(.) we drove to a house in San Diego
(.) we all felt ::: relieved and happy and we were finally about
to eat since we hadn’t eaten in days
(.) we were able to shower we were happy but we still had a
long trip since our destination was to
arrive to New York.
A: ->Was there something specific that made you realize how
different New York was?
Y: ->Well everything was different there wasn’t anything
specific that I noted that there was a
difference between what I saw here in New York and in Mexico
because truly :::everything,

everything was different the people acted different, the food
was different, the language here, there
are also many languages, everything, everything was different
hh (.) -> I remember when we
arrived to Brooklyn (.) we didn’t have jobs and we were looking
for a job (.) but we needed clothes
because it was starting to get cold hh (.) and the first clothes
we acquired were from the street (.)
It was a typical street in Brooklyn where people we sell their
merchandise on the street (.) and I
remember we got closer to look at the sweaters (.) and I still
remember that all the sweaters cost
two dollars each (.) and there were many sizes small (.)
medium (.) large hh and (.) J I remember
I was with some family members and everyone was excited
picking out their sweaters because
they were only two dollars (.) We were excited because they
were inexpensive and we would have
clothes for the cold (.) hh and everyone grabbed their packages
(.) and when we got home and
opened them their sizes were incorrect (.) the ones that were
large were small (.) and it was funny
because were all so happy to have our clothes but then we

realized why they cost two dollars (.)
and it was like acquiring something for a low price but bad
quality (.) and at the end we just ended
up laughing about what had happened to us. That I’ll never
forget J
SAMPLE #5
Transcript
I: (laughs) maybe you want that, maybe you need it. Okay, ever
since you’ve come here have
you made any American friends?
N: Yeah, few
I: And like how close are you with them? Do you feel
comfortable?
N: So I have one close friend and the others are like I’m friends

with them but like im not
sharing personal things with them
I: but has it been easy for you to make American friends or no?
N: no, but it wasn’t like the purpose. Like its not like I haven’t
tried to have American friends
necessarily, you know like
I: like you don’t go after them based on their nationality, like
its who they are as a person
N: Yeah, but I definitely kind of did not want to be a part of the
whole the Israeli groups that
there are here like I wanted to be out there, not to keep like stay
in my comfort zone in a way.
Yeah, but Americans are definitely different, weird in some
ways. But they would probably say
the same about me and others (laughs) As my dad always tells
me thirty two hundred Americans
are not wrong – cannot be wrong
I: why thirty-two hundred?
N: thirty-two thousand? Thirty-two what thirty how many?
I: million?
N: million

I: like the population?
N: the population
I: what? Like this is not like Seychelles or whatever that you
would only have thirty-two
hundred people (laughs)
N: Seychelles? (laughs) I don’t why…
I: its this small random place! (laughs)
N: (laughs)
I: how have your relationships with your parents and your
brothers changed since you got here?
N: um, its hard to tell, because there have been a lot of changes
that are not necessarily related to
me moving here. Um, well I’m not that sure but I might feel
closer and a little bit more I don’t
know attached in a way I don’t know I feel like without their
support I probably have a hard time
so it kind of like I appreciate that more in a way. But I cannot
point to like a visible change, like
not necessarily visible but like any change that I can totally
define.
I: Are you still in touch with your friends from Israel? Or did

you lost touch cause you got so
busy here?
N: um, with the closer friends, yeah definitely. We’re trying to
talk once in a few days, but yeah
I had circles of friends that are not part of my life anymore
cause like im not there, so some hate
it. But that’s fine, you know. Friendships.
I: when you got here, did you have trouble understanding the
American accent?
N: no, yeah. Like Israeli culture is super like its shaped by
American culture, so I was definitely
used to hearing that accent. Like this is the accent that I kind of
measure every English I hear
against. You know, this is kind of
I: hm. Baseline
N: Yeah. But it was definitely different. Like it wasn’t easy in
the beginning to kind of make this
switch in the language.
SAMPLE #6 (C.A. portion only)

I: “Are you close with your Italian side of your family?”
A: “-> (falling pitch) Yea, but just because the simple fact that I
lived in Italy, so they were
closer to get to. ::: But.. it’s not a preference thing, it’s just by
the simple fact that were closer to
me, :::so.
I: “:::Do you feel that the Italian culture is much different from
the ⇑ (speeding up) American
culture?”
A: “:::Ooooh, absolutely.”
I: “What is the strongest difference?”
A: “:::Hmm.., ⇓ (slowing down) there is a ton, but I would say
that ((PAUSE FOR ABOUT 3
SECONDS)). This might sound stupid J (laughing), but I think
the way that people consider a
friendship in Italy ⇓ (slowing down) is that, your friend is your
brother, ⇑ (speeding up) if you
know what I am saying. It’s not just an acquaintance. Here in
America, ⇓ (slowing down) or,
rather in New York, because America is pretty big. :::But, I
would say New York specifically,
:::eeeh, (slowing down) ⇓ I would say that I can be your friend

today, and tomorrow, (falling
pitch) -> but we might not even cross paths. (speeding up) ⇑ I
mean, we won’t know each other,
⇓ (slowing down) you know. In Italy, I still talk to the people
that knew and saw me when I was
a baby, literally. People that have ⇑ (speeding up) gotten
married, and got kids, ⇓ (slowing
down) they still talk to me, you know, :::and it is something that
I don’t think I can find, or will
find here in America. Maybe one person out of the ten year that
I lived here is still close to me,
ONE. I am not even close to the friends that I had in high
school J (laughing) :::So, so that goes
to say about this.
I: “:::Yea, ⇓ (slowing down) I hear you.”
A: “:::Another thing, I was with my girlfriend the other day, and
we pointed this out, ((PAUSE
FOR ABOUT 2 SECONDS)). that a lot of people here tend to
eat out at restaurants. (speeding
up) ⇑ For example, ⇓ (slowing down) eating at home in Italy is
almost like religious. :::Like, you
have to be at :::home, eeh, (speeding up) ⇑ it’s like, it’s like, ⇓

(slowing down) it’s a MUST.
You know, here it’s like people eat out, there is not really any
time to spend with your :::family,
or to even sit at the table to talk about whether your day was
:::good or bad, (falling pitch) -> you
know, :::so, (speeding up) ⇑ I feel like that’s something that I
am losing as well, (slowing down)
⇓ while I am living here in America.”
Find an event that occurred this week that moves you. You must
be able to relate it to the current chapter in some way –
creativity is welcome. For instance, let’s say you read about the
war in Afghanistan and parts of Pakistan. After reading the
article, you check a world map and find that some remote parts
of Pakistan are near the Himalayan Mountain Range. You will
discover in Chapter 3 that the Himalayas were formed by a
convergence of two continental plates, the Indian plate and the
Eurasian plate, which causes a convergence zone that resulted
in mountain uplift. And, voila!, the Himalayans are formed.
Remember, geology is all about connections. The physical
environment always sets the context for human events, and,
often, they have a more direct influence than you may initially
imagine. For example, you’re not worried about a tsunami if
you live in North Dakota, but you are much more aware of the
Pleistocene glaciations than you would be if you lived in
Arizona.
You may use an article from the following sources:
Reuters

National Public Radio
Another news outlet if you include a paragraph telling me why
you chose it.
Turn in:
A document that includes the entire story (copy and pasted from
the original site).
The citation (where you got it and when).
The link.
A map of the location of the event that was not included in the
article.
Paragraph of what you think about the news (good, bad,
indifferent – just tell me why).
Paragraph explaining at least one geologic connection that
relates to this week’s chapter.
Directions for Assignments
You will need to complete assignments for this class. These
assignments are based on short primary source reading
documents. For each one you will need to read it closely, and
then answer the questions on the bottom of the reading sample.
Remember, these are supposed to be thought provoking
questions, and each answer should be detailed and expressive.
Each assignment will be turned in through Safe Assign. When
you finish, you will click on the green checkmark that says
“Turn in Assignment” and follow the directions. It should be
very simple.
As far as grading goes, you will not be graded on grammar,
rather on content. These are not formal papers, but simply
reflection pieces. If you have any questions, please feel free to
email me.
Here are some specific do’s and don’ts:
1. DO NOT include the reading sample in your submission. I
only want the answers turned in. I will deduct points for this.
2. You should write the question, then answer it. Don’t combine
the answers into one long answer.

3. Answer in your own words. There is no need to go to any
other source material. Just tell me what you think.
4. Spend some time thinking about your answer. Don’t just
throw an answer together and slap it down on paper. Put some
thought in your answer.
5. Don’t ask me how long every answer should be. The answer
is simple: long enough to thoroughly answer the question. None
of the questions I have asked can be answered in less than a
paragraph.
Popular Culture during the Great Depression
All Americans suffered to some degree during the Great
Depression. Their suffering and coping mechanisms, as well as
traditional American values such as self-determination, self-
reliance, and optimism, were reflected in the popular culture of
the 1930s. Movies came into their own during the depression,
and some believe it was the Golden Age of Hollywood. At the
start of the depression, "talkies" were a novelty. By the time the
depression was coming to an end, Americans were entranced by
lavish musicals and epics in color.
In the earliest days of the Great Depression, theaters had to
drastically reduce prices to keep people coming. But movies
came to be an inexpensive way to escape reality, and whoever
could save on the cost of admission would welcome a couple
hours away from reality. By the end of the decade, an average
of 80 million tickets were sold every week.
Blockbuster musicals reflected renewed hope and dramatic epics
reminded viewers they weren't struggling alone. Nearly all the
films produced at this time reflected the country's changing
value system. Some of the biggest movies of the 1930s were
Little Caesar (1930); Dracula (1931); Duck Soup (1933); Mr.
Smith Goes to Washington (1939); The Wizard of Oz (1939);
Gone with the Wind (1939); and, perhaps the most timely and
realistic movie of the era, The Grapes of Wrath (1940), based
on the classic John Steinbeck novel.
Two board games that are still popular today were invented

during the Great Depression. One was Monopoly. It seems
contradictory that a game about earning money and bankrupting
your competitor would become so popular during an economic
depression. Perhaps it was an escape from reality, or maybe the
possibility of getting rich, even using fake money, was its
allure. Another game invented during the depression was
Scrabble. This famous and well-loved word game was invented
by an unemployed architect who wanted to create a game
requiring good vocabulary skills with the element of chance.
The legions of Scrabble fans have grown over the years, and
tournaments, special dictionaries, and clubs can be found
throughout the country.
Art, Music, Literature, and Sports
The exuberant music and behavior of the 1920s was reflected in
the artistic movements of that decade, with abstract and modern
paintings in vogue. In just such a way, the gritty truth of day-to-
day American life during the Great Depression was reflected in
its art, known as "The American Scene." Paintings and
sculptures were realistic, with a touch of idealism. Painters,
sculptors, and photographers had a wealth of subject matter, and
their work remains popular today as a visual record of the era.
Two of the most prolific photographers were Dorothea Lange
and Walker Evans, whose stark photographs revealed a grinding
poverty balanced by the strength of the human spirit.
Reading, as always, remained a convenient way to escape from
reality. During the 1930s, several notable new writers emerged
on the scene. One, Theodor Seuss Geisel (Dr. Seuss), became
one of the most beloved children's authors. His first book, And
to Think I Saw It on Mulberry Street, was published in 1936. It
was about a young boy who uses his imagination to change a
horse and wagon into an extraordinary beast. John Steinbeck is
perhaps the best-known adult novelist to write about the Great
Depression. His books, although works of fiction, used his keen
eye for observation and detail to reflect the experiences of those
around him. His 1936 novel, In Dubious Battle, was about a
fruit pickers' strike in California. Of Mice and Men was

published the following year and detailed the experiences of
two men whose dreams were destroyed by the drought in the
Midwest. His third novel, The Grapes of Wrath (1939), clearly
transmitted how hope for the future and love of family could
hold a family together as they migrated westward in search of a
better life.
Many other authors who remain popular today published during
the depression era. Margaret Mitchell's 1936 novel, Gone with
the Wind, although set during the Civil War, spoke of the same
type of deprivation and survival skills that depression era
families were forced to use. Some of Ernest Hemingway's most
popular works were also published in the 1930s; they include
Death in the Afternoon, Green Hills of Africa, and To Have and
Have Not. Pearl S. Buck's Pulitzer Prize–winning novel, The
Good Earth, was published in 1931. Aldous Huxley, best known
for his 1932 novel, Brave New World, speculated on the
downfall of civilization several centuries in the future.
In the world of comics, two well-loved superheroes were also
"born" during the Great Depression, and one little red-haired
girl moved into the nation's hearts. Superman was dreamed up
by two teens from Cleveland. He debuted in 1938 as a champion
of the oppressed. His character has spawned TV shows, movies,
and all types of toys, without losing any of his original appeal.
Batman came out a year later. Both he and Superman reflect the
New Deal liberalism of the day, with Batman reflecting
President Roosevelt as a wealthy man who adopts a different
persona to fight injustice. Finally, Little Orphan Annie
demonstrated that the super rich could still be "good guys," as
Daddy Warbucks, her benefactor, rescued her from a life as a
poor orphan and helped her fight villains.
The decade's music also reflected both the highs and lows of the
Great Depression, as hope again appeared on the horizon. It ran
the gamut from soulful blues and spirituals to bouncy tunes
meant to keep one humming while one worked. The song "Blue
Skies," released in 1927, was all about the shining days of the
optimistic 1920s; "Stormy Weather" (1933) was the exact

opposite: "Don't know why there's no sun up in the sky … Life
is bare, gloom and misery everywhere …." And then there was
the classic theme song from 1939's Wizard of Oz. Sung by Judy
Garland, "Over the Rainbow" promised that better days lay
ahead if one could only believe.
The most popular sports of the depression era were boxing,
baseball, and football. Household names from back then are still
recognizable today: Lou Gehrig, Babe Ruth, Joe DiMaggio, and
Joe Louis. Two black sports stars of the decade proved that
racist attitudes were still very much a part of society. The first
was Jesse Owens, who won four gold medals at the 1936 Berlin
Olympics. As Hitler and his racist policies were growing,
Owens forced the world to recognize his talent. The second was
Joe Louis, who fought German boxer Max Schmeling in the late
1930s. Backing the black American over the white German,
Americans began a subtle shift in attitude toward African
Americans.
Questions:
1. Why do you believe that movies, sports and other forms of
entertainment became so popular during the Great Depression?
2. Why do you believe that the game of Monopoly became so
popular at the time?
3. What role does race, sex and class play in these cultural
elements?
4. It is safe to say that these cultural elements are still popular
today. Is the cause of their popularity today the same as the
Great Depression? In other words, do we like these things for
the same reasons that people did back then?
George W. Bush, 2001: (a) from Address to the Nation,

September 11; (b) from Address to the Nation, November 8; (c)
from Address to the United Nations, November 10
Basking in the glow of Cold War victory but somewhat adrift in
foreign affairs during the 1990s, on September 11, 2001 the
United States was given renewed purpose and direction—an evil
to confront. The war against terrorism provided a new forum for
the confirmation of its values as a nation and for its leadership
in the Western world, as these excerpts from President Bush's
speeches following the attack indicate.
Source: "We Wage a War to Save Civilization Itself," speeches
delivered to the people of the United States and to the General
Assembly of the United Nations on September 11, November 8
and 10, 2001. Contained in Vital Speeches of the Day, October
1, 2001, p. 738 and December 1, 2001, pp. 98-99, 103-104.
(a) ADDRESS DELIVERED TO THE NATION
(September 11, 2001)
Today, our fellow citizens, our way of life, our very freedom
came under attack in a series of deliberate and deadly terrorist
acts. The victims were in airplanes, or in their offices;
secretaries, businessmen and women, military and federal
workers; moms and dads, friends and neighbors. Thousands of
lives were suddenly ended by evil, despicable acts of terror. The
pictures of airplanes flying into buildings, fires burning, huge
structures collapsing, have filled us with disbelief, terrible
sadness and a quiet, unyielding anger. These acts of mass
murder were intended to frighten our nation into chaos and
retreat, but they have failed; our country is strong. A great
people has been moved to defend a great nation. Terrorist
attacks can shake the foundations of our biggest buildings, but
they cannot touch the foundation of America. These acts
shattered steel, but they cannot dent the steel of American
resolve. American was targeted for attack because we're the
brightest beacon for freedom and opportunity in the world. And

no one will keep that light from shining...
(b) ADDRESS TO THE NATION
(NOVEMBER 8, 2001)
We are a different country than we were on September the
10th—sadder and less innocent; stronger and more united; and
in the face of ongoing threats, determined and courageous. Our
nation faces a threat to our freedoms, and the stakes could not
be higher. We are the target of enemies who boast they want to
kill—kill all Americans, kill all Jews, and kill all Christians.
We've seen that type of hate before—and the only possible
response is to confront it, and to defeat it.
This new enemy seeks to destroy our freedom and impose its
views. We value life; the terrorists ruthlessly destroy it. We
value education; the terrorists do not believe women should be
educated or should have health care, or should leave their
homes. We value the right to speak our minds; for the terrorists,
free expression can be grounds for execution. We respect people
of all faiths and welcome the free practice of religion; our
enemy wants to dictate how to think and how to worship even to
their fellow Muslims.
The enemy tries to hide behind a peaceful faith. But those who
celebrate the murder of innocent men, women, and children
have no religion, have no conscience, and have no mercy. We
wage war to save civilization, itself. We did not seek it, but we
must fight it—and we will prevail. This is a different war from
any our nation has ever faced, a war on many fronts, against
terrorists who operate in more than 60 different countries. And
this is a war that must be fought not only overseas, but also here
at home...
(c) ADDRESS TO THE UNITED NATIONS GENERAL
ASSEMBLY
(NOVEMBER 10, 2001)
We're asking for a comprehensive commitment to this fight. We
must unite in opposing all terrorists, not just some of them. In
this world there are good causes and bad causes, and we may
disagree on where the line is drawn. Yet, there is no such thing

as good terrorist. No national aspiration, no remembered wrong
can ever justify the deliberate murder of the innocent. Any
government that rejects this principle, trying to pick and choose
its terrorist friends, will know the consequences.
We must speak the truth about terror. Let us never tolerate
outrageous conspiracy theories concerning the attacks of
September the 11th; malicious lies that attempt to shift the
blame away from the terrorists, themselves, away from the
guilty. To inflame ethnic hatred is to advance the cause of
terror. The war against terror must not serve as an excuse to
persecute ethnic and religious minorities in any country.
Innocent people must be allowed to live their own lives, by
their own customs, under their own religion. And every nation
must have avenues for the peaceful expression of opinion and
dissent. When these avenues are closed, the temptation to speak
through violence grows...
As I've told the American people, freedom and fear are at war.
We face enemies that hate not our policies, but our existence;
the tolerance of openness and creative culture that defines us.
But the outcome of this conflict is certain: There is a current in
history and it runs toward freedom. Our enemies resent it and
dismiss it, but the dreams of mankind are defined by liberty—
the natural right to create and build and worship and live in
dignity. When men and women are released from oppression and
isolation, they find fulfillment and hope, and they leave poverty
by the millions. These aspirations are lifting up the peoples of
Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Americas, and they can lift up all
of the Islamic world. We stand for the permanent hopes of
humanity, and those hopes will not be denied. We're confident,
too, that history has an author who fills time and eternity with
His purpose. We know that evil is real, but good will prevail
against it. This is the teaching of many faiths, and in that
assurance we gain strength for a long journey...
We did not ask for this mission, yet there is honor in history's
call. We have a chance to write the story of our times, a story of
courage defeating cruelty and light overcoming darkness. This

calling is worthy of any life, and worthy of every nation. So let
us go forward, confident, determined, and unafraid.
QUESTION
In his speech of September 11, Bush states that the U.S. was
attacked "because we're the brightest beacon for freedom and
opportunity in the world." Do you agree with this assessment?
Why or why not?
“Decision to Deploy the Atomic Bomb”
By Robert Carlyle
From Encyclopedia of the Atomic Age
Perhaps the most debated decision by a U.S. president in the
20th century has been the decision made by Harry Truman to
proceed with the atomic bombing of Japan. Those who have
defended the decision, including Truman himself, argued that
the two weapons dropped over Japan (Hiroshima on August 6,
1945, and Nagasaki on August 9, 1945) brought World War II to
a speedy conclusion and saved the lives of many American
service personnel who would otherwise have been killed in the
invasion of Japan. Those who have criticized the decision argue
that Japan was ready to accept the terms of surrender that were
offered after the bombs were dropped and that Truman knew of
this position. Some have pointed out that a direct attack on
civilian targets represented a violation of international law and
treaty obligations of the United States.
Defenders of the decision counter that the Japanese had started
the war with an unprovoked attack on the United States, they
had been guilty of many violations of international law, and
they had a record of atrocities against civilians prior to and
during the war.
The estimates of the number of immediate and delayed
casualties from the two weapons have varied a great deal, but
most authorities agree that at least 100,000 civilians were killed

at Hiroshima and another 70,000 died at Nagasaki at the time of
the bombings. Thousands more died over the next weeks from
radiation poisoning and from burns and injuries suffered during
the bombings. Critics of the decision have questioned the
morality of such a large-scale attack on a civilian population,
especially if the attack was not needed to end the war.
Many of the facts and issues surrounding the decision have been
examined closely. The most debated and most important
specific issues in question have been these.
(1). What was the expected estimate of the number of American
casualties that would result from an invasion of Japan?
Although journalistic accounts and some public speeches
suggested that American casualties might reach 500,000 to 1
million, careful review of documents from the time suggest that
planners anticipated American casualties on the order of
200,000 to 300,000, including those injured. Defenders of
Truman's decision have continued to insist that the bombing was
justified for this reason alone. The employment by the Japanese
of suicide attacks by pilots of aircraft loaded with high
explosives had raised the casualty rate during the U.S. attacks
on the island of Okinawa, and continued high casualties from
such aircraft could be expected during an invasion of the
Japanese main islands.
(2). What was the relationship of Truman's decision to his view
of the Soviet Union? It has been argued that he delayed the
meeting at Potsdam in July 1945 and asked for the nuclear test
at trinity to be held as soon as possible so that he would be
certain of holding the nuclear weapon when entering
negotiations with the Russians. Since the Soviets had agreed to
enter the war against Japan in the early weeks of August 1945,
Truman may have hoped to win Japanese defeat without Soviet
participation and thereby prevent their making territorial gains
at the conclusion of the war. Further, it has been argued that
Truman wanted to demonstrate to the Soviets that the United
States not only had the nuclear weapon but also had the will to
use it, thereby creating a dominant position for the United

States in the post–World War II period. The large size of the
Soviet army, its control of much of Eastern Europe, and its
harsh dictatorial regime under Joseph Stalin all posed threats
that the United States could offset as a nation armed with
nuclear weapons.
(3). Did the president and his advisors adequately consider
alternatives, such as detonating a nuclear bomb over a deserted
area as a demonstration to the Japanese of what they would face
if they did not surrender? Such a demonstration had been
advocated by a group of scientists at the Chicago Metallurgical
Laboratory and submitted in a report by physicist James Franck.
Several scholars have traced the fate of this recommendation,
noting that it was ultimately opposed even by J. Robert
Oppenheimer because the United States possessed only two
weapons. Had the demonstration not been successful, the nation
would have used up half its stockpile and lost the value of
surprise.
(4). Was the president fully informed and aware of the Japanese
indications that they were willing to accept a surrender in which
their territorial integrity was preserved and in which they could
retain the emperor? These terms, discussed in peace-feelers
through the Soviet Union and Switzerland before the dropping
of the atomic bombs, comprised the terms eventually agreed to
in the final peace settlement. Were the peace-feelers in fact
genuine, did they represent only the position of a faction within
the Japanese government, or were they possibly intended only
as a deception? Although information about the peace-feelers
was known to some in the Truman administration, it is not clear
that those making the bomb-targeting decision were aware of
them.
(5). To what extent did the high cost of the Manhattan Project,
some $2 billion, dictate that the weapon had to be used in order
to justify the diversion of money and scarce resources of
personnel and materials during the war to the project? To what
extent did the institutional inertia of plans set in motion account
for the dropping of the weapons? The decision to drop the

second bomb was apparently not reviewed after the first weapon
was detonated. General Leslie Groves explicitly dreaded that he
would be subject to investigation and possible punishment for
leading a project that spent valuable and scarce resources during
the war without making a contribution to victory.
The historical literature on these and related issues is extensive.
At the 50th anniversary of the use of the atomic weapon on
Japan in 1995, public and academic discussion of the topic
explored all sides of the issue.
Further Information
Gar Alperovitz, Atomic Diplomacy: Hiroshima and Potsdam.
New York: Penguin, 1985.
–––. The Decision to Use the Atomic Bomb and the
Architecture of an American Myth. New York: Knopf, 1995.
Herbert Feis, The Atomic Bomb and the End of World War II.
Princeton, N.J.: Princeton University Press, 1966.
Gregg Herken, The Winning Weapon: The Atomic Bomb in the
Cold War, 1945–1950. Santa Rosa, Calif.: Vintage, 1981.
Robert Jay Lifton and Greg Mitchell, Hiroshima in America: A
Half Century of Denial. New York: Avon, 1996.
Douglas MacEachin, The Final Months of the War with Japan:
Signals Intelligence, U.S. Invasion Planning, and the A–Bomb
Decision. Washington, D.C.: Central Intelligence Agency
Center for the Study of Intelligence, 1998.
Martin Sherwin, A World Destroyed. New York: Vintage, 1987.
QUESTION
1. Based on this article, and what you have read in your
textbook, was dropping the bomb the right course of action?
Explain what you believe in a very detailed explanation,
utilizing this article and your textbook.

Assignment 2For Assignment #2, you will analyze the attached.docx

Assignment 2For Assignment #2, you will analyze the attached.docx

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Assignment 2For Assignment #2, you will analyze the attached.docx