Here are clips of propaganda films that showed a little bit of what was going on at the battlefront. It also shows how America (along with Germany, Britian, Russia, and Italy), used propaganda to gander support for the war efforts.
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Military Family Communication during the World War Era
Film was also a major development at this time, as it allowed for propaganda to be spread easier and faster to the masses. It also allowed for video news to be shared with Americans before television came about.
By the end of World War II, though, television had reached 50 million viewers, and it was a viable way to rely information about the war. Shortly after, shows like 'Hogan's Heroes' were created to parody the war.
Modern movies, like 'Valkyrie' also show us how military units used teleprompter or fax machine type devices to relay information quickly about military plans, deaths, and orders. It would have allowed secretaries to quickly type letters informing the families of soldiers that their loved one had died or gone missing.
This is when basic communication as we know it in a technological era today was formed and first developed to convey news about the home front. It is not only exciting to see how far we have come since then, but to see how far they had come since the Civil War in being able to communicate information from the soldiers to the families.
The following is a link to authentic radio newscasts from 1940-1945. I highly encourage you to have a listen:
http://www.otr.net/?p=news
Next, we will see how communication technology in modern-day can help families communicate with each other.
War Communication to the Home Front During the Civil War
First, I would like to talk about communication during the Civil War. We made amazing technological advancements around this time period that allowed people to communicate faster and over longer distances. During the Civil War, the most prominent form of communication was the Telegraph. The telegraph charged by word and messages were therefore kept very short, much like Twitter is today. Movies like 'Gone With the Wind' showed us how telegrams were used to convey soldier deaths to the families and from immediate families to extended families.
Pictures also developed greatly over this time period. While they were not mass produced, pictures of the war and the soldiers were available for books and newspapers to show the public what it was like behind the scenes of the battlefront.
While telegrams were certainly faster to recieve than letters, it was still a while for families to wait for news about their loved ones. One can only imagine what it is like to wait for days or weeks to find out if your loved one is still alive.
Sunday, December 13, 2009
Ashley and Shirlyn's Leadership Project
Thought I'd share! :D
Monday, October 5, 2009
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
just an observation
Jennifer
Friday, September 18, 2009
Thursday, September 10, 2009
If the world were a village of 100
My high school English teacher had a poster on her wall with the same information. I wrote it down in a notebook, and it sticks with me every moment of every day. When baseball stars and celebrities sign multi-million dollar contracts, I think of this movie. When the U.S. talks about how much debt it's in, I think of this movie. When a charitable organization asks for my help, I think of this movie. It is very powerful. It hurts to watch, and rightly so. I encourage everyone to watch it and share your thoughts. Were you surprised? Overwhelmed? Disappointed?
Shirlyn :D
Sunday, September 6, 2009
Secretary Chung and President Obama Auto-Tune Health Care
Oh my goodness! This is so funny! And I didn't realize 'til the night I watched it that when they say, "Kill your granny and save your life" they basically meant it! I'm surprised.
I'm not here to play the politics game. Obama is our president for the next four years, so I better agree with it. I know that he can't make a perfect healthcare plan. (In a democracy, the best you can hope for is 75% of your constituents to agree with you.) I think, though, that he should take more time to work it out. In a world where 24/7 news is the way to go, when Americans hear "Health care plan in the works" they jump on it without all the details, but Obama is the man in charge. He should know better than to put out a half-baked plan just because the people want it now.
Shirlyn
Saturday, August 29, 2009
For Granted
I volunteered at a football game tonight and I realized just how "old school" I am, and instantly came to the conclusion that "what a shame that is." The JROTC raised the flag, and the band played the national anthem, and people had to be reminded to take their hats off. Then, even with the reminder, it was amazing the number of people who didn't--the number of people who didn't even stop what they were doing to take a moment and appreciate what we have.
I'll admit, I take it for granted a lot more than I ought. In fact, one of my biggest dreams is to move to Europe where it's so modern and classy. But there is something about homebaked apple pie, baseball, and the American South that just sings to me. It's amazing the number of people that take that for granted.
My suggestion is that, just, next time you want to complain about the government, or the military, or see a flag being raised, that you just take off your hat and be thankful for the ameneties that you have. Be thankful that because of freedom of speech, and laissez faire; capitalism, and freedom to gather, that you're allowed to have the lifestyle you have today. Remember that your grandparents fought in the Revolutionary War, the Civil War, and the World Wars so that you can have your freedom. They were thinking if you. It's only best to remember them.
Be proud to be an American. (And let's come up with some new cliches.)
Shirlyn :D
Friday, August 28, 2009
Social Media Revolution
I believe blogging is the future of literature. If you don't believe me, just watch this video.
Shirlyn :D
Hopes and Expectations
I want you to have as much fun as possible blogging and reading this site. Feel free to upload pictures, videos, links to other websites, and whatever else you might like!
Feel free to tell the world how you feel being an American, what you like about America, how you feel about the direction the country is going in...Anything! Also, feel free to talk about what's going on in class. If you just read a story and you're burning to tell someone about it, PLEASE blog it. Tell us what you liked, what you didn't like, what burned you up inside. Does it relate to America today? What's changed? What do you hope will change? It doesn't have to be grammatically correct. It doesn't have to be prim-and-proper. One of the number one things I like about blogging is the stream-of-conciousness flow about it. Just write what you're thinking, just like you would tell us in class.
You can also comment on what anyone has posted by clicking the "Comment" link at the bottom of an entry. You don't have to have a gmail account (although it's a plus). All you have to do is type what you think about an entry.
If you have any problems, feel free to e-mail me, call me, text me...Whatever. I'll be happy to help, but one of the reasons I chose this site is because of the easy formatting. I know some of you don't like blogging as much as I do, but I hope by the end of the semester, you will enjoy it a little more.
Shirlyn :D