Salome by Oscar Wilde Essay -- Salome Oscar Wilde Essays

Salome by Oscar Wilde Oscar Wilde’s gruesome and controversial play begs and important question. Who is Salome? In the bible this woman is not even given a name. She is the daughter of Herodias who dances for the pleasure of her stepfather, Herod. Perhaps the very fact that she remains unnamed is part of the mystery and problem that is Salome. There was no need to name this type of woman in patriarchal Christian religion. Yet, Salome’s story continues to inspire and terrify both her champions and her harshest critics. In writing Salome Wilde gives this figure both an identity and a desire. But just what does this identity and subsequent desire represent? Throughout the play Salome is subjected to the male gaze. Both the Young Syrian and Herod continually look at her. They are both warned not to do so. The Page of Herodias tells the Young Syrian, â€Å"Why do you look at her? You must not look at her†¦Something terrible may happen.† Herod is similarly warned by his wife, â€Å"You must not look at her! You are always looking at her!† Aside from their own desires, why would these two characters believe that looking at Salome is so dangerous? This could be an acknowledgement of the power of looking and the subsequent power that Salome gains from being looked at. Scopophilia is not only the pleasure and power of looking, but also the pleasure and power of being looked at. Salome is aware of this type of power. She says, â€Å"Why does the Tetrarch look at me all the while with his mole’s eyes under his shaking eyelids? It is strange that the husband of my mother looks at me like that. I know not what it means. Of a truth I know it too well.† Salome realizes that Herod is viewing her as a sexual o... ...y? Whatever the reason Salome is destroyed by men immediately after she receives the satisfaction of kissing Jokanaan’s severed head. Perhaps the figure of Salome is much like the moon in this play. It reflects whatever the onlooker hopes to see. To those who wish to view Salome as the original femme fatal, she is reflected as dangerous and grotesque. To others, who encourage her rebellion, she is an icon for artistic self-reflection. Representations of Salome are varied and many. They are constantly evolving with shifts of collective experience. In any event, Salome has earned the name denied to her in the bible. She is to some a heroine, to others a pornographic object, and still others a dangerous threat to patriarchal order. She has many identities and even more desires, yet she continues to fascinate and repulse, as her mystery is unraveled.

Essay --

P Gene as an Inherited Biomarker of Human Eyecolor1 The variants within the key pigmentation gene, melanocortin-receptor 1 (MC1R), in particular have been ubiquitously linked with high risk traits and skin cancers involving both pigmentary and non-pigmentary functions and likely interaction with variants in other genes. In conclusion, the genetic variants within the genes involved in skin pigmentation besides influencing phenotypic traits are important determinants of risk of several skin cancers, (National Center For Biotechnology Information). Using a sample of 629 normally pigmented individuals, we found that individuals were less likely to have blue or gray eyes if they had P gene variants Arg305Trp (P = 0.002), Arg419Gln (P = 0.001), or the combination of both variants (P = 0.003). These results suggest that P gene, in part, determines normal phenotypic variation in human eye color and may therefore represent an inherited biomarker of cutaneous cancer risk. To evaluate whether the P gene is associated with human eye color in nonalbino individuals representing the normal phenotyp...

Welfare Reform: Promoting Independence and Self-Reliance Essay

Welfare Reform: Promoting Independence and Self-Reliance Mary Smith gets up every day at 6 am and begins to hustle around the house. She rouses her three children from their slumber and forces them to get ready for school. Once the kids are on the bus, she hops in her car and heads off to her job at the local fast food restaurant. After working her seven hours at the restaurant, she goes to her night course at the college in town. The course she is taking will help her get her high school diploma and possibly lead her to a successful career. These two things have been dreams of Mary's for so long, but she hasn't been able to attain them until now. She has been on welfare since the age of eighteen after having her first baby, Elijah. Most days life still seems like an endless tunnel, but now she thinks she may be starting to see a little light through the darkness. Many single mothers, like Mary Smith, and others on welfare have been given the chance to pursue happiness because of the reforms to the United States' welfare system. In August of 1996, President Bill Clinton signed legislation that changed much of the system. The bill that he signed was called the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996. The three goals of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 were "1) to reduce welfare dependency and increase employment, 2) to reduce child poverty and 3) to reduce illegitimacy and strengthen marriage" (Rector, par. 1). Clinton's plan also included three new rules: "1) requires most recipients to work within two years of receiving assistance; 2) limits most assistance to five years total; and 3) lets states establish 'family caps' to deny additiona... ...ec. 2001. < http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp- srv/politics/special/welfare/stories/welfare052799.htm. > Naughton, Keith. " From the Frying Pan to the Factory." Business Week. 1 June 1998: 106. Otto, Mary. " Sustaining Welfare-to-Work." Washingtonpost.com. 2 Dec. 2001. 6 Dec. 2001. < http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A43074-Dec1.html.> Pear, Robert. " Changes in Welfare Bring Improvements for Families." The New York Times on the Web. 1 June 2000. 7 Dec. 2001. ? < http://www.nytimes.com/library/politics/060100mn-welfare.html.> Rector, Robert and Patrick F. Fagan. " The Good News About Welfare Reform." The Heritage Foundation Backgrounder. 5 Sept. 2001. 2 Dec. 2001. ? < http://www.heritage.org/library/backgrounder/bg1468.html>

Commentary on ‘Daddy’ and ‘The Arrival of the Bee Box’ By Sylvia Plath Essay

Sylvia Plath was born in 1932 to Otto Plath, a German immigrant and Aurelia Plath, an American of Austrian descent. She had a very troubled life, suffering extreme depression and emotional trauma before she committed suicide in 1963 by putting her head into a gas oven. Most of her poems reflect this distress and reveal the sorrows of her short life. The poems ‘Daddy and ‘The Arrival of the Bee Box’ are both sad and gloomy poems which highlight many aspects of her life and perhaps reason out why she was forced to kill herself. Both the poems are directly or indirectly related to the two most important and influential men of Sylvia’s life- her father, and her husband Ted Hughes, who himself was a poet. She loved both men, but both of them dominated her and gave her pain and misery which made her life unhappy. As the title suggests, the poem ‘Daddy’ is primarily about her father, but many references are also made to Ted Hughes. ‘The Arrival of the Bee Box’ is more about herself, but in spite of that the reader has to know the nature of these two men to understand the poem completely and derive a meaning from it. ‘Daddy’ highlights the relationship of Sylvia and her father. Sylvia’s father died when she was just ten. This was the time when she adored her father and his death meant a lot to her. But the poem shows the immense hatred she has towards him as she gradually realized how he oppressed her and dominated her life. To use the word ‘daddy’ as the title of the poem is in a way ironical because although the poem is about Sylvia’s father, the word doesn’t fit in particularly well, as it is usually used in a positive way, not in a pessimistic and dark way. The poem has a lot of imagery, metaphors and similes which illustrates Sylvia’s anger towards her father and husband and gives the poem a dark tone. In the poem Sylvia has compared her father to a ‘black shoe’ while has called herself a foot living in it for thirty years. Usually a shoe’s job is to protect or comfort the foot, not to make it feel trapped and helpless. Her father was so authoritarian, that he made Sylvia feel just that. Although her father died when she was ten, she says that she lived like the foot for thirty years, â€Å"barely daring to breathe or achoo†. This shows that her father’s nature haunted her even after he died, as it left such a profound and negative psychological mark on her. The word ‘black’ can be related to death and makes us think of the shoe like a coffin. The idea of a coffin can also be related in the other poem, ‘The Arrival of the Bee Box’, when Sylvia calls the bee box a midget’s coffin. Sylvia’s father was a zoology and bee expert, and so again we can notice how she has created a dark atmosphere with everything related to her father. On an abstract level, the ‘bee box’ can be thought of as Sylvia’s brain and the bees as her thoughts. The idea of her thoughts being trapped inside a coffin shows how depressed and unhappy she is. The imagery of ‘Daddy’ is very vivid and striking. Sylvia calls her father a Nazi as she writes, â€Å"With your Luftwaffe, your gobbledygoo. And you’re neat moustache and your Aryan eye, bright blue†. She compares her father to Hitler, highlighting how cruel and heartless he was. She calls herself a Jew, indicating how he used his authority to oppress her. Such thoughts make us refer to the Holocaust, in which Jews were tortured and killed by the German Nazis. Although Sylvia was dominated by her father, she has used a Hyperbole to describe the situation. According to me her father must not have been as ruthless as Hitler. She has just used this comparison to express her immeasurable hatred towards him. She has further developed images of her father by calling him a vampire-someone who doesn’t kill a person, but haunts it all his life by sucking his blood. She is trying to say that although her father is dead, his character will torment her forever. The imagery of ‘The Arrival of the Bee Box’ is also strong. We get a clear picture of the bees struggling in the dark box illustrating how Sylvia is thinking and feeling. We get a feeling that her thoughts are tormenting her and that she is in a disturbed state of mind. She compares her thoughts to a Roman Mob and says she is not Julius Caesar to control them. Although it is not mentioned, we know that Sylvia is in such a state of mind because of her broken marriage with Ted Hughes. She might be feeling cheated as Ted Hughes left her for another woman. She must be feeling insecure and lonely and cannot in any way run away from her thoughts. In ‘Daddy’ Sylvia also says that she found her father’s resemblance in Ted Hughes, who also dominated her and broke her heart. Here she compares their torture to the medieval methods of the rack and the screw which were cruel and bloody. The tone of the poem is of fear and a little bit of anger, blaming her father and her husband for giving her such a horrid life and simultaneously feeling scared of all that has happened to her in the past. The tone of ‘The Arrival of the Bee Box’ is different, as she is sort of blaming herself for what she thinks. She is agitated with herself because she cannot get rid of her negative thoughts. The last two stanzas of both the poems are very strong and demonstrate an attitude of power and authority from Sylvia. In ‘daddy’ the tone changes from fear to anger when Sylvia says, â€Å"Daddy, daddy, you bastard, I’m through†. One feels that she has overcome all her fears to finally stand up to her father and speak with confidence and fight back. In ‘The Arrival of the Bee Box† she shows that she has power when she says, â€Å"Tomorrow I will be sweet God, I will set them free†. But here she makes it a point to tell the reader that she will not misuse her authority like the way Otto Plath and Ted Hughes did. In the last line of the poem she says that the box is only temporary, showing that she will make an effort to remove those thoughts from her mind, which is a positive end to the poem.

Wisdom: Virtue and People

My friend Lili is probably the only person who I could really turn to for advice and her wisdom and knowledge has always helped me through the rough times and the good times. I remember meeting Lili one day at school and asked if I could borrow a pencil from her during math class. When I returned it back she said I could have it but to try not to lose it since it is an obvious writing instrument to have. Well, after a few days I noticed she would sit alone during lunch time so I asked her if she wanted to join my friends and I for lunch, ever since we have been best of friends.According to my reading in my Positive Psychology books in Ch. 10 Table 10. 2 Classification of virtues and character strengths wisdom and knowledge is cognitive strengths that entail the acquisition and use of knowledge. The defining strengths describe her or what she possesses: creativity, curiosity, open-mindedness, love of learning, and perspective. She has always been creative since day one when I asked to borrow a pencil. During that time we were learning how to make a cube out of paper and Lili knew how to do the cube without even asking how to make it. She could make things to be productive.I could recall during a camp out with a bunch of girls how to make things out of sticks with leaves and such. It was amazing on how much she knew without really knowing how to do it in the beginning. Her open-mindedness was well respected in our little time of knowing each other. One of the attributes I think I develop most was learning to give good advice to those who come to me to talk about anything. She taught me how to give the best advice, but to give the advice I would give myself. Listening to people is a way to open your heart and let the people you love in. I think there are many reasons why she is wise.For example, the way she talks and gives advice to other people and also the attitude she has it's so passionate and loving. I don't know what it is about her that people go up to her and trust her with everything I find it amazing. Another example would be the past she has been through has made her smart about life and about people. Going through bad and good times and taught her a lesson about life and about everything. She didn't have a life like every child had, she had a difficult life that made her suffer a lot. So I look up to her because I know she knows what she is talking about and how she deals with life.Also she does not depend on any one with anything, she has always done things on her own. I think that the one attribute that I need to learn the most is listening to people before giving them my opinion because I have this habit that I usually make assumptions before hearing or knowing what the person is going through. This is the one that I need to gain so I can be there for people like my best friend has been there for people. Knowing what people have been through will help me be there for people and also help them out through the good and bad times .I am the type of person that I love being there for people even if I am struggling with my own problems because seeing how people deals with there problem helps me gain confidence about myself and solving other peoples problems as well. I can't say I'm good at giving advice but I know that I could at least give someone a good advice or even I could take some one's opinion to learn. So seeing my friend and the way she is there and how she helps me, the love she gives and how she gives company when I need someone makes me want to be that person as well. I know by this I will become a better person.

DAIJ

Go through this process, writer will be more understand the messages that the author or artist want to convey. In addition, DAIS is actually more to the writer opinion and It can help writer to improve thinking skill from different angles. In DAIS, we no need to create anything and it only need a short of time to write DAIS. On the contrary, design thinking is a process create something that based on our client's opinion, benefit, requirement and condition. The whole design thinking process include empathic, define, ideate, prototype and test.In this process, we need to do a lot of research to collect information before we start designing, for example, observation, interview, survey, analysis data and etc. It will take longer time for the whole design thinking process, because it need times for gathering data, analysis data, brainstorm idea, testing and experiment. In conclusion, DAIS is based on writer own opinion and a process to understand creator message. On the other hand, desig n thinking is based on our clients benefit and requirement. These are the differences between DAIS and design thinking. ) When would you use DAIS and when would you use design thinking? When want to gather some information about artwork or images, I will use DAIS. Because DAIS is simple and suitable to collect data from artwork or image and an understand the artwork in details. When have my own clients who need me to help them solve their problem, I will use design thinking. It is more suitable to understand the need and the way to help my client. C) How are they related? Visualize the relationship graphically. The above image is about how DAIS related to design thinking.The design thinking process is created based on â€Å"the Right Brain initiative† website and then I add the DAIS between â€Å"empathic† until â€Å"prototype†. From my understanding DAIS is included in between empathic until prototype. It start with empathic; collecting data like description i n DAIS, understand our clients and the market trend. Then, define which is analysis the data we get, think from different angle to understand deeper. After that, follow by ideate, it's like interpretation from DAIS. From the view of designer, create something that can related to our clients product, means how to relate our own idea to clients product.Lastly is prototype, present our idea to the clients, try to convey and allow them to judge see whether the idea is suitable for them or not before experiment. This process is like judgment from DAIS. In conclusion, DAIS and design thinking is actually related to each other. Both also have their own advantages and both also can support each other. By using two method at the same time, can make the process more clear and easy to understand. 2. We have discussed a number of problems that needs to be addressed e. G. Single parent, homeless.In one of the tutorials, the different problems faced, research questions, hypotheses and proposed so lutions for single parents was discussed. Would DAIS or design thinking help you to identify better solutions? Why? Yes. DAIS or design thinking have their own step to find out the answer. By following with these step can help me understand and identify he problem easily. Furthermore, these steps can guide and improve my point of view of the problem. For example, we can use different angle to think and to solve the problem. 3. Based on the above, what does Picasso quote on research mean?What does having your own voice mean? Why do We need to acknowledge the source? What would you define as original? Based on the my research, Picasso quote can be define as art-based research can be defined as the systematic use of the artistic process, the actual making of artistic expressions in all of the different forms of the arts, as a primary way of understanding and examining experience by both researchers and the people that they involve in their studies. From my understanding, the word †Å"research† can define as experiment.Picasso explore himself by using art, he using painting to experiment the changing of the color and technique, and how it can change the element and the feeling of the whole painting. As a designer, we are not just sitting there and read data, we always need to experiment different kind of technique to gain knowledge and experience. This is what I understand from that quote. Having my own voice can be define as to stay strong and believe of my own pinion, to adhere my own decision, to speak out what I want to say or have my own freedom. The word â€Å"voice† can represent idea, choices, decision or freedom.For example, a boy making decision on what to study for degree, parent always hope he can go study as doctor, account or some others career that can earn a lot of money, the boy will choose the subject that he is not interest in, it is because the boy do not want to disappoint to his parent. In this situation, the boys voice being cover by his parent voice and he choose to listen his parent voice rather than his voice in his inner heart. We should rye to listen and believe our own voice, because this is our life. Speak out is the only way to get what we really want and what we really need.Based on my research, there are few reason that why we need to acknowledge the source. The first reason is to avoid plagiarism. Since we are borrowing people's facts or document to prove our research, we should be honest to give them credit to prove that we are borrowing their document and not stealing. The second reason is allow reader to know furthermore about the source of material we use. This not only can convince them, but also can help them understand more about what they interest in. The third reason is to enhance our credibility as a writer or researcher.To show how serious and important that this research to us, for example our research subject, objective, argument, ideas, experiment and so on. These are the three main reason that why we need to acknowledge the source. Original can be define as not only new but the very first or one of a kind. From my understanding, original means some object, thing that created by ourselves. It also mean the beginning of something. For example, as an artist, use to create my own anima character when I was free. I will get some references about how my character should act like.Let's say my character are standing, then I will follow those standing reference for my character. The output would be different because with my own art style it will look totally original by me. 4. What have you learnt from the exercise on abstraction? From the abstraction question 1, I had learnt how to think differently and see things from different angle. The meaning and message will change when we change another angle to understand the problem, it can change the tone of our thoughts from negative to positive. This is how those successful people thoughts.For example, create a AD vie w of the word â€Å"HI†, below is the image. As you can see, there are different be;men a, b, c, and d; a is opposite of c, the shape of b and d is same, but b is red color and d is black color. This show that a tiny changes will always bring different. Just like what Richard Bach said â€Å"A tiny change today brings a dramatically different tomorrow'. This is what I had learnt from the abstraction question 2. From the abstraction question 4, there are 2 different things that I learnt when I created an abstract kaleidoscope pattern; one is from Photos, another one is from Sony Vegas 13. . In Photos, I had learnt how to find he Photos tree brush to help me reduce the time on design the abstract art. Then, adding some sketches and TV noise effect on my abstract art. In Sony Vegas 13. 0, I had learnt how use front and side mirror effect to reflect my abstract art. After I reflected it, I added glowing light effect to make it like moving. In last step, is to change the color by using color correction. In my conclusion, had gain new knowledge from abstraction question 2 and 4 which are â€Å"think in different angle† and â€Å"some technical knowledge† in Sony Vegas 13. And Photos. 5. We have also discussed in 3-4 tutorials, what factors would attract the argent audience's attention and leaves them with a wow feeling. Identify these factors and how they are achieved from: a) The activities related to the handout on self-promotion In self-promotion section, we are requested to create a magazine cover that can convey message to the audience. My group are created a magazine cover about Christmas. We separated few step to achieve our goal.First, is to observe competitor's magazine cover, to analysis how they create the magazine, in what kind of style. From our observation and analysis we noticed that most of the Christmas magazine cover is more to the realistic ND warm feeling image. It looks normal and a bit boring with this kind of style, there fore we decide to change it to illustration style. We arranged different kind Of item to form a red Christmas tree on a simple white color layout to catch people attention from different kind of magazine. The spacing and color will emphasis the red Christmas tree.Our objective is to bring back audience childhood's memory and to convey audience to celebrate Christmas with their family. In this section, we learnt how to use the correct art style to promote the product and use the right image to convey message to audience. ) The activities related to the handout on brainstorm (for our clients) In brainstorm section, we are requested to help our client to solve their problem. My group are help a fashion customer to promote his new fashion brand named â€Å"SPACE†. At first, We are trying to understand our client company and his competitor.Then we will discuss with him about his requirement on promoting the brand, such as budge, printing media promotion, location of the printing m edia, the style of promotion, TV advertisement promotion, discount and etc. Based on the data we collect, we will try to search the related information and get some inspiration to create a ester. Based on this section, we learnt how to communicate and handle our client. It is important to do some survey or interview to our client, because sometime our client do not tell us what they really want or need, they confuse and do not understand what kind of information that graphic designer need. . What do you think fun, sustainable design and interactivity mean? Fun, sustainable design and interactivity can define as something that not only can entertain user, but also can deliver the message to user in creative way. With these fun, interactivity and sustainable design, will leave deep impression in the audience mind. User will remember it forever. For example, a horror website game named ‘the house†, this game is created by SHANGHAI. The house is a Flash horror point and clic k games. Player can experience the scary feeling in horror house by just clicking the item in rooms.It is fun and interesting. Remember the first time I play this game is in high school, it really leave me deep impression, until now I still remember this game. In conclusion, a design that include fun, interactivity and sustainable design will always leave deep impression for the audiences. 7. What have you learnt from the various topics covered in the syllabus? Elaborate on three which have impressed you the most. DAIS, design thinking and the process of creating an abstracting art is the things that had learnt.DAIS is one of the method that similar to the previous critique method that I learnt in History of Art. As method before in the question 1, DAIS is a process to gather information and collect data from critique artworks, images or photos. It includes description, analysis, interpretation and judgment. The reason why remember it is because we have discuss DAIS for few times an d we have use DAIS method to solve problem. Design thinking is the second method that always being discuss in lass or compare with DAIS in exercise.I had used this method for my final year project, it is very useful and it guide me a way to solve some of the final year question, therefore it leave deep impression for me. The third thing I learnt in this syllabus is creating abstraction art. The reason why it impressed me the most is because had created an abstract artwork by using Photos and Sony Vegas 13. 0. The process when creating that kaleidoscope pattern is really fun and enjoy. Experiment different effect like changing the color, adjusting the glowing lights effect and editing mirror affliction, this process is like expressing my feeling in art.As a designer or a creator, We should enjoy the process on creating something rather than outcome. In Bruce Man's quote, he mention that â€Å"Process is more important than outcome. When the outcome drives the process we will only ev er go to where we've already been. If process drives outcome we may not know where we're going, but we will know we want to be there. † In my conclusion, DAIS, design thinking and the process of creating an abstract art are method and technique skill that I learnt in this syllabus. Both method an be used in any others subject and can use it to solve the problem in future.

Topic: the United States Home Front During World War Ii

Topic: The United States Home Front During World War II Essential Question: â€Å"How important was the home front to the United States’ victory in World War II? National Standard for United States History: Era 8, Standard 3 The origins and course of World War II, the character of the war at home and abroad, and its reshaping of the United States role on world affairs. Instructional Objectives:Students will be able to: 1. Explain and evaluate extensive economic and military mobilization on the home front by the United States during World War II and its impact of the success of the war effort. 2. Explain how the whole country, across all economic and social levels, was involved in a unified effort to produce the goods of war and of the common sacrifice made by every citizen through rationing, victory gardens, bond drives, etc. 3. Analyze and assess the effects of World War II on culture, family, gender roles, and technology in American society.Background Description/Historic al Significance: Although there were no military battles fought on the mainland of the United States, World War II had a profound effect on the nation as the Federal government mobilized its economic, financial, and human resources to defeat Axis aggression. This war returned the nation to economic prosperity after a decade of dismal depression, promoted the growth of big business, and enhanced a close relationship between industry and the military.Politically, the power of the presidency and influence of the Federal government increased, and socially and economically, the war, through common sacrifice made by all, became a vehicle for improving the status of Americans. In short, the war became a catalyst for significant economic and social change whose impact extended well-beyond its duration. For example, before the war women had traditionally played a secondary role in the job market and men had dominated the industrial job sector.However, with millions of men being drafted or jo ining the military, women were needed to man the factories and supply centers producing goods for the war. (Over 400,000 women also served in the military during World War II. ) They also had traditionally faced job discrimination and lower pay levels, but some of these inequities began to fade as they took on more and more responsibility in factories and production centers. Posters extolling â€Å"Rosie the Riveter† were printed, recognizing the need and importance of recruiting women for the work force.Between 1941 and 1944, the number of women working outside the home rose by 5,000,000. By 1944, 72% of the female workforce were married women and their average age was over thirty-five. The war could not have been won without them. The war also began to create a more level playing field for minorities who had traditionally faced discrimination. All Americans were needed in the war effort and so black American, Hispanic Americans, and Japanese Americans (where in California w hole families had been sent to military detention camps), were being drafted and joining the military.In the case of African and Japanese Americans, separate and segregated military units were created†¦ yet, they fought on the same battlefields with their fellow citizens. Changes also occurred on the home front. Factory workers were needed in the industrial north, and a migration of black workers to northern factories began and would continue until many years after the war had ended. What happened in the country during this time was really remarkable.America’s entry into the war had brought the Nation together, united in a common and just cause, like at no other time in its history. The sacrifice being made by families and citizens was equally and fully shared. At the same time, social change was occurring which would carry over into the post-war years and ultimately result in more equal rights for everyone. What was happening on war front was linked to the home front. T he combination would result at war’s end with America emerging as the world’s pre-eminent economic super power.Instructional Activities and Primary Source/Document Excerpts: The following document excerpts, photographs, and posters can be selected, read, discussed, analyzed, and assessed by students, either individually for subsequent general class discussion, in a pair-and-share format, or in small groups with a cooperative learning activity. At the discretion of the teacher, document excerpts, photographs, and posters could grouped at designated â€Å"stations† in the classroom, and small groups of students could rotate from station to station during the instructional period.As the groups of students examine, explain, and evaluate the pictures and texts of the following selected documents, they will begin to ascertain and assess the pivotal role that the American home front played in the Allied victory in World War II. The teacher can select (as a menu) which of the following photographs, posters, and document excerpts are most appropriate for the instructional needs of their students on this historical topic. Following these photographs, posters, and document excerpts there is a menu of thought-provoking questions to stimulate student discussion and interaction.As a discussion prompt for either small group or whole class discussion, the teacher can present the following adage to the students: â€Å"If ‘every picture tells a story,’ describe what story about the American home front in World War II is being told by the following photographs and posters. † The photographs and posters of women and African Americans during World War II have been selected from the following websites:www. womenshistory. about. com and www. archives. gov/research/african-americans/ww2 [pic] [pic] [pic] [pic] [pic] [pic] [pic] [pic] [pic] [pic] [pic] Document â€Å"A†: Whereas it is the policy of the United States to encourage full par ticipation in the national defense program by all citizens of the United States, regardless of race, creed, color, or national origin, in the firm belief that the democratic way of life within the Nation can be defended successfully only with the help and support of all groups within its borders, and Whereas there is evidence that available and needed workers have been barred from employment in industries engaged in defense production solely because of considerations of race, creed, color, or national origin, to the detriment workers’ morale and of national unity: Now, therefore, . . .I do hereby reaffirm the policy of the United States that there shall be no discrimination in the employment of workers in defense industries or government because of race, creed, color, or national origin, and I do hereby declare that it is the duty of employers and of labor organizations . . . to provide for the full and equitable participation of all workers in defense industries, without dis crimination because of race, creed, color, or national origin. . . . All contracting agencies of the Government of the United States shall include in all defense contracts hereafter negotiated by them a provision obligating the contractor not to discriminate against any worker because of race, creed, color, or national origin. † —– Executive Order 8802, June 25, 1941 by President Franklin Roosevelt Document â€Å"B†: It is the policy of the Government of the United States to encourage full participation in the National Defense program by all citizens, regardless of race, creed, color, or national origin in the firm belief that the democratic way of life within the nation can be defended successfully only with the help and support of all groups within its borders. The policy was stated in my Executive Order signed on June 25, 1941. The order instructed all parties making contracts with the Government of the United States to include in all defense contracts thereafter a provision obligating the contractor not to discriminate against any worker because of race, creed, color, or national origin. Questions of race, creed, and color have no place in determining who are to man our ships.The sole qualification for a worker in the maritime industry, as well as any other industry, should be his loyalty and his professional or technical ability and training. † —– Letter from President Franklin Roosevelt to Mr. Joseph Curran, President of the National Maritime Union, January 14, 1942 Document â€Å"C†: â€Å"I welded . . . lying on the floor while another welder spattered sparks from the ceiling and chippers like giant woodpeckers shattered our eardrums. I . . . have sat at a bench welding flat and vertical plates. . . I did overhead welding, horizontal, flat, vertical. . . I made some good welds. . . I had a good taste of summer today, and I am convinced that it is going to take backbone for welders to stick to their jobs through the summer months.It is harder on them than on any other of the workers—their leathers are so hot and heavy, they get more of the fumes, and their hoods become instruments of torture. There were times today when I’d have to stop in the middle of a tack and push my hood back just to get a breath of fresh air. It grows unbearably hot under the hood, my glasses fog and blur my vision, and the only thing to do is to stop. . . . Yet, the job confirmed my strong conviction. . . [that] what exhausts the woman welder is not the work, nor the heat, nor the demands upon physical strength. It is the apprehension that arises from inadequate skill and consequent lack of confidence, and this can be overcome by the right kind of training. I’ve mastered tacking now, so that doesn’t bother me.I know that I can do it if my machine is correctly set, and I have learned enough of the [ways] of machines to be able to set them. And so, in spite of the discomforts of climbing, heavy equipment, and heat, I enjoyed the work today because I could do it. † —– Augusta Clawson, a female welder in a shipyard, quoted from Augusta Clawson, Ship Diary of a Woman Welder (New York: Penguin, 1944). Document â€Å"D†: In the figure below the development of the United States labor force by gender during the war years. |Year |Total labor force (*1000) |of which Male (*1000) |of which Female (*1000) |Female share of total (%) | |1940 |56,100 |41,940 |14,160 |25. | |1941 |57,720 |43,070 |14,650 |25. 4 | |1942 |60,330 |44,200 |16,120 |26. 7 | |1943 |64,780 |45,950 |18,830 |29. 1 | |1944 |66,320 |46,930 |19,390 |29. 2 | |1945 |66,210 |46,910 |19,304 |29. | |1946 |60,520 |43,690 |16,840 |27. 8 | Source: Bureau of the Census, Historical Statistics of the United States (1976), Chapter D, Labor Series D 29-41. Document â€Å"E†: â€Å"It is nearly five months since we were attacked at Pearl Harbor. . . . Since then we have dispatch ed strong forces of our Army and Navy, several hundred thousand of them, to bases and battlefronts thousands of miles from home. We have stepped up our war production on a scale that is testing our industrial power, and our engineering genius and our economic structure to the utmost. . . . This is a tough job—and a long one. . . To build the factories, to buy the materials, to pay the labor, to provide the transportation, to equip and feed and house the soldiers, sailors and marines, and to do all the thousands of things necessary in a war—all cost a lot of money, more money than has ever been spent by any nation at any time in the long history of the world. We are now spending, solely for war purposes the sum of about one hundred million dollars every day in the week. . . . All of this money has to be spent. . . if we are to produce within the time now available the enormous quantities of weapons of war which we need. . . . All of us are used to spending money for thi ngs that we want, things which are not absolutely essential.We will all have to forego that kind of spending. Because we must put every dime and every dollar we can possibly spare out of our earnings into War Bonds and Stamps. Because the demands of the war effort require the rationing of goods of which there is not enough to go around. Because the stopping of purchases of non-essentials will release thousands of workers who are needed in the war effort. . . . I know the American farmer, the American workman, and the American businessman. I know that they will gladly embrace the economy and equality of sacrifice, satisfied that it is necessary for the most vial and compelling motive in all their lives—winning through to victory. . . As we here at home contemplate our own duties, our own responsibilities, let us think. . . hard of the example which is being set by our fighting men. . . . They are the United States of America. That is why they fight. We too are the United State s of America. That is why we must work and sacrifice. It is for them. It is for us. It is for victory. † —– President Franklin Roosevelt, Fireside Radio Chat, April 28, 1942 Document F â€Å"In late May 1940, with the fall of France imminent, [President] Roosevelt requested huge funds for the development of military and naval requirements. On December 20, 1940, he established the Office of Production Management with industrial leader William S. Knudsen as Director†¦.On December 29, 1940, in a fireside chat on the radio, he called for a national production effort that would make the United States the world’s â€Å"arsenal of democracy†. [After the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941,] at the beginning of 1942 Roosevelt announced a compulsory production program: ‘Let no one say that this cannot be done, and we are committed to doing it. ’ He issued a clarion call for 60,000 planes, 45,000 tanks, 20,000 antiaircraft guns, 500, 000 machine guns, and 8 million tons of merchant shipping in one year†¦. The entire world was amazed by the pace of American production. By 1943, the production schedule was increased to 125,000 planes, 75,000 tanks, 35,000 antiaircraft guns, and 10 million tons of merchant shipping†¦.During the course of the war the productive capacity of the United States gave the allied coalition more than half its armaments, 35% of those used against Nazi Germany, and 86% of those employed against Japan. While providing the United Kingdom, the British Commonwealth, the Soviet Union, and Nationalist China with arms and loans, the United States at the same time doubled its industrial output. † Louis L. Snyder’s Historical Guide to World War II Greenwood Press: Westport, Conn: Louis Snyder: 1982 Sample Thought-provoking Questions To Develop Student Group or Whole-Class Discussion: 1. If the adage, â€Å"Every picture tells a story,† is applied to each of the above-list ed photographs and posters, how did World War II affect the lives of women and African Americans? † 2.How did World War II affect American family life? 3. Explain the meaning of President Roosevelt’s Executive Order 8802, and how did this Executive Order affect African Americans? 4. To what extent did Executive Order 8802 lay the foundation for the upcoming civil rights movement in the years after World War II? 5. Describe the experiences of women who worked in factors during World War II. (Example: female welders). Why was it important for woman to work in factories during World War II? 6. How did the contributions of women on the home front contribute to the American victory in World War II? 7. How did World War II serve as a catalyst for social change in American society? Prior to discussing Question 8 provide a brief overview and background as to the role of A. Philip Randolph, the most important African American labor leader of the time, and how he threatened to or ganize a March on Washington if the Defense Industries were not desegregated. 8. Explain the meaning and significance of the following quotation and slogan of A. Philip Randolph, President of the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters, in 1941, in proposing a massive March on Washington: â€Å"WE LOYAL NEGRO AMERICAN CITIZENS DEMAND THE RIGHT TO WORK AND FIGHT FOR OUR COUNTRY. † Why did Randolph cancel the march after President Roosevelt issued Executive Order 8802?Do you think that Randolph made the right decision? Explain your viewpoint. 9. How did World War II end the Great Depression and return the United States to economic prosperity? 10. Why did President Roosevelt describe the United States as an â€Å"arsenal of democracy? † Summary: The teacher can refer the students back to the â€Å"essential question† which was posed at the start of the lesson: â€Å"How important was the home front to the United States’ victory in World War II? † The stud ents are directed to respond and take a position (develop a viewpoint) on this historical issue concerning the pivotal role that the home front played in the victory of the United State in World War II.At the teacher’s discretion, the pupils’ responses can be presented orally as closure to small group and/or whole-class discussion, or in written form, such as a response to an essay prompt or a journal entry into a â€Å"learning log† to bring effective closure to the lesson. Thus, as a circular approach to teaching and learning, the lesson was â€Å"opened† with a thought-provoking â€Å"essential question† as its primary learning objective at the start of the instructional period, developed through an examination, explanation, and evaluation of primary source document excerpts through group work, cooperative learning, pair-and-share, etc. , and closed with a critical assessment through the lens of the lesson’s evaluative â€Å"essential qu estion. †Application (â€Å"Transfer Task†): Students can compare the pivotal role and significant impact of the American home front to military victory in World War II to the role and impact of the American home front today as the as the United States fights wars against terrorism and to promote democracy in Iraq and Afghanistan. Students can also compare the roles of women and African Americans in the armed services today with the roles and opportunities that were presented to them during World War II. World War II at the Memorial: [pic] 1. Study the images of sculptor Ray Kaskey’s bas-relief panel that depict the following: †¢ Lend-Lease/War Declared †¢ News of Pearl Harbor Men and Women at Work/Aircraft Construction †¢ Agriculture †¢ West Coast Shipbuilding †¢ War bond Parade 2. How does Kaskey’s relief panel capture the essence of the heroism of the men and women who worked on the home front in factories and on farms to secure Allied victory? Do you think Kaskey’s panels reflects what you learned in this lesson? If, so explain how. 3. Study images of the two types of ornamental wreaths used around the memorial on the fifty six pillars. The oak leaves represent American industrial strength and the wheat sheaves represent America’s agricultural ability to feed the world. Why do you think Kaskey chose these particular metaphors for the home front? 4.Examine the image of the pillars of states and territories. Notice that they are all connected by ropes. What does this tell you about the memorial’s design based on what you have learned in this lesson? What does this design tell you about the nation and the American people from 1941-1945. 5. Read the memorial inscription by Colonel Oveta Culp Hobby. (marker stone on northeast side of the plaza, south face). How is what you have learned in this lesson reflected in Hobby’s quote? [pic] 6. Read the memorial inscription by President Fra nklin Roosevelt (marker stone on northeast side of the plaza, west face). How is what you have learned in this lesson reflected in Roosevelt’s quote? [pic]Image 1: Pacific Victory Arch and State and Territory Pillars [pic] Image 2: Atlantic Victory Arch and State and Territory Pillars [pic] Image 3: Bas-relief panel â€Å"Lend-Lease/War Declared† [pic] Image 4: Bas-relief Panel â€Å"News of Pearl Harbor† [pic] Image 5: Bas-relief panel, â€Å"Men and Women at Work/Aircraft Construction† [pic] Image 6: Agriculture [pic] Image 7: Bas-relief panel â€Å"West Coast Shipbuilding† [pic] Image 8: Bas-relief panel â€Å"War Bond Parade† [pic] The Friends of the National World War II Memorial would like to thank the generous support of the AT&T Foundation, General  Motors Foundation and USAA as major sponsors of our education program who helped make these lesson plans possible.