Final Blog Assessment

The blog post from third quarter that I would like you to read is entry number 3. I feel that my post on the Depression stories of Jane Yoder and Peggy Terry really represents my best work. I found their stories to be very interesting when I read them, and I also enjoyed responding to their stories. I believe that I fulfilled the tasks in these blog posts. I felt something when I read these stories and I hope that is demonstrated in my writing. I still remember being in awe from Peggy’s optimism and feeling appreciative of my life because of Jane’s story. I would like you to read these blog posts because I felt emotionally moved from these stories and I believe that I successfully posted these feelings.

The blog from fourth quarter that I would like you to read is entry number 6. The World War II stories of Peter Ota and Betty Hutchison really made me think and I hope that I showed that in my post. They fact that they had such different experiences but regarded the war in the same manner to their kids still really intrigues me. I tried to express this idea that I find to be so historically significant. I feel that this post represents my best work because their stories forced me into deep thought. I would like you to read this post because I wrote about an idea from these stories that genuinely made me think.

Entry 9: Rex Winship and Jacob Lawrence

Rex Winship, Trader

I chose to read Rex Winship’s story because his occupation is one that I have always considered pursuing. Trading is a job that I could see myself doing. The brief introduction before the story revealed that Rex Winship is highly successful in this profession, so I was even further drawn to his story. Reading the opinions of someone who is successful in something you may consider doing is always fascinating and also valuable. I read his story eager to learn about his mindset and what made him so successful. What I ended up getting from the story did not really connect to the initial reason I read it.

The trading strategy and tips are not what stick with me after reading Rex’s story. I cannot get past all of the predictions he made that turned out to be spot on. He predicted a globalization of communication and this has precisely happened with the advancement in technology of phones and the internet. He also predicted that trading would become a young man’s game, which has occurred as well. From this prediction he made even more correct predictions: a need for greater education and marriages later in life. He said that there would be fewer farmers as the country would begin to import everything and this has certainly happened. The prediction that really resonates and truly amazed me was when he declared that there would be tremendous debt in the nation’s future because everybody would become consumers rather than savers. That exact situation is presenting a great problem for the nation’s economy. I am in awe of these predictions and truly do not understand how he could have had such great foresight. The man who said “All you have to do in life is figure which way the money flow is gonna go” makes these bold pinpoint predictions. Rex Winship used the pattern of money and markets to predict future society and economy. I planned on reading about trading, but all I can think about is his foresight.   

Jacob Lawrence, Artist

I am not an artist. I wish I was more artistic and I have a great respect for art, but still I am not an artist. I have a great admiration towards artists because they excel in something I am incapable of doing. I really like art and likewise I like hearing from artists. I chose this story because I feel that artists always have such unique insight on life. I do not think like an artist, so it intrigues me to read the thoughts of one. Once again, I came away from the story thinking of something much different than I had anticipated.

 Jacob Lawrence said, “Too bad a depression had to come along to do this, but it was wonderful for people my age, some of them now renowned”. He is referring to the programs established by the Roosevelt Administration during the Great Depression and how they spurred his career path as an artist. Jacob had the ability to receive lessons in the arts as a child and he is grateful for this opportunity. Most inner-city children no longer have this option, and Jacob sees this as a danger for the future of society. Children are becoming afraid to express themselves because of the lack of arts. Throughout elementary school and middle school I thought that art and music were useless classes and by high school we are not even required to take them. An artist truly knows the importance of art and after reading Jacob’s ideas I can understand why. I find it ironic yet inspiring that Jacob’s career was inspired by programs from the depression. We learned about these programs in class and it is neat to see how they affected someone.    

Entry #8

Dolores Dante, waitress:

            I never have really put serious thought into the job of a waiter or waitress. I guess I always assumed it was a job for people that need quick money and see the job as a means to an end. To me serving people all day does not sound appealing. I do not think I could have a job in which I work to please others and do not really think about myself. Dolores Dante’s experiences and reflections on her job as a waitress are so fascinating to me because it is a job I could not see myself enjoying. She loves the job because it allows her to learn about people and the world comes to her. As a waitress, Dolores constantly interacts with different types of people, but the nature of her interaction is unattractive to me. She loves her job despite the challenges that come from the costumers, her boss, the cooks, fellow waitresses, and even bartenders. It is great to read a story about someone who is passionate about what they do. Dolores’s passion leads to popularity, which actually creates more problems for her. She does not seem to fret because she explains, “I tell everyone I’m a waitress and I’m proud”. Dolores loves a job that I could never imagination myself loving. But that is not what I take from her story. She is a person who loves what she does and does not worry or even care about the title or appearance associated with the job. Too many people find occupations just for the money, and I think everyone whishes they would have the guts to be like Dolores and just do what they are passionate about.

Phil Stallings, autoworker:

            One broad quote from Phil Stallings’s detailed story is what really resonates with me. He goes into great specifics about his job as a spot welder but also about the Ford assembly plant. Phil describes what he actually does for the job and what goes on inside his head during the job. The details of his story include the functionality of the plant, the perception of a foreman, the lack of pride felt in his work, and a stand the workers took one time. But the part of his story that really forced me to think was when he said, “They give better care to that machine than they will to you. They’ll have more respect, give more attention to that machine. And you know this. Somehow you get the feeling that the machine is better than you are.” He laughs after saying this, yet it was a serious feeling that all factory workers had to feel. This idea of machine becoming greater than man is even more present today. Anyone who works with machines realizes the power a machine possesses. It is frightening to think that machines could replace the jobs of so many people. The efficiency and cost of a machine makes them even more attractive. The threat of machines was prevalent in 1972 as Phil explained. The threat has consistently grown and now we are faced with a time where machines could soon replace men.    

Blog 7: Tom Kearney (cop) and Dennis Hart (cab driver)

Tom Kearney:

The assumptions I had made about the ideals of a police officer of 23 years, whose father was a fireman for 40 years, were completely incorrect. After reading Tom Kearney’s background, I thought his story would demonstrate this very serious narrow-minded man. His role as a police officer is just what he does not who he is. I was surprised by his viewpoints on the social issues of the 60’s and especially the civil rights movement. I just did not expect a police officer to be so accepting of African Americans and even continually compare his objectives to those of an African American. He declares, “The average colored person is just like you and I. If there was a threat to all people wearing blue shirts, you certainly wouldn’t go down there in a blue shirt.”  Tom Kearney is understanding of the racial predicament that Blacks find themselves in and he even reveals that he would probably do the same thing. I find his blue shirt comparison to be unexpected but genius. This is just one example of his sophisticated thinking that really rejected my assumptions. Tom also talks about the old and new generation discrepancy. He and his son serve as a perfect example, and it is helpful for someone looking back at history to see. We learn about this new wave of generations and Tom is a man that experienced it firsthand.  I really enjoyed his story because it shattered my expectations, while also providing history.

Dennis Hart:

Dennis Hart discusses a variety of life topics from the atomic bomb to overcoming fear to the equality of African Americans. The topic that really resonates with me after reading this story is not the ideas from the Goldwater campaign or the details of the John Birch Society, but Dennis Hart’s response to the question “Do you ever cry?” He admits to crying and really embraces the shedding of tears. Instead of trying to mask himself with a manly bravado, Dennis is open and shares the truth about crying. He states, “I feel better any time I cry” and then later, “Every time I cry, I feel more like a man later on.” Crying refreshes you and is a completely unique outlet for emotion. Everyone needs to cry and feels better afterwards, but some people refuse to cry because of their thoughts of manliness. I immediately have the upmost respect for Dennis Hart and I would really enjoy talking to him after reading his ideas on crying. I do not see Dennis Hart as a cab driver, but as a man with bold and assertive views. A real man is not afraid to cry and an even bigger man will be completely open about it. This personal story does teach a history lesson like so many of the others stories I have blogged about, but it is just as valuable. Crying does not relate to US History aside from the fact that every single person in American history has cried during their life. To me the story of Dennis Hart is incredibly important because he sheds the complex truth on a simple universal emotion.

Entry #6: Peter Ota and Betty Hutchinson

I am fascinated by the combination of the World War II stories of Peter Ota and Betty Basye Hutchison because they had utterly different experiences, yet they regarded the war in the same manner to their kids. Peter Ota and Betty Hutchison both had the war change their lives forever. Peter’s ethnicity forced involvement, while Betty’s social circle encouraged involvement. Their experiences are completely different because Peter’s change was forced by the government while Betty could not wait to get involved.

Peter’s father was an honest, hard-working man living the American dream who was sent to jail after the attack at Pearl Harbor because he was Japanese. His mom then became too ill to move because of the shame she felt in seeing her husband in prison clothes. At age 15 it was just Peter and his 12 year old sister. This was an American family who did not choose to have their lives altered because of the war. In April 1942, Peter and his sister were sent to the internment camp at Santa Anita because they were Nisei. They could only take what they could carry and lost all privacy. Their father was later brought to this camp like cattle and they soon after were sent to a new camp in Colorado that was like a prison. Peter’s father never showed any anger, but he was a different person. Peter was sent out in jobs so he was only in the camp for a year. He joined the war effort to escape the horrors of the camps not because he wanted to get involved. He summarizes his war experience, “Here I am being drafted into the army, and my father and sister are in a concentration camp waiting for the war to end”. His experience was very ironic and showed that he was involved in the war involuntarily.

Betty Basye Hutchinson immediately knew she was going to involve herself and the war and do what she could to help the war effort. She became a nurse because it was the fastest thing she could do to help the boys. Betty really wanted to have something to do with war which meant should was willing to end the life she had known just a few months before. The glamour of the war was appealing to her. Everyone she knew was involved in the war, so she wanted to do something. Betty’s brother served on a tanker, her schoolmates were out there losing their lives, and her fiancé joined the marines. Her social circle or environment encouraged one to do whatever they could for the war effort. She was an American who was glad to join in, while others like Peter were forced to join in.

Betty and Peter both ended up living in suburbia and raised their kids in similar manners. They had oppositional experiences during the war for both being American. I am intrigued that the both ended up living such similar lives. Peter explains his philosophy, “My children were denied a lot of the history of what happened. If you think of all those forty years of silence, I think this stems from another Japanese characteristic: when shame is put on you, you try to hide it.” And Betty explains her similar philosophy, “That’s the way we lived in suburbia, raising our children, not telling them about war…You wouldn’t fill your children full of these horror stories, would you?”. They ended up living similar lives but for completely different reasons. Peter wanted to shield his children from the shame that was thrust upon him, while Betty did not want them to know of the horrors she willingly was a part of.

Entry #5: Peggy Terry and E.B. Sledge

The stories of Peggy Terry and E.B. Sledge work nicely when read together because they give such differentiating perceptions of World War II. Peggy Terry shares a typical story for a woman on the homefront, who is actually seeing some benefits as a result of the war. E.B. Sledge tells a common story for a soldier serving overseas in Japan. The diversity between their experiences is helpful to the understanding of someone looking back at the war.

Peggy Terry’s encounter is a story of oblivion: she did not really understand the war and almost saw it as a positive because it served as a chance to make money. She had no idea what they war meant because she was living day to day, so she did not have time to think about big things like the war. She worked in a factory making shells, but it never crossed her mind that these shells would be used to kill people. Women saw the job openings as opportunity and a step towards equality. To many women, such as Peggy’s mother, it was their first real job, so they did not actually feel the need to consider the purpose of their work. She described a story of a woman on a bus saying she hoped the war did not end until she got her refrigerator paid for, and then an old man hit her on the head with an umbrella. The story almost summarizes the oblivion of women on the homefront. They had gone through all this struggle with the Depression and were now making money, so they are put in a very awkward position.  Peggy declared, “I look back at the war with sadness. I wasn’t smart enough to think too deeply back then. We had a lotta good times and we had money and we had food on the table and the rest was paid”. Peggy knew that war is a terrible thing, but she could not truly embrace the idea until she had to live with it. She was looking forward for the war to end for her husband to come home. He came home a drunkard who had awful nightmares and would slap her and her kids around. She was not aware of the horrors of the war until her husband came home. The war ended up turning her against religion and by its end she just associated it with awful.

E.B. Sledge remembers the war as a time of helpless savagery. The Japanese fought by a code of no surrender, so the American soldiers stopped feeling mercy towards them. He tells a story of trying to help a weak, docile, and abandoned Japanese soldier, but the soldier just ended up trying to kill him. The soldiers would truly form hatred toward the Japanese. E.B. had a brother who served in Germany and said that once you captured a German you realized that they were just like you, but it was not like that with the Japanese. E.B. explained, “You knew all you had was that particular moment you were living”. He watched friends and comrades constantly die inches away from him. He knew that he could easily die any second. E.B. not only had to live with death but also saw the worst in men. They would steal the gold teeth of the dead Japanese and do brutish acts towards their bodies. He explained “We were out there, human beings, the most highly developed form of life on earth, fighting each other like wild animals”. World War II was essentially an experience of evil for E.B. He consistently saw men commit the worst atrocities possible and even saw himself doing so with no reservations.

A woman on the homefront and a man serving overseas receive two completely definitions of war. I value both of their perceptions, yet as an outsider I cannot relate to either.  We studied the role of women as well as the experiences of soldiers, but looking at the two personal stories side by side gives me a uniquely complex view of World War II.

Entry 4: "The Good War": An Oral History of WWII

Robert Rasmus

As I was reading I kept thinking about how you see the typical 19 year old side but then also the soldier. Robert Rasmus summed it up perfectly, “I was pulled in two directions: Gee, I don’t wanna get killed. And, Boy, this is gorgeous country”. To me these two sides are the relatable one and the one I cannot even imagine relating to. Robert was so eager to serve because knowing that he had a chance to gain his manhood was worth more than knowing that he had a better chance of dying than living. It is age appropriate to want to prove that you are a man but I cannot relate to risking your life to do so. Robert was fascinated by Europe like any 19 year old traveling to Europe for the first time would be. He discusses his need for friendship and the sense of not wanting to fail his buddies.  These emotions are ones I would and have felt, but his emotions that come with being a soldier disconnect him from the typical boy around his age today.  His instant transformation is shown perfectly from two stories. He had never seen a dead body besides at a funeral home and then seeing all these dead bodies almost became normality. His initial perception of the German 88s versus grasp of reality show him grow from a boy to a soldier. After passing a German that they killed he declared, “Once the helmet is off, you’re looking at a teenager, another kid. Obviously you have to go on”.  He is a 19 year old realizing that the enemy is just like him, but then the soldier in him takes over. There is a half of Robert that I can relate to, but the other half is something I can never understand.

Entry #4—“The Good War”: An Oral History of World War II

Introduction

This introduction really helps me affirm that a memory book like this is as valuable if not more valuable to understanding history as a textbook. Rather than just looking at facts and statistics, I am able to hear the stories of the people that created those numbers. This book allows me to see the real feelings of all people involved in the war. The introduction is filled with snippets of actually stories from all sorts of Americans. Big Bill Broonzy posed the question, “How do you expect somebody to feel ‘bout somethin’ he don’t know?”. I agree with him in the sense that one can never truly understand something unless they experience it, but by educating yourself with a variety of stories you can get much closer to understanding. For instance the story of enemies coming together 38 years later helps you understand that they were all the same kind of boys just from different countries.  City boys and country boys realized their sameness, while fighting together, and then this similar sameness when they encountered the enemies. I knew that the war had benefits for the equality of women and Blacks, but until I read the stories I did not soldiers benefited once home. A returning GI said, “The war changed our whole idea of how we wanted to live when we came back. We set our sights pretty high. All of us wanted better levels of living”. A textbook could not have given this insight as effectively as a memory book.  I gained a new understanding of the beginning of War Times ending the Hard Times because of all the stories I was able to read. World War II greatly shaped the course of America and the most beneficial way to try and understand it is through stories.   

Entry #3: Jane Yoder and Peggy Terry

Peggy Terry

After reading the stories of Peggy Terry and of her mother, Mary Owsley, I am in awe of Peggy’s life motto. She believes, “I think we were put here to live and be happy and to enjoy everything that’s here”. A life full of suffering leading to this perspective is mindboggling to me. Both Peggy and Mary did not appear to have happy lives yet Peggy is praising enjoyment. All the bad times her mother certainly told her about and that she had to endure actually led to a positive outlook. Maybe when times are so bad you actually see the best in people. Peggy says that people did not hate each other. Nowadays everyone just sees one another as competition. People were not put at fault for being poor as they are today. There was nothing to be ashamed about if you were poor.  Mary even revealed that the rich genuinely felt bad for the poor. The extreme suffering actually worked to unite people. I believe that today it would just lead to jealousy and hysteria. Peggy shared, “Here were all these people living in old, rusted-out car bodies. I mean that was their home. There were people living in shacks made of orange crates. One family with a whole lot of kids were living in a piano box. This wasn’t just a little section, this was maybe ten-miles wide and ten-miles long”. She saw this and still associates human life with positivity and happiness. Peggy embodies an American ideal of optimism that I feel is being lost. This country was built on hope, and Americans like Peggy and Mary are proof that the hope lives on.

Entry #3: Jane Yoder and Peggy Terry

Jane Yoder

A story like Jane Yoder’s really makes me appreciate my life and realize how fortunate I am. Although, this feeling will only last temporarily because as her son, Tom, said “it’s only human nature that we all want to go on and find something better”. I know that I am very lucky but it is impossible to not want more. All these little things in life that I do not even think about were luxuries to Jane. She would dream about oranges and bananas, while they are just boring fruit that I can have whenever I want. Even wearing boots was a great rarity to her. People stress over what clothes to wear and Jane does not even understand why there should be a choice. If I am cold I have the ability to turn the heat up or put on warmer clothes. Having to continue suffering through the coldness is never a thought that crosses my mind. Jane constantly went cold and was desperate to be warm. She was desperate enough to wear an Indian Blanket Coat that all of the other kids laughed at. Jane said “And I can remember thinking the hell with it. I don’t care what…it doesn’t mean a thing. Laugh hard, you’ll get it out of your system.” Children strive for the approval of their peers and fear becoming an outcast. Jane was so desperate to be warm that she was willing to let all of the other children make fun of her. The extent of her suffering actually forced her to become more mature. I know I take my life for my granted but maybe that is because I cannot truly imagine a life like Jane’s. As Tom said “I don’t think my generation can really comprehend what all this means. I’ve never gone to bed hungry…”. Until you actually experience something it is nearly impossible to actually comprehend it. I think that relates to all of history. We can know the facts, everything that happened, and even hear people’s stories but to truly understand something I think you have to be there.

Repatriation of Mexicans and Mexican Americans

The Depression is not associated with thoughts of Mexican Americans. I had never even considered the immense struggles they had to face. The idea of deportation really arose as a result of the Depression. With the growth of unemployment came increased hostility towards immigrant workers. White Americans were now willing to take the lower jobs of immigrants because they desired some source of income. The Mexicans were sent out of the country even though they had been recruited earlier. I think that this new hostility was a result of fear and paranoia. The immigrants could be used as a scapegoat for the extreme unemployment because it could be thought that they were taking jobs away. People were deported if they even were suspected of being Mexican. The life of a Mexican American was even harder than the average American living through the Depression because they had the same great economic struggles but had to deal with the threat of deportation as well. They are such an interesting group of people to look at during the Depression because I believe they had to suffer even more than most. Deportation is still a very large issue today, and I had no idea that some of its strongest origins could be tied back to the Depression.

Blog #2: Robertson and Heline

The two stories I read were quite a powerful combination because they allowed me to look at the Depression from two completely different lenses. Arthur A. Robertson has an extremely unique story as he was a successful broker that was actually able to make a profit from the Depression. Oscar Heline experienced the classic story of a struggling farmer. Robertson described his experience: “In the early thirties, I was known as a scavenger. I used to buy broken-down businesses that banks took over”. Heline talked about how everything was taken away from him: farm, livestock, and even household goods. One was able to almost benefit from the great economical struggle, while the other was with the vast majority of America partaking in the struggle. I associate the Depression with a person like Heline, so Robertson’s story is really a novelty for me. It was a time of desperation, but not everyone was desperate.

Robertson’s interview was not a story of his great personal struggles, but he did give deep insight into the struggles of former hotshot businessmen. He shares that many of broker friends who were once very wealthy now calling him in desperation. Robertson even revealed, “Suicides, left and right, made a terrific impression on me, of course”. For many people death ended up being the sensible response to the suffering. The insight on the story of Jess Livemore, who was trading genius but lost everything and ended up committing suicide, really struck me. I realize that optimism was a killer. Robertson credited his success to becoming frightened. He did suffer some substantial losses, but Heline gives a truer story of struggle.

The Depression was so severe for famers that the price to attempt to sell corn was actually costlier than its value. Heline admitted that destruction was the best hope for renewed success: “People were determined to withhold produce from the market—livestock, cream, butter, eggs, what not. If they would dump the produce, they would force the market to a higher level”. It is hard to imagine people destroying everything they live for. I cannot picture times being so bad that I would have to do something like that. Although all farmers did not have the same experience. The “struggle between the have and the have-nots” gives a perception similar to Robertson’s. Farmers prided themselves on individualism but the desperation forced them to come together. Heline declares, “What I remember most of those times is that poverty, creates desperation, and desperation creates violence.” It was a time of desperation but not for all; these are two completely different stories from two men living through the Great Depression.

We are all American but all of our experiences are very different. Robertson and Heline are living in America at the same time but one has personal success story versus a story of extreme struggle. Looking at American history through its individuals teaches that there is no collective experience. Each person’s American history is unique and they combine to form the true history of America.

Entry #1: C.P. Ellis / Andy Johnson

C.P. Ellis 

I will never feel any drop of remorse or sympathy for a person that was once a member of the KKK. I understand that C.P. Ellis just joined for a sense of belonging. He described, "Here's a guy who's worked all his life and struggled all his life to be something, ande here's the moment to be something". He wanted to be part of something because it gave him a sense of entitlement and importance that he was so desperately missing in life. He went through terrible hardships growing up: feelings of inferiority, the premature death of his father, and poverty. C.P. Ellis wanted a scapegoat for these problems. He wanted to hate as much as he wanted to belong. The Klan provided for both these wants. But, by joining the Klan he became an extreme racist and bigot. He was not only a member, but worked his way up to president. I cannot sympathize or forgive anyone who was president of the KKK. The want to belong does not suffice for his wretched acts. Blacks were natural for him to hate because they were up and coming while he was supposed to be superior. I believe that he blamed the Blacks for his personal flaws and struggles.

C.P. ended up making a complete 360 in life, but for me, he committed an act that is forever unforgivable. His perceptions completely cahnged, "I was beginnin' to look at a black person, shake hands with him, and see him as a human bein'". C.P. Ellis's life turned: he worked with blacks, went back to school, and eventually worked for the International Union of Operating Engineers. He realized that him and Blacks were actually in the exact same boat in life. C.P Ellis turned out to be an honorable man, but I still cannot forgive him. If I were in his shoes I cannot say that I would not have joined the Klan. Looking back, no matter what I did in the rest of my life, I would never be able to forgive myself just like I cannot forgive C.P. Ellis.

Andy Johnson   

At a young age, Andy Johnson experienced the typical  early 1900s immigration experience. Coming from Finland, America was a drastic change. He explained, "Coming to America was like being transferred from one century to another". The change was so severe that Andy saw his first Black person and thought he just had a dirty face. Andy came to America with only his mother and his sister because his father had come two years earlier for work. I believe that Andy's father prevented him from seeing the grand benefits of this change. His perceptions of America later in life were greatly altered by his father. I think that his father's struggle and lack of happiness combined with one other event to become the driving forces behind his political views. Andy declared, "You got a terrible-looking hole dowin in the ground where we used to live once. A person's first home is so sacred and especially in a foregin country. Having that home turned into a hole must be traumatic. Andy was a hardworker but never saw the rewards. He was blackballed for his opinoins and use of independence. America caused Andy to believe that humanity was going to end itself. A struggling immigrant will only see negativity so all they believe is negativity. I am almost positive that his ideas of humainty's self-termination were not unique to a child that immigrated to America in the early 1900s.