The 1920’s: a time of autonomy and responsibility Essay -- Essays Pape

The 1920’s: a time of autonomy and responsibility The twentieth century is coming to a close and it has been a time of sorrow, innovation, and progress. The decades have come and gone and with events like the civil rights movement, the world wars, and the roaring twenties this century will be one that is definitely remembered. All of these events questioned peoples values, especially the values of autonomy and responsibility. The event that is to be looked at on this page is the roaring twenties and how the governments and citizens actions reflected these values in both positive and negative ways. The areas of socialness, literature, The Mafia, prohibition, the government, and the economy are all areas that will be focused on to demonstrate these positive and negative reflections. The group members individually looked at these areas and put together information on the actions of the people in these areas and if they were autonomous, responsible, or both. The first area that will be discussed on this page is the social aspects of the 1920’s. Jen Manno specifically chose the areas of music, theater, youth, and the flappers for her concentration. The social aspects of the 1920’s strongly support autonomy and the ability to make your own decisions. The youth were governed by themselves and the "in" thing was to be independent and expressing your own personal attitudes. In the social realm, no one cared about being responsible, all they wanted to do was have fun and do whatever they had to do in order to achieve that. The second area that will be displayed on this page is the literature of the twenties. Liz Sobieski will reflect on George S. Schuler and his play "The Yellow Peril," "The Great Gatsby,"... ... this behavior and questions. If there ever was a conflict between autonomy and responsibility, it came during Prohibition. The whole idea of this period was the illegal shipping, buying, and drinking of alcohol, which reflects many's definition of responsibility and right and wrong. Theodore Roosevelt brought about the Square Deal and fought for what he thought was right therefore, displaying his ability to act responsible. The final topic that we discussed was the economy of the twenties and many invested in the stock market. Many thought that buying stock was there responsibility and the right thing to do however, peoples overconfidence in the reliability of the stock market caused many to lose many material things. The activities of the Twenties are full of right and wrong and through the explanation of the writers of this page that is brought out and proved.