1. THE MODERN AGE (1914-1945) Disillusion, Defiance, and Discontent

2. COMPLETE THE OPTIC FOR DROUTH STRICKEN AREA : O = Overview: What is happening in the picture? P = Parts of the picture: Break the picture down into sections. Name everything that you see. Describe color, lighting, and movement in the picture. T = Title: What does the title tell you about the picture? How much does it add to what you understand or do not understand about the picture? Explain your answers. I = Interrelationships: Analyze the relationships in the picture. How do objects or people or colors relate to each other in the picture? What clues to the message or argument are these relationships giving you? What seems to be the most important “relationship” in the picture? C = Conclusion: Draw a conclusion to the meaning or message of the picture based on what you have viewed and discussed as a group. Essentially, what is the argument the artist is trying to convey?

8. THE 20 TH CENTURY During this period, America fought in two world wars, struggled through the Depression, and emerged as a dominate power. Many of the monumental figures of American literature, including F. Scott Fitzgerald, William Faulkner, and Ernest Hemingway, rose to prominence during this period. Simultaneously, the movie industry grew from an experiment into a commercial powerhouse.

9. WAR AND ITS AFTERMATH After the shock of WWI, Americans left behind many of the optimistic attitudes of the prewar world. One of the bloodiest and most tragic conflicts ever to occur. (8.7 million people died) President Woodrow Wilson tried to remain neutral, but that proved impossible. The horrors of combat were unspeakable, intensified by new technology put to wartime use. Machine guns, tanks, submarines, airplanes, flame throwers, and poison gas proved that technology could be used for mass violence.

10. THE ROARING TWENTIES During the Roaring Twenties: The economy boomed Skyscrapers rose Prohibition led to bootlegging and organized crime Popular entertainment included movies, radio, dancing, & jazz music. The “roar” of the Roaring Twenties tried to drown out the remembered sound of exploding bombs and the horror of death.

11. SIGNIFICANT EVENTS 1929 – The U.S. Stock Market crashes 1930s – The Great Depression 1939 – France and England declare war on Germany when Hitler invades Poland. World War II begins. 1941 - Japan attacks Pearl harbor, and America enters WWII. 1942 - President Roosevelt initiates the Manhattan Project, a research and development project to build the atomic bomb. 1945 - Allied troops liberate German concentration camps, the U.S. drops atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan surrenders, World War II ends.

12. WHAT VALUES, ATTITUDES, & IDEAS GREW FROM THESE EVENTS? Disillusion with Old Ideas and Ideals Ideas and ideals of the 19 th century had not prevented the slaughter of WWI, and so new beliefs and attitudes had to take their place. Wider Cultural Awareness Wars and new technologies made Americans more aware of other cultures Greater Democratization The middle class continued to expand. Women, African Americans, and immigrants played increasingly important roles in American cultural life. Fragmentation of Experience War, the stress of modern urban life, and the sheer speed of change caused many people to feel uncertain.

13. ABOVE ALL, MODERNISM WAS A DESIRE FOR THE NEW Narrative Conventions: Writers risked a certain amount of incoherence for the sake of experimentation. Writers were willing to disrupt traditional notions of order, sequence, and unity. Sometimes they left plotlines unresolved, refusing to tie up every thread. Shifts in time- moving among past, present, and future. They wove characters’ dreams and fantasies into narratives. The Stream of Consciousness-the natural flow of thoughts, memories, and insights Tone: The tone of irony marks many Modernist works. Authors were painfully aware of the gap between the world as it was and the world as it ought to have been.

14. THEMES OF MODERN LITERATURE Themes: In Modernist works, themes are more indirect; therefore, readers must pay closer attention, ask more questions, and forge more connections for themselves. Collectivism versus individualism Disillusionment Violence and alienation Decadence and decay Loss and despair Race and gender relations The American Dream

15. ABOVE ALL, MODERNISM WAS A DESIRE FOR THE NEW Style: Snappier dialogue, less flowery descriptions, and everyday vocabulary gave Modern American works a recognizable style. Characters & Identities: Most often are alienated people searching unsuccessfully for meaning and/or love in their lives. Denizen of the Waste Land: wanderer through a war-wearied landscape, spiritually exhausted, in search of new values. Member of the Lost Generation: disillusioned, self indulgent, escapist. Triumphant Commoner: believer in the innate strength of those who remain close to the land. Poetic Maker: believer in the saving power of art and imagination African American Artist: creator of art drawn from the African American Experience.