This is, for me the most significant picture representing Watson and Crevecoeur's vision. The terrible event of 11th September 2001, shocked and horrified much of the American population, not to mention the rest of the world. The country did, however; as Crevecoeur suggests, join to together in a period of unity against a common enemy, where every person was working for 'Man as a whole' (Crevecoeur's Letters from an American Farmer, 1782).
The most important thing in Watson's perspective is that this unity, and more importantly the 'mixing of peoples'; also mentioned in the letters, has never been fully realised.
The event of 9/11 shows evidence of both Crevecoeur and Watson's ideals. There had been extreme unity between most Americans, but as both the source and Watson suggests, violence and a lack of cultural fusion led to many American (Arab) minorities being the victims of hate crime.
This picture from the Arab community website shows their dedication to the country they love. America is home to them as to anyone else there. They attempt therefore to break the boundries of ethnic conflict, and bring America together, in Crevecoeur's image.
I found this site by going to Google Advanced Image Search, then clicking on the www.aaiusa.org/issues/2447/911-five-years-later link. It is very interesting to see what the Arab community has to say. I would recommend it as a quick read, to anyone.
My second image comes from an American film called 'Pleasantville' (Gary Ross, 1998). I used Google Advanced Image search again, and clicked onto www.uwm.edu/~wash/pleasantville.htm.As many of you may know, the film is set in an old television program where two 1990s teenagers are transformed to a place of tradition and conformity.
Watson's idea of the 'Geography of newness' comes into context when these teenagers start to update the program and bring about the new age of living. As they do this, the old program starts to blossom into colour, while the town counsil attempts to delay the inevitable.
This sign (in the picture above) not only shows the resisting of change and 'mixing' of different social groups (Crevecoeur), but also the resisting of deplacement of the old with the new.
I feel this is an excellent example of the developement of 'newness', and the replacement of the old.
This isn't the clearest of pictures, I apologise. It is the front cover of a book entitled 'National Parks, The American Experience' (Alfred Runte), and it is a book written for the national park lover. It shows the commitment to nature that Watson identifies.If anyone would want to have a look, I found it by using the Google Book search for American National Parks, and this is the first result. I would recommend reading several pages in, because the first few are not so useful.
The book makes many important points about the destruction of the environment, and the need to preserve the places under attack.
This book is ideal evidence of Watson's view on the American love of nature versus their destructed power.
Finally, my last picture comes from a website called http://teachingamericanhistory.net/000001 /000000/ 000129/html/t129.html and is entitled 'The Rise of Advertisement and American Consumer Culture'.
The first thing that caught my eye, was how old it looked in comparison to how much modern advertising was displayed. I think this helps to display the developement of the new over the old, also. It describes in the Article how the new industries were changing in such a rapid way.
This is not only similar in Watson's 'newness' explanation, but also an explanation for the entire construction of modern geographical thinking. By seeing the development of this space that was shaped in the mind of the American people, we can see how ideology and imagination control the changing of American geography.
I feel that all of these pictures help to give a visual example and clarification to Watson's study. I hope you do, too.
3 comments:
I think all these pictures are great. the first picture i can see very clearly what you are saying about the "world as an whole" because you are right 9/11 did bring people.
The second picture says it quit clear about how blacks are not welcome, what makes it even more textured is that th picture is also in black and white.
The thir picture isnt very clear but it is good to know for future refence hat there is a book about the letter.
The forth picture is different as it shows the differences to todays media and if the media has changed that means the world has also this is a good picture for his letter as it shows the "old and new world"
I completely agree with the pictures you have posted Maxine, especially as you encorporated 9/11 - which on the whole created a completely different attitude to the one Watson expressed in his essay. I like the way you thought about the minorities and how they were all 'tarnished with the same brush' as terrorists after the attack.
Once again, the other pictures definately reflect what Watson described in his essay.
I found Maxxines pictures and descriptions in the post informative and topical, though the first two were far more interesting in my own opinion. This is because of the memory of the twin towers and my love of films so I can relate to them better than the national park magazine and the old town. It was a good selection of very diverse images and showed different sides to America. Though these images portray an important section of america the picture of the replacement of the twin towers with what is either a poem or short prose is unbelievably overwhelming. "Will hate make us better than those who hate us? or will it merely bring us closer to them?"
The screen shot from pleasantville is great out of context as it is almost laughable at how right it was. The other two images show change and stability in culture and landscape from opposing but similarly paralel views. Clever work by maxxine to present these images appropriately.
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