An Analysis Of Bernie Boston's Flower Power Of The Counterculture Movement

There are numerous artifacts that are used to recall specific moments throughout history, but only some have the power to tell a whole story. Artifacts provide primary information about an event or time. The 1960’s were a pivotal time in American society. At the height of the Vietnam war people became aware of the injustices in America, which inspired the formation of what is now known as the counterculture movement. Members of the movement, called hippies, quickly became known across the country for their radical lifestyle change. Bernie Boston’s photo, Flower Power, (Boston) captures the significance of peace as a core value of the 1960s counterculture movement in America, despite the common representation of the movement which highlights

People in America began to recognise corrupt aspects of society. America had been commercialized as the "land of the free'', however, many were recognizing that wasn't the case. People prioritized conforming to society’s standards (Hill). Several young adults wanted to challenge the social norms and hoped it would lead to change. Throughout history disagreements between groups often led to violence. Figure 1 shows how the hippies sought change without the use of violence. Instead, they used flowers, representing their goal of achieving peace, while protesting the Vietnam War. Those participating in the counterculture movement also believed that the only way to form a new version of society was to completely drop out of the current one (Hill). Visually “dropping out” seemed to be a drastic change in style, unique music and a careless way of life. In reality, the hippies’ goal was to influence the rest of America to ditch materialistic ideas and priorities. Instead, people could focus on creating a peaceful, comfortable community where everyone could live their lives in the way that they genuinely wanted to, instead of wasting their time keeping up with society's standards (“Hippies”). Although the hippie movement rapidly spread, it did not convince the amount of people necessary to create a permanent shift in

Young adults began to “drop out” of society and begin a new lifestyle. They believed that in order for society to shift their focus from materialism to creating peace, they had to build a completely new lifestyle. Boston’s Flower Power (Fig 1) captured the turning point of the counterculture movement, when the hippies protested the Vietnam war in 1967. But Figure 1 connects to current events as well, especially considering the ongoing gun violence throughout the U.S, as it shows young adults peacefully, yet powerfully, protesting violence. The issue is especially relevant in students' lives as school shootings have become increasingly more common. Similar to the hippie movement, students throughout the country have developed protests in hopes to bring awareness to the importance of gun control. March for Our Lives is a widely known example of these protests, and it was organized by students. Flower Power (Fig 1) is an empowering artifact that continues to show relevance for more than five