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Comparing The American West As Symbol And Myth

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The car, the symbol of American freedom, a gleaming machine steeped in a century of tradition. Yet, just how much of that tradition was entirely due to the civilian automobile? Could it be possible that the role of the car in competition defined its status in American imagination and society, just as its ubiquitous presence did? The car as competition is an overlooked portion of mechanical advancement, yet it may very well have redefined the role of the automobile in American life for decades to come. Just as the age of sail had its wooden ships and iron men, so too did the age of the car have its tough machines and tougher drivers. These men and the machines they controlled inspired Americans to go faster for themselves, from the high, sun-baked expanses of the Utah deserts to the windswept and ocean-battered beaches of northeastern Florida, to the back roads of small towns the nation over, Americans felt the need for speed. …show more content…

The need to do, perform, create bigger, better, larger and more impressive than ever before is to Smith a defining portion of the American national psyche. No where is this drive to be the best more prevalent than in the history of the automobile. The car, itself a significant part of the American mindset, is the living and changing embodiment of the American will to perform. In more ways than one, the automobile is more American than most other pursuits in life. It is a European invention that crossed the Atlantic and was embraced by the people of this continent, much as pizza, hot dogs and the games that became baseball and football were. The history of the car is the history of America, one of breaking the limits and doing the

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“The world remains, in large part the one set into motion by Henry Ford: a world in which cars are for everyone.”

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The film, Tucker: The Man and His Dream delineates the history behind the man of building “the car for the future.” Preston Tucker, a Detroit engineer, made a successful attempt to produce and enter the car market with the 1948 Tucker Sedan. After being thrown several challenges, by society, production problems and allegations of stock fraud, Tucker was left to vindicate his dream and honesty in court. Discussing Tucker’s main intent for the purpose of his business, plotting out a SWOT for Tucker’s company and analyzing Tucker’s marketing plan, are all ways to see how Tucker accomplished his childhood dream. The main intent for the purpose of Preston Tucker’s business, mentioned heavily in the film, was safety.

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Rick Groen, "The magic of moviegoing" In Rick Groen’s "The magic of moviegoing" reading in Essay Essentials, Groen states there is a continuing argument about how a theatergoer pick’s a movie. A Theatergoer chooses a movie as they would choose a television channel and with the same optimism - 18 screens and nothing to watch (2002, Para. 3). In my point of view, I conquer with Groen’s article on moviegoing. A number of times I have gone to the movies. Waited in line and while waiting took a look at everything the theatre was playing and had no desire to view anything the movie theatre was currently showing.

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It wasn’t long until Jefferson County entered into the teen years and World War I. While war injects much sadness and grief, it also brings new inventions, which produce progress for the future, and at the close of the war in 1918, Jefferson County was rolling along with the horseless carriage-the automobile. The county roads of mud and deep ruts, which served well the iron wagon wheel, failed to impress our new generation of automotive

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Re-telling the Story of the West Chaslynn A McAllister History 417C Great Basin College Re-telling the Story of the West The story of the American West is a significant aspect of the American history. In films, television, and novels, the story of the American West continues to gain popularity throughout the years by reinventing and retelling the story to distinguish the myth and realty of the history and development of the West. The history of the American West has numerous significant aspects which contributed to shaping modern West. The history of the American West had an immense impact the United States; to understand the role of the American West is to begin at the beginning of the development of the West. The West’s role in American History helped shaped the development of modern America.

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The 1950’s were good times in America. The boom in the economy from World War II continued into the 1950’s. Consumer spending soared, wages were above average, and new technologies created more desires. (Shultz, 2104). The leading excitement in the economy was purchasing an automobile; furthermore, all classes of society could afford purchasing an automobile.

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Exam Paper 1 In what ways did the American West of the late nineteenth century represent a contrast to the East? In what ways did the two regions resemble each other?

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The quantity of autos out and about nearly tripled in the vicinity of 1920 and 1929, fortifying the generation of steel, plastic, fortified glass, and different materials that went into making a car. Henry

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However, automobiles like the Chevrolet, the Rambler and the Hudson Hornet were huge successes when it came to consumerism in the economy. Manufacturers in the automobile industry, would make small changes to every year’s model. These changes would persuade consumers to buy the new model and that they needed to update their cars every couple of years and ultimately expanded purchasing growth in the 50’s society.

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Kline also demonstrated that the automobile had a negative impact on society but it was during the early stages of the automobile. An argument is made about the hostility of rural people towards the automobile when it was first introduced.17 For example “... Connecticut farmer spread a tire-cutting slag on roads. ”18 Rural folks were impacted by the automobile so much that they resorted to illegal ways to stop the automobile.19 This was a significant impact on society during that time period because rural folks were disturbed by the automobile which in turn created new problems for society.

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With his introduction of the assembly line and eight-hour workday, Henry Ford transformed American industry and augmented the national economy. Ford’s booming automobile industry, credited as being “the single device that produced the decade’s most revolutionary change” (Stein, 8), truly did overturn America’s economy. The prevalence of automobiles, with 23 million owned in America by 1929, spurred growth in related industries such as rubber, glass, nickel, and lead. With the end of the war’s violence also came a change in American youths’ attitude. “In the wake of hyper-emotional patriotism after World War I” (“Roaring Twenties,

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At one point, the United States Army had developed over 360 types of different vehicles but failed to capitalize on the technological advancement because of spare parts problems. Once again, this illustrates the disjointedness between what can be done on paper as far as development vs. what can be accomplished in reality and

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Automobiles were affordable and were designed carefully. The majority of these cars were produced by the Ford Motor Company, led by Henry Ford, who designed a different model each year to satisfy the insatiable crowd. Many of the automotive innovations that we think of as being modern—like electric powered cars, four wheel drive, front wheel drive, hybrid fuel and electric cars—were introduced during the 1920s. The automobiles had various different colors in order to get the attention of people, especially woman, and through time, they evolved to become more comfortable to drive for men (Scott ,1). The automobiles were beneficial to the U.S because they expanded the area of habitat.

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When we think of the American West, we always envision a land of rugged mountains and vast prairie, on which cowboys ride on horseback and chase after the Indians. This is the definition of the American West as presented on big screens in cinema, where most Americans’ perception of the myth of the American West comes from. Myth is a story that represents a culture's values and helps to define the individuals that comprise it. All cultures are based on myths.

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The Rise of the Automobile in 1920s in The Great Gatsby Perhaps no invention affected American everyday life in the 20th century more than the automobile. The invention and improvement of the automobile not only changed the America society, but also the whole world. The rapidly growing automobile industry led by Henry Ford and the Ford Motor Company produced new and better models every year to supply the insatiable public demand. Increased wages and lower cost vehicles made possible through mass production meant that cars became increasingly affordable, although 3 out of 4 cars were bought on installment plans.

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