Culture and Lifestyles of the 1920's



Culture and Lifestyles of the 1920's

 

 

♣         Go the web site on Flappers in the 1920s and answer the questions below.



 

1.       What are some of the factors that caused people of the 1920s to try and break away from the traditional values of society?

2.       What new values and attitudes did these people embrace?

3.       Who were "flappers" and how did their appearance and actions reflect this shift in attitudes and values?

 

♣         Go to the "Dear Parents..." An Open Letter from a Flapper by Ellen Welles Page, Outlook Magazine, Dec. 6, 1922 and answer the questions below.



This is an actual letter written by a flapper of the 1920s and is an excellent example of an historical record. You are going to compare this to the previous article to determine how well it researched and presented the facts of life in the 1920s.

 

4.       Describe three effects that the "Great War" had on the flapper and her peers.

5.       List six (6) characteristics of the "flapper" in the 1920s.

6.       How well does the information you have recorded from this letter match up with the previous web site? Give a couple of specific examples to justify your answer.

 

♣         Go to the “Slice of Life” web page.



This is a collection of magazine covers from Life magazine. While these are paintings they are also excellent examples of the historical record and will serve to “double check” what we have already learned about flappers from the first two web sites.

 

7.       Click through the collection of 10 images and as you view the posters make a two lists:

a)       the dress of the flapper, and

b)       the activities of a flapper.

 

8.       Compare the additional historical evidence you have now collected to the previous two web sites. How accurate a picture did the magazine covers give you of the flapper image and activities?

9.       What might account for some of the differences you found between the three different pieces of evidence that you examined?

 

♣         Go to the Music of the 1920s page

 

This series of questions deals with music of the 1920s. From your own experience you know that taste in music differs from generation to generation and from group to group in the same generation. As you listen to the music, try to fit it into what you have learned about the 1920s, keeping in mind that this was the music of 80 years ago - before the time of computers, synthesisers, and electric guitars.



Read the text and then listen to the clips of 1920s music. One of the most famous dances of the 1920s was the Charleston. You can see an example of the dance and the

music at

 

10.    Why did some people in the 1920s feel that jazz music was “dangerous” and “evil”?

 

 

11.   Look at the lyrics below to the track entitled “Doin' the Raccoon” by George Olsen.

a) Was the lifestyle of the 1920s only available to the wealthy and well-to-do or could other income groups participate in the freedom and excitement of the 1920s?

b) What do the lyrics of "Doin' the Racoon" tell you about the “attitude” in much of the music of the 1920s?

 

|Doin' the Racoon |They store 'em at Ohio, |

|College men, knowledge men, |They're hawked at Notre Dame, |

|Do a dance called racoon; |They carry 'em at California, |

|It's the craze, nowadays, |But they wear out just the same! |

|And it will get you soon. |At Penn, they're made of rabbit, |

|Buy a coat and try it, |At Vassar, sex appeal, |

|I'll bet you'll be a riot, |At Nebraska, made of airedale, |

|It's a wow, learn to do it right now! |In Chicago lined with steel! |

|High brow, low brow, intermediate, |From every college campus comes the cheer: oy-yoy! |

|Make believe they're all collegiate, soon, |The season for the racoon coat is here, my boy! |

|To do the raccoon! |Rough guys, tough guys, men of dignity, |

|Racoon coats don't care who's wearing 'em, |Join the racoon coat fraternity, soon, |

|Hallroom boys will all be sharing 'em soon, |To do the racoon. |

|To do the racoon! |Rich men, poor men, all have pride in them, |

|Every day its popularity grows, |No one knows who walks inside of them, soon, |

|It's the most important item in clothes. |To do the racoon. |

|Ten bucks down, and though it scratches you, |Every day you'll have your downs and your ups, high-ho, |

|Wear it 'til the sheriff catches you, soon, |Every day those racoon coats will have pups, I know! |

|To do the racoon! |Get a girl and start to hurry her |

|Oh, they wear 'em down at Princeton, |Right downtown to some big furrier, soon, |

|And they share 'em up at Yale, |You'll do the racoon! |

|They eat in them at Harvard, |Rac, rac, rac, rac, rac-rac-rac racoon! |

|But they sleep in them in jail! |  |

 

 

 

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