context Flashcards
1
Q
when is the great gatsby set
A
1922
four years after the end of WW1, the ‘roaring twenties’ ‘Jazz age’ due to the boom in the economy
2
Q
statistic about the wealth of america
A
- the nations total wealth more than doubled between 1920 and 1929
3
Q
consumerism
A
- post war wealth combined with wartime advancements in technology. American industry began to develop new products such as ready to wear clothes and home appliances like electric refrigerators and Radios
- by the end of the 1920s there were radios in more than 12 million households
4
Q
Cars
A
- the most important consumer product of the 1920s
- low prices (Ford Model T cost just $260 in 1924) and generous credit made cars affordable luxuries
- in 1929 there was one car on the road for every 5 americans
5
Q
the jazz age
A
- New dances: the charleston, the cake walk, the black bottom, the flea hop
6
Q
prohibition
A
18th amendment in 1919 banned the manufacture and sale of ‘intoxicating liquors’
created speakeasies, controlled by bootleggers
7
Q
advertising
A
- promoted the new products being created
- billboards were introduced in the mid 19th c and by 1920s advertising was everywhere. Jingles started to appear of radio after 1923
- finance companied loaned ppl money to buy the things advertised yet landed them in debt
8
Q
women before the change
A
women in 1917 had limited roles, were not allowed to smoke or drink in public
- had to be accompanied by a chaperone when they went out
- expected to wear ankle length dresses, wear no makeup and have tied back hair
- few women worked or had low paid ‘women’s jobs’ like cleaning
9
Q
new women movement
A
- when the men went to war they took ver their factory jobs
- encouraged freer behaviour, some women began cutting their hair short, wearing short dresses, makeup, driving cars, went out without a chaperone and smoke and drank in public
- given the vote in 1920
10
Q
Flapper
A
- challenged societies traditional attitudes towards women
- wore short dresses and revealing swimsuits on public beaches
- danced with men in public, wore bringt clothing
- cut hair short, dressed to exaggerate boyish figures, were sexually active, realised they could have independence rather than getting married
11
Q
american dream
A
- the us declaration of indeednce says that every citizen has the right to ‘life, liberty and pursuit of happiness’ this is seen to express the essential spirit of the AD
- any individual should be able to achieve success through their own ambition, no matter their background
12
Q
corruption of the dream
A
- during the 1920s, the dream of freedom and success was replaced by the dream of money and consumerism
- during the economic boom anyone could try to become wealthy, but as the novel hi lights, the class barriers of ‘‘old money’ and ‘new money’ show the corruption
13
Q
immigration
A
- thousands of immigrants arrived in amerce in the 19th century in pursuit of the american dream
- many od these immigrants arrived at Ellis Island just off Manhattan and decided to stay in NY and these surrounding areas
- in 1924 the immigration act was passed, restricting the number of immigrants moving to the US
