AMH2020 Final Exam Short Responses

"Little Boxes" (song) by Malvina Reynolds

Folk song critiquing consumerism and conformity of post WWII American culture; mocks suburban houses & people being cheap and made of “ticky tacky”

Historical significance of “Little Boxes” (song) by Malvina Reynolds & analysis that connects to broad course themes

As soon as people were free from the perils of famine and starvation and US production was peaking, overconsumption began and people wanted a financially viable family unit. Due to economic prosperity, pressure to stabilize after the war, and policies promoting homeownership after WWII, people were drawn to the idea of the ‘nuclear family.’ Little Boxes challenges this idea of the ‘American dream’ and reflects the desire for individuality in a conformist society (and the growing discontent with suburbanization, materialism, and consumer culture during the 1960s during and after WWII).

The Sunbelt

The region in the southern and southwestern United States characterized by a warm, sunny climate and economic and population growth

Historical significance of the Sun Belt & analysis that connects to broad course themes

After the Cold War, there was as economic boom in the Sunbelt driven by the destruction of other industrial powers such as the Soviet Union and the Cold War consensus. The housing boom (including federal policies driving people to buy homes) defenses being put down in the South, warmer climate, lower labor costs, less unionization, and even air conditioning all contributed to this boom in the Sunbelt which ended up being detrimental to the industrial North as the US moved away from industrialization and embraced suburbanization.

“If Men Could Menstruate” by Gloria Steinem

A satirical essay written by feminist activist Gloria Steinem that images a world where men menstruate and women don’t, and how this would change society to make currently stigmatized periods “superior” if men had them.

Historical significance of Steinem’s “If Men Could Menstruate” & analysis that connects to broad course themes

This essay reflected the feminist and Civil Rights movements of the 60s as well as the problematization of the post war family with gender norms reinforced by the Cold War. Steinem critiqued the way women’s experiences are devalued and exposed the absurdity of the stigma surrounding menstruation, and prompted conversations about women’s rights, gender equality, and how women’s bodies are perceived and treated.