The Roaring Twenties: Year of Changes

 The world is changing very fast. Big will not beat slow anymore. It will be the fast beating the slow (Rupert Murdoch). The Roaring Twenties is an example of this, it was the year of changes within the social and political views of many Americans, where the youth took charge and changed America to become a whole new civilization. The youth, challenged their society and status quo. Starting from their music- jazz and blues music- which were part of the black culture, growing economy and their new trend of fashion, which were mostly focused on women's style of choice that symbolizes the age of the New Women.

This revolution did cause conflicts between the younger generation and the older generation, bringing up the country's critical problems, that eventually helped America to move forward, to keep progressing.This era of new civilization came with a flaw. A flaw in which made the younger generations reject their tradition, thus losing their morality for something of acquisitive goals. We lack a certain dignity of charm and refinement which, despite their silly conventions and their inhibitions, our fathers and mothers are not without, (Temple 1).

 Unlike the older generation, the younger generation tend to ignore the moral code of tradition and instead chooses to follow their own path of personal gain. We young people are like a herd of calves, enclosed in a wide pasture. Leaderless we rush, in an impetuous juvenile stampede, toward the farthest pasture gates, not knowing what lies beyond more pasture lands, or chasms. We have hurled aside all conventions, (Temple 1).

The younger generation are leaderless, they have no one to guide them to the right path of traditions and morality, no authority for them to obey. Like herds of animals, they stampede their way to life blindly.Their flaw, however, did help America come closer to it's dream of equality of both sexes. It showed the empowerment women had in this era and how far they have come compared to the women in the older generation. A most popular symbol of this empowerment were the Flappers, who dressed differently than the previous generation. Most of us, under the present system of modern education, are further advanced and more thoroughly developed mentally, physically, and vocationally than were our parents at our age. We hold the infinite possibilities of the myriads of new inventions within our grasp. We have learned to take for granted conviences, and many luxuries, which not so many years ago were as yet undreamed of. We are in touch with the whole universe. We have a tremendous problem on our hands (Page 1).

The Flapper's main idea was to convince the previous generation of how much they have learned from them, their achievement and mistakes, which changed who they are as a person. Their knowledge and experiences are further enhanced than the previous generation, making them just as wise and cautious. They were able to create inventions that marked the first step of progress in American civilization. We are the Younger Generation. The war tore away our spiritual foundations and challenged our faith. We are struggling to regain our equilibrium. The times have made us older and more experienced than you were at our age. It must be so with each succeeding generation if it is to keep pace with the rapidly advancing and mighty tide of civilization (Page 1). It was the war that the older generation brought that began the change in their way of thinking. The war made them stronger, it's what changed them to keep fighting for that equality that the older generation never could. It expanded their knowledge and experiences, making them wiser. Sooner or later, the once younger generation would become the older generation as time goes on and the new generation would become more wiser than they are and continues on, the same way the civilization are progressing forward.In addition to the way that women dressed in this era, their style of hair also changed, which turned from longer to shorter hair symbolizing women as an individual and their growing freedom of equality with men. It is part and parcel of life- one of the myriad things which by themselves may apparently mean nothing, but which in the aggregate help to form that particular complexity of expression which is myself (Garden 1).

This change of style made showed women as an independent individual. Women at this time, were able to freely express themselves, unlike the older generation, who were used to hide their imperfections wanting to be accepted into the society. When I consider the achievements of women in the past few years I find it impossible to do so without taking into account the tremendous freedom- giving changes in fashion that have accompanied them. And enjoying the blessings of short hair is necessary part of those fashion changes. To my way of thinking, long hair belongs to the age of general feminine helplessness. Bobbed hair belongs to the age of freedom, frankness, and progressiveness (Garden 1).

Women are becoming more equal with men, they are able to work and have freedom rights that women did not have back then. Rejecting the traditional women, they are now becoming more open, freely expressing themselves, having more knowledge and have become more stronger.In the book, The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald made a clear example of the traditional type and the more modern types of people, such as the difference between Daisy and Jordan. In the book, Nick and Gatsby describes Daisy's voice as full of money, (Fitzgerald 120). Daisy's voice is a symbol of wealth and status. Daisy's voice was a type of voice that is soft, like the older generation women, Daisy's personality is masked through her voice. Whereas, with Jordan, Nick describes her being slender, small-breasted girl, with an erect carriage, which she accentuated by throwing her body backward at the shoulders like a young cadet (Fitzgerald 11).

 Jordan is more outgoing, composes herself like a soldier. She is more the type to go on her own pace and does not care what others think of her, unlike Daisy, who cares a lot about her reputation in the society, to be accepted.The Roaring Twenties came with both a negative and positive aspects that changed the typical American social and political views and though it was imperfect, it did help America to become a more civilized country.

Works Cited

1. Fitzgerald, F. Scott. The Great Gatsby. Scribner, 2004.
2. Garden, Mary. Why I Bobbed My Hair (1927).
3. Google Classroom, uploaded by Ryan Shupp, 27 Feb. 2018.
4. Page, Ellen Welles. A Flapper's Appeal to Parents. Google Classroom, uploaded by Ryan Shupp, 27 Feb. 2018.
5. Temple, Anne. Reaping the Whirlwind. Google Classroom, uploaded by Ryan Shupp, 27 Feb. 2018.

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