Positive and Negative

Positive

The Bald eagle is one of the most magnificent birds around. You notice due it protection by 

the US government and being the US national treasure. The Bald Eagle is there to signify the power and

the drive of the American institution. America for a long time has been one of the worlds most powerful nation. It's dominance in it's environment is one that matches America's dominance in today's world.

Negative.

This image tells a story itself. Arguably one of the most tragic incidents in American and world history, and the fact that it was just over a decade ago makes it even more poignant. This is an obvious negative as the alleged effects of this incident are still going on to date. With troops still fighting in Afghanistan despite the assassination of Osama Bin-Laden and the constant conspiracy stories circulating the web. The effects of this incident will still be felt for years to come.

positive and negative

                                                      Intro to American Studies

Positive

In Films, Native Americans are typically show to be the villians and living on reservations. The face is though the white people forced them to live on reservations to take the Indian's prime land. Additionally, the white people treated the Native American's quite cruelly. The picture beside is a positive picture because the Americans have come so far in race relation that they elected the first American Black president, Native Americans and whites can all be in the same room without difficulty. Things have changed since the days when black people were brought to America as slaves in shackles on boats and things have particularly changed for the Native Americans since they are no longer forced to live on reservations. No matter what race, the picture shows that all the races are now treated equally in the United states. They elected their very first black president and with that they were able to break the idea of the united states being only a white country.

This is a picture of how easy it is to get a gun. In my opinion i don't agree that it should be so easy to get a gun like it is in America because of how many school shootings have gone on in the past 5 years. In america it is fairly easy to get a fun, you can get a free fun if you open a new account at a particular bank and you can get bullets from the hair dressers this is basically publicizing saying its okay to use hand guns. But the school shootings have hit a rapid increase since 2012. So this is why this is a neagative view of America because of the amount of deaths that happen per year because of guns. There are so many wrong things with having a gun in America because of how easy it is to get a gun it is so easy for gang wars to break out causing innocent people to die just because of a war amongst people. Innocent people like the black people that died at the hands of Ku Klux Klan because of their racist behavior.

The Wild West: Iconic in a Good or Bad way?

I have chosen two Iconic photos from the same time period of America. The Wild west. When most think of the Wild west their minds wander romantically to gun-slinging duels, saloon girls sporting feathers in their hair to bandits robbing from stage wagons. It was simply a simpler way of life where togetherness was key in the development of culture.


The reason I chose the Wild West as a positive iconic part of American culture is because it was a point in American history where law and culture developed hugely throughout the US, although the development was over two centuries it was vast through both the people and the government. I personally see the Wild west as a positive as the people (confederates) represented persistence when faced with uncomfortable changes. It was a time where ideas of unity and community were highly important. Whole towns would unite against crime and many would happily give their lives rushing into aiding the Sheriff of the town in catching bandits. The above picture demonstrates this idea of community, where people would join together to tackle animals like coyotes and wolves that would harm their livestock and money. Many Americans today look to the Wild west as an inspiration to see people in harsh climate and conditions working smartly together, something which they have neglected recently.


 However usually when you think of the Wild West your immediate attention is diverted to Saloons, stake outs and bandits, thoughts which can be seen as hugely negative.
Crime was rife throughout the West and although the law was enforced very well it was not without it's crookedness. This is evident in the photo to the right where a law man is watching a man hang, although it is unclear if this was caused by the law man it is powerful to see him doing nothing. Prostitution was also a large problem, it was one of the only ways for woman to make money in those time and 'working girls' are seen as one of the most shocking and sickening images of the Wild West. Many woman were abducted by bandits and it was very unsafe for a woman to walk around at any time of the day in any state of the West.

Jade Dalton

Images of America

Welcome to the blog for AM1111 for your group. For the first exercise, post any TWO images which are iconic of “America.” Choose one positive, the other negative and explain your choice in 150 words or so Please don't link to images - post them to the blog as images (use the picture icon that shows at the top of the page when you start a new post.)

Positive Image

I love watching movies, the quintessential modern form of entertainment, and one that grew to maturity in the U.S., remaining synonymous with it even though today it has become a global industry. For this reason I have chosen the iconic Hollywood sign in Los Angeles which represents the film industry of America as my positive representation of the country. Quite simply, the development of the country’s film industry (which is also known as Hollywood) has transformed the definition of entertainment and has had an immeasurable impact on our lives. The prestige it enjoys is such that even the Indian film industry pays homage to it by describing itself as Bollywood. The studios and stars of Hollywood have projected the American Dream both on screen and through their own career paths, and the sign still acts as a magnet for anyone in the world who aspires to ‘make it big’.

Negative Image 

If the culture of films is synonymous with America, the same can also be said of war. No image represents this more than the Ground Zero/World Trade Centre Site. Often as a result of the country’s/government’s desire to increase and exert their influence over the world, America have found themselves involved in disputes with other countries which have escalated into wars. These disputes inevitably lead to the sacrifices of lives but none was more shocking than the 9.11 attacks, which resulted in the deaths of civilians and lead to the war on terror. Yet, whilst there is no excuse for the attacks conducted by Al-Qaeda, it also has to be noted that these attacks can be traced back to America’s desire to control the Middle East to access their natural resources, which caused significant unrest and anger to the people in the region. So I have chosen this image as a negative representation as I believe such a tragedy could have been prevented had America learned from their mistakes in the past (e.g – Vietnam War) and altered the manner in which they deal with foreign countries.