Library Assignment #2

I chose to review Life magazine. The date was December 16, 1957. As the issue right before Christmas, the cover donned a statue of Mary and baby Jesus by Michelangelo. Today, it is less common for magazine to publicize Christmas that much since there are people of many other religions that don’t celebrate it and become offended by its popularity. I also noticed that there were a lot more “letters to the editors” at this time than there are today. This may reflect the way the media seems to care less about what the people think, and instead tries to dictate what people think. They had a “speaking of pictures” section, and in this issue you had to try to match dogs’ noses and imprints. I have never seen anything like that before, and I found it kind of funny.

There was also a big section on missiles. The first part described the grave disappointment felt after the launching of the nation’s first satellite resulting into a burst of flames just seven seconds in the air. At a time when the United States’ technological reputation was low after the domination of Russia, the event proved to be quite humiliating. Afterwards, it depicted various clubs and schools where youth were launching rockets. In some pictures, the boys looked very young. Today, safety and rules are a big part in our school, so I know that launching rockets of this scale would not be allowed today.

                In London, a train crashed due to heavy fog. Right before the holidays, I found this very sad to hear that 90 people died. Today, we tend to take advantage of the fact that we make it safe during basic parts of our day like driving a car, riding a train etc. Today technology is better, so the risks associated with those things are smaller, but still prevalent.

                The advertisements that seemed to show the most holiday spirit were the ones with alcohol. I found this fitting, as this is a common part of holiday festivities. The second most popular advertisement was for camera light bulbs or cameras in general. Extremely large compared to the cameras today, the main selling point was Christmas morning pictures.

                Soviet science was once again mentioned in the magazine. As an American at this time, it must have been intimidating hearing about all of the progress Russia was making. Even today, we hear about all of the progress China is making, and it naturally makes us uneasy. Many Americans take pride in living in the best country,  a world power. When other countries are catching up or excelling more than we are, it might not be a good thing, if positive intentions are not there. The section on Russian science was extremely long compared to other articles or topics.

                Many advertisements included Santa Claus. With the lack of the internet, magazines were a big part of the advertising world. After the December 16^th issue, there was a special 2-in-one issue for December 23, 1957, where Christmas was even more a part of the advertising. The double issue topic was “America’s world abroad.” The main idea for advertisements in this section included advertisements about accessories for a holiday party.

                One article I found interesting was an article on the nation’s commitments all around the earth. Within this, a table with government spending for military and non-military, plus loans and investments, to various countries around the world were configured. I found this so interesting because today, our magazines don’t just map everything out so easily like that. I assume that I would struggle to find a table with last year’s spending on foreign countries. This may be a result of again the media today, and the government control of it. I think more people should question the things that are going on around us, and especially question the people in power. When information is less hard to find, we should be speculative about why that is.

                I saw and advertisement for Singer sewing, which I have heard of, especially since that brand is still around today. I find it interesting how certain brands are unable to make it in the business world, while others have been leading products for years. The differences between the two always spark my curiosity, especially since I am a business major.

                In part of the America abroad section, one family moved from Little Rock, Arkansas to a small city in India. The differences in life there were highlighted by pictures, and stories of how each member of the household had a changed life. I found it interesting that four servants were in the house, and how the children adjusted to being in a different country, with different food, culture, etc. The global aspect of the whole magazine highlighted the increasing awareness of other countries, and how they too are making an impact in the world, whether through increased science or business practices.

                Overall, the magazine did tailor to the spirit of Christmas in its advertisements. However, the articles gave a completely different mood as topics such as increased Russian power, American identity, the opinion of other countries on America, etc. The special section of Americans abroad signified the existence of increased global awareness.  

Meeting #2 with Convo Partner

Last week, I met with my conversation partner for the second time. After our bond over Dunkin Donuts last time, I told myself I would find out his favorite drink, and bring it to him at our third meeting. Since Americans are viewed negatively in some countries, I wanted to make sure he knew that Americans were nice, caring people. I was pleasantly surprised when in fact he showed up with a gift, which was one of those on the go Dunkin Donuts coffee containers. Not only was this something I really need and will enjoy, I was happy to see that he too thought of bringing a gift. That shows me that people in other cultures are also caring when it comes to establishing business, relationships, etc.

During our talk, I asked him more about his classes and his experiences here so far. I learned that his class is structured by days, where three days a week he has a speaking class, and two days a week he has a writing class. He was hoping they would get a fall break just like TCU students did, but they still had classes. I asked him about the attendance policy for his classes, which I learned is pretty much nonexistent. He said many students are unenthusiastic about learning, and hardly come to classes. For him, things were starting to get difficult as far as memorizing words. They learn about 3-5 new words a day, which he used to be really good at. I think he is starting to learn a lot, and maybe the process of memorization gets more difficult as you know more information. I am happy to say he is still enthusiastic about learning, which I think helps him stick out from his classmates. He also voiced appreciation for his teachers, saying they may be old but they are nice, understanding, and willing to stay after class to help anyone out. I told him of my similar experiences with the staff here at TCU.

He mentioned watching a video where people had British accents, and said he had trouble understanding them. He also told of a time at a fast food restaurant when an African American woman was talking to him. He had trouble understanding her, but got through it. When he went to his car, he opened the lid to his drink and discovered a bug of some sort. He went inside to ask for a new one, and I guess the staff there was very rude. Eventually, he just left after the woman starting laughing at him. I felt bad hearing this, and tried to emphasize the fact that not everyone is like that, and sometimes I can’t understand fast food people either. Hearing about various situations where he may have been under scrutiny have made me really appreciate the opportunity to get to have speaking partners, and develop relationships with these people so they can see what the typical American student is like. It can be too easy for people to base opinions on negative experiences, rather than positive ones. I look forward to hearing more about his life here in the United States.