1. FOUNDATION WORK
What is meant by the saying: “The grass is always greener on the other side?”

2. 14.3: Social and Cultural Trends

3. What is meant by “The Gilded Age”?
The Gilded Age (right) is a novel that satirized (ridiculed) American Society of having a “rotten core” covered in gold paint.
Meaning: Under the impression that the lives of some were improving, America still faced a series of serious social problems.

4. Thorstein Veblen THERE: What is the “Gold Paint”?
“Things to do, and things to buy.” America undergoes a “true golden age”.
Adopting the new middle-class culture driven by conspicuous consumerism.
The purchasing of consumer goods to publically display economic power (buying things to show off in front of others).
How does conspicuous consumerism shape the social relations between different groups of people?
What theory can suggest this relationship?
Thorstein Veblen

5. THERE: What is the “Gold Paint”?
The American Melting Pot (or what’s left of it) experiences a period of mass culture.
Some contributions to Mass Culture:
The rise of department stores (Macys)
Newspaper and advertisement promos
Literature and Art
Contributions to Mass Culture:
The rise of department stores.
Buying goods at a fair deal, being able to buy what people wanted but could never get in the countryside.
Newspapers and advertisement promoted businesses like department stores. It also suggest stereotypical impressions on what is considered “higher class”, many middle-class folk would try to imitate that through conspicuous consumerism.
(Have students look at page 483 and do a read along for that one paragraph): Literature and Art became means of either praising of criticizing society by addressing some of the moral issues that comes up in society.
Horatio Alger praises America’s capitalist culture through the use of Ragged Dick.
Art, just like books promoted freedom of expression but through visual depictions.
Example: Jacob Riis and the photos of the labor during the activities.
Slaughterhouse portrait.
Connect this to the Part II of the project.
Mass culture is almost in some way, an indirect way to Americanize others. Why is that?

6. HERE: The Rotten Core
Every American did not embrace the so called, “Golden Age”.
Like Jurgis (the Jungle), he had to work extra hard yet he did not make any progress.
CONNECTION: Jacob Riis’s “How the Other Side Lives”.
Did America experience a Golden Age or a Gilded Age?

7. “… MY AMERICAN DREAM” – Part II
Remember… Literature and Art was used to either praise or criticize a society or an idea.
Here is your chance to use ART to express your views and understanding of the Immigrant Experience.