America Reflected: Language, Satire, Film, and the National Mind. Peter C. Rollins
and the land. David Lilienthal’s book, TVA: Democracy in Action (1944) is a classic book describing the environmental problems of the day and the presenting government planning as an ideal—on a regional basis subsuming many states. Two films by Pare Lorentz, The Plow that Broke the Plains and The River, synthesize government views about the careless treatment of the land which led to drought and floods, but are also successful works of art that stir the emotions as they weave together editing, music, and evocative narration. Made for theatrical distribution, these short films are worthy of perennial study by those seeking America reflected (Chapter 30).
Conclusion
The quest for America Reflected began with Brownson. His spiritual journey paralleled many of the twists and turns found in the lives of Amy Lowell, Harriet Beecher Stowe, and Frederick Henry Hedge. Along with some great living teachers, he instructed me that cultural studies should be guided by concerns which transcend the trendy and dodge the dogmatic—even when the results are unpopular. Will Rogers added a sense of humor and an understanding that each era needs its spokesmen—whose messages mean much to their times, even as their limitations become obvious to later generations. Benjamin Whorf carried the interest in epistemology to the margins of culture and understanding, questioning the entire Western tradition and calling for alternative spiritual resources to complement our limited weltanschauung. War experiences and activist work for veterans after the Vietnam conflict reminded me of the goodness of ordinary people who are willing to sacrifice their lives for a worthy cause—as they did in the previous national conflicts studied in this collection—WWI, WWII, and the Cold War. My own immersion in war as a small unit leader in a time of conflict and domestic debate endowed me with a perspective unusual for an academic. In particular, it gave me an apercu into the ideological blinders of the press—which is populated by an elite with as much pack subjectivity as any other elite in our culture. The Brookline background and the experience of leadership gave me tolerance for the errors of decision makers caught on the treadmill of history while constrained by the political forces and limited real-time information. But it all began with Brownson’s insight that the cultural historian needs to consider modes of perception—even his own—as much as history and politics. If we do not strive for such a perspective, we will merely reflect the predilections of our class and place, thereby adding to the ambient noise of our time rather than contributing insight and wisdom.
Works Cited
Air Power. 16 episodes. CBS: 11 Nov 1956.
All Quiet on the Western Front. Dir. Lewis Milestone. Perf. Louis Wolheim, Lew Ayers. Universal Pictures, 1930.
Doctor Bull. Dir. John Ford. Perf. Will Rogers, Vera Allen. Fox Film, 1933.
Edelman, Bernard. Dear America: Letters Home from Vietnam. New York: Pocket Books, 1985.
Fahrenheit 9/11 Dir. Michael Moore. Lions Gate Films, 2004.
The Frozen War: America Intervenes in Russia, 1918-1920. Cadre Films, 1973.
Fussell, Paul. The Great War and Modern Memory. New York: Oxford UP, 1975.
Goodbye Billy: America Goes to War, 1917-18. Dirs. Richard C. Raack, William F. Malloch, and Patrick Griffin. Churchill Films, 1972.
Gragert, Steven K., and Judy G. Buckholz. The Writings of Will Rogers. Stillwater: Oklahoma State U, 1973-1983.
Hearts and Minds. Dir. Peter Davis. BBS productions, 1974.
H(ome) B(ox) O(ffice). Dear America: Letters Home from Vietnam. Dir. Bill Couturie, 1988.
In Old Kentucky. Dir. George Marshall. Perf. Will Rogers, Dorothy Wilson. Fox Film, 1935.
Ogden, C. K, and I. A. Richards, et al. The Meaning of Meaning; A Study of the Influence of Language upon Thought and of the Science of Symbolism. New York: Harcourt, Brace, 1923.
Reines, Maria Francisca, and Jesse Prinz. “Reviving Whorf: The Return of Linguistic Relativity.” Philosophy Compass 4.6 (2009): 1022-1032.
Rogers, Will. Will Rogers’ Weekly Articles. James Smallwood, and Steven K. Gragert, eds. Vols. 1-6. Stillwater: Oklahoma State UP, 1981.
Rollins, Peter C. “HBO’s Version of Neil Sheehan’s Epic: Old Wine in New Bottles?” Perspectives Film and Media Section. 37.4 April 1999. Newsletter of the American Historical Association. [online]
Rollins, Peter Cushing. Orestes A. Brownson: Epistemology of a Crucified Redeemer. Diss. Harvard U, 1963.
Sergeant York. Dir. Howard Hawks. Perf. Gary Cooper, Walter Brennan. Warner Bros., 1941.
Sheehan, Neil. A Bright Shining Lie: John Paul Vann and America in Vietnam. New York: Random House, 1988.
Smith, Henry Nash. Virgin Land: The American West as Symbol and Myth. Cambridge: Harvard UP, 1950.
Stowe, Harriet Beecher. Uncle Tom’s Cabin. 1852. New York: Viking Press, 1982.
Television’s Vietnam: The Impact of Media. Dir. Peter C. Rollins. SONY Video, 1986.
Television’s Vietnam: The Real Story. Dir. Peter C. Rollins. SONY Video, 1985.
The Big Parade. Dir. King Vidor. Perf. John Gilbert, Renee Adoree. MGM, 1925.
The Ramparts We Watch. Dir. Louis De Rochemont. Perf. John Adair, John Summers. RKO, 1940.
“The Uncounted Enemy: A Vietnam Deception.” 60 Minutes. CBS, 23 Jan. 1982.
Tulsa. Dir. Stuart Heisler. Perf. Susan Heyward, Robert Preston. Walter Wanger Productions, 1949.
Victory at Sea. Dir. Henry Salomon. 26 episodes. NBC: 2 Aug. 1954.
Vietnam: A Television History. WGBH-PBS, 1983.
Ward, John William. Andrew Jackson: Symbol for an Age. New York: Oxford UP, 1955.
Whorf, Benjamin. The Ruler of the Universe. 1925. Benjamin Lee Whorf Legacy CD ROM. Ed. Peter C. Rollins. Cleveland, OK: Ridgemont Media, 2008.
Why We Fight. Dir. Frank Capra. U.S. War Dept. Twentieth Century Fox, 1943.
Will Rogers’ 1920s: A Cowboy’s Guide to the Times. Dir. Peter C. Rollins. Churchill Films, 1976.
Wings. Dir. William Wellman. Perf. Clara Bow, Charles Buddy Rogers. Paramount, 1927.
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