Hemingway

July 2nd, 1961 marks the death of a famed and accomplished writer. Born in Illinois on July 21, 1899, Hemingway would end up traveling to different parts of the country and various areas of the world. As a child, he was a star in the classroom, showing excellent writing skills, and as an athlete, boxing and playing football. Instead of going to college, Hemingway became a reporter for the Kansas City Star, and shortly after this he joined the United States Army as an ambulance driver for World War I, in which he received the Silver Medal of Military Valor for, despite his own wounds, aiding a wounded Italian soldier. After returning from the war, Hemingway moved into a neighborhood in Toronto, Canada, working for a local newspaper, and beginning to write his first novels. In Our Time and The Sun Also Rises were among Hemingway’s first pieces. In 1936, Hemingway traveled to Spain to report for America during the Spanish Civil War. Later, in 1941, Hemingway was active in World War II, participating in naval battles, and later traveling to Europe and reporting for Collier’s magazine on D-Day and other wartime events. During his lifetime, Hemingway traveled to Cuba, Spain, and various places in Europe as a result of military duties, journalism duties, or sheer pleasure. In 1953, Hemingway received the Pulitzer Prize for The Old Man and the Sea, and the following year he won the Nobel Prize for literature. Hemingway’s style is characterized by terse sentences and “macho,” nature-loving protagonists, evolving writing during the 1900s. During Hemingway’s later years, the writer’s health was declining. During the early 50s, Hemingway suffered multiple injuries, including a concussion and lacerations and burns to his face, arms, and legs, due to two plane crashes and a bushfire accident. Hemingway ended his life on July 2nd, 1961 by shooting himself with a shotgun, possibly the result of alcoholism and constant depression. It is without question that Hemingway will be considered “one of the great innovators of twentieth-century [writing] form,” and that he will have much influence on future novelists. (The Influence of Ernest Hemingway)

Source: "The Influence of Ernest Hemingway." Enotes. 2009. 1 June 2009 <http://www.enotes.com/twentieth-century-criticism/influence-ernest-hemingway>.

The End of Eichmann

Adolf Eichmann was born in Solingen, Germany in 1906. In 1932, Eichmann joined the Nazi party and the following year he entered a terrorist school and began his military training. Through the following years, Eichmann gained power and reputation in the Nazi party, becoming a corporal and being promoted to the head of the Nazi Jewish department. Eichmann was eventually appointed to Lieutenant in 1939, at which point unfair legislation had been created against Jews. In 1940, Eichmann’s department forced the evacuation of Jews from parts of Germany, resulting in 230 deaths. The following year, unable to find a place for 8,000 other Jewish civilians, Eichmann proposed to solve the problem by death through shooting. Eichmann was later promoted to Major, and shortly after 15,000 Jews were deported from Holland to extermination camps. After the responsibilites of "confiscation of property of persons hostile to the people and the state, and the cancellation of German nationality" were given to Eichmann, he ordered the deportation of 50,000 Jews by foot. Eichmann was captured by American forces but escaped, traveling to Argentina and getting a fake identification. He was once again captured by the Americans and put on trial in 1961. May 31, 1962 marks the day that "the man in charge of the extermination program against the Jews" was hanged. (Eichmann Timeline)

Source:
"Eichmann Timeline." Remember. 2009. PBS. 1 June 2009

<http://remember.org/eichmann/timeline.htm#ghetto>.

Stranger in a Strange Land

Stranger in a Strange Land is a science fiction book that was first published in 1961 in the U.S. The story tells readers about a Valentine Michael Smith, a Martian being raised on the planet Mars. Smith returns to Earth and has to live life as a human; the novel captures the ways of humans and the events that change the world. In the novel, Smith explores the human world by finding love and opening his own church, the Church of all Worlds, where he preaches free love. The story deals with topics that typically would not address because of what society expects. But this book has strong themes such as the use of institutions versus corruption, religion, and importance of sexuality spiritually. Stranger in a Strange Land was popularized by the hippie movement in the 60’s as it discussed free love, individuality, self-responsibility and religion. Because of the parallels with religious figures in the bible the book also became a classic within cults. By appealing to a vast audience it left an impact on society that promoted people to change some of their views and take more radical actions. It started revolutions amongst rebels in society, and was the beginning for the formation of many cults that existed during the 60’s and some today.

Bob Dylan

Bob Dylan is a singer, songwriter, poet, and painter who came into the music industry and was able to become one of the leaders with his unique style and vocal protests to events occurring. Bob Dylan had a tough break in the sixties, he struggled with his first album and to get his music recognized. But once he released his second album, which was mostly songs he wrote, he began to climb to the top. His music was unique, it was folk with a little bit of everything that’s lyrics incorporated politics, the economy, literature and philosophy. Some of Dylan’s most famous songs, such as “The Times are Changin’” and “Blowin’ in the Wind” (which is considered the anthem for the Civil Rights Movement) were written in the opposition of the Vietnam War. Dylan is most known for capturing the mood, and the events of the time period while incorporating his opinion into the music. For some, he became a “spiritual leader” during the Cold War and people looked to his music for support and help to fight for their cause. He did not just write music to get involved though, he appeared at protests and marches for the Cold War and the Civil Rights Movement. By writing songs to help groups such as CORE (Congress of Racial Equality) and performing at civil rights marches and protest of the Cold War, he was gaining the love and respect of those who shared similar views. Bob Dylan became one of the most influential song writers during the sixties, and his legacy still carries on today.

Berlin

The Berlin Wall is a physical testament to the tension between the Soviets and the United States and how the Cold War affected other nations. The Wall encompassed the entirety of West Berlin and served as a barrier to not only prevent a majority of movement between the two halves of Berlin, but also to demonstrate the Soviet ownership of the region. While the construction of the Berlin Wall was not the initial conflict between the US and the Soviets, it exacerbated the hostility between the two nations. On August 12th 1961 at 4 pm Walter Ulbricht, leader of East Germany approved the command to close the border, and the next night the city watched as a wall was built encircling it. During the construction, all transport lines are cut, and East Berliners will not be able to travel to the west until 1989. The wall began as merely a fence and barbed wire entanglements, as time progressed, the wall was developed into a complex system including multiple walls and fences and guard towers. This menacing wall served to demoralize the Western Berliners, cutting them off from their families, jobs, and any real outside connection. The East German government argued that the wall was established for the purpose of preventing Western aggression, yet West Berliners could travel to East Berlin. Throughout the era of the Berlin wall, many escape attempts were made, some of which failed. While approximately 5,000 East Berliners managed to escape to West Berlin, reports say around 200 failed and were shot and killed. The Berlin Wall is a perfect example of change for the worse, the Berlin Wall solidified a boundary which not only claimed the lives of many citizens, but also drastically impacted its population. This conflict is a prime example of the struggle for power between the US and Soviets because while the US could assist Western Berliners with the little support it could provide, it was powerless to interject in the affairs of East Berlin. The Berlin Wall remained for more than 28 years, and served as a detriment to Allied forces, as well as the Berlin population.

Source: Burkhardt , Heiko. "Berlin Wall Online." Web.3 Jun 2009. <http://www.dailysoft.com/berlinwall/>.

Bay of Pigs Invasion

The Bay of Pigs Invasion was a moment in history where the US failed to achieve the task it set out to do. The principle behind this operation was to support Cuban exiles in order to overthrow Fidel Castro. The intention was to make the operation have the illusion of being a Cuban operation when in reality the US was behind the scenes pulling the strings. The US disguised its bombers to look like Cuban aircraft, and proceeded to bomb Cuban airfields. The issue with the operation was the fact that the human variable worked against the fighting force. The US approached the attack with the belief that the rebel force would garner support from the local population that didn’t support Castro. The US failed to consider that a majority of the population supported Castro, and instead fought back against the attacking force. Kennedy attempted to aid the assault with the use of air support, but this solution failed as the Cubans also controlled the skies. The operation was a complete failure, and led to the death of over 200 men on both sides and the capture of 1,197 others. The ineffectiveness of the invasion exemplifies how the US is in fact fallible, and its loss indicated that the US was no longer as much of a superpower as originally perceived.

Sources: "Bay of Pigs Invasion." Web.3 Jun 2009. <http://www.u-s-history.com/pages/h1765.html>.

"The Bay of Pigs." Web.3 Jun 2009. <http://library.thinkquest.org/11046/days/bay_of_pigs.html>.

Lawrence of Arabia

Lawrence of Arabia was a British film made in 1962 that was based off of the life of Thomas Edward Lawrence, professionally known was T. E. Lawrence. The film opens with Lawrence riding his motorcycle down a narrow street. As he swerved to avoid to boys on their bikes, he was thrown over the handlebars. Lawrence died six days after this accident, at the age of 46. The film flashes back to Cairo during World War I, where Lawrence served as a British Army Lieutenant. In 1916, he was given leave to look at the progress of the Arab revolt against the Turks. Lawrence organizes a guerilla army, and leads in the Arabs in harassing the Turks with various attacks. In 1917, he arranged an action against the city of Aqaba, which soon fell to Arab forces. The film also covers Lawrence’s involvement in the capture of Damascus. The Arabs set up a council in the city, but were unable to maintain it, and soon gave most of it up to the British. Lawrence was promoted to colonel, but was soon deactivated and sent home. The film ends as a dejected Lawrence rides in a staff car on his way back to England.

Sources:

"Lawrence of Arabia". The Internet Movie Data Base (IMBD). May 27, 2009 <http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0056172/>.

Wilson, Jeremy. "T.E. Lawrence Studies". Society for T.E. Lawrence Studies.. May 27, 2009 <http://telawrence.info/telawrenceinfo/index.htm>.