The 1970s brought many political changes within the context of which "As a sworn champion of patriotic values, Captain America had to determine what those values now meant." In the start of the decade Cap is seen mainly tackling social problems reflecting the general feelings of a nation bored of heroics. However the first major event that tested who Captain America was and what he stood for was the Watergate Scandal in 1974.
The Watergate scandal began with Nixon's men breaking into and bugging the Democratic National Committee headquarters in the hope of finding something damaging that could be used against his opponents in the re-election campaign. Nixon (the president at the time) although not having authorised the break in did try to cover it up for months. The scandal broke and the US Supreme court made Nixon release a series of audio recordings taken in the oval office. Neal Smith who had served in congress from 1959 to 1994 said "it was unbelievable what was belong said by the president, what he wanted to do". This all lead to Nixon being the first ever president to resign from office.
A political science professor at Drake University states that "The myth of the President as always a great, trustful, moral leader ended. You went from taking what a politician said with a grain of salt to a huge block of salt." So it's no wonder the issues of patriotism and what being American meant took some negotiating by the people but also of course by Captain America himself. In a drastic response Captain America sheds his identity to become instead "Nomad the Man Without a Country" stating "Nuts to the whole Washington crew! They've had their version of America and I've had mine! But I don't want to be associated with theirs anymore." On the cover of issue ??? Captain America can be seen head turned upwards shouting, fists clenched and a strong stance with a speech bubble containing the large words "CAPTAIN AMERICA MIST DIE!" His response is one of desperation and anger and defiance. These emotions presumably stem from a feeling of betrayal of a country he has dedicated his life to serving.
Monday, 21 November 2016
To do
Write about responses to Watergate and Cold War
Talk about what he stands for
Think about mood he'd be in now
Think up scenario (mindmap location and situation)
Create title page
Create a page of the comic
Wednesday, 16 November 2016
Essay??
Comics have often been used (intentionally or not) as a form of personal propaganda. Political views and debates found themselves within the pages seen through the choice of the villain or what the hero stands for or even how different social groups are portrayed. Captain America is perfect for a study of the presence of politics (particularly American) in comics for a number of reasons. The first being that he embodies America and patriotism so in seeing his stance on the times can perhaps give an insight into the public response to the political climate. Secondly he has fairly regularly appeared in comics since he was created in 1941 giving many examples for an examination into Captain America.
The Captain America we are introduced to in 1941 was the ultimate Patriot. Obeying and serving his country in everyway he could. Through the years we see a change in Captain America as he begins to break away from the Government in favour of his own ideals and questioning and changing in response to the times and what he feels is needed. By looking at how this beloved American icon reacted to major events in Americas past I wish to assess how he would react to the current American political climate before making my own comic to show my take on what I think Captain America would do.
Popular from the start Captain American soon became Marvels bestselling title selling close to a million a month, even outselling news magazines like Time. The cover of the first issue shows Captain America punching Hitler. This image in itself sums up the Captain America we see in this period. Captain America is unapologetic in his actions and unremorseful even when using violence. This shows a moral certainty on his part that perhaps also lead to a examination of the writers behind it. Joe Simon (writer) and Jack Kirby (artist) were Jews that wanted to use Captain America as a form of personal propaganda to encourage participation in the War effort. So it is no wonder that the Captain America seen in these first issues from the 1940s show a heroic patriotic symbol of American values vigorously fighting an evil Nazi menace. This Captain America shows us a time where people have no time for uncertainty or questions of morality because patriotism and fighting to keep America and it's values alive are at stake. This is Captain America in his perfect situation a clear cause that he can fight for and something that he truly believes in with no doubts that what he is doing is right.
The Captain America we are introduced to in 1941 was the ultimate Patriot. Obeying and serving his country in everyway he could. Through the years we see a change in Captain America as he begins to break away from the Government in favour of his own ideals and questioning and changing in response to the times and what he feels is needed. By looking at how this beloved American icon reacted to major events in Americas past I wish to assess how he would react to the current American political climate before making my own comic to show my take on what I think Captain America would do.
Popular from the start Captain American soon became Marvels bestselling title selling close to a million a month, even outselling news magazines like Time. The cover of the first issue shows Captain America punching Hitler. This image in itself sums up the Captain America we see in this period. Captain America is unapologetic in his actions and unremorseful even when using violence. This shows a moral certainty on his part that perhaps also lead to a examination of the writers behind it. Joe Simon (writer) and Jack Kirby (artist) were Jews that wanted to use Captain America as a form of personal propaganda to encourage participation in the War effort. So it is no wonder that the Captain America seen in these first issues from the 1940s show a heroic patriotic symbol of American values vigorously fighting an evil Nazi menace. This Captain America shows us a time where people have no time for uncertainty or questions of morality because patriotism and fighting to keep America and it's values alive are at stake. This is Captain America in his perfect situation a clear cause that he can fight for and something that he truly believes in with no doubts that what he is doing is right.
Why important?
Comics have often been used (intentionally or not) as a form of personal propaganda. Political views and debates found themselves within the pages seen through the choice of the villain or what the hero stands for or even how different social groups are portrayed. Captain America is perfect for a study of the presence of politics (particularly American) in comics for a number of reasons. The first being that he embodies America and patriotism so in seeing his stance on the times can perhaps give an insight into the public response to the political climate. Secondly he has fairly regularly appeared in comics since he was created in 194?? spanning and responding to the events over the years.
WW1 - introducing Cap
The Captain America we are introduced to in 194? was the ultimate Patriot. Obeying and serving his country in everyway he could. Through the years we see a change in Captain America as he begins to break away from the Government in favour of his own ideals and questioning and changing in response to the times and what he feels is needed. By looking at how this beloved American icon reacted to major events in Americas past I wish to assess how he would react to the current American political climate before making my own comic to show my take on what I think Captain America would do.
Monday, 14 November 2016
WW2
How did it compare to propaganda?
- http://www.nationalww2museum.org/learn/education/for-students/ww2-history/at-a-glance/propaganda-posters.html?referrer=https://www.google.co.uk/
- Sit a propaganda poster along side cap...
- Look at main messages in American propaganda - Does Cap fit into it?
- https://www.gilderlehrman.org/history-by-era/world-war-ii/essays/every-citizen-soldier-world-war-ii-posters-american-home-front
- http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/goebbels/peopleevents/e_propaganda.html
- http://www.history-of-american-wars.com/world-war-2-propaganda.html
Response to war
- http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2072382/Pearl-Harbor-attack-1941-pictures-Americas-response-days-followed.html
- http://users.dickinson.edu/~history/product/steele/seniorthesis.htm
- http://www.nationalww2museum.org/learn/education/for-students/ww2-history/america-goes-to-war.html
- http://www.npr.org/2013/03/26/175288241/angry-days-shows-an-america-torn-over-entering-world-war-ii
- http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2001/05/0524_AmbroseQA.html
- http://www.usnews.com/opinion/articles/2012/01/06/how-america-changed-after-pearl-harbor
- http://prospect.org/article/way-we-won-americas-economic-breakthrough-during-world-war-ii
- https://www.americanhistoryusa.com/emotions-and-the-course-of-history-world-war-ii-vs-9-11/
- http://www.gallup.com/poll/11881/almost-all-americans-consider-world-war-just-war.aspx
- https://web.stanford.edu/class/e297a/World%20War%20II%20and%20Propaganda.htm
Ideas for research
Jstor articles
THE IMPACT OF WATERGATE ON THE PUBLIC'S TRUST IN PEOPLE AND CONFIDENCE IN THE MASS MEDIA
THE IMPACT OF WATERGATE ON THE PUBLIC'S TRUST IN PEOPLE AND CONFIDENCE IN THE MASS MEDIA
Stonewalling and Suspicion during Presidential Scandals
Investigating the Watergate Scandal
Polling on Watergate: The Battle for Public Opinion
The Consequences of Political Cynicism: How Cynicism Shapes Citizens' Reactions to Political Scandals
Watergate and the 1974 Congressional Elections
The Effect of Watergate on Political Party Identification: Results from a 1970-1974 Panel Study
Monday, 7 November 2016
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