Ways of Thinking: After the Bomb!

[elysepopplewell]

hi there i have an ext 1 after the bomb essay due on wednesday (have to write it out) and we've been given the question in advance:
"how do texts from after the bomb expose and generate responses to the personal and political values relevant to the paradigms of the cold war?"

so, this is the first time we've written an ATB essay, and our teacher hasn't really explained much to the class. what are personal and political values? and how do i show ones that are relevant to certain paradigms? my texts are waiting for godot, the handmaid's tale and five ways to kill a man.

thanks in advance!
shree.

Hey! I studied Waiting for Godot, and I love the Handmaid's Tale - so yay!

There are lots of different ways you can look at paradigms. To be overarching, we can look at religious, economic, political, social, and even medical paradigms. Not all of them need to be tackled in the one essay. Personal and political values are dependent on each individual. What one person values in politics, the other may not. So, perhaps there is a strong value in the belief in the government's infallibility amongst a certain population. If we read Waiting for Godot with the lens of a political paradigm, we might see Godot as the promises that the government makes but never delivers. Thus, the two protagonist's are seen as representative of the general population - they valued the government's word so highly that they waited, and waited, only for it to not deliver.

Personal values can vary just as much. Someone might personally value the structure of a nuclear family, or reproduction, or gender roles. Of course, all of these things can be linked to political values (and usually political values can be linked back as well), so it's up to you to make those distinctions, or those links!

This is just a starter, let me know if this prompts more questions and I can zoom in more specifically

[michelleh]

Hey everyone!

I recently received my Ext 1 creative story back and got an average mark of 20/25 (I really thought I could do better).

In my creative, I primarily focused my story on the domestic life of women during the 1950's and did not necessarily have any mentioning on the context of the Cold War or the nuclear bomb that heavily impacted society. However, since one of the marking criteria is to display the 'ways of thinking' of the time, I assumed writing about the domestic life of women was sufficient. Is it better, though, to mention something related to the Cold War? Is it necessary to get top marks?

Thanks!

[elysepopplewell]

Hey everyone!

I recently received my Ext 1 creative story back and got an average mark of 20/25 (I really thought I could do better).

In my creative, I primarily focused my story on the domestic life of women during the 1950's and did not necessarily have any mentioning on the context of the Cold War or the nuclear bomb that heavily impacted society. However, since one of the marking criteria is to display the 'ways of thinking' of the time, I assumed writing about the domestic life of women was sufficient. Is it better, though, to mention something related to the Cold War? Is it necessary to get top marks?

Thanks!

Across the board, it is not necessary to refer specifically to the "Cold War' so to say. It is possible that you've only explored one way of thinking, or only through one paradigm (social? family? political?). What was the feedback your marker provided? I would suggest you need to tick a few boxes in terms of ways of thinking! Through the plot of a women in suburbia in the 50s, you can explore religion, family, politics, economics, education, and so on. You don't have to explore each of these avenues, but each will lead you to unique ways of thinking.

If it helps you to see what I mean, have a look at my own creative writing about women in suburbia in America. I wrote it in speech form, but you'll likely get some ideas if you read it. It's free to download here..

Do you think it is that you are not delving deep enough into the paradigms and ways of thinking? Do you know how you wish to improve from here? If not, I'll happily talk with you more specifically about your plot here on the forums and we can dig deeper

[bennyboyyyy]

Hey there. I have an upcoming assessment on a speech that we have to deliver in no more than 4 minutes on a related text of our own choosing, it needs to be a text that gives us a scope of how this climate of Cold War anxiety affected human beliefs and values. I've decided to use JFK's speech that he delivered in Berlin, do you have any advice on how to effectively structure it within the allocated time?

[elysepopplewell]

Hey there. I have an upcoming assessment on a speech that we have to deliver in no more than 4 minutes on a related text of our own choosing, it needs to be a text that gives us a scope of how this climate of Cold War anxiety affected human beliefs and values. I've decided to use JFK's speech that he delivered in Berlin, do you have any advice on how to effectively structure it within the allocated time?

Hey! I think you'll find that 4 minutes is not a very long time at all. is it just the one text you need to discuss? There's lots of ways you could go about this. You could move through the speech and pick on aspects of it in sequential order and identify where they are seen in the world around (anx, panic, etc). Or, you could focus on different ways of thinking one at a time and then focus on the parts of the speech that support/foster these ways of thinking throughout.

Feel free to propose to me your intended structure and I can give you more specific advice

[bennyboyyyy]

Hey! I think you'll find that 4 minutes is not a very long time at all. is it just the one text you need to discuss? There's lots of ways you could go about this. You could move through the speech and pick on aspects of it in sequential order and identify where they are seen in the world around (anx, panic, etc). Or, you could focus on different ways of thinking one at a time and then focus on the parts of the speech that support/foster these ways of thinking throughout.

Feel free to propose to me your intended structure and I can give you more specific advice

Yup it is just one related text we need to discuss, I was thinking I should start off with a bit of context, then discuss the overarching ideas, concerns and values before going into the analysis of his techniques sequentially. Do you have any advice on how to maintain the balance between dry facts and being able to present in an engaging manner? Also what ways of thinking would you outline in the context of this speech?

[elysepopplewell]

Yup it is just one related text we need to discuss, I was thinking I should start off with a bit of context, then discuss the overarching ideas, concerns and values before going into the analysis of his techniques sequentially. Do you have any advice on how to maintain the balance between dry facts and being able to present in an engaging manner? Also what ways of thinking would you outline in the context of this speech?

That sounds like a good plan! I think part of the success will come from your use of tone. So, I presented a speech for ATB, but it was like 11 minutes long and on about three texts I think. And I used rhetorical questions. The nature of my texts was reasonably light hearted when I was using comical tone - like with the Duck and Cover Propaganda film. But then when I got to Sylvia Plath, I was using imagery like, "So you can imagine that the inside of Plath's head was comparable to a bee box." By engaging the "you" I was not letting my audience drop out for a second.

I think starting with the context of the speech is a good idea, but I'd put the ways of thinking in with that same moment. So I'd twist the context with the ways of thinking, because the ways of thinking is the context. The speech was a response to current ways of thinking, but also triggered ways of thinking - if this makes sense? So this could be an idea you focus on in your speech. Ways of thinking was why the speech was presented, but it also changed ways of thinking.

[samsclaire]

hi there i have an ext 1 after the bomb essay due on wednesday (have to write it out) and we've been given the question in advance:
"how do texts from after the bomb expose and generate responses to the personal and political values relevant to the paradigms of the cold war?"

so, this is the first time we've written an ATB essay, and our teacher hasn't really explained much to the class. what are personal and political values? and how do i show ones that are relevant to certain paradigms? my texts are waiting for godot, the handmaid's tale and five ways to kill a man.

thanks in advance!
shree.

Hey Shree! I hope this isn’t late! Like with any question – but especially with extension one – you have to break down the question into its ‘smaller’ parts. It looks like you’ve already done some of that here, but try to do it as a rule of thumb. Now, from a Google search, a value is/are “principles or standards of behaviour”. A paradigm definition (that my class is going with) is that a paradigm is a way of thinking. Therefore, an example:

Value: the Christian belief that everything was planned; this explained away everything that could happen in life

Paradigm: the rise of existentialism

Link/thesis: existentialism was a response to the perceived failure of religion (especially Christianity) to rationalise or justify the destruction of WWII – people were rejecting religion as it didn’t give the answers (anymore)

But really, for basically all After the Bomb essays, all you have to do is show how values are linked to wider ways of thinking/concepts. As for relevance, you just need some common sense. Does that make sense? (if not, feel free to ask again.)

[bigsweetpotato2000]

Hey Peeps

For the After the Bomb elective, if you would like to get a bit more in depth understanding of the context you could check out these BBC podcasts
They are all related to events of the Cold War period, and hopefully they help!

Also, they are good inspiration for creatives

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b07kfs3r/episodes/player?page=1

[elysepopplewell]

Hey Peeps

For the After the Bomb elective, if you would like to get a bit more in depth understanding of the context you could check out these BBC podcasts
They are all related to events of the Cold War period, and hopefully they help!

Also, they are good inspiration for creatives

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b07kfs3r/episodes/player?page=1

Thanks for sharing! I'm going to listen to a few of these in the coming days

[TheFreeMarketeer]

Hey, I have three questions that I am struggling with.

1) I've looked over past papers and I see that they ask for two prescribed and two related - should I do four body paragraphs, one on each, in this case? Also, can they specify a prescribed text that needs to be used? How would I link texts in this way?

2) How big is Postmodernism in the course? Apparently it's a minor aspect but I really think it's super-essential. Would it be weird and/or unconventional in a bad way if I discuss it as a main idea?

3) Second point leads me to third - should I discuss form as a main idea and a means of reflecting thematic concerns of the time? I have a stack of notes on form but I'm afraid that the question will prohibit my use of them. Should I find some convoluted way to fit it in? I know you wrote somewhere Elyse that going in with a direct approach could prove beneficial due to the abstract nature of the questions asked.

[elysepopplewell]

Hey, I have three questions that I am struggling with.

1) I've looked over past papers and I see that they ask for two prescribed and two related - should I do four body paragraphs, one on each, in this case? Also, can they specify a prescribed text that needs to be used? How would I link texts in this way?

2) How big is Postmodernism in the course? Apparently it's a minor aspect but I really think it's super-essential. Would it be weird and/or unconventional in a bad way if I discuss it as a main idea?

3) Second point leads me to third - should I discuss form as a main idea and a means of reflecting thematic concerns of the time? I have a stack of notes on form but I'm afraid that the question will prohibit my use of them. Should I find some convoluted way to fit it in? I know you wrote somewhere Elyse that going in with a direct approach could prove beneficial due to the abstract nature of the questions asked.

Hey there! So, I don't imagine they'd specify texts seeing as there's so many in the module, and the expectation is not that you know them all. So I think it's a safe bet they can't ask you about a specific text. As for your structure - it's up to you. So I did four body paragraphs and the first two were integrated in dealing with two texts, and the other two paragraphs about the other two texts.

I don't think it's weird for you to discuss postmodernism as a central idea, especially if it is the emphasis of your texts! Either way, looking at texts through a postmodern lens is very academic.

Yeah...for point three, you're right - the questions get WEIRD in extension. I really like you're idea of discussing form as a main idea and how it reflects everything around it. Note that form can be a product of, or response to, the world around it!

[bridie_2345]

Hi there, i was just wondering how i relate the scientific and political paradigms to Waiting for Godot?

[elysepopplewell]

Hi there, i was just wondering how i relate the scientific and political paradigms to Waiting for Godot?

You're not the first to struggle with this! You need to choose parts of the text that can be read as interesting metanarratives. The scene where they all fall in their baggage, for example, has been seen as a great scene for readers to explore the deeper meaning - is it a reflection of the failing political systems? Economic systems?

What about Lucky's speeches? That tautologous jibberish can be interpreted in all kinds of ways.

Admittedly I didn't talk much at all about the scientific paradigm in relation to Godot, if I remember correctly. But my suggestion is to look at the way different dramatic scenes can be interpreted to support a different narrative, one that parallels the plot

[justwannawish]

Hey,
This is kinda directed to Elyse, because I know she did this, but is it alright to use the same discovery and extension cw provided both fit the question? Or would it be better to change the discovery story from out of the cold war era.
My teacher says it looks bad, even though they did tell us to write about something we know (and I hope I know something about the Cold War now haha).