Weekly Synthesis No. 6

This weeks classes had a theme of security. After World War II, America became a superpower, economically secure from Europe’s devastation and with a monopoly on nuclear arms, creating an added insurance bonus. However, as the Cold War started and Soviets laid claim to nuclear weaponry, the United States began to feel increasingly insecure, thus forcibly interjecting a war economy into the peaceful society. It was around this time that Ann Warren Griffith wrote “Can’t get a man with a plane,” where she challenged the security provided by glorified gender roles. At the same time, people were struggling to create security where it wasn’t with these domesticated gender roles. The Truman Doctrine and Marshall plan reinforced America’s stand in the containment of communism, spreading the ideals of a growing security. The Lottery showed how a small village continues to make security, much like the preparations for nuclear assault in the fifties. All of the lessons emphasized the security and needs of security in the fifties.