Proposal & Annotated Bibliography for Contextual Analysis Essay

Assignment Prompt:  _Assignment 3 Proposal & Annotated Bibliography (1)

Annotated Bibliography: Annotated Bibliography- Ali

Proposal: 

From War to Wavelengths: Television’s Transformative Journey in Post-World War II Era

 

 

 

Family viewing Television (1950s) 

 

Introduction: 

(what)

Following the 2nd World War, the United States saw light with a major economic boom. A sense of unparalleled prosperity flew to the minds of citizens and expectations rose. The color Television was invented in 1939 and in turn gained popularity in the same time period as the economic boom. Time periods coincided and the television found its way into the homes of Americans all over the country. 

(who + where + when)

The first Color Tv was Invented by John Logie Baird in 1926, in London. While there is some dispute over who actually invented the color tv, John Baird is given credit because some of the prior designs lacked certain aspects. For example, a lack of concrete detail on how the tv worked, lacking physical parts within the tv that disabled color view. John Baird essentially built upon the works of different people and finalized the first ever color television. John Baird broadcast the first transatlantic television signal, between London and New York, and the first shore-to-ship transmission. This way the light of the Television found its way into the United States. 

Research Question: 

How did the invention of the first color tv, in 1946, affect views on gender roles, an idealistic family, and racial superiority? 

Personal Interest: 

Television resonates with me, I’ve grown up watching tv, all sorts of movies and shows. I would honestly say that, to an extent, the content I consumed from television shaped the person I am today. My family and I had this tradition almost every Sunday around 7pm, we would get together and watch some culture-related television series. We never quite planned this “get-together,” but my parents would be home every Sunday and we would all find our way to the living room. The Television indirectly brought us together. 

That aspect fascinates me also, a mere object with no sense of mind is able to allow bonding between family members so well. I have countless memories of my parents, siblings and I just enjoying our time in front of a television.  I plan to go into Mechanical Engineering, so the actual internal method by which the tv operates is intriguing to say the least. 

I like to go on drives and just think about stuff. A few times in the past I’ve been forced to think about family relations. Luckily, my family has been able to hold together tightly but unfortunately I do have family members who chose to stray from their families for intricate reasons. I’ve thought about the question, “what keeps a family together,” several times. I still don’t know the answer because I felt that certain requirements that I deemed worthy of keeping a family together fell through with the family members that chose to stray. Television has genuinely brought my family closer, I cannot question that. With this research question, I want to explore the effect the Television had on families post World War 2. I have a personal interest that I may be able to tackle with this question and also pre-World War 2 American families were undeniably different to post-World War 2 American Families. My question will unravel if and how the Television had a part in that. As my research question is now, it is far too broad, it focuses on one too many things, social issues, racial superiority, etc. Since I have a personal interest and it is apparent that the Television weaved its way into family relations post-World War 2, I want to focus on that. 

General Direction: 

Part 1- 

Things I already know: 

I know that Television had major impacts on the lives of people in the 1950-1960s. I reached out to my grandparents who lived in Pakistan in the 1950s-1960s, they told me that not many households actually had television at the time but those that did would hold gatherings in which people from all over the town would come together to watch a weekly television drama. They told me their parents didn’t allow them to go, but some of their friends would sneak out to go. The presence of a Television brought an entire town together, people that may have never met before were brought together because of a Television. 

Television is a mass medium for entertainment, advertisements, news and sports. People with all sorts of preferences are able to connect with each other through the Television. Television in the early days , television cameras used a system of lenses, mirrors, and photoelectric cells to convert light into electrical signals.The electrical signals from the camera and microphone are then subjected to signal  processing to enhance and modulate them. This involves converting the analog signals into electronic signals suitable for transmission. ( All from the slides and google) 

Part 2- 

Things I don’t know: 

I have a very brief idea of how the tv works, not enough. I want to know more about internal processes. Additionally and more importantly, I want to know how specific tv shows affected Americans, as an example the Amos n Andy show. How did the comedic aspect of one of the first ever Television series affect the views of Americans on Television? Following this I may be able to tackle family relations, and explore how families bonded over television series. And if I were to move according to that, I could also explore if the Television affected pre-existing traditions within families, for example if the introduction of the Television forced the removal of pre-existing objects. I had read that some families in post-war America began replacing long-held objects with Television. The Television also shaped how people felt after all the political debates being broadcasted, essentially affecting who people wanted to support and not support. This leads me to the idea of patriotism, the television also brought in sparks of patriotism.  Did the television have any effect on patriotism? Did the Television affect the way families viewed life? Did the introduction of family life shows such as  the, “Honey I’m Home” affect the views people had on family life? 

Part 3- 

Surprises: 

 It did surprise me that a few years after the release, Americans more so focused on portraying a “standardized version of the White middle-class suburban family, domestic comedies portrayed the conservative values of an idealized American life. Studiously avoiding prevalent social issues such as racial discrimination and civil rights, the shows focused on mostly White middle-class families with traditional nuclear roles (mother in the home, father in the office).” It’s reasonable to avoid social issues, but I felt that political debates would be broadcasted immediately, as it would bring a ton of support for certain candidates. Political broadcasts were avoided as well, which surprised me. The purpose of this confuses me as well, because poverty was prevalent at this time, so what exactly is the point of presenting an unrealistic lifestyle? 

Furthermore, the rapid adoption of the Television surprised me. The economic boom led to greater disposable income, this combined with technological advancements television sets became more and more affordable. My surprise comes with the lack of hesitancy, did families feel any sort of hesitancy towards the newly found technological advancement in Television? 

Direction: 

I’m happy with the direction of my research. I feel that with some of the research I’ve done I’ve been able to narrow my focus. Rather than encompassing all of the social issues, and gender roles, I can instead focus solely on family relations. Specifically, how the television affected families post-World War 2. I found that families were significantly affected by the introduction of the television and traditions were revolted and changes within households took place solely because of the television. As an example, removal of a long held object, the piano, to replace with the television (linked above). Also, relations between family members were shifted, children, parents all adopted differing roles. I’ve been able to narrow my research to a direct topic and there are actually interesting initiatives I can take this way. 

So what: 

The effect of television is so intriguing and interesting to me because it has shifted the trajectory of family relationships. The television now, and post-world war 2 era was like an amplified emotional campfire, it brought families together and the television series ensued emotional connections. The television brought time for bonding. Would relationships between family members be as developed as they become without the presence of the television? 

Revised research question: 

How did television affect family relations post-World War 2?