The Greatest Generation
Allison Towery
ZimmerCrowe
American Studies
6 February 2014
The Greatest Generation: What Made Them The Greatest? “This generation of Americans has a rendezvous with destiny.” This quote was borrowed from Franklin Delano Roosevelt describing “the Greatest Generation” found in “The Time of Their Lives,” written by Tom Brokaw (Brokaw, 1998). Roosevelt must have foreseen the future before speaking that comment about that generation of America since they won World War Two. However they shall take a look at two authors that certainly have a difference of opinions on the rendezvous that Roosevelt mentioned so many years ago.
Brokaw’s essay narrates not only what he noticed about the greatest generation but also the information that he has accumulated over the years about the era he was born into. Jeanne Houston, a Japanese-American author and also the author of, “Farewell to Manzanar,” has also written about her personal story and what she went through during World War Two. Both of these people are both credible authors who have the permission to write about their stories, but there are very noticeable differences which drive home the following question. Does the Greatest Generation actually deserve their title? According to Brokaw, “The year of my birth, 1940, was the fulcrum of America in the twentieth century…” not only does he state his year of birth but also that the same year was the fulcrum of America in the twentieth century. To finish the statement above, Brokaw adds, “…when the nation was balanced precariously between the darkness of the Great Depression on one side and the storms of war in Europe and the Pacific on the other.” Brokaw opens with that statement but then goes on to announce all of the triumphs that this generation has completed. Houston has a different approach to describing the title handed to her generation. Even though Houston was a legal citizen, she was still forced to live in a camp with other people who shared her ethnicity all
ZimmerCrowe
American Studies
6 February 2014
The Greatest Generation: What Made Them The Greatest? “This generation of Americans has a rendezvous with destiny.” This quote was borrowed from Franklin Delano Roosevelt describing “the Greatest Generation” found in “The Time of Their Lives,” written by Tom Brokaw (Brokaw, 1998). Roosevelt must have foreseen the future before speaking that comment about that generation of America since they won World War Two. However they shall take a look at two authors that certainly have a difference of opinions on the rendezvous that Roosevelt mentioned so many years ago.
Brokaw’s essay narrates not only what he noticed about the greatest generation but also the information that he has accumulated over the years about the era he was born into. Jeanne Houston, a Japanese-American author and also the author of, “Farewell to Manzanar,” has also written about her personal story and what she went through during World War Two. Both of these people are both credible authors who have the permission to write about their stories, but there are very noticeable differences which drive home the following question. Does the Greatest Generation actually deserve their title? According to Brokaw, “The year of my birth, 1940, was the fulcrum of America in the twentieth century…” not only does he state his year of birth but also that the same year was the fulcrum of America in the twentieth century. To finish the statement above, Brokaw adds, “…when the nation was balanced precariously between the darkness of the Great Depression on one side and the storms of war in Europe and the Pacific on the other.” Brokaw opens with that statement but then goes on to announce all of the triumphs that this generation has completed. Houston has a different approach to describing the title handed to her generation. Even though Houston was a legal citizen, she was still forced to live in a camp with other people who shared her ethnicity all