Tom Brokaw’s The Greatest Generation Essay - 1419 Words

Tom Brokaw’s The Greatest Generation In Tom Brokaw’s book, The Greatest Generation, the author portrays ordinary people of a certain generation as having qualities of greatness and heroism. He tells stories of average people that lived inspiring lives through many hardships, and declares today’s society as the beneficiary of their challenging work and commitment. Brokaw’s generous and proficient use of imagery helps to persuade the reader to believe that the people of â€Å"the greatest generation† are, indeed, heroic. He defines the strength and resilience of â€Å"the greatest generation† by what they were able to confront and overcome. â€Å"†¦when the nation was balanced precariously between the darkness of the Great Depression on one side and†¦show more content†¦They traveled thousands of miles over the harsh seas to enter what was, to them, the unknown. â€Å"What those unsuspecting infants could not have realized, of course, was that these were temporary conditions, a false spring to life that would be buffeted by winds of change dangerous and unpredictable, so fierce that they threatened not just America but the very future of the planet.†(p4) Brokaw’s use of imagery here helps the reader understand the drastic nature of the change that occurred in the world between the 1920s and 1940s. He is stating that the youth of our nation was living in a safe-harbor for only a short period of time, almost as if under false pretenses, and that this promising future of America veered radically off a path as they had to face the unprecedented crash of the stock market, with damage so great that over a thousand banks would close, millions of people would become unemployed and homeless, and an overwhelming sense of economic calamity would sweep the feet out from under their fragile vision of security. Brokaw described this in the c hapter titled â€Å"The Time of their Lives,† as a time when â€Å"A mass of homeless and unemployed drifted across the American landscape.† (p7) This gives the reader an image of millions of people hopelessly wandering the country in search for work to survive. TheShow MoreRelatedLiterary Analysis of The Greatest Generation by Tom Brokaw Essay456 Words   |  2 PagesLiterary Analysis of The Greatest Generation by Tom Brokaw They came of age during the Great Depression and the Second World War and went on to build modern America; men and women whose everyday lives of duty, honor, achievement, and courage made our nation the greatest on earth. This quote is fittingly descriptive of the achievements and importance the post World War II generation had on us. In Tom Brokaws Book, The Greatest Generation, Brokaw describes in a very personal and detailedRead MoreThe American Flag Essay1176 Words   |  5 Pages One more point is this: we need to have the up most respect for our country. This includes respecting the symbols of our country. Tom Brokaws book, An Album of Memories, is a collection of letters from those affected by the Depression and WWII. The people writing these letters are from loved ones of those who died and from some people that survived the war and depression. One man,Read MoreGreatest Generations, Tom Brokaw2955 Words   |  12 Pagesï » ¿The book â€Å"The Greatest Generation†, by Tom Brokaw, is about the men and women who were born in the 1920’s and how they are what he deems to be the greatest generation thus far. He believes this generation is so tremendous because of the fact they did not demand respect for what they did and went through. Though may sacrificed as much as their lives, they do not think higher of themselves. Even through all their struggling they managed to have enough strength leave everything behind and fight for