History 476

Devine

Spring 2007

Study Questions for March 13^th

Tuttle, Daddy’s Gone to War – Chapter 3

1. In what ways did homefront children react to their fathers going off to war? How did reactions differ based on the age of the children?

2. How did the reaction of mothers to their husbands’ departures influence the reactions of homefront children?

3. What were some of the ways mothers dealt with the absence of fathers during the war? How did wartime mothers become heroes in the eyes of their children?

4. How did the war affect the emotional lives of families? In what various ways were young children in particular affected?

5. Why might World War II be called the “Grandmother’s War”? How were young children affected both positively and negatively by spending so much time with grandparents and other “surrogate parents”?

6. How did letters and other communications help sustain the relationships between homefront children and their absent fathers?

7. How did young children’s attitudes about the war change as the years passed? Overall, what does the author believe was the most significant impact of the war on homefront children?

Tuttle, Daddy’s Gone to War – Chapter 9

1. What role did the radio play in homefront children’s lives? Why were some adults concerned about its possible negative effects on children?

2. How did wartime advertising use patriotism and “gendered” appeals to sell products?

3. How did Life magazine and the newsreels affect children’s perceptions of the war?

4. What was the typical Saturday movie matinee like during the war years?

5. What aspects of movies tended to be censored most heavily?

6. How did the themes emphasized in wartime children’s books differ from those of the movies and radio?

7. How did Wonder Woman differ from the other male comic book superheroes? How was she a rare exception in wartime popular culture?

8. Why does the author believe that much of wartime popular culture “distorted the past, present, and evolving future of the United States”?

9. What was the legacy of gender stereotyping for those who watched the movies, read the comics, and listened to the radio during World War II? What impact did wartime popular culture have on their behavior and attitudes in the years to come?

Palladino, Teenagers – Chapter 5

1. How did the realities of world war change the lives of teenagers and place more demands on them?

2. According to the author, why did the nation need its servicemen to be “boys”? Why did the very qualities that had marked boys as “delinquent” previously become desired and even “heroic” in the wartime context?

3. How did the NYA prepare young people to contribute to the war effort? Was there more to the NYA than just job training? Why did both parents and teenagers see the NYA as the answer to their problems (if for different reasons)?

4. What challenges did female NYA trainees face?

5. As the war progressed, why did the government change its tune and encourage teens to stay in school? Why was continuing one’s education considered a contribution to the war effort?

6. Why did teens fail to respond to government efforts to keep them in school? Why did training programs such as the “High School Victory Corps” (p. 72) have little appeal?

7. Rather than studying, how did young teens prefer to participate in the war effort? What contributions did they make?

8. How did “doing without” affect teenagers’ lives and youth culture during the war?

9. What were “V-girls”? How did their own self-image differ from the way that adults saw them? Why did they attract national attention?

10. How did the reaction to the “V-girls” reveal the persistence of the sexual double standard?

11. Why does the author say that the “V-girls” precipitated a “sexual revelation” rather than a “sexual revolution”?

12. What factors caused the tensions between pachucos and mainstream white society? Why did both sides distrust each other?

13. Why did juvenile delinquency become a cause for concern during the war? What did the government due to address the situation?

Palladino, Teenagers – Chapter 6

1. How did adult perceptions of teenage behavior help spark rising concerns about “juvenile delinquency”? If teens weren’t necessarily engaging in criminal behavior, why did many adults still consider them “delinquent”?

2. According to adults at the time, who or what was to blame for juvenile delinquency? What steps did adults take to curb delinquency? How did teens react?

3. How did Mark McCloskey of the Office of Community War Services (OCWS) bring a new approach to dealing with juvenile delinquency? What did McCloskey think caused delinquency? How did he propose to deal with the problem?

4. How were “teen canteens” a departure from traditional adult-sanctioned forms of recreation? Why were most teens and adults comfortable with the structure and operation of the teen canteens?

5. What messages did the newly founded Seventeen magazine convey to the younger generation? Why did Seventeen prove more effective at influencing teenagers that previous adult-driven efforts to shape youth?

6. Given his priorities, why might Mark McCloskey have been disappointed with the teenagers that emerged from the Second World War? How did their interests and priorities differ from his?