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Myth And The Greatest Generation

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Mike McGill AMS-445-001 Myth and The Greatest Generation In the decades after the “Good War,” many attempts have been made to extol this generation in the media. Myth and the Greatest Generation: A Social History of Americans in World War II by Kenneth D. Rose, attempts to shine light on how life actually was for the generation that survived World War II, and came to be known as the greatest generation, rather than how that generation appears to us today. Rose claims that when people discussed the war they choose to focus on stories that helped the population feel good, rather than talking about the horrors of the war. World War II seemed to generate higher levels of patriotism than ever before seen. Rose hopes to give true honor to the Americans of this generation in his book. Not by elaborating on their contributions, but by trying to paint a picture of what life was like while America was at war. Rose chose to rely on first-hand accounts of the men and women who actually experienced the war. He does this to give them credit, but also to show that the so-called Greatest Generation was not without its own problems and flaws. He shows that they were just another regular generation who lived through tough times that tested their character and will power. Rose’s book is divided into four separate parts, the first section on, “Americans Abroad.” He does not just look in the first hand accounts of the soldiers themselves, but also the men traveling with these companies

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