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Mod 10 Reading Check: Summarizing postwar ‘affluence’ and conformity in the 1950s2020 unread replies.2020 replies.This Reading Check takes us into the 1950s. Some of these primary sources will confirm our preconceived notions of the 1950s as a decade of prosperity, affluence, suburbanization, etc. But some of these sources might challenge the idea of the 1950s as a “golden”, homogenous decade. Assignment InstructionsStep 1: Assess the sources.A Bureau of Labor Statistics study on the year 1950 from “100 Years of US Consumer Spending” (Links to an external site.)– includes great charts on women’s employment, household income, household expenditures on ‘non-necessities’, etc. You don’t have to read the whole thing, but the charts are very interesting for the statistics-minded people in here.1950s newsreel about Levittown on Long IslandMalvina Reynolds’ 1962 folk song “Little Boxes” about 1950s middle class suburbanization (w/lyrics)”The Philosophy of the Beat Generation”, an article written by Beatnik Jack Kerouac in 1958 for EsquiremagazineJennifer Colton’s article, “Why I Quit Working”, featured in September 1951 Good Housekeeping (Links to an external site.)Short documentary clip (note the narrator’s voice) that includes primary source scenes from real 1950s “educational videos” for

girls: Step 2: Reply to Prompt.Compose a 100- to 200-word discussion post that addresses the following prompt. No formal citations, but describe or embed the images you are referencing. Option 1: Compare American consumerism and economic prosperity of the 1950s to that of the ‘roaring’ 1920s and the 1870s ‘Gilded Age’. What is different about the 1950s? Option 2: The 1950s were an era of consensus and conformity, but some Americans rejected the status quo, like the Beatniks. Describe why/on what basis these Americans criticized mainstream 1950s society by locating and analyzing song lyrics, poems, or book excerpts. How do these criticisms relate to today’s image of the 1950s as a “golden age”?Option 3: Analyze the changes to women’s lives following World War II. What role did women play in the post-war “return to normalcy”? Step 3: Reply to Two (2) Peers.In a short paragraph between 50 and 100 words, respond to a peer’s post; you can agree with something that has been said and add further supporting details, answer a question that has been posed, or otherwise give your academic reaction to your peer’s post. Respond to as many peers as you like, but you must respond to at least two peers. Please reply to peers who does not yet have replies so that all are included in the conversation.