Reference no: EM133266888
Assignment - History Question
Description - Living with the Bomb Exam
Answer two questions in thorough, well-developed essays.
1. How do the authors represent the role of the "human factor" within the rationalized (by rationalized we mean pre-planned contingencies aimed at efficiency and predictability) and "mechanized or technologized" (handing human responsibilities to technology) system? The technological fetishism in Failsafe is designed to be more trustworthy than the human element of the given equation. What are some examples of human weakness within this "man vs machine" conflict?
2. In Failsafe, what is the strategic planners' emphasis in designing the nuclear response system and its procedures? Is it generally defensive or offensive in its posture? Which inclination has been more thoroughly thought out? The will to attack or the inclination towards avoiding participation in nuclear holocaust?
3. Describe the social, political and cultural conditions in Fort Repose, FL at the beginning of the novel. In particular, how are relations between races, classes, and genders and to what extent do these reflect the time period within which the novel was written? What circumstances are seen as justifying or necessitating changes in these social relations?
4. In what ways does the American Civil Defense program reinforce American cultural ideals of individualism and self-sufficiency and how does the ideal square with real circumstances? What role does the fall out shelter play in the American imagination and how does popular culture (popular songs, for example) represent Civil Defense preparation?