Assignment: READING: LEVELS OF SPECIFICITY CONTINUED

Study Skills 101
2022-07-24T20:21:48Z

Due: Aug 1, 2022 by 11:59pm

Lecture Notes: The "Greatest" and Other Generations

The Generations Explained

In the following article you read, Chris Jones notes that Moore was one of the "Greatest Generation." What is a generation, and what characteristics make up the ones we currently recognize? The information below seeks to answer these questions. Note that the experts do not always agree on the birth years, so if you find slightly different information, that is why.

Generation Z

born after 1995

racially diverse

not fazed by differences in race, sexuality, or religion

born with technology

value financial and job security

excessive screen time is linked to loneliness and poor social skills

mental health problems

difficulty processing the significance of 9/11

Liberal/Progressive in their politics and worldview

Millennials (aka Gen Y)

born 1980s - 1990s

technology-focused

diversity

spirituality

not interested in staying at one employer

better educated than their grandparents

delaying marriage and family longer

more likely to be Democrats or lean that way

Generation X

born 1965 - 1980

work-life balance

value education and good health

human rights

some are trying to avoid divorce (as many in their parent's generation did divorce)

Baby Boomers

born 1946 - 1964

hippies of the 1960s: rock music, drugs, sex

revolutionaries of the 1970s

the "me" generation; focused on self above others

first TV generation

the first generation of divorce becoming acceptable

optimistic

driven

women of this generation were the first in large numbers to work outside the home

The Silent Generation

born 1928 - 1945

value family

want personal interaction (not mediated by technology)

loyalty

The Greatest Generation

Many people of this generation grew up during the Great Depression and lived through World War II. They are the parents of the Baby Boomers ("boom" being used to describe the significant increase in the number of babies born in the years after WWII).

born 1900 - 1927

saved the world from Hitler and the Axis powers

built America

selfless and hardworking

favored traditional morality and civic duty

saved their money

few grew up with modern conveniences, such as washing machines and dishwashers

Article: Why the British Hero Captain Tom Moore Mattered

Why did an older man pottering around his perfectly ordinary garden mean so much to the British struggle against COVID-19?

A hundred thousand reasons.

On January 26, the United Kingdom reported its 100,000th death from the coronavirus. It was a grim milestone shared by the United States, which hit that number in May last year, reflecting a much larger population.

But there's another relevant number when it comes to the beloved centenarian Captain Sir Tom Moore, who deserves his full title and who died Wednesday from both pneumonia and, in a cruel twist of fate, the virus he had empowered so many to fight better: 60,375.

According to Britain's National Archives, that was the number of civilian deaths during World War II. For many Brits of a certain age, when the COVID-19 toll passed, the number of ordinary folks killed between 1939 and 1945, mainly due to Nazi bombing campaigns, represented the most challenging day. Even for those not alive during the war, the losses of those years are etched in the collective national memory as an unequaled collective sacrifice. Children were killed in rubble. Impoverished inner-city families were lost at their kitchen tables. Cities burned.

Moore was a World War II veteran; thus, he provided a crucial link to a previous era, where many people sacrificed their lives for the common good. Public health officials, desperate to get people to change their behavior, understood his symbolic power.

Most of the deaths from COVID-19 in care homes and hospitals are hidden not only from public view but also from family members' loving gaze. They were cloaked in old age and did not spark protests or riots. Few of them were rich people or citizens with access to social-media megaphones. They have been, in short, primarily anonymous occurrences assessed collectively.

Captain Sir Tom Moore walks down a guard of honor during a visit to the Army Foundation College in Harrogate, England, in Aug. 2020. (Danny Lawson/AP)

But Moore was a friendly face, a modest, self-deprecating volunteer, a man taking what little was available to him (his garden and his walking frame) and choosing to do something with those resources that he did not expect to benefit himself.

Moore was a member of the so-called Greatest Generation, and his walk around the garden to raise funds for Britain's National Health Service might also well go down in the history books as one of his generation's last, great public acts of benevolence.

He could be the last chapter in that book.

And historians will argue it was not an insubstantial contribution.

He raised more than $50 million for the cause of public health, sure, but he also was a human motivation machine spawning countless other walks runs, jogs, and bake-offs. In the U.K., he was not the face of the virus but the face of the war required to combat its ravages. Most of those who died were old. It was fitting that their spokesperson was one of their own.

It's easy to be cynical about heroes, and, somewhere early in the story of Captain Sir Tom Moore, there was a daughter with a press release. But the modest aim was to raise a few British pounds for the NHS and help a man who still felt the need to serve. The rise of this man never felt like the consequence of a cynical algorithm.

Moore's extraordinary age and humility helped. There was a book (" Tomorrow Will Be a Good Day"), talk shows, and other stuff, but he was still about as pure a hero as it is possible to be, not least because his heroism was so rooted in the ordinary.

A walk around the garden, that was all. But a walk after living and serving for a century.

In some ways, the end of Moore's life is like a bucket-list fairy tale, something we might all wish for in our most improbable dreams. Ordinary life becomes not just a great life but one acknowledged by much of the world.

Imagine. Interviews with media elites. An audience with the queen. A knighthood. The flag above the Prime Minister's residence was lowered in your honor. A respectful pause taken in a contentious debate at the Houses of Parliament, noting your death.

A name is written in fireworks across the London sky on New Year's Eve.

A No. 1 single in the U.K. pop charts. Yeah.

A legacy of persistence, sacrifice, unselfishness, humor, and good cheer.

A quotidian life, suddenly of extraordinary usefulness by writ of its very ordinary nature.

What an incredibly excellent way to go.

Written by Chris Jones

Chris Jones is chief theater critic and culture columnist for the Chicago Tribune. He also serves as a Broadway critic for the New York Daily News and a critic for WBBM-Ch. 2. His latest book is "Rise Up! Broadway and American Society from 'Angels in America' to 'Hamilton.'" He has a Ph.D. from Ohio State and lives in Chicago with his wife and sons.

Activity: Breaking Down the "Why the British Hero Captain Tom Moore Mattered" Article

Levels of Specificity

For this activity, you will apply what you have learned regarding the topic, main ideas, and supporting details.

Reading with Purpose

1. With the topic, main ideas, and supporting details in mind, read the article one time.

2. Read the article a second time and underline any unknown terms, people, or events.

3. Look up and write down everything you underlined in #2.

After you do this, complete

You May Access the Discussion Here: LEVELS OF SPECIFICITY DISCUSSION ACTIVITY

You May Access The Associated Rubric Here

References

Bialik, K., & Fry, R. (2019, February 14). How MillennialsSSeptember 3h prior generations. Pew Research Center's Social & Demographic Trends Project; Pew Research Center. https://www.pewresearch.org/social-trends/2019/02/14/millennial-life-how-yAApril 14thood-today-compares-with-prior-generations-2/

Gorgie, J., & Hutson, K. (2022, July 20). College Level Reading Support: Readings to Engage Learners. OER Commons. https://www.oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/89536/overview

Jones, C. (2021, February 2). Column: Why the British hero captain Tom Moore mattered so much, dead now from pneumonia and coronavirus. Chicago Tribune; Chicago Tribune. www.chicagotribune.com

Pew Research Center. (2015, September 3). "The Whys and Hows of Generation Research." https://www.pewresearch.org/politics/2015/09/03/the-whys-and-hows-of-generations-research/

The Annie E. Casey Foundation. (2021, April 14). What Are the Core Characteristics of Generation Z? The Annie E. Casey Foundation; The Annie E. Casey Foundation. https://www.aecf.org/blog/what-are-the-core-characteristics-of-generation-z

Lecture Notes: The "Greatest" and Other Generations

The Generations Explained

In the following article you read, Chris Jones notes that Moore was one of the "Greatest Generation." What is a generation, and what characteristics make up the ones we currently recognize? The information below seeks to answer these questions. Note that the experts do not always agree on the birth years, so if you find slightly different information, that is why.

Generation Z

born after 1995

racially diverse

not fazed by differences in race, sexuality, or religion

born with technology

value financial and job security

excessive screen time is linked to loneliness and poor social skills

mental health problems

difficulty processing the significance of 9/11

Liberal/Progressive in their politics and worldview

Millennials (aka Gen Y)

born 1980s - 1990s

technology-focused

diversity

spirituality

not interested in staying at one employer

better educated than their grandparents

delaying marriage and family longer

more likely to be Democrats or lean that way

Generation X

born 1965 - 1980

work-life balance

value education and good health

human rights

some are trying to avoid divorce (as many in their parent's generation did divorce)

Baby Boomers

born 1946 - 1964

hippies of the 1960s: rock music, drugs, sex

revolutionaries of the 1970s

the "me" generation; focused on self above others

first TV generation

the first generation of divorce becoming acceptable

optimistic

driven

women of this generation were the first in large numbers to work outside the home

The Silent Generation

born 1928 - 1945

value family

want personal interaction (not mediated by technology)

loyalty

The Greatest Generation

Many people of this generation grew up during the Great Depression and lived through World War II. They are the parents of the Baby Boomers ("boom" being used to describe the significant increase in the number of babies born in the years after WWII).

born 1900 - 1927

saved the world from Hitler and the Axis powers

built America

selfless and hardworking

favored traditional morality and civic duty

saved their money

few grew up with modern conveniences, such as washing machines and dishwashers

Article: Why the British Hero Captain Tom Moore Mattered

Why did an older man pottering around his perfectly ordinary garden mean so much to the British struggle against COVID-19?

A hundred thousand reasons.

On January 26, the United Kingdom reported its 100,000th death from the coronavirus. It was a grim milestone shared by the United States, which hit that number in May last year, reflecting a much larger population.

But there's another relevant number when it comes to the beloved centenarian Captain Sir Tom Moore, who deserves his full title and who died Wednesday from both pneumonia and, in a cruel twist of fate, the virus he had empowered so many to fight better: 60,375.

According to Britain's National Archives, that was the number of civilian deaths during World War II. For many Brits of a certain age, when the COVID-19 toll passed, the number of ordinary folks killed between 1939 and 1945, mainly due to Nazi bombing campaigns, represented the most challenging day. Even for those not alive during the war, the losses of those years are etched in the collective national memory as an unequaled collective sacrifice. Children were killed in rubble. Impoverished inner-city families were lost at their kitchen tables. Cities burned.

Moore was a World War II veteran; thus, he provided a crucial link to a previous era, where many people sacrificed their lives for the common good. Public health officials, desperate to get people to change their behavior, understood his symbolic power.

Most of the deaths from COVID-19 in care homes and hospitals are hidden not only from public view but also from family members' loving gaze. They were cloaked in old age and did not spark protests or riots. Few of them were rich people or citizens with access to social-media megaphones. They have been, in short, primarily anonymous occurrences assessed collectively.

Captain Sir Tom Moore walks down a guard of honor during a visit to the Army Foundation College in Harrogate, England, in Aug. 2020. (Danny Lawson/AP)

But Moore was a friendly face, a modest, self-deprecating volunteer, a man taking what little was available to him (his garden and his walking frame) and choosing to do something with those resources that he did not expect to benefit himself.

Moore was a member of the so-called Greatest Generation, and his walk around the garden to raise funds for Britain's National Health Service might also well go down in the history books as one of his generation's last, great public acts of benevolence.

He could be the last chapter in that book.

And historians will argue it was not an insubstantial contribution.

He raised more than $50 million for the cause of public health, sure, but he also was a human motivation machine spawning countless other walks runs, jogs, and bake-offs. In the U.K., he was not the face of the virus but the face of the war required to combat its ravages. Most of those who died were old. It was fitting that their spokesperson was one of their own.

It's easy to be cynical about heroes, and, somewhere early in the story of Captain Sir Tom Moore, there was a daughter with a press release. But the modest aim was to raise a few British pounds for the NHS and help a man who still felt the need to serve. The rise of this man never felt like the consequence of a cynical algorithm.

Moore's extraordinary age and humility helped. There was a book (" Tomorrow Will Be a Good Day"), talk shows, and other stuff, but he was still about as pure a hero as it is possible to be, not least because his heroism was so rooted in the ordinary.

A walk around the garden, that was all. But a walk after living and serving for a century.

In some ways, the end of Moore's life is like a bucket-list fairy tale, something we might all wish for in our most improbable dreams. Ordinary life becomes not just a great life but one acknowledged by much of the world.

Imagine. Interviews with media elites. An audience with the queen. A knighthood. The flag above the Prime Minister's residence was lowered in your honor. A respectful pause taken in a contentious debate at the Houses of Parliament, noting your death.

A name is written in fireworks across the London sky on New Year's Eve.

A No. 1 single in the U.K. pop charts. Yeah.

A legacy of persistence, sacrifice, unselfishness, humor, and good cheer.

A quotidian life, suddenly of extraordinary usefulness by writ of its very ordinary nature.

What an incredibly excellent way to go.

Written by Chris Jones

Chris Jones is chief theater critic and culture columnist for the Chicago Tribune. He also serves as a Broadway critic for the New York Daily News and a critic for WBBM-Ch. 2. His latest book is "Rise Up! Broadway and American Society from 'Angels in America' to 'Hamilton.'" He has a Ph.D. from Ohio State and lives in Chicago with his wife and sons.

Activity: Breaking Down the "Why the British Hero Captain Tom Moore Mattered" Article

Levels of Specificity

For this activity, you will apply what you have learned regarding the topic, main ideas, and supporting details.

Reading with Purpose

1. With the topic, main ideas, and supporting details in mind, read the article one time.

2. Read the article a second time and underline any unknown terms, people, or events.

3. Look up and write down everything you underlined in #2.

After you do this, complete

You May Access the Discussion Here: LEVELS OF SPECIFICITY DISCUSSION ACTIVITY

You May Access The Associated Rubric Here

References

Bialik, K., & Fry, R. (2019, February 14). How MillennialsSSeptember 3h prior generations. Pew Research Center's Social & Demographic Trends Project; Pew Research Center. https://www.pewresearch.org/social-trends/2019/02/14/millennial-life-how-yAApril 14thood-today-compares-with-prior-generations-2/

Gorgie, J., & Hutson, K. (2022, July 20). College Level Reading Support: Readings to Engage Learners. OER Commons. https://www.oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/89536/overview

Jones, C. (2021, February 2). Column: Why the British hero captain Tom Moore mattered so much, dead now from pneumonia and coronavirus. Chicago Tribune; Chicago Tribune. www.chicagotribune.com

Pew Research Center. (2015, September 3). "The Whys and Hows of Generation Research." https://www.pewresearch.org/politics/2015/09/03/the-whys-and-hows-of-generations-research/

The Annie E. Casey Foundation. (2021, April 14). What Are the Core Characteristics of Generation Z? The Annie E. Casey Foundation; The Annie E. Casey Foundation. https://www.aecf.org/blog/what-are-the-core-characteristics-of-generation-z