Response to Chapter 8 of Fieldworking
I found this chapter to be the most helpful chapter out of the book. I also found it to be the most intimidating. As I was reading it, a rush of fear and insecurity came over me. I’m not sure if I’m ready to write my research paper. Have I gathered enough information? Did I gather that information thoroughly? Are my fieldnotes sufficient enough to get me through this paper? Will I be able to develop the correct ideas that will make my paper tasteful and smart? Putting those worried questions aside, I trudged through the long chapter. I was reassured by the section titled “Resisting Writing”. I love how the authors included quotes from famous writers about how they overcome the struggle to write. “Shitty First Drafts” was my favorite essay of the chapter. It showed me that I’m not the only one that has problems with beginning drafts. I agree with the things the author says. Like Lamott, I have to constantly remind myself that the paper due for Peer Review is only a rough first draft. It’s not my final draft to be graded, or in her case, printed and scrutinized by readers. I find that it takes the pressure off of trying to be prefect the first time around. I connected with the first section of the chapter. Just getting started on a paper or even a research journal is tough.
Another thing I am going to have trouble with is picking which information to use in my final draft. I have collected so many interesting notes and pictures that I feel should be part of the final project, but I have always had a hunch that cramming it all into the paper won’t be efficient. In the chapter, the authors talk about the fact that ethnographers have to pick out which information will make it in their final paper. They only use a small percentage of data to focus on in their paper.
Needless to say, this chapter gave me a lot to think about in regards to my final paper. It has made me nervous, but I am also excited to finally try to piece things together.
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Annotated Table of Contents
1) Fieldnotes over The East Texan
- Set 1: General Overview of The East Texan from 1941-1944. Takes note of headlines, pictures, length of paper, reoccurring features (“Lions in the Fight”, “Society News”, “Tench-Hut!”, etc.), government propaganda, advertisements, political cartoons, and military enlistment ads.
- Set 2: Notes over a few pictures taken of articles and pictures. Includes the conversion of Mayo Hall to a girls dormitory.
- Set 3: General Overview of The East Texan from 1944-1945. Takes note of headlines, pictures, length of paper, reoccurring features, government propaganda, political cartoons, and advertisements. Includes the death of President Roosevelt, the proclamation of V-E Day, and the surrender of Japan.
- Set 4: The East Texan 1935-1940. Although the goal of that session was to collect notes over ’35-’40, it really focused more on ’35. There is a smattering of notes on 1938 and 1939. Notable finds are the swastika borders around the Oliver Brothers’ Drug Store, and the amount of cigarette ads. I also started a reflection period after a certain time of examination.
- Set 5: The East Texan 1939-1940. Once again, even though I had initially labeled these notes to cover ’39-’40, I focused on ’39. This was my first disappointing scan through the paper. Everything seemed so carefree and breezy despite the international conflict.
- Set 6: The East Texan 1939-1940. This set of fieldnotes does go into the first half of 1940. I also had my first WWII article sighting (“Parade of Opinion: Hitler”). From then on, I noticed the amount of war and peace articles printed, buried underneath the usual news and ads.
- Set 7: The East Texan 1940. This set covers the rest of 1940. Here I began to see more preparation for the oncoming war. The aviation school in Commerce was to be set up, and the threat of the required draft for all eligible men into military service was looming in the air with the passing of a bill.
- Set 8: The East Texan 1944-1947. This set focuses on 1945. It shows the effort to rebuild the war ravaged campus.
2) Pictures
- Look of the paper
- Political cartoons
- Military advertisements for enlistment
- General Advertisements (Coca-Cola, Wrigley’s Gum, Chesterfield Cigarettes, ads aimed at women toward the end of the war, etc.)
- Pictures of soldiers
- Patriotic slogans (“Remember Pear Harbor!”, “Buy more war bonds!”, etc.)
- Government propaganda
- Bold headlines (V-E Day and the surrender of Japan)
- Mayo Hall picture
- New Girls’ Dormitory (now known as Henderson Hall)
- The April Fools Edition (“The Last Texan”)
- Events mentioned by John Allen in his oral history, including Mr. John Allen himself
3) Oral Histories
- Mary McCrary. Wife of an E.T. professor. Speaks of life before their move to Commerce, physical descriptions of Commerce and its changes, the Great Depression, her sons’ and husband’s enlistment into the armed forces, the influx of students after the war, and her thoughts on the progression of E.T. (“Morale of college has dropped considerably.”).
- John Allen. Former student of E.T. who graduated in 1940. Later became a radio broadcaster for various radio stations including WFAA. Spoke of his childhood, various family stories, his time at the Training School in Commerce (the high school student teachers from E.T. teach before becoming accredited teachers), his time at E.T. (a member of the band and an acted in school plays). He also speaks of the lingering effects of the Depression, the community’s thought on the college (“life and bread of Commerce”), and physical description of Commerce. He also mentions the effects of WWII on civilians (rationing, brownouts of coastal cities, and government regulation of the broadcasting of the news over the radio). He talks about a student produced play about Hitler’s advances during WWII. That will be looked at into further detail for WA4.
4) Writing Assignments
- WA2–”The Evolution of The East Texan“. History of The East Texan from 1920-present times.
- WA3–Research Proposal.”Through the Eyes of the Students-The East Texan during Word War II”
- First draft of WA4–This one is a summary of John Allen’s life and what information he offers about WWII, and how it affected people and coastal cities.
- WA4–”Newspapers and Radios”. Utilizes John Allen’s oral history to show what life was like back then. Incorporates images from The East Texan to support the themes and the events mentioned in Allen’s oral history.
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Codes
Campus Changes (CC)
- CC1–New courses offered
- CC2–Physical changes
- CC2–Government programs (aviation school, possible use of campus for war, etc.)
Government Regulations (GR)
- GR1–News regulations
- GR2–Radio regulations
- GR3–Civilian acts of defense (blackouts, brownouts, “Sealed lips don’t sink ships”, etc.)
- GR4–Rationing
Soldiers (S)
- S1–Current students, alumni, and teachers in the fight
- S2–Articles about supporting the soldiers (writing them, sending care packages, etc.)
Patriotic Slogans (PS)
- PS1–”Buy more war bonds/defense stamps”
- PS2–”Remember Pear Harbor”
- PS3–”Set the rising sun”
Political Cartoons (PC)
Enlistment (E)
- E1–Advertisements to for Armed Forces
- E2–Women’s Armed Forces
- E3–Red Cross Ads
- E4–Articles about enlistment
Campus Life (CL)
- CL1–Recreational activities
Academic News (AN)
Society News (SN)
Early WWII (Before U.S. Entrance) (Pre)
- Pre1–War and Peace articles
- Pre2–History of War articles
- Pre3–Opinion articles
- Pre4–Evidence of awareness (article about Austrian refugee visit)
- Pre5–Predictions
After WWII (After)
- After1–Reinstating recreational activities
- After2–Influx of new students (freshman and veterans) and how that affected current students (i.e. “Between Us Girls”)
Humor (H)
- H1–Weekly humor features
- H2–Weekly humorous stories
- H3–Poking fun at Hitler (“The Last Texan”, variety show, etc.)
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One Page Analysis
I’m glad that I looked at newspapers from before and after WWII. They have given me a richer insight to the campus before the threat of the war and the rebuilding process afterward. Before the U.S. entrance into WWII, and even before WWII itself, everything seemed so breezy and cheerful. Lighthearted human interest articles were printed, along with humorous weekly articles such as “Clippings”. I found this to be curious, since the Great Depression was still eminent during that time. I figure that the newspaper was the way to keep everyone’s spirits up. The only article I found that mentioned the Depression was one about how students save and acquire money to get through school. I also liked finding articles that talk about the events that John Allen spoke about, and even a picture of John Allen during the play “Our Town”. Those articles and pictures helped fuel my WA4.
I need to do outside research of WWII. My knowledge of it is pretty basic. It mostly covers the military aspect of the war (I swear that’s the only thing one learns in school when it comes to wars). I only have a general understanding of what people back home did during the war (being bombarded with government propaganda and constantly encouraged to buy war bonds). I think that knowing more about different aspects of the war will help give a deeper meaning to the things I have found in the newspapers. I can then extract what the students really went through emotionally and daily.
I have been focusing more on the characteristics of the newspaper throughout the years. I haven’t thought of the culture behind the newspapers, or what one really was experiencing. The newspapers are a tool to help gain insight to student life during that time. I don’t think I’ve seen the newspapers that way throughout the data gathering process. I really need to buckle down and see past the text and pictures in order to write an enlightened research paper. Wish me luck!
