Question

Reflect on these films and do some additional research, if necessary, to write a brief response (three to four sentences) to the following questions: what can you infer about the meaning of these films? what do they have in common? why do you think they were so popular? how do you think they helped people cope with the dangers of the era? criteria mastery approaching developing lesson objective response analyzes how pop culture reflected fears that americans had about the cold war. response identifies meaning of the films and how they were popular but does not tie into commonalities or how they reflected american fears. response does not analyze the meaning of the allegories or how the films reflected how americans felt about the cold war.

Answer 1

These films reflect the fears and anxieties that Americans had about the Cold War. The films are allegories for the dangers of communism and the threat of nuclear war, and they often depict an "us versus them" mentality. The commonality between these films is that they all use science fiction and horror elements to explore Cold War anxieties. They were popular because they provided a way for people to cope with their fears by giving them a way to confront and defeat the enemy. These films helped people cope with the dangers of the era by providing a sense of control over the unknown, and by giving them a way to confront their fears in a safe and controlled environment.