AMERICAN ARTIFACT

AMERICAN ARTIFACT

ARTIFACT: (from Merriam Webster’s Tenth Edition)
From the Latin ‘arte’ –“by skill” and ‘factum’ –“to do”

(a) Something created by humans usually for a practical purpose, especially an object remaining from a particular period. (b) Something characteristic of or resulting from a human institution or activity.

TO DO:
Find an object that you think is a quintessentially American artifact. Think about why it is “typically” American and what it illustrates about “American culture.” In short, use this exercise as an opportunity to gain distance from American culture and observe it as though you were a foreign anthropologist or archaeologist. The purpose, in short, is to “make the familiar strange.” Please write your essay as though you were an outsider observing American culture, the practices of the “natives,” and their various material artifacts. Your essay will be graded based on the critical thinking skills and creativity you display in your analysis.

PLEASE DISCUSS THE FOLLOWING POINTS IN YOUR ESSAY:
• First, what makes this object an “artifact,” following the broad definition above? To what practical purposes is it put, how do the “natives” use it? Or what makes it resonate with a particular historical period; what human institution or activity is it related to, or a part of? You may address this only briefly if it is not an essential part of your analysis.
• What makes this object, specifically, an “American” artifact? For this, you will need to think about what constitutes what your definition of “American.” What does it illustrate about American culture—what values or social practices that are uniquely “American” does it showcase? Why is it, and the values and practices it illustrates, “American”? What symbols are on the artifact and what meanings does it have that may be characteristically American?
• Context counts. If you like, you may consider the setting in which you found your artifact. As in archaeology, the placement of the object, amid its surroundings, can relay many clues about its significance.
•
* AN EXAMPLE:
A very basic example of an American artifact would be, say, a quarter. In your analysis, you could discuss various American practices regarding quarters—how, as money, they’re essential for everyday activities—whether using laundry machines, buying a candy bar, feeding parking meters, etc. You might also note that the “natives” often pitch quarters into pools by important monuments because they believe that it brings them “good luck.” What does this illustrate about the place of money in American society?

Alternatively, you could analyze the symbolism on the quarter. You could note the use of Latin, “E Pluribus Unum,” (“From One, Many,”) and point out the American value of pluralism and multiculturalism. Yet this value of pluralism contradicts with the characteristically white, Roman-nosed face on the other side of the quarter. Or do you think that perhaps the use of Latin is a way of appropriating the glory—and antiquity–of the former Roman empire to legitimize the authority and power of a relatively new nation? And what does the symbolism of this majestic eagle mean, and what exactly is it gripping with its talons? What does the olive branch mean below it? There are many different possible tacks you could take with your analysis.

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