HIST 100: Engineering The Past

3.1: Thanksgiving past

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To be quite honest I have very little memory of years prior to high school due to an injury. I am/will however to do my best. First I remember there being something about the Mayflower however nothing ever mentioned about other ships, just the Mayflower. They landed in Plymouth trying to flee religious persecution in England. Once they landed the weather was significantly different than in England. Since they weren’t ready for the harsh environment they didn’t know how to grow the right foods to grow for the environment. Due to this they starved and froze to near death. On the brink of death “Indians” aided in the survival of the pilgrims. One specific Indian, Squanto befriended the pilgrims since he knew how to speak English. Squanto knew English from prior travels with other settlers England. Squanto and his tribe assisted the pilgrims in their survival by showing the practically everything. He showed them how to grow crops, build shelter and even multiple methods of cooking. Without the help they would never had survived. The thanksgiving meal was a means of appreciation towards the natives.

Some of the crafts that I recall doing was making a turkey place mat out of the outline of my hand. Along with the place mat there was Indian hats made out of paper and a paper feather. A big thing that would happen would be a big potluck that was done. Of course it involving food I can only remember that. In the potluck the food brought was things such as turkey, mash potatoes, stuffing, rolls, pumpkin pie, corn, and something to drink. While I would start to eat, they teacher would tell us what they actually ate. For example instead of raised rolls there would have been a unleavened bread, instead of turkey they had pheasant or quail. They would also have more root based vegetables. The teachers explained that there wasn’t really anything sweet on the table in the 1600’s since sugar was very rare.

 

2.2 Prownian Analysis

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Step 1, Description: The object is a light gray color. Is a spongy material, if one were to squeeze it with their hands it would compress easily then expand back to its prior size. The object is about 4 and a half to 5 inches in diameter and is in a crude shape of a sphere. It has a small rope, similar in color, that looks as if it could be hung from it. Up close the material is a netting that looks to be made out of a synthetic material. The netting appears to be in long strands that is rolled up and held together with something. Most of all it was found in the shower to be along with other body care products. The object was wet prior to me drying it. It smells of a body wash one may find in the bottle next to the object. The material that makes up this object may look coarse and hard but is rather soft and durable. Looking at the object and moving it back and forth in my hands I noticed my hands to be relieved from the dry skin I had on the surface.

Step 2, Deduction: One can deduce that this object is intended to scrub skin off based off of how simple it can. Along with how soft it is the user could use it throughout the body without causing any serious abrasions to the skin. Along with its placement in the bathroom one could use this in lieu of a wash clothe for the added benefit of removing skin. Due to the smell of the object it has been in recent contact with a body wash that smells distinctly the same.

Step 3, Speculation: The user of this object can be male or female. This product helps promote removal of dry skin, allowing the user to feel that their skin is healthier than usual. Along with this the user will most likely be female more than male since dry skin on males is more socially acceptable. The user would continually purchase this product since it is viewed as an effective product.

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Questions about the loofah:

Does it have multiple uses?

What are the downsides, if any?

How often is a loofah replaced and why is it best to replace?

Is there a way to reduce the amount of bacteria that is found on the loofah?

What was the original intention of the loofah if it has the possibility of promoting bacteria growth?

 

Bibliography

Bottone, E. J., A. A. Perez, and J. L. Oeser. 1994. “Loofah Sponges as Reservoirs and Vehicles in the Transmission of Potentially Pathogenic Bacterial Species to Human Skin”. JOURNAL OF CLINICAL MICROBIOLOGY. 32 (2): 469.

In this peer-reviewed article that is found in a highly respected journal, states that the bath sponge commonly used is a “vehicle” to move bacteria throughout the body. The authors state that the sponge is a common carrier of bacteria that survives and thrives on the skin that is removed during the cleaning process. The statements a backed with a plethora of scientific test results, leading to the possible assumption that the object is not in favor of the user or their intentions.

 

Bratskeir, Kate. “You Should Probably Stop Using A Loofah In The Shower. Sorry.” The Huffington Post. July 29, 2014. Accessed January 23, 2016. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/07/29/loofah-clean-healthy_n_5613734.html.

The author of this open web article, takes the stance that this object is used improperly. The author states that the object is used during shower periods to help promote a cleaner self but states that it is clearly a wrong notion. In the article the author says that the loofah sponge is a bacteria covered scrub that isn’t helping rather making you worse off.

 

1.2 Bridges

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If we were to start the comparison of the two bridges it would be rather unique comparison. First, let’s start the comparison with the build material of the two. The Brooklyn Bridge is made of Limestone, Granite, and Rosendale concret. The material used to make to The Golden Gate Bridge is steel along with some other concret at the very base of it. Any who the main material is steel.

Now looking at the design The Golden Gate Bridge is a suspension bridge while the Brooklyn Bridge is a hybrid of a suspension and cable-stay. This is somewhat important to answer one of the later parts of this assignment. Along with the comparison both bridges were built in May, just a cool little point out. Most of all in the comparison, they are photographed in many ways all with very similar features of the bridge as the focus points.

Now to look at what is commonly seen in the photos of each bridge. When scouring the internet for photos I noticed a trend. That trend being the Brooklyn Bridge commonly is shot showing its towers and cable structure whereas the Golden Gate Bridge is shot as a whole. The reason I think this may be is the Brooklyn Bridge at the time was unique and had a very beautiful neo-gothic design resulting in the cables being laid out in an exponential fashion. In the case of the Golden Gate Bridge it has the suspension cables running perfectly vertical from the bridge.

Taking a look at the bridges architectural design I think there is a lot it reveals. For example the Neo-Gothic design of the Brooklyn Bridge was indicative of the more ornate and decorative style of the Romantic movement that America was transitioning out of during the time. The Brooklyn Bridge has more English influences. The Brooklyn Bridge came out of the industrial revolution were advancements in technology and engineering made it possible.  On the other hand The Gold Gate Bridge is Art Deco style and has French influences.  The Golden Gate Bridge was built after the 1906 earthquake and Fire in San Francisco.  Suspension was considered the most logical at the time

Now to answer the last and final point, why the bridges have only been renovated rather than removed. Both bridges are icons for the cities in which they are located.  The Brooklyn Bridge is on historic preservation lists which protects the design from being changed other than to restore or retrofit.  I think The Golden Gate Bridge also follows suit.