In what ways does Bellamy's book, Looking Backward, reflect the optimism of 19th century modern America?
Your responses should be about 1 page long and include 2 direct examples from the work. Remember, these are graded and will make up part of you Attendance and Participation grade.
Hint:
Before answering, you may want to go back through the course text book or your lecture notes and recall why the United States was optimistic toward the end of the 19th century. After all, didn't the US just get done fighting a long and bloody Civil War? What could they possibly be optimistic about?
And for Bellamy's work, keep in mind it is not a prediction of the future. He is simply commenting on the conditions of 1880s Boston while contemplating what the world could look like. In part, that should help you answer the question above. Why does he think the world could look like it does in the year 2000? Explore some of the conversations Julian has with Dr. Leete. How does the world change so drastically?