How You Would Live and Use Media if You Were a Person of the Past?

In my BC&J100 (Introduction to Mass Communications) class in spring 2021, I asked students to write a narrative essay using both research and imagination. The central question the paper needs to answer is: How you would live and use popular media if you were a person of your own age, gender, socio-economic status, and race/ethnicity living and communicating in your chosen place and time (for example, Chicago, July 1893)?

The following four student essays are full of beautiful imaginations, and you can read them as something between fiction and nonfiction. They are imaginative, but based on solid research. For example, we didn’t have social media in the 1950s yet, so none of the authors here would say they posted a tweet one day in 1958 and it went viral.

Enjoy!

Chicago in 1986

By Ashay Dennis-Gary

Dear Peggy,

It is cold here in Chicago and by now you would think that I would be used to this cold weather. I am halfway through my freshman year at Thornwood High school and the year has been going pretty well. I like the teachers and I am learning my way around the campus. The school keeps the freshman in one space of the school so that we can learn the ins and outs of Thornwood High School. I have made a few friends, but I miss being down in the warm weather with you guys. We have an extra week off from school because there has been snowing the week before.

My family and I were getting ready for the Super Bowl between The Chicago Bears and the New England Patriots. At least the Chicago Bears would be some place warm. The game was to be held in New Orleans, Louisiana on Jan. 28, 1986. I was excited to see the game because the last time the Bears was at the Super Bowl was 1963. I had decided to go to the school library to find this out because my father always makes a big deal about sports. I want to know as much about the game as he did. During my time, in the library where I often like to be. I found out that Mike Dikta was a tight end for the Bears in 1963 which was the last time the Bears team had won the Super Bowl. Now, Mike Dikta was now the coach for the Bears he had played with so long ago! The Super Bowl was coming on Sunday, Jan. 26 and the whole family was going to watch the game together. My father was going to make his famous Philadelphia hoagie.

So, it was finally Sunday and the game was at about 4 p.m. We had all of the food ready. My family and friends were all over our house and we were watching the game. During the game, the Bears had some good players such as Jim McMahon, the quarterback who had a record of 12 of 20 completed passes. Then, there was William “the Refrigerator” Perry, the defensive tackle for the Bears who ran for a one-yard touchdown. Did you know that he spiked the ball down afterward? This was one of the most memorable moments of the game. Let me not forget Walter Payton who carried the ball 21 times for at least 61 yards. He was well highlighted throughout the game. During this day of the game, the Bears beat the Patriots with a score of 46 to 10. The game sent the Patriots home crying. We watched the game on our new floor model color television.