Metabawana, Petra Relagusta

26 August 2003
St. Louis 1 Catholic High School, Jl. Polisi Istimewa No.7, Keputran, Kec. Tegalsari, Kota
SBY, Jawa Timur 60265
Grade 11

Roar Like the Twenties

Time is like a grain of sand. It can slip out of our hands and we only keep holding
it, searching for the ways to battle the glissading precious moments of ours. Just like the
sand in the hourglass, the moments and opportunities we hold most dear, with time, skid
away. Therefore appears a question fueled by people’s curiosity. What if we can travel
back to time? With the production of movies such as “Back to the Future”, “Avengers
Endgame”, and other time-travel movies, traveling back to time becomes a familiar
thought. Many people wonder what it would be like to time-travel. What if we can scoop
back the grain of sand that has already fallen.
If I have a time machine, I want to travel back to the roaring twenties. The roaring
twenties itself refers to the decade of the 1920s in Western Society and culture. It was the
age of economic prosperity, a decade of distinctive cultural edge in the United States and
Western Europe. Development and usage of automobiles, telephones, movies, radio, and
electrical appliances increased and found their way in the lives of thousands of
Westerners. The major success of Jazz makes this era also referred as the Jazz Age.
During the Twenties, there was a widespread social reform, and people found a
better way to enjoy their lives and to improve their lifestyle. People enjoy higher standards
of living and improved in terms of education. Women finally got the right to vote and had
many more possibilites for jobs and careers. A milestone in the Aviation world was made
when Charles Lindbergh did the first solo nonstop transatlantic flight.
People in this era lived in a very hedonistic life. Nightclubs, jazz clubs and cocktail
bars flourished in the cities. The media focused on celebrities, especially sports heroes and
movie stars. Cities rooted for their home teams as people filled the cinemas and gigantic
sports stadiums. People’s lifestyle in the 1920s was depicted in many movies and books.
Some of which were made based on the creator’s resentment towards the way of life
during this era. One of the example is “The Great Gatsby”, a book written by F. Scott
Fitzgerald.
The 1920s was a time of prosperity, leading to new energy, excitement, and
flamboyance. However, the excitement ended when The Wall Street crashed in 1929 and
Metabawana, Petra Relagusta
26 August 2003
St. Louis 1 Catholic High School, Jl. Polisi Istimewa No.7, Keputran, Kec. Tegalsari, Kota
SBY, Jawa Timur 60265
Grade 11

the Great Depression brought years of hardship worldwide. Until now, the roaring twenties
still becomes one of the influential decade in the Western Society.
All things considered, I decided to travel back to the 1920s if I ever had a time
machine. Personally speaking, it would be nice to live my life to the fullest in the era
when the biggest opportunity to do it was given. Besides, it was the early days of women
rights acknowledgement. Also it was when technology was developed massively during
that time and the glorious era of Jazz. Despite the bitter ending, I would still have my time
machine to return to present day. I would recite what I learned during my trip and apply
the lessons to the life of the society with the hope of bringing back the prosperity of the
roaring twenties and prevent the bitter ending from happening again.