Made in America

Title: Made in America

Author: Bill Bryson

Publisher:  Black Swan, 1998 (First published 1994)

ISBN: 978-0-552-99805-5

Pages: 431

The irrresistible Bill Bryson is out again with an immensely appealing narrative on American life evolved over the centuries since its colonization by Europeans and how it has affected the language spoken there. Rather than a history of American English as such, it is a description of how words in many walks of life such as politics, literature, automobiles, cookery, and such diverse things came to crystallize out of thin air. The differences between the languages spoken in the U.S. and Britain is examined wherever necessary. As usual, Bryson’s works need not be subjected to examinations of analytical depth, but rather should be an object of wonder for its ideological width. The extensive research did by the author is amply evident in the wide-ranging notes and ‘Select Bibliography’. What differentiates him from others is the humorous undertone which permeates every sentence and phrase of the book. In fact, it may soon become possible for me to identify Bryson’s work even if no distinguishing mark regarding authorship is present in a book, like the definition given by some authorities for identifying obscenity – I know it when I see it!

The real history of English settlement in Americas begin with the arrival of Pilgrim Fathers in 1621 on the bark ‘Mayflower’ in Virginia. Though there were earlier European settlements on the East coast, the seed of the future nation lay in the tiny community they created. The puritans jealously preserved their divinely ordained ways of life, along with words and phrases in usage in the 16^th century England, which continue to be used even today. Early settlers found life immensely difficult in the vast and dangerous New World. Sometimes, the rate of attrition was as high as 80%. The first American revolution was in the cultivation of tobacco, in the first half of 17^th century, which proved to be a wonder crop on Virginian soil and reaped huge profits that could sustain larger populations. It catalyzed migration and slavery. The large scale immigration continued until 1700 when the government in Britain realized the drain on their own human resources and put a stop to it. But it didn’t prevent people of other nationalities like Irish and Caribbean settling there. The resultant mix of cultures and people resulted in the slow but definite emergence of America and its English as a separate dialect.

Bryson then moves on to the 18^th century and elucidates in a thoroughly humorous yet respectful way how the founding fathers of America built the nation after a heroic revolutionary war with Britain (1776-83) and framing a constitution (1789). It soon developed a flag, anthem and symbol (Uncle Sam), the minimum prerequisites for any nation worth its salt. The analysis of several inspiring incidents related to America’s war of Independence brings the author to reach the inevitable conclusion that most, if not all, of the narrations about it were greatly embellished by later biographers and historians. The 19^th century also saw American English consolidate its position vis-à-vis its sister on the other side of the Atlantic. Abraham Lincoln, with his mesmerisingly simple speech which conveyed great ideas and marshalled his compatriots to action, set a definitive tone of what the language in the continent was up to.

Real material progress dawned on America during the latter half of 19^th century. Automated production techniques and mechanisms invented by ingenious adventurers and supply of abundant raw material made the new nation surpass Britain as the world’s largest manufacturer in 1894. Also, it was a less stratified society than the British where a man could indeed make money and be respectable in society with his own effort, and not with resort to his aristocratic pedigree. Encouraging inventions go hand in hand with legal protection and time-limited monopoly for the production of newly invented things. We must note with astonishment at the very early year (1793) in which the American patent office was established, to cater to exactly the same need. Though its application was not entirely foolproof, the safeguarding of intellectual property rights yielded wonders in the industrial arena. The purchase of Louisiana (1809) and nearby states from France, coupled with Californian gold rush literally paved the way for migration inland on an unheard-of scale to the wild west. Population in the isolated communities multiplied many times in a few decades.

Immigration grew once again during the 19^th century and early 20^th, riding piggyback on the surging economy. At first, the Northern Europeans came in large numbers, and after 1880, it was the turn of South and Eastern Europeans, who were comparatively less well off than the former. By the end of the century, protests were heard about the refugee influx and by 1924, it was effectively curtailed with a quota system. However, Blacks and Asiatics were never favoured. They were not even given citizenship until much much later. It was also around this time that many symbols which the world now would unhesitatingly associate with America came into being. Automobile and soft drinks like Coca-Cola marked the free character of American life indelibly and expounded to the world the liberal principles which made its constituent parts.

With rising international trade came a lot of trade-related words, stemming from intense advertising and competition in America during the early 20^th century. Bryson illuminates the differences between the words patents, trademarks and trade names as “A patent protects the name of the product and its method of manufacture for seventeen years. Because patents require manufacturers to divulge the secrets of their products and thus give rivals the opprtunity to copy them, companies sometimes choose not to seek their protection. Coca-Cola for one has never been patented. Trademark is effectively the name of a product, its brand name. Trade name is the name of the manufacturer” (p.287).

World War II and its aftermath saw the United States catapult to dizzying heights of prosperity and quality of living as compared to the rest of the world which languished under the heavy damages inflicted by the struggle. The war machinery was effortlessly converted to commercial production, supported with vast cash from the government in the form of unused war bonds. The 1950s saw U.S. cornering 40% of all global output. The share of imports and exports constituted only about 4% of its total turnover. America produced, marketed and consumed all of it themselves in a near-ideal case of self sufficiency. Things turned problematic around 1970s. U.S. businesses, particularly automobile and electronics lost the edge to Japanese competition. Lower educational standards among Americans probably accentuated the difference. Bryson however ends the book with the positive note that immigration was always beneficial to the nation as the incoming people would surely assimilate themselves to the country and provide value to America in the long run.

The book is thoroughly enjoyable and very easy to go through. The author’s caustic humour leaves many moments to cherish in the text. While explaining the craze to find an acronym for anything, which became a fashion after World War II, Bryson pronounces that the army declared TESTICLES as the qualities looked for in military recruits to Vietnam. The letters amusingly referred to teamwork, enthusiasm, stamina, tenacity, initiative, courage, loyalty, excellence and a sense of humour! The book also includes an illuminating history of the development of domestic electrical equipments which we now take for granted.

Practically nothing is there to point out against the book except the fact that it should not be confused with serious reading. It brings out a lot of urban legends, and that’s about the size of it. As mentioned in previous reviews of Bryson’s titles, some parts may be challenging the sensibilities of people with a morally or religiously stringent ideas of what constitute decent expression.

The book is highly recommended.

Rating: 3 Star