Jannet Ramos

Compare and Contrast Essay- My Grandparents time vs my time

A lot has changed between 1940 and 2014. Some changes were for the better and other
changes for the worse. When my grandparents were my age, life was very different. Im sure my
grandparents time was better. If I had the choice, I would live in my grandparents time. I will explain t
the difference between 1940 and 29014. Differences for example, discipline, marriage, cooking,
and romance. Among all the differences, there are also many similarities like religion, gatherings, etc.
Respect is no longer enforced as back then. Children no longer respect adults. Discipline is so
different as well. In 1940 you had to be respectful to others, it wasnt a choice. Kids in school had to do
what was told, or they would get hit with a ruler by their teacher. Talking back to parents was
something kids thought twice about before doing. The consequence for disrespecting elders was very
painful. Parents would spank their children. When spoken to, they had to reply with yes sir yes mam.
Just in general, respect was enforced and it had a lot to do with the type of person, one grew up to be.
Today kids grow up not knowing what respect is. Its very common to go to a store and witness a child
throwing a tantrum and not respecting what their parents are telling them to do. Parents are now
limited on how they can discipline their children. Laws in our time make it difficult for parents to spank
their children. Teachers are now yelled at by students. When teachers bring it up to the parents
attention, some parents have no control over their child. Overall respect and discipline has changed
dramatically, for the worst since 1940.
Marriage is no longer. Till death do us part. In my grandparents time, marriage was
mandatory before moving out of the house. It was a routine for a boyfriend to ask his girlfriends
parents for permission, in order to marry a daughter. Having children came after marriage. Often
times, marriages did not work out as planned. Divorce was not an option, couples stayed together and

worked their problems out instead of giving up. Most of the time couples stayed together because they
always worried about what others would say if they separated. Marriage counseling didnt exist in those
times. When my grandparents were my age, woman didnt work and werent as independent as now. If
they werent happily married, they had to stay, they couldnt afford to live on their own.
In my time weddings/ marriage is not a tradition anymore. Our generation has children, before
marriage. Children are having children. Young teens are becoming parents. The divorce rate has
increased dramatically. Divorce is very common, allowing many families to split and have step-parents
which was not common back then.
Different lifestyles are now accepted. Back in the days, gays/lesbians were not accepted, that
type of lifestyle was very uncommon. It was something they were not proud to announce. When my
grandparents were my age, parents would practically disown their child if gay. They would be made fun
of and seen by others as not normal. In 2014 that lifestyle is somewhat accepted, not completely by
society. The reason why I believe that this is a topic to talk about, is because I feel that is has slowly
changed since 1940, maybe not completely but in my grandmas ranch now you can see a gay couple
walk around without getting beat up, back then it was not acceptable at all. In some states, same
sex marriage is now legal. Some parents now accept gay children and treat them equal. Even celebrities
are now open about it. In my opinion, this was a good change, now they dont have to feel scared or
insecure, they can be open about their lifestyle. Of course not all, because this hasnt changed
completely, they are not fully accepted in this world.
If romance now, was the same as in 1940; I believe relationships would last longer. My
grandfather used to ride his horse to visit my grandmother. He would go visit, sit outside her front
porch and talk to her. He wasnt allowed inside the house as she also had a curfew. In their times,
relationships were different because their time was limited. They couldnt spoil their
partners with expensive materialistic things. My grandparents appreciated each other for how they
treated each other, and not on how much money was spent. Long distance

relationships were very difficult. There was no technology to make the communication easy. In My
time, can definitely make a long distance relationship work. We have the advantage of sending emails,
skype, texting, calling, etc. Its easier to communicate. We have cars, airplanes many ways to travel and
see each other.
Along with all the differences throughout the years, there are also similarities. Religion hasnt
changed much. All the religions that were practiced in 1940 are still practiced now. The same catholic
religion is practiced as in my grandparents time. Racism still exist in the world. Its unfortunate that
after so many years, some people still cant accept others because of the
color of their skin. Racism is an ongoing issue that has stayed the same since 1940. Family celebrations
and family gatherings are still very much active. We still celebrate the same events or occasions.
Although there has been many changes, Im glad some occurred, Change can sometimes be a good
thing.
In conclusion after all the changes from time to time, I would of definitely liked to have lived in
the 1940s. Life seemed more relaxed, they had more time to spend together as a family. Although
technology has improved and we can now do so much more in life, I feel that in some way we all
appreciate life less. I would of loved living in a time where we wouldnt text each other all day, but
instead took the time to eat together and spent time together with family like In the 1940s.