Following my attempt to go into the inner workings of Iron Man, I now challenged myself to study the life and times of Steve Rogers a.k.a. Captain America.
Unlike the Iron Man article, I followed Cap's history a bit better - and also unlike Iron Man, Cap had two defining eras to cover... his WWII era and his modern post-revival era. Still... I took it upon myself to try and give people a view of Steve Rogers... let them know the person behind the uniform, and try to remove some modern day misconceptions of how some writers try to view Cap in their attempt to understand him and modernize him.
Here then is the article I wrote and submitted to avengersforgever.org about Steve Rogers and the life he led/leads.
Just who is Steve Rogers? I
By Butch Syyap
http://www.avengersforever.org/articles/default.asp
He is a man out of time – yet timeless in his beliefs and championing of everyone’s basic rights. Steven Grant Rogers was born in New York during the depression years. I would even place his birth year to be sometime in the mid-1920 to justify the fact that he could enlist in the Army in the early days of World War II and not be turned down for underage reasons.
Assuming this as such, a quick glance at how society was for New York in the 20s would give us a glimpse of the possible influences Steve had from his environment:
There was prohibition, and the unique circumstances that surrounded it. Among them being that alcohol was illegal and crime grew strong while getting organized to help supply said illegal substance to a few bars.
The government was seen as somewhat inadequate in helping people with their problems. In fact, it may be seen as being one of the reasons why things went bad so far as the economy was concerned… and with that, the coming of the great depression.
It was also the downturn of the roaring ‘20s where glamour and music were at a high, which made people think less about savings and more about looking good and having an even better time enjoying themselves. This placed a lot of people in an unprepared state for said great depression. Many people were reeling from a downturn in investments, the resulting closure of many banks and businesses, the market crash known as black Tuesday and the apparent lack of jobs that resulted from this. Big businesses, the backbone of the industrial age, were likewise unable to turn things around – no demand meant no business, no business meant no jobs.
People were desperate for help and hope and many were struggling to survive, looking many ways to get their next meal. This was the type of economic background that Steven Rogers was born into. His parents, Joseph and Sarah were not well to do, and the depression would have hit them hard. It would have been hard enough to survive as a young couple, but having a baby made things tougher for Joseph as he may have been forced to take on a lot of menial jobs that could have affected his health.
Needless to say, little is mentioned of Joseph, and it may even be that Steve would have a limited memory of his father. Joseph did not last long and with his poor health, he did not survive the hard times. He left his young wife, Sarah, to fend for both herself and their son, Steve. Nothing is mentioned about relatives, so I would think that either they had no relatives where they lived – maybe they were a new family, having transferred to New York to try their luck; or maybe Sarah was one not to approach them for help.
Sarah did support Steve, and the hard life may have made him survive, but not necessarily grow healthy. Steve was a lanky boy, who grew to a relatively tall but lanky young man. He was not know for any physical prowess and whether it was possibly due to a lack of father figure in showing him a more physical aspect for health or not, Steve seemingly had a more creative and imaginative side to himself – preferring to read and draw.
Steve preferred reading fantasy to playing games, it might have been due to his wishing for a different life plus his possible upbringing with Sarah – maybe she did not want him being too active at play, for fear of his getting hurt. After all, she lost Joseph – she would protect Steve and ensure he did not get hurt and possibly die too. Food was hard to get, medicine probably harder. Needless to say, if reading was one of his simple pleasures, he was in the right place, for New York in the ‘20s was also known for being a near renaissance place for the printed literature.
This could have meant that young Steve would not have any lack for reading materials, at least… those available in the public library. He also took the job of being a newspaper boy – selling broadsheets on the street, and I suspect, reading them too, when he was at rest. He also seemed to be – at an early age, responsible enough not to forget his studies, making time for these. Suffice it to say, with his love for reading, he likewise developed a hand for drawing, a trait he seemingly kept private for fear of ridicule from other kids in the neighborhood.
Steve was a private individual and was probably the type of kid very much comfortable and happy to use his, or others’ – specifically the writer’s, imagination to keep him occupied. These fantasy books and papers also seemingly broadened his perspective in life. Reading was one form of entertainment he could easily jump into.
As for other forms of entertainment, many a family would sit by the radio and listen to music – Jazz was also getting slowly into the lives of the listening public, and the big bands were likewise known to play grand music. I wouldn’t be surprised if Steve still listens to Glenn Miller or his like when he wants to reminisce. Whether Sarah and Steve had a radio to listen to, is another thing entirely, in fact, I doubt very much that they did - but that could not have stopped them from listening in with a neighbor.
This paragraph is purely conjecture, so take it with a grain of salt. See, though things were hard, I believe that many communities were still… well, neighborly and what little help they could do, they would. I would have to make a stretch that Steve got his schooling in this manner, through benefactors – be it a parochial school being run by their local priests or pastors, but boys were usually rounded up to attend school in the mornings and maybe help out their parents in the afternoons with the chores. Steve, aside from delivering the morning papers, may have been tasked to pick up and deliver laundry that his mom may have done after his school – this could have given him a sense of responsibility.
As for heroes… your local police officer was one you could look up to as a paragon of civil virtues – and I sort of imagine the character of Sean Connery in the film Untouchables as a classic example of how officers were looked up with respect during those days. These were the local heroes, and children did not mind dreaming of becoming one of these trustworthy civil servants when they would grow up. It was also noteworthy that the new hope of the masses – those greatly affected by the depression, seemed to be Franklin D. Roosevelt – as President of the United States, he brought in sweeping changes to get the economy working again, and together with his use of the radio to reach his constituents, he constantly instilled a brighter vision of ‘what the future could be’ to everyone through his fireside chats.
But one hero in particular was very influential to a young Steve Rogers – one he would remember to the present day… his teacher during those early days… Edna Cosley.
Edna was a very strict, no-nonsense teacher for the young kids growing up in the Brooklyn neighborhood, and though her methods were sometimes harsh – at least, from the point of view of fun-loving kids playing pranks on each other while in class, she was a very diligent and fair educator. It was one of her early lessons and world-view that impressed upon an attentive and impressionable Steve Rogers that the country they were in had a lot going for them despite the depression that they were all experiencing.
That they enjoyed education, freedom and many other civil liberties was of paramount importance to Edna’s differentiation of how lucky they (American kids) actually were, when compared to children of other worlds. Edna would then ask her students not to forget how important these civil liberties were, and should the time come, hopefully stand up to defend it against anything or anyone endangering such liberties and rights. Thus, Edna - though not knowing it yet, would be very instrumental in molding the beliefs and character of her country’s super soldier – she would definitely be very proud to realize her part in the upbringing and molding of her nation’s greatest hero in the coming world war as well as that of her far future.
But that war would not happen in at least a decade or so… meanwhile things definitely got gloomier with the Rogers family when Steve’s mom, having taxed herself with laundry work during the harder times of said depression, started experiencing deteriorating health. Food was harder to come by and this likewise affected Steve – who was already in his late teens, both physically and emotionally He had to possibly stop some work to care for her – or ask some neighbors to help watch over her as he tried to make ends meet, not just for their food, but to get his mother’s needed medicine. Eventually though, Sarah, passed away – not being able to
continuously handle the hardships that life tossed to her.
Again, as I mentioned earlier, no record of how or who he lived with was considered – except for the fact of a footnote read by FDR, while he was reviewing Steve’s dossier, stating that Steve, after possibly taking care of any arrangements for Sarah’s funeral, found a boarding house to live in. If he thought it might get easier, he learned that as a lanky teen, many a job recruiter probably thought twice about taking him in, thinking he wouldn’t pull his weight in helping them with chores or jobs.
At around this time, the industrial revolution was picking up again, and many a people were needed for physical labor – this put Steve in a less favorable position, even when there would be jobs around. However, bad as it may have been in Steve’s part of the world, in another part, events were starting to roll into war.
Imperial Japan and Nazi Germany were flexing their muscles – having left the League of Nations in 1933, they were set on invading their neighbors, and other countries were reacting. Even worse, these two did not seem to be doing things alone – they had loosely formed a pact with like-minded countries, specifically Italy and later on Hungary and Romania thus forming the ‘Axis’ power. Even the Soviet Union, though not part of the Axis, was also embroiled with some annexing of its own.
In Steve’s mind, what these countries were doing was considered wrong. He felt strongly about it, possibly because he may have been in the receiving end of being bullied, and could relate to some of the anger, helplessness and hurt from these antagonistic nations’ victims, and felt that he needed to do something… anything, to help. As a morally upright citizen, he saw it as his duty.
Bear in mind that the army was now asking people to join them – but this conflict was, by no means, one that the United States was involved in - yet. So for many people, it was a conflict that was happening a continent away – too far to do anything about it, and it may not really having to do something, since it won’t be affecting them anyway.
To Steve, this realization apparently happened while watching a movie – where news reel footage of Hitler’s Reich was being shown. How shocking or unnerving these particular film clips were to some is understandable, to others even, it seemed reprehensible – to Steve, he knew how awful the Nazi war machine was, and felt the calling to do something, anything… just to help stop Hitler.
Steve obviously felt that he needed to be involved – probably thinking that if something bad were to happen to a neighbor; but this bad instance did not affect them – did this mean that just sitting on the sideline was the right thing to do? Apparently, Steve though that the right thing to do was get involved. Expounding this logic on a global scale – here was a wrong happening in Europe and it needed to be righted.
Steve decided that he would help right this wrong by doing the only thing he could… he heard that the U.S. military was drafting any able-bodied citizen for the war efforts, and not waiting for any draft letter, headed for the line of volunteers wishing to join the war.
Upon being assessed by the Army recruiting officer, Steve was not accepted, so he decided to volunteer, which showed that he was as committed to fight the war as good as anyone – and the Army needed every able-bodied man they could get their hands on. Unfortunately, the army physician thought otherwise of Steve – he did not fit their particular ‘1-A’ mold. If anything, he was thin – scrawny may have even been a more accurate description, and had to be rejected due to poor health reasons. Even if Steve was insisting on doing anything, taking any role, so long as he could be part of the war effort… they had to turn him down.
Dejected and sad, Steve was leaving the room. His ideals of fighting for the good of humanity – dashed even before it began. Head lowered and feeling defeated, probably resigned to listening all about the war efforts on the radio, he stepped out of the recruitment compound.
For others, this may have been the end of a dream – and maybe lived their lives wondering what could have been, had they just been healthier. Others may have seen this as a lucky star, since it would mean that the draft could not touch them. Steve definitely fit the first description – and got the attention of a military officer; General Chester Philips, whose mission that day was to seek recruits to be used as subjects for a secret experiment… and a dangerous one at that, so he needed people with courage and resolution. One’s brave enough to die, should said experiment fail – and so far, the batting average did not look promising.
It would be interesting to site that in these trying days, when the United States, still recovering from the depression, and this new war had given it the industrial boost needed to make almost everyone’s lives better, the U.S. military, or its affiliates, was already dabbling in many top secret experiments. Among these were rumored to be the creation of the first artificial man and another one dubbed the ‘Manhattan Project’. Many saw the entry of the U.S. into the conflict as inevitability, so preparations were being made. Operation Rebirth’s super army program just happened to be one of them as well.
This young man seemed to fit the part to a ‘T’, he definitely showed a passion for wanting to join the war efforts, and since Rogers was already rejected, Philips would not be short-changing the army off any recruits. He approached the young Rogers and mentioned that he had ‘observed what happened’, and if Steve was really serious about wanting to help, he had a plan that just might make Steve serve his country yet. With wide-eyed anticipation, feeling like he had been given a second chance, Steve agreed to accompany this mysterious officer.
Next: the Super Soldier.
Unlike the Iron Man article, I followed Cap's history a bit better - and also unlike Iron Man, Cap had two defining eras to cover... his WWII era and his modern post-revival era. Still... I took it upon myself to try and give people a view of Steve Rogers... let them know the person behind the uniform, and try to remove some modern day misconceptions of how some writers try to view Cap in their attempt to understand him and modernize him.
Here then is the article I wrote and submitted to avengersforgever.org about Steve Rogers and the life he led/leads.
Just who is Steve Rogers? I
By Butch Syyap
http://www.avengersforever.org/articles/default.asp
He is a man out of time – yet timeless in his beliefs and championing of everyone’s basic rights. Steven Grant Rogers was born in New York during the depression years. I would even place his birth year to be sometime in the mid-1920 to justify the fact that he could enlist in the Army in the early days of World War II and not be turned down for underage reasons.
Assuming this as such, a quick glance at how society was for New York in the 20s would give us a glimpse of the possible influences Steve had from his environment:
There was prohibition, and the unique circumstances that surrounded it. Among them being that alcohol was illegal and crime grew strong while getting organized to help supply said illegal substance to a few bars.
The government was seen as somewhat inadequate in helping people with their problems. In fact, it may be seen as being one of the reasons why things went bad so far as the economy was concerned… and with that, the coming of the great depression.
It was also the downturn of the roaring ‘20s where glamour and music were at a high, which made people think less about savings and more about looking good and having an even better time enjoying themselves. This placed a lot of people in an unprepared state for said great depression. Many people were reeling from a downturn in investments, the resulting closure of many banks and businesses, the market crash known as black Tuesday and the apparent lack of jobs that resulted from this. Big businesses, the backbone of the industrial age, were likewise unable to turn things around – no demand meant no business, no business meant no jobs.
People were desperate for help and hope and many were struggling to survive, looking many ways to get their next meal. This was the type of economic background that Steven Rogers was born into. His parents, Joseph and Sarah were not well to do, and the depression would have hit them hard. It would have been hard enough to survive as a young couple, but having a baby made things tougher for Joseph as he may have been forced to take on a lot of menial jobs that could have affected his health.
Needless to say, little is mentioned of Joseph, and it may even be that Steve would have a limited memory of his father. Joseph did not last long and with his poor health, he did not survive the hard times. He left his young wife, Sarah, to fend for both herself and their son, Steve. Nothing is mentioned about relatives, so I would think that either they had no relatives where they lived – maybe they were a new family, having transferred to New York to try their luck; or maybe Sarah was one not to approach them for help.
Sarah did support Steve, and the hard life may have made him survive, but not necessarily grow healthy. Steve was a lanky boy, who grew to a relatively tall but lanky young man. He was not know for any physical prowess and whether it was possibly due to a lack of father figure in showing him a more physical aspect for health or not, Steve seemingly had a more creative and imaginative side to himself – preferring to read and draw.
Steve preferred reading fantasy to playing games, it might have been due to his wishing for a different life plus his possible upbringing with Sarah – maybe she did not want him being too active at play, for fear of his getting hurt. After all, she lost Joseph – she would protect Steve and ensure he did not get hurt and possibly die too. Food was hard to get, medicine probably harder. Needless to say, if reading was one of his simple pleasures, he was in the right place, for New York in the ‘20s was also known for being a near renaissance place for the printed literature.
This could have meant that young Steve would not have any lack for reading materials, at least… those available in the public library. He also took the job of being a newspaper boy – selling broadsheets on the street, and I suspect, reading them too, when he was at rest. He also seemed to be – at an early age, responsible enough not to forget his studies, making time for these. Suffice it to say, with his love for reading, he likewise developed a hand for drawing, a trait he seemingly kept private for fear of ridicule from other kids in the neighborhood.
Steve was a private individual and was probably the type of kid very much comfortable and happy to use his, or others’ – specifically the writer’s, imagination to keep him occupied. These fantasy books and papers also seemingly broadened his perspective in life. Reading was one form of entertainment he could easily jump into.
As for other forms of entertainment, many a family would sit by the radio and listen to music – Jazz was also getting slowly into the lives of the listening public, and the big bands were likewise known to play grand music. I wouldn’t be surprised if Steve still listens to Glenn Miller or his like when he wants to reminisce. Whether Sarah and Steve had a radio to listen to, is another thing entirely, in fact, I doubt very much that they did - but that could not have stopped them from listening in with a neighbor.
This paragraph is purely conjecture, so take it with a grain of salt. See, though things were hard, I believe that many communities were still… well, neighborly and what little help they could do, they would. I would have to make a stretch that Steve got his schooling in this manner, through benefactors – be it a parochial school being run by their local priests or pastors, but boys were usually rounded up to attend school in the mornings and maybe help out their parents in the afternoons with the chores. Steve, aside from delivering the morning papers, may have been tasked to pick up and deliver laundry that his mom may have done after his school – this could have given him a sense of responsibility.
As for heroes… your local police officer was one you could look up to as a paragon of civil virtues – and I sort of imagine the character of Sean Connery in the film Untouchables as a classic example of how officers were looked up with respect during those days. These were the local heroes, and children did not mind dreaming of becoming one of these trustworthy civil servants when they would grow up. It was also noteworthy that the new hope of the masses – those greatly affected by the depression, seemed to be Franklin D. Roosevelt – as President of the United States, he brought in sweeping changes to get the economy working again, and together with his use of the radio to reach his constituents, he constantly instilled a brighter vision of ‘what the future could be’ to everyone through his fireside chats.
But one hero in particular was very influential to a young Steve Rogers – one he would remember to the present day… his teacher during those early days… Edna Cosley.
Edna was a very strict, no-nonsense teacher for the young kids growing up in the Brooklyn neighborhood, and though her methods were sometimes harsh – at least, from the point of view of fun-loving kids playing pranks on each other while in class, she was a very diligent and fair educator. It was one of her early lessons and world-view that impressed upon an attentive and impressionable Steve Rogers that the country they were in had a lot going for them despite the depression that they were all experiencing.
That they enjoyed education, freedom and many other civil liberties was of paramount importance to Edna’s differentiation of how lucky they (American kids) actually were, when compared to children of other worlds. Edna would then ask her students not to forget how important these civil liberties were, and should the time come, hopefully stand up to defend it against anything or anyone endangering such liberties and rights. Thus, Edna - though not knowing it yet, would be very instrumental in molding the beliefs and character of her country’s super soldier – she would definitely be very proud to realize her part in the upbringing and molding of her nation’s greatest hero in the coming world war as well as that of her far future.
But that war would not happen in at least a decade or so… meanwhile things definitely got gloomier with the Rogers family when Steve’s mom, having taxed herself with laundry work during the harder times of said depression, started experiencing deteriorating health. Food was harder to come by and this likewise affected Steve – who was already in his late teens, both physically and emotionally He had to possibly stop some work to care for her – or ask some neighbors to help watch over her as he tried to make ends meet, not just for their food, but to get his mother’s needed medicine. Eventually though, Sarah, passed away – not being able to
continuously handle the hardships that life tossed to her.
Again, as I mentioned earlier, no record of how or who he lived with was considered – except for the fact of a footnote read by FDR, while he was reviewing Steve’s dossier, stating that Steve, after possibly taking care of any arrangements for Sarah’s funeral, found a boarding house to live in. If he thought it might get easier, he learned that as a lanky teen, many a job recruiter probably thought twice about taking him in, thinking he wouldn’t pull his weight in helping them with chores or jobs.
At around this time, the industrial revolution was picking up again, and many a people were needed for physical labor – this put Steve in a less favorable position, even when there would be jobs around. However, bad as it may have been in Steve’s part of the world, in another part, events were starting to roll into war.
Imperial Japan and Nazi Germany were flexing their muscles – having left the League of Nations in 1933, they were set on invading their neighbors, and other countries were reacting. Even worse, these two did not seem to be doing things alone – they had loosely formed a pact with like-minded countries, specifically Italy and later on Hungary and Romania thus forming the ‘Axis’ power. Even the Soviet Union, though not part of the Axis, was also embroiled with some annexing of its own.
In Steve’s mind, what these countries were doing was considered wrong. He felt strongly about it, possibly because he may have been in the receiving end of being bullied, and could relate to some of the anger, helplessness and hurt from these antagonistic nations’ victims, and felt that he needed to do something… anything, to help. As a morally upright citizen, he saw it as his duty.
Bear in mind that the army was now asking people to join them – but this conflict was, by no means, one that the United States was involved in - yet. So for many people, it was a conflict that was happening a continent away – too far to do anything about it, and it may not really having to do something, since it won’t be affecting them anyway.
To Steve, this realization apparently happened while watching a movie – where news reel footage of Hitler’s Reich was being shown. How shocking or unnerving these particular film clips were to some is understandable, to others even, it seemed reprehensible – to Steve, he knew how awful the Nazi war machine was, and felt the calling to do something, anything… just to help stop Hitler.
Steve obviously felt that he needed to be involved – probably thinking that if something bad were to happen to a neighbor; but this bad instance did not affect them – did this mean that just sitting on the sideline was the right thing to do? Apparently, Steve though that the right thing to do was get involved. Expounding this logic on a global scale – here was a wrong happening in Europe and it needed to be righted.
Steve decided that he would help right this wrong by doing the only thing he could… he heard that the U.S. military was drafting any able-bodied citizen for the war efforts, and not waiting for any draft letter, headed for the line of volunteers wishing to join the war.
Upon being assessed by the Army recruiting officer, Steve was not accepted, so he decided to volunteer, which showed that he was as committed to fight the war as good as anyone – and the Army needed every able-bodied man they could get their hands on. Unfortunately, the army physician thought otherwise of Steve – he did not fit their particular ‘1-A’ mold. If anything, he was thin – scrawny may have even been a more accurate description, and had to be rejected due to poor health reasons. Even if Steve was insisting on doing anything, taking any role, so long as he could be part of the war effort… they had to turn him down.
Dejected and sad, Steve was leaving the room. His ideals of fighting for the good of humanity – dashed even before it began. Head lowered and feeling defeated, probably resigned to listening all about the war efforts on the radio, he stepped out of the recruitment compound.
For others, this may have been the end of a dream – and maybe lived their lives wondering what could have been, had they just been healthier. Others may have seen this as a lucky star, since it would mean that the draft could not touch them. Steve definitely fit the first description – and got the attention of a military officer; General Chester Philips, whose mission that day was to seek recruits to be used as subjects for a secret experiment… and a dangerous one at that, so he needed people with courage and resolution. One’s brave enough to die, should said experiment fail – and so far, the batting average did not look promising.
It would be interesting to site that in these trying days, when the United States, still recovering from the depression, and this new war had given it the industrial boost needed to make almost everyone’s lives better, the U.S. military, or its affiliates, was already dabbling in many top secret experiments. Among these were rumored to be the creation of the first artificial man and another one dubbed the ‘Manhattan Project’. Many saw the entry of the U.S. into the conflict as inevitability, so preparations were being made. Operation Rebirth’s super army program just happened to be one of them as well.
This young man seemed to fit the part to a ‘T’, he definitely showed a passion for wanting to join the war efforts, and since Rogers was already rejected, Philips would not be short-changing the army off any recruits. He approached the young Rogers and mentioned that he had ‘observed what happened’, and if Steve was really serious about wanting to help, he had a plan that just might make Steve serve his country yet. With wide-eyed anticipation, feeling like he had been given a second chance, Steve agreed to accompany this mysterious officer.
Next: the Super Soldier.
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