Walters Evan’s depiction of life and the people during the depression of the 1930s is abandoned, overwhelmed, and depressed. For instance, the person wearing the suit and a hat seems overwhelmed or exhausted. He is about to collapse from all that is going on in his life. The man seems to be searching for jobs in a newspaper article because his old job went out of business due to the stock market crash during the 30s. Since he lost his job with the other few men aside him in despair as well as he is, the man is overwhelmed with what he has to do to maintain that his family is going to be okay, safe, and watched over as he tries to search for a well maintained job that’ll meet his needs. They’re posture in the picture shows that they are depressed
“What those unsuspecting infants could not have realized, of course, was that these were temporary conditions, a false spring to life that would be buffeted by winds of change dangerous and unpredictable, so fierce that they threatened not just America but the very future of the planet.”(p4) Brokaw’s use of imagery here helps the reader understand the drastic nature of the change that occurred in the world between the 1920s and 1940s. He is stating that the youth of our nation was living in a safe-harbor for only a short period of time, almost as if under false pretenses, and that this promising future of America veered radically off a path as they had to face the unprecedented crash of the stock market, with damage so great that over a thousand banks would close, millions of people would become unemployed and homeless, and an overwhelming sense of economic calamity would sweep the feet out from under their fragile vision of security. Brokaw described this in the chapter titled “The Time of their Lives,” as a time when “A mass of homeless and unemployed drifted across the American landscape.” (p7) This gives the reader an image of millions of people hopelessly wandering the country in search for work to survive. The
In the grapes of wrath Steinbeck uses his diction and tone to describe the the grim reality of the great depression. He succeeds in depicting the sad scene quite well. Steinbeck definitely does not hold back on details.
The era of the great depression was one of hardship and struggle. The film sets
Walker Evans photograph “Roadside Stand Near Birmingham” shows the struggle between this family and the rest of the community during the Great Depression. Two young men holding watermelons and selling fruit and vegetables. These boys are trying to make a living in the depression. These boys look tired and they are determined to sell as many fruits and vegetables as they can. The building is separated into two different businesses in one building, one was “F.M. Pointer, the old reliable, house mover” and the other is a fish and bait shop. These shops look like they are run down but they are the family’s only mean of income. This is what puts food on the table The man in white looks like he is a customer and looks better than the rest of the
The Great Depression is seen as one of the most sorrowful and desolate times in the history of the United States. This time was the longest period of recession ever seen by this nation so far. It lasted from 1929 to 1939, over ten years of complete confusion and despondency within the people. Many Americans were affected greatly by this tragic time and sacrificed much of their lives so that they and their families may have the chance to live. This act of desperation can be seen throughout the movie, The Cinderella Man, where a professional boxer, Jim Braddock, becomes crippled by the depression, both economically and spiritually. The observer can see this through the explicit cinematography of the movie and depiction of the Great
5. How did the depression affect ordinary Americans, both economically and physiologically? How do the stories of Gordon Parks and Odie Stallings illustrate the personal tragedies that people and families faced during these economic hard times?
The Depression changed social structure in America forever. “The real story of the 1930’s is how individual families endured and survived, whether battling the despair of hunger and unemployment in the city of the fear of unending drought and forced migration in the dust bowl of the Great plains.” (Press, Petra pg 6)
One specific example of true representation is the scenes at the docks where men line up at the fences begging to be chosen to work for one day’s salary. Another scene that accurately shows the Depression Era is the scene of the families in the huge lines for relief money. The lines stretched out the door and down the street and the charities and relief centers would often run out of money before everyone was helped. The viewer feels Braddock’s embarrassment as he waits in line to borrow money from the relief center, and then has to visit
It seems as though Steinbeck takes almost a poetic approach in his use of imagery throughout the novel. The words flow together very nicely and almost lyrically. Steinbeck sets up each image in a way that allows the readers to associate and relate with the story or characters. Just as Sinclair does, Steinbeck gives readers a firsthand look at the trials and tribulations experienced during the era of the Great Depression. Readers can step into the story or the world of the characters so to speak.
“The great war proved how confused the world is, the depression is proving it again.” When reading John Updike’s short story “Son” (2) pg.1070 I can see the affects the great depression had on his family. When reading through it I found out the affects it had on his parent’s confidence. An example of how his father were affected is “His father’s old sorrow bore him down into depression, into a hatred of life.” (2) pg. 1072 As a result of his father not enjoying life his health began to decline as if on que. John held a job as a paper boy at a very young age in order to help provide for his family during the hard times. In Johns past, he was surrounded by the gloom of his father and it has shaped his style of writing into
During the Great Depression, migrant farmers sought out work to stay alive. When they finally found a job to sustain them, workers were mistreated, starved, paid poor wages, and, worst of all, robbed of necessary human companionship. John Steinbeck captures the hopelessness of Depression-era farm life in his novella Of Mice and Men. Throughout the novella, most characters have a disability crippling them and pushing them away from other workers on the farm. Their disabilities are a physical embodiment of their isolation. Steinbeck uses his disabled characters to illustrate the depth of their loneliness, as well as to exemplify different types of loneliness.
The Great Depression broke people and their relationships apart. It strapped Americans of their money, way of life, and societal pattern. In Russell Baker’s memoir, Growing up, he talks about this and the experience his mother, Lucy Elizabeth, endured when giving up her youngest daughter Audrey. After the death of his father, George Baker, his mother was left with only “a few dollars of insurance money, a worthless Model T, several chairs, a table to eat from… no way to earn a living, and no prospects for the future” (Baker 84). She couldn’t care for her entire
The Great Depression broke down security and belief in American society during the early 20th century and brought out hidden prejudices. The once optimistic mood during the Roaring 20’s turned to pain. The dire economic situation caused Americans to return to past social stigmas where certain groups of people were seen as inferior; as a result, the American Dream, where everyone could seek their ideal of success, was reduced to merely a dream. John Steinbeck observed these changes in social behavior and witnessed the plight of many Americans during the Great Depression. Like in his later work, The Grapes of Wrath, he was inspired by his environment to expose the lives of people during the Great Depression using Of Mice and Men. Steinbeck observed these changes in social behavior and witnessed the plight of many Americans during the Great Depression. Steinbeck demonstrates in Of Mice and Men through the characters that the American Dream was naturally discriminatory towards certain groups of people because of common perceptions held during that period.
Great Depression. People were at their lowest and gave a lot up. He uses imagery and illusion
Florence in the photograph portrays the real effects that the depression of 1929 had on people in the United States. The real intention