Tuesday, September 13, 2011

9/13- Honors GOW- Photos of the Depression Era

Guiding Question: What can be learned from the photographs of the Dust Bowl Era?

One link: http://history1900s.about.com/od/photographs/tp/greatdepressionpictures.htm
You may wish to use Google or another search engine to find a photo that "speaks to you."

Task:

Choose a photo from the Dust Bowl Era. Include a link to the photo. Write about what you think the image conveys. You may use the following questions to help guide your response:

*Why would the artist have taken the photo?

*Who do you see in the photograph?

*Where do you think they are?

*What can you tell about the people based on the photograph?

*How do you think they feel in this picture? How can you tell?

*What techniques does the photographer use to draw you into the subject matter or to draw an emotion from you?



Please post "anonymously," but end your post with your first name, last initial and class period.

36 comments:

  1. http://history1900s.about.com/library/photos/blygd5.htm
    The artist probably took this photo to show the interpreter what it was like to live in the great depression era. I see a girl probably about ten years old cooking dinner for her family. I think she is in her house while she is using the stove to cook whatever she can to feed her family. Her family might not have a mother so she took on the responsibilities of the mother and cooked for the family every night. This girl looks like she isn’t having fun. Her body language is slouching and she and she has a blank expression on her face. Every little girl wants to be outside playing with their friends, not cooking dinner for their family.
    Erica C per. 4

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  2. http://history1900s.about.com/library/photos/blygd50.htm
    The title of this photo is “Christmas Dinner”. These words immediately catalyze a mental image for me of a big long table full of all kinds of food, a big family, candles, lights, music, etc. But when I clicked on it, a much different image was shown. Standing in a dirty shack that is obviously their home, a man and hour small kids eat with their heads down over their plates. While you cannot see their food, I can guarantee the scraps are unappetizing. When children are shown suffering in photographs, it makes people especially emotional because children deserve a carefree and happy life. In this photo, the children clearly are living horribly and that is what makes it such a moving image. The photo in general is a prime example showing how hard life was in the dust bowl years including characteristics such as the small shelter, lack of furniture, and dirty clothes and shoes. All images from this era are heart wrenching and shocking, but this one speaks volumes to me.
    Kaity R. Per 4

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  3. http://history1900s.about.com/library/photos/blygd32.htm

    This picture to me was an easy choice. The title "The Wife and Children of a Share Cropper" immediately made me think of the chapter in grapes of wrath that says,"The women knew it was all right, and the watching children knew it was alright. Women and children knew deep in themselves that no misfortune was too great to bear if their men were whole” (4) This is honestly what i envisioned this scene to be like in the book. I found it the perfect example. I felt the power in the image because if you look into the faces of the kids, they know something is wrong, but at the same time they know that as long as dad keeps him self under control everything is going to be ok. I also really enjoy this photo because of the background of it, you see the dusted over ground, and even get a small vision of their house, even though it looks about the size of a shed. All and all, I feel like this picture specifically belongs in Grapes Of Wrath, and is able to portray the emotion that John Steinbeck brilliantly writes in his novel.

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  4. Forgot Above Comment ^^^^^ Posted by Edgar Ortiz Period 1

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  5. http://history1900s.about.com/library/photos/blygd7.htm
    This picture shows the main issue of what the Depression was about. Lack and loss of jobs created this issue. In the photo there is a group of men outside of an employment agency waiting for it to open. It is a pretty good amount of people from what I can see. It shows how masny people were unemployed and looking for a job. I feel bad to all these people that have no job. After reading both these novels you really grasp the feeling of what it's like to have a low wage job or no job at all. I can't even imagine what it would be like back then in the Depression with that many people without jobs and just getting by. The photographer uses the technique of making sure the sign that shows the number of employment agencies and amount of people in the picture to show what it was really like. This picture connects to both Grapes of Wrath and Nickle and Dimed.
    Kayleen K Per4

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  6. http://money.howstuffworks.com/government-control-stock-market-crash.htm

    I picked this picture because it is the beginning of the great depression. This is when the shareholders of stocks came to sell their stocks because they herd the stocks were going down. And that is how it started. You could also see the police trying to keep control in the background. Which shows how many people there were and they all had one goal which was to sell their stock before it became even lower.
    -kc
    -per1.

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  7. http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=dust+bowl+childer&view=detail&id=148BC44409B699C1A1A2A8A39F5C14480608B62B&first=90&FORM=IDFRIR
    I believe that the artist who photographed this picture took it to capture a moment of a care free feeling that the children are sharing at this moment in time. Even in the era of the dust bowl which was very depressing, there still is some joy left. I think this picture brings out the true spirit of children. How they are able to still enjoy life while everything around them is saddening, is truly something worth capturing. This photo also represents a symbol of unity and togetherness. In Grapes of Wrath we read of how the poor started to become family, and the hand holding shows this. Not only does this photo convey a message, but it also is aesthetically pleasing. I would find this photo intriguing even if I knew nothing about it. The photographer made it more interesting by not showing the entire circle of children which also drew my attention to a few of the girls faces which are rich with emotion. What also caught my attention were the shadows made from the children that formed a unique shape. From looking at the land which seems to be depressed, it also conveys the children as poor and maybe even homeless.
    emily m, period 4

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  8. http://www.awesomestories.com/images/user/thumb_794cfcf03a.gif
    The photographer took this photo to show the American struggle to escape The Great Depression Era. These people are struggling to make a living, and they search various parts of the country in hope of work. Families are struggling to survive, and nothing the government did could lessen this burden. There was no food, no water, and no shelter. In this particular photograph, my guess is these people are somewhere in the Mid-West. My opinion is the people in this photograph are in a very bad situation, and no one in the family is able to better themselves, due to the bad economy. The photographer does a nice job capturing this moment of depression through the family looking on to the man, hoping he could find work or money of some kind. These people have no other choice than to travel the country, and this is what many people resorted to.

    Tyler K-Period 1

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  9. http://history1900s.about.com/library/photos/blygd5.htm
    It is in my opinion that the artist took this photo in the hopes that it would portray to people the things that they take for granted every day and the fact that some people have to live without them. To me, this picture shows just how terrible the Dust Bowl/ Great Depression era was for some people. The fact that this young girl is cooking dinner for her family in a rundown shack on a wood burning stove displays just how poor they are; most likely it is their home and all they have. It is highly likely that they have very little to eat and are struggling to get by as well. Due to the fact that this young girl is cooking, it might mean that the family is without a mother, or perhaps, the parents/ older figures are out in search of jobs at this time. Therefore, the children have to step up for the good of the family. I feel as though the girl in this picture is under a lot of stress as a result of her new role in the family in addition to all the worries that surround them because of the fact that they are poor. This image makes me think about how lucky I am to not be in the middle of an era ridden with hunger, dirtiness, and poverty.
    Jessica Teulings Period 4

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  10. This photo really stood out for me when I saw it because it showed just how terrible it was for families when they were traveling during the Great Depression. Roads hadn’t been paved yet so the weather made traveling a lot more difficult with the puddles, holes, and bumps. Not only that, but the picture shows just how little families could bring along with them onto their trucks. To leave behind everything that the families owned, including cherished possessions, reveals just how desperate and poor much of America had to experience. Only the bare necessities could be brought. In the photograph, I think the photographer was trying to convey the horrible conditions and problems that many travelers had to face. Showing families with children standing around and waiting for a solution amongst an environment of dirty, muddy roads and miles of open land conveyed how hard it was to migrate away from home. Just driving along the road to any destination is no easy task compared to today.

    -Kelly D. Per. 1

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  11. http://history1900s.about.com/library/photos/blygd42.htm

    -Kelly D.

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  12. http://digital.library.okstate.edu/encyclopedia/entries/D/images/DU012B.jpg

    This image depicts two women walking somewhere during the dust bowl. It is blatantly obvious that it is incredibly windy, due to the fact that their skirts/jackets seem to be blowing wickedly about them. Seeing the dust come towards them, I almost feel suffocated, myself. The photographer also manages to capture them holding handkerchiefs to their mouths to attempt to block the dust from entering their lungs. I can't imagine what it would be like to have to cover everything and still have a large risk of being infected with this natural monster. The photographer may not have been taking this very professionally, from what it seems, but what they caught really speaks to me and shows the hardships that anyone would have had to face, especially in the beginning of the dust bowl when the winds were wicked, and drought was all over, killing everything.

    ~Brianna D. Per. 1

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  13. http://history1900s.about.com/library/photos/blygd7.htm
    This photograph shows a group of people in an employment agency. This represents the dust bowl era because it shows that during this era there were few jobs available, however people still kept hope and kept trying. Even though people would get hired for a couple weeks and then get laid off they got right back on their feet and kept trying again and again. They never lost hope and kept trying. They were constantly trying to get a job because many people have families to support and they don’t know how to. People at this point were not looking for a specific or high salary but more of a stable job with decent income coming in. after reading both books we now know how it is like to live with no job and a job that helps you barely get by. This photograph does a good job connecting to both the books. The photographer does a good job to show the many signs that are put up and a crowd of people.
    -aisha period1

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  14. http://www.english.illinois.edu/maps/depression/images/evans1.jpg
    When I went online and started looking at pictures of the depression era this photo really stood out to me. I think the artist would have taken this photo because it shows a normal family that was going through a rough time. You could tell they were going through a rough time because the expressions on all their faces look sad and they look dirty. In the photo there is a Grandma, Mom, Dad, and three kids, they are all sitting in one small room where I think they were probably all living. I think that they are somewhere really hot with no food or baths because they all look like they are sweating and they have a lot of dirt on them. I can tell by the picture that this is a close family that is trying their hardest to survive and make their way through the depression. I think in the picture the family feels sad and tired and overworked. I can tell because their facial expressions are all sad except for the little boy. Also they all look run down and exhausted from all the work they are probably doing to keep their family going. I think the photographer really tried to capture their emotions on what the family was feeling and did ask them to fake anything. This picture also reminded me a little bit of the Joad family all living in a small house together in the beginning of the novel.
    Kathryn period 4

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  15. http://www.edb.utexas.edu/resources/team/images/L1_Children_playing_game.jpg
    I chose this picture because it really broke my heart. During this era, these children had no idea what was going on around them and continued on with their everyday lives. These kids look like they are in an abandoned field, minding their own business. It looks as if the photographer snapped the picture at just the right moment so the viewers could see feel the ambiance and also see the excited looks on the kids faces. The children look well dressed, however, since I know what went on during this time, I'm assuming that the children are not very fortunate. Some of the kids might even be really poor. All in all, this is a great photo which really explains what happened in the Dust bowl era- the children went on with their daily lives while their parents or guardians worried about all of the problems around them.

    Kelly S Period 1

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  16. http://history1900s.about.com/library/photos/blygd32.htm

    This photo is called "A wife and children of a share cropper." I think this photo sums up the struggle placed on a family in the depression. The children are in rags and clearly malnourished, and the wife seems depressed. This spoke to me because it showed me just how accurate The Grapes of Wrath was. When you read something in a book you sometimes let yourself believe it is made up, even when its not. But to see a picture is a different story. You can see all the emotions of a person in one expression. This picture in particular showed pain, desperation, and also courage and bravery, all in one woman's face.

    Chrissy B. Period 4

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  17. http://history1900s.about.com/library/photos/blygd36.htm

    This photograph was taken in 1935, during some of the roughest times our country has gone through. It shows us that the Great Depression took a toll on many aspects of children's lives. These students are learning basic English in a rundown little school in Alabama. They don't have their own desks, everything is dirty, and they don't even have books in front of them to take notes. It's as if they're going to school in a third world country. I can only imagine how difficult it must be to get an education with all these obstacles in the way. The class is very small, and many children didn't even get the chance to go to school! Seeing this photo reminds me of the dialogue from the novel Grapes of Wrath. The author wrote dialogue in phonetics, and it was clear that they all spoke very broken English. At points, they're English was so different than the way we use it that I had to go back and read it twice to understand what they were saying! Now I understand why they spoke that way; they never had the opportunity to receive a good education.

    Nina M. Period 1

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  18. http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_473nrD5vEv8/S1Mqx7s-mjI/AAAAAAAACMQ/oDjZCxKDZmI/s1600-h/poor-family.jpg

    To me the artist took this picture of a man with his family to convey the hopeplessness of the time period. They appear to be near a wooden shed of some kind that may very well be their home. It is easy to tell that the people in this photograph are losing health. The man is trying to put on a brave face for his families sake, yet the concern on the women's face is clear evidence of the tragedy befalling them. Additionally, the little boy's eyes are not those of someone with a carefree childhood; he has seen and expereinced the hunger that plagued those fleeing the dust bowl that once was their homes. The photographer splits the picture in two in order to draw your attention away from their meager home and in towards the eyes. As our eyes travel back the row of people the desperation on their faces grows bleaker and bleaker until it climaxs with the boy. It is truly a heartbreaking picture and a heartbreaking time.

    Steve P Period 4

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  19. http://faculty.washington.edu/gregoryj/exodus/fig7.jpg


    In this picture, a woman and a young child are sitting in front of a cotton field during the Dust Bowl Era. As I looked at this picture, I looked at the people, specifically. The woman looks utterly depressed, and knows not what to do. She also looks extremely weary, and malnourished. One can see the structure of her face, and her cheekbones, as if she is a skeleton. The child looks extremely depressed as well. The child has a very long look on his face, and he is all hunched over. Just by this photograph, I can tell that these two people are part of an unlucky family whose farm failed, due to the Dust Bowl. Just like in The Grapes of Wrath, their family had no choice but to move west in search of work and a place to live. If I had to guess, I would say these people are from Oklahoma, or some other Midwestern state. The people sitting in front of a cotton field have some significance, as well, and I can connect it to the book, also. In the book, the Joad’s had to work in a cotton field to earn money. Just like the little child in the picture, the younger members of the family had to work in the fields, in the story, as well. The photographer took this picture to demonstrate the depression, misfortune, sadness, and overall bad predicament of a vast number of the people, during this time. The photographer shows the cotton field in the background to give some perspective to the viewer. It shows the viewer what these peoples’ lives consist of. Although a depressing picture, it tells a story.
    Alex G p. 4

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  20. http://history1900s.about.com/library/photos/blygd8.htm

    This photograph [A Group of People at a Breadline] shows a line of unemployed men lined up for bread. The reason this photo was taken and published over most other photo's is because it can be used for other generations to learn about the Great Depression. Many aspects of the photograph can help us understand more about the Great Depression. The first thing I noticed in the photograph was the two men standing at the front of the line. One was middle age-younger and the other was very elderly. From these two men we learn that it was not only younger men that were without jobs, it was also the elderly. Another thing the men in the picture tell us is from the way there dressed. They are dressed in suits and ties, which makes them all look like business men. The great depression hit not only the farmers but the business class too. This photograph was also taken in the street. Which raises an interesting question, why are they in the street? The times were so bad and the lines so long that using the inside of the store was useless. It was quicker just to set up a table outside. Another subtle aspect of the photograph was the faces on all the men. They are all unhappy and not a single is smiling. This is not uncommon in a Great Depression picture but it is still important. The way the photograph was taken also has a big effect on the way you see it. The photographer made sure to get as much as the line in the picture as they could. The longer the line the more moving the photograph. This is a very meaningful photograph of the Great Depression for many reasons and was a very good picture taken by the photographer.

    Daniel B. Period 4

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  21. http://www.english.illinois.edu/maps/depression/photoessay.htm

    i picked this photo because it is very sad that these people were living out a little tent that they put together in the middle of the field. they only have a couple of suitcases and very ratty clothes and that is probably the only thing that they own. I only see a woman and her three children so i can make the assumption that the man is out looking for a job. In this photo they look very sad because they are living in a tiny little tent where there is barely room for the four of them.

    Patrick D. Period 4

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  22. http://history1900s.about.com/library/photos/blygd34.htm

    The picture in the link above titled “Young Penniless Mother in Oklahoma” produced a lasting impression on me. “Young Penniless Mother in Oklahoma” taken circa March 1937, holds a variety of purposes and justifies the statement that a picture is worth a thousand words. In this case, I believe the picture to be worth more than can possibly be inscribed in one entry of a blog. Photography as defined in the English dictionary, reads; the art, practice, or occupation of capturing events in time. The photographer who captured this photo did not necessarily view the three individuals in the picture as subjects, but as symbolic of a larger meaning. The 1930’s was a difficult and devastating time in American history for settlers wishing to capitalize on the agricultural promise of the land. Oklahoma, for example, was a prime example of this migration of people and transition of lifestyles. Nonetheless, people soon found the land to be inhospitable with the coming of looming dust storms and the exploitation of the banking system. The woman and her children resemble the hardship of the masses trying to survive in an environment that simply was never made to support the independent farmer and his plow. In my opinion, the photographer was trying to capture and transpire a sense of emotion from this picture to the viewer, a desperate feeling of hopelessness that goads the sensation of being left with a predetermined fate. The lack of expression on the mother’s and children’s faces further emits the sensation of failure and inexistent virtue. It is not necessarily who I see in the picture but what I see in their manifestation. The most base of all people could identify the beings, but not necessarily their importance. The fact that they are isolated in the pictures shows that they have received no outside support or aid from any organization including the government. Their solitude displays the point that it truly is survival of the fittest in nature and seeing that they have no money allows the viewer to assume their decline. It is stated in the post-script of the picture that they are stranded in the Imperial Valley of California, a location with few opportunities of working wages and relief. Based upon the people’s choice of clothing and general complexion, one could easily predict their status as migrants hoping to find a better life west of Oklahoma. Additionally, the subjects of the picture appear to be weak from the quest for food, shelter, and work. Despite the inability to support themselves, it looks as if the family has stayed together through the good and bad. The unconditional bond between mother and son is stronger than any other, showing that the sanctity of the family takes predominance over all.

    -Alexander Borkowski Period 1

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  23. http://history1900s.about.com/library/photos/blygd36.htm

    The artist probably took the photo to show the educational system during that period of time, and how hard it was to have a comfortable classroom environment without any money. I see six children and one teacher. I assume it is a classroom because it has simple English written on the board like students were learning to read. It appears that the kids’ families may have enough money for an education, but not enough for a clean and friendly classroom. They also appear to be a bit older than a normal age to start reading (maybe 2nd or 3rd grade versus the normal 1st grade). The teacher looks happy to teach, but the kids seem to be anywhere from excited or bored based on their posture (their faces aren’t quite visible). It seems like a gloomy environment based on the structure and placement of furniture in the room.

    Alessandra Moquet, Per. 4

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  24. http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_xcUskQ-VRTI/S_DUP671hzI/AAAAAAAABn4/_Nr6WqFt1Bg/s1600/great-depression-soup-line.jpg
    This is a picture of a group of people waiting in a soup line during the time of the Great Depression. The artist most likely took this picture to show the irony between the billboard behind the line that’s advertising American cars featuring a healthy “typical” American family and the group of people walking in front it. The billboard is giving an entirely different perspective of America, a wealthy, high class nation, as opposed to the nation filled with poverty. During the Great Depression there was a large scale between the rich and the poor, and that is shown in The Grapes of Wrath between the land owners and the 15-cents-an-hour workers. You even heard of one man who owned a million acres, but refused to hire anyone to work the land. This topic also relates back to Nickel and Dimed, because there is a big difference between the rich and poor populations in the country; and even though we advertise country as being a land of opportunity, there is not much opportunity for the low-wage workers.
    Marisa K p.4

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  25. http://0.tqn.com/d/history1900s/1/0/a/gd45.gif
    The artist may have taking the photo to show the world how people conditions were. The photograph show a mother with three children all hanging on her and from the photograph it looks like the children are hungry and the mother is sad and depress. One can tell that the children are hungry by the way they are hanging on their mom because when I am hungry I also lien on my mom’s shoulder or when I need something and that the mother is sad and depress by the way her face is and sitting position. The way the mother is sitting holding the baby in her hands and the other two on each of her shoulders is the technique the photographer use to draw an emotion from me. For me it can of shows that their world is at an end.

    sandrine period 4

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  26. http://history1900s.about.com/library/photos/blygd21.htm

    This photograph really captured me because as a child, it is hard to understand why your family is making this migration. Also, when I saw this photo, I immediately thought of the two youngest members of the Joad family. The children in the photograph were probably forced to mature quickly, such as the Joad children were, because of the circumstances. In addition, these children probably saw their circumstance to be a new adventure. When we think about the great depression, we need to remember the children that were involved, and we should try to learn more about their perspective on the things that were happening around them.

    Ashley Murphy, Period 4

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  27. http://history1900s.about.com/library/photos/blygd36.htm
    With the title" School In Alabama" the picture is pretty self explanatory. I don't think that the photographer intended to have much deepness to the picture. But i chose it because it showed the learning environment that kids had to deal with. The kids are sitting in a tiny room with no desks,pencils, or even any paper. Going to school is hard enough in todays world, I cant imagine having to deal with those conditions. It made me realize that I take my education for grantite, and that most kids weren't as lucky back then.

    John A period 1

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  28. http://digitaljournal.com/img/9/0/1/2/2/1/i/4/6/2/o/Children_of_the_Depression.jpg

    I think the artist took this picture to show how terrible it was for people during the Great Depression. The picture shows a mother and her children outside of a rundown building that they probably call home. You can easily see that their house is falling apart. It seems like the people in the picture are worried and stressed out. The mother is grabbing her neck and the young girl’s facial expression looks almost angry. Their clothes look dirty and they aren’t even wearing any shoes even though there are rocks and wood on the ground surrounding their house. I think the photographer captured the family’s despair well.

    Kelly Loftis Period 1

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  29. http://history1900s.about.com/library/photos/blygd19.htm
    I believe that the artist took this photo to show how one of many farms went on sale during that time, and that is something to be remembered. It should be remembered because I would like to point out how the artist may have wanted to show how depressed the land was. Therefore, the artist showed how hard it was to sale something that is worthless in the view of the human eyes. In addition, I can see from this photo that the farmers put little effort in attempting to sell their land by the way the presentation of the piece being. If a farmer can barely put something in the land to make it appealing to the people, then no one will buy it. Lastly this photo shows how the dust bowl had an effect on the land, but also on the people and their sprits. The land was a symbol of those who lived on it, and the feelings and emotions of the people were displayed through the land.
    That is what I got from this photo.
    Pompeo M. Per.4

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  30. https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-5Re5zD_UpBw/TXQ0jC8r9II/AAAAAAAAAVs/WyjbKN6vVZA/1936farmer255D.jpg

    In this photograph, a farmer is in the middle of what appears to be a desolate cornfield, sifting through the dirt, as if to search for any remnants of fertile land or harvest crops that could have remained after the huge dust storm. Evidently, there is an unlikely chance that he will find anything. However, judging from the man’s behavior, he refuses to believe so. Relating back to the Grapes of Wrath, the characters that were affected by the dust bowl storm were usually people who were resident in the area since birth. This must have also been the case for the man in the photo. Assuming that is the case, his entire heritage up to this disaster was rooted into the land. Now that all is gone, he desperately tries to get it all back, figuratively speaking in reference to the photo.
    This photographer centered the focus on this one man and his land. The scene falls under the theme of man’s personal connection with the land. This is something mutual between the man and the land that we probably could not understand. With this thought, there can only be sympathy for a man so lonely in this big world, especially in this particular moment.


    Sidney M. Period 1

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  31. When looking at a photograph from the dust bowl era you are able to put yourself in the position of the many families who were strongly impacted by the Great Depression. These pictures show you the complicated lives and hardships that these families had to face everyday.

    A Girl Making Supper: http://history1900s.about.com/library/photos/blygd5.htm
    The photographer took this picture to illustrate the lack of necessities in many households during the Great Depression and to point out the huge impact it had on many families. In this photo you see a young girl cooking dinner in a very broken down and dark room. From the picture you can gather that she is probably in a small nook of the house used for cooking. The girl is using a very small stove to cook her meal and behind the stove you can see the limited amount of cooking supplies that they have, and on the floor you see some food set aside in a bowl. From the picture you can tell that the depression has impacted this family and though they have vey little resources they are trying the best they can to live a normal life. In the picture the girl looks focused on cooking the meal with the limited supplies she has. What draws emotion from me is the idea that anyone would have to live in such a situation where the only place too cook your meals is a small corner of a broken down home and the only real place you have to put your food is on a dusty floor. This picture gives me a very vivid idea of how the Joads were forced to live in the novel The Grapes of Wrath.
    Jennifer L. Period 1

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  32. http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ngdc-nG6jLU/TNGQcigJURI/AAAAAAAAAH8/o_KS397hIn0/s1600/dustbowl2.jpg

    I think the artist took this photo because it reflected the situation, what is going around, is showing the destruction which has taken place. There is a little child standing alone all by himself wearing a bandana on the head and is covered with dust. The ground is covered with dust; I don’t see child’s parents anywhere near/around him. There don’t seem to be any houses or shelter. It looks like the baby is lost. There are piles and piles of dust; it looks like the dusts have plastered all the homes underneath the ground the baby is standing. The baby looks very unhealthy, and untidy, sad and puzzled. I think the baby is unknown to the fact that someone is taking his picture. He looks confused, I can tell it by his look and also because he is standing still and doesn’t seem scared. I think the photographer have used the sad and quite looking kid as the main focus because I feel a child means innocence, he shows his natural and true felling and emotions. And also the photographer is telling us, a child can’t stay still without running around or playing, crying or laughing in a normal situation whereas in the photo we see a child who is standing still without any moment, I believe not only other but the child himself also have been greatly affected by the situation. I think this picture is appealing for sympathy, care and concern from me.

    -Shila R. Per 1

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  33. http://pixdaus.com/pics/1210772262QyPKZ1C.jpg

    This photo shows two men who are wearing signs saying that they are looking for jobs. I think that the artist took this photo because it really shows how desperate the people were. These men were probably on the street somewhere in California trying to get someone to hire them. What I can tell about these people is that they were very poor and in great need of a job. What I think they are feeling is sadness because no one will hire them, and anger because their families are going hungry without work. The artist made the two men the focus of this picture by putting the in the center of the photo.
    Julia P.4

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  34. http://www.wtamu.edu/library/govt/dustbowl.shtml

    When I viewed this image, my heart immediately began to sink. The photographer did a flawless job at taking such a heart-wrenching picture, showing the true destruction of the land brought upon by the Dust Bowl. By placing the house in the distance, one can clearly see the vast amount of damage to the precious land owned by those living within the tiny house. This land, from which the inhabitants have thrived off of, has been made completely useless; the failed and destroyed crop that litters the field adds to the despair found in this photograph because one can almost feel the pain that the home owners would feel looking from their small windows at the barren and damaged land.

    Zhanneta, Period 1

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  35. http://history1900s.about.com/library/photos/blygd20.htm

    I think suddenly storm came when a man standing and trying to save his hat. Picture is beautiful to get the exact moment.

    Shahana

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  36. http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/44/Oklahoman_boy_during_the_Dust_Bowl_era.jpg
    In this photo there is a little boy who looks no older than five. He is wearing tattered clothes, and you can see the tremendous sadness in his eyes. You can tell that he is suffering; there is no happy expression or even a glimpse of hope. You can see the dust in the air, on his clothes, everywhere you look. The photographer did an amazing job at capturing the true heart ache of the Dust Bowl era.
    Karlie Signor 1

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