Essay On Family During The Great Depression

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A Family during the Depression The photo A Mother and her Children photographed by Dorothea Lange in Elm Grove California is a great representation of a family during The Great Depression. The Great Depression was the longest lasting economic downturn in US history. Many families during this ten year time period were significantly affected by a loss of homes, loved ones, and financial stability; leaving even the most hardworking individuals poverty stricken. Many famous photographers during this time period chose to photograph what they are trying to say to an audience without using words. As these photographers begin to envision what they want their pictures to say without using words they use rhetorical concepts such as ethos, pathos, and…show more content…
When first observing the photograph many questions may come about in one’s head like, where is the father? Why does the family appear the way they do? Why are all the facial expressions different? The first thing that catches someone’s eye while looking at the photograph would have to be the background. The background is the first thing observed because it automatically draws attention because of how dirty and clustered it appears to be. In the background of the picture there is a clothes line, broken boxes and wood scattered throughout the yard, dead plants, and a house that appears to be made out of nothing but boxes and some wood here and there. The background would work to Lange’s advantage because it shows the dirty living conditions that people had to encounter during The Great Depression. The wood scattered throughout the yard and the poorly kept house shows that the family didn’t have enough money to maintain the house or the yard. This would be considered inductive reasoning because specific facts are taken and general conclusions are drawn such as a house made out of cardboard, an untidy yard, and dead plants must mean that the family did not have enough money to keep up with the small

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