They had walked in single file down the path, and even in the open one stayed behind the other. Both were dressed in denim trousers and in denim coats with brass buttons. The first man was small and quick, dark of face, with restless eyes and sharp, strong features. Every part of him was defined: small, strong hands, slender arms, a thin and bony nose. Behind him walked his opposite, a huge man, shapeless of face, with large, pale eyes, with wide, sloping shoulders; and he walked heavily, dragging his feet a little, the way a bear drags his paws. His arms did not swing at his sides, but hung loosely.
The first man stopped short in the clearing, and the follower nearly ran over him. He took off his hat and wiped the sweat-band with his forefinger and snapped the moisture off. His huge companion dropped his blankets and flung himself. (1.2-4)
Sound familiar? Kind of like the pictures, right? In writing, compare and contrast this opening section from Of Mice and Men to the pictures you analyzed in class. What does the text and the photographs show us about the 1930s? Be specific!
This picture relates and differs from the article written above. The article describes two men walking on the road "dressed in denim trousers and in denim coats with brass buttons." Even though the man in the picture is not wearing the exact same clothing as the other whe is wearing something similar he has on: jeans, a jacket, work shoes, and a hat. They are both walking out on the streets probably looking for a job to support themselves and/or family. These men both differ, because the one in this picture is lonely while the other one has a friend accompanying him on his journey to find a job. Steinbeck describes these men as one being small, thin, and having strong hands. While his friend is someone tall and wide shouldrered. In this picture the man looks more like the first guy being small and thin.
Life in the 1930's must have been hard for the average person to live. It seems as though there wasn't a high job rate for those in need of a job. Many like these guys must have been wandering the streets looking for someone to higher them. Since there weren't that many jobs many people must have been starving on the streets, because they did not have a job. Since, people needed to be feed women would have multiple children to support there family money, food, and clothing wise. Life in the 1930's must have been hard for many to people to live.
I found this awsome website that gives you many pictures throughout the Great Depresion Check it out here!
Marvin,
ReplyDeleteI like that you noticed what is similar as well as the slight differences between the photo and the text. That kind of close examination will serve you well when unpacking a piece of literature! You brought up an interesting point about people having to wander the streets looking for work. Nowadays, we can't even imagine having to literally walk around looking for a job; we simply look by clicking a button on our computers! Th part that really shocked me was what that street looks like in the picture. That is a mighty long road to travel. I wonder how long the average person had to travel in those days when looking for work. It would be interesting to find out where people were traveling to and from to look for work during this time period. Great website find! The picture that stood out to me the most was the one of all the unemployed men climbing over each other trying so desperately to get jobs!