Abstract
In this article, the writer studies John Steinbeck's work 'The Grapes of Wrath' and examines how the Depression Era is portrayed in this book. The writer maintains that the fact that the novel was produced so immediately in the wake of the events which inspired it is indicative both of the remarkable impact which Steinbeck's text had on the American consciousness and of the degree of urgency which accompanied its presentation to the world. The writer concludes that the book is a stunningly blunt and realistic portrayal of the lives which Americans endured through the Depression Era.

From the Paper
"That the novel was produced so immediately in the wake of the events which inspired it is indicative both of the remarkable impact which Steinbeck's text had on the American consciousness and of the degree of urgency which accompanied its presentation to the world. Its eloquence as a statement to the way that many Americas were living would be accompanied by its unflinching consideration of the Joad's desperation as embodying all that had failed in America as a whole. Only modest research on the author is necessary to reveal the special insights which helped him to deliver a work of such masterful honesty. The evidence is found in the 1962 speech which suited the author with perhaps the most highly coveted recognition in any field. Here, a speaker tells that ''John Steinbeck, the author awarded this year's Nobel Prize in Literature, was born in the little town of Salinas, California, a few miles from the Pacific coast near the fertile Salinas Valley. This locality forms the background for many of his descriptions of the common man's everyday life."

Tags:American, Dream, promises, laborers, tragic

Abstract
The paper discusses movies such as Frank Capra's 1936 "Mr. Deeds Goes to Town" and 1937 "Lost Horizon" that capture Hollywood's idealistic theme of escaping reality during the Great Depression. The paper shows how Hollywood opened up the opportunity of distraction from the tragic reality of life and began a new tradition in film where audiences could be taken into the mystical silver screen of Hollywood. The paper relates that although the tragedy of the Great Depression has since long passed, this tradition continues to help mold films even today.

From the Paper
"After the market crashed in 1929, the entire nation was lunged into a bleak and tumultuous existence in the era known as The Great Depression. Millions of Americans lost their jobs, making the country's unemployment percentages reach record numbers. Banks lost millions of dollars of every day citizen's dollars; many more lost their homes and were forced to live a life on the street. The overall standard of living plummeted, bringing down the nation's morale right along with it. Even the seemingly invincible Hollywood Studios suffered from the conditions of the Depression suffering a deficit of around $410 million dollars in debt, (Digital History, 2008). How then, were the Studios to make money if the entire nation was in turmoil? Hollywood adapted to the needs of Americans during the Depression era. After an initial push of movies to go against the established order in the beginning of the Depression which actually decreased attendance, studios developed a trend of escapism in their most popular films."

Tags:distractions, American, Dream, poverty, morale

Abstract
This paper examines author Robert McElvaine's book "The Great Depression: America 1929-1941," which centers on two specific economic movements: Progressivism and the New Deal. Progressivism was, in effect, an expansive ideal about what the U.S. should be to its own citizens and to the impending globalization. The New Deal was a desirable strategy for most Americans to combat the effects of the Depression. This paper details the similarities of both movements which favored the ideas and ideals of American values. The writer also compares the present status of the U.S. government and economy to that of the depression era.

Table of Contents:
Progressivism
The New Deal
Progressivism and the New Deal: Comparisons and Differences
Works Cited

From the Paper
"Both movements favored the ideas and ideals of some sort of American values. Just as the progressives movement was founded not only with both moral and economic values as guide posts, and saw World War I as "the last and greatest example of the progressive spirit of sacrifice, so the New Deal began with individuals having to (mostly gladly) sacrifice some of their individualism for government-run and controlled works and policies determined to avoid sinking further into an economic sinkhole. We can also see similarities in the fact that the values and the eventual legislation formed a trickle-down philosophy, from the upper middle and upper classes to benefit the less-fortunate. We have to remember that President Wilson as well as FDR were "patricians"- in the best sense of the word, and their aim was to protect the citizens of this nation from war and from economic disaster, even if it meant a sacrifice and even an attempt to undo the Constitutional balance of power."

Tags:history, economics, franklin, delano, roosevelt, depression, government

Abstract
By 1933 at the peak of the Depression, nearly 25% of all Americans were unemployed. Under the leadership of President Franklin D. Roosevelt, the country struggled to recover from the recession that became known as The Great Depression. The paper explains that as part of his New Deal program, President Roosevelt enacted many domestic policies and projects to try to rebuild America. Several particular endeavors were designed to keep painters, sculptors, and photographers employed. Because of these projects, artists created many works throughout the Depression. The paper shows that while artist reaction to the New Deal was varied, the works of art that were created expressed individual attitudes about the Depression and left a lasting mark on American art. The paper includes several reproductions of works of art from the era.

From the Paper
"As America sank deeper into the Depression, artists quickly found themselves unemployed. Consequently, they questioned the effectiveness of a capitalist society. In comparing the United States to the Soviet Union, many of the artists came to believe that maybe a socialist system was a better option. They joined many left-winged organizations like the Artists' Union with the common goal of obtaining state-sponsored art initiatives. The group published its own journal, Art Front, which proved to be quite influential. Letters were sent to Public Works officials asserting, "the State can eliminate once and for all the unfortunate dependence of American artists upon the caprice of private patronage" (Pohl 365)."

Tags:fsa, pwap, wpa, Paul, Kelpe

Abstract
This paper compares and contrasts the portrayal of Depression-era society in three diverse literary works. Georgia Durante's, "The Company She Keeps," is an autobiographical look at how the Depression affected the world of organized crime through as seen through the eyes of a mafia wife. John Steinbeck's "The Grapes of Wrath" looks at human relationships and how they were affected through the portrayal of the life of the migrant worker. Richard Wright's "Native Son," discusses the role that segregation and racism played in the struggles of blacks to survive the 1930s. The author compares the three different novels and feels that the "Grapes of Wrath" is the most comprehensive portrayal of Depression-era life in America.

From the Paper
"The Grapes of Wrath also explores multiple facets of the effects of the Great Depression on the general public. Not only does it examine the way families were affected by the economic hardships of the times, it also shows what happened when people were forced to move to find work, what life was like in migrant camps, and how people began to band together to promote the rights of the workers and to engage in collectivist action. Human relationships are also a big part of this book. The Great Depression naturally affected the way that people related to each other, and The Grapes of Wrath explores how family relationships as well as relationships with friends, neighbors, and strangers were all changed by the economic crisis. A reading of The Grapes of Wrath makes one feel as if one actually understands on many levels the pressures and deprivations of the times, because it explores so many areas of the Depression experience. The Grapes of Wrath is a holistic book while Native Son and The Company She Keeps are specialists."

Tags:autobiographical, wife, experience, symbolism, story, characters, layers

Abstract
The writer of this in-depth paper addresses specific issues and problems that existed in Canada prior to the Great Depression, such as the effects of the social and agricultural situation. This paper examines how the depression altered previously established perceptions of Canada's economy as well as the role of the state. The writer delves into the various external causes of the depression and the inadequate and ineffective government policy at the time which led to and increased the severity of the situation. This paper analyzes Canada's economy before, during and after America's depression era. This paper provides relevant data and statistics pertaining to this particular topic, including the fact that in 1933 Canada was suffering from large-scale unemployment in which 30% of the labor force was out of work.

Table of Contents:
Outline
Introduction
General Causes of the Great Depression
Canada
Conclusion
Bibliography

From the Paper
"An essential economic aspect that is crucial in understanding the causes and effects of the Depression in Canada was that the country derived 33 percent of its Gross National Income form exports. Therefore the country was particularly affected by the reduction in world trade. This had a severe effect on the Western Canadian provinces as they depended almost exclusively on exports of primary products. Another aspect was that there had been crop failures prior to the Depression. Saskatchewan for example has been plagued by crop failures and a very low what price. Within two years "provincial income plummeted by 90 percent." "This had the result of forcing more than 60 percent of the population onto social relief."

Tags:economy, canada, america, government, social, welfare, political, unemployment

From the Paper
"History and the major events in history have shaped America and its culture. Literature and film often reflect and interpret history. Films by their nature can create a visual recreation of historic events, romanticize history, rewrite history, or make one forget the bad times. This paper will discuss several films that depict the Depression of the 1930's.
Gerald Mast wrote in his Short History of the Movies that, "American movie audiences, escaping from the realities of the Depression outside the movie theater, withdrew inside to see human grit triumph over suffering and human kindness triumph over financial, political, and moral chicanery" (Mast 285). The films of the 1930's tended to strengthen the audience's belief that eventually good people would make bad times better. The Depression not only affected America, it also affected American (...)"

Abstract
The paper shows how the era of the Dust Bowl was an era of mass migration as thousands moved from the region where drought and other factors had ruined the farmland to California, believed to be the land of milk and honey and opportunity. The paper explores how the Dust Bowl and the mass migration it fostered are well illustrated in the novel "The Grapes of Wrath" by John Steinbeck, and both the novel and the era it depicts are further illuminated by the article "Steinbeck, Guthrie and Popular Culture" by Elaine S. Apthorp. The paper further shows how the novel and the article complement one another and contribute to our understanding of the era and of the way Steinbeck shaped that era into an artistic statement in his novel.

From the Paper
"The didactic chapters referred to by Apthorp are the interchapters where Steinbeck performs the analytical task of reporting on the state of America during the Depression, the plight of the people, and other information included with a journalistic eye for what is most telling. In these interchapters, Steinbeck seems to step back from the story to examine the larger picture, but in truth, the author never forgets the reality faced by his characters. For instance, the different members of the family have characteristics which add to their problems and which also reflect larger forces at the same time. Grandpa Joad, for instance, is senile, and this symbolizes the vulnerability of the entire family."

Tags:migrant, workers, Great, Depression, Joad, family

Abstract
The Great Depression in the 1930s was not simply an American issue as the stock market crash of 1929 had an effect on financial markets around the world and created similarly damaged economic and social conditions in various countries. In the early part of the twentieth century, life in the United States and life in India was different in a number of respects, even before the era of the Depression.

From the Paper
Introduction The Great Depression in the 1930s was not simply an American issue as the stock market crash of 1929 had an effect on financial markets around the world and created similarly damaged economic and social conditions in various countries. In the early part of the twentieth century, life in the United States and life in India was different in a number of respects, even before the era of the Depression. People in both countries suffered during the Depression, but to different degrees in keeping with the difference in economic development between the two countries before the stock market crash. The nature of the Great Depression in American life

Tags:depression, economy, india

Abstract
The paper reveals that the Great Depression in the 1930s was not simply an American issue as the stock market crash of 1929 had an effect on financial markets around the world and created similarly damaged economic and social conditions in various countries. The paper then shows how in the early part of the twentieth century, life in the United States and life in India was different in a number of respects, even before the era of the Depression.

From the Paper
"The Great Depression in the 1930s was not simply an American issue as the stock market crash of 1929 had an effect on financial markets around the world and created similarly damaged economic and social conditions in various countries. In the early part of the twentieth century, life in the United States and life in India was different in a number of respects, even before the era of the Depression. People in both countries suffered during the Depression, but to different degrees in keeping with the difference in economic development between the two countries before the stock market crash. The nature of the Great Depression in American life..."

Tags:depression, economy, india