Devastating Consequences of the Great Depression - Book Report/Review Example

 Devastating Consequences Of The Great Depression The Great Depression was a historic moment in America because of the negative economic impact it had on its citizens in the 1930s. The negative impacts included high lending rates by banks that were collapsing, government bankruptcy, and lack of income in most households. As a result, most families lacked basic items of life such as food, clothing, and shelter. The most affected during this trying period were children. They, therefore, wrote several letters to Mrs. Roosevelt, the First Lady at the time discussing their fears and hopes. However, most of them were seeking economic assistance and the need to have clothes and shoes for schooling. Despite the emotional challenges that affected most American children by the devastating consequences of the Great Depression such as the lack of food and toys for play, they demonstrated optimism that encouraged Mrs. Roosevelt to take action. I think these letters are effective way to convey the meaning of the Great Depression because of numerous reasons. For example, it highlights the urge for basic needs by American children such as clothes, food, and shelter. The letters equally sensitized the Roosevelt administration on the need to focus on vital youth programs to alleviate mass poverty that was hugely devastating the younger generation caused by the Depression. According to Cohen, the letters prompted the First Lady to take certain precautions of reducing the damage of the Depression. She, for example, started her column in the newspaper called ‘My Day’ to amicably address the pressing issues affecting the American young populace. Similarly, she utilized her speeches and weekly radio addresses to help solicit federal aid for young people to increase opportunities for the children shocked by the ramifications of the Great Depression. It means the letters explicitly revealed the negative effects of the Depression such as depletion of essential resources, psychological disturbance, and outrage at the government’s ineptitude in taking a decisive action (Cohen 135). Alternatively, the letters demonstrated the inaction of the government that eventually prompted young Americans to write to the First Lady for an immediate action of eradicating the menace. Different reasons account for the conveyance of meaning of the Great Depression through the letters. First, it exposed the demerits of economic individualism and limited government support in assisting American citizens under President Herbert Hoover. Overall, the letters showed the failure of experimental economics that was characterized by ineffective programs that hugely depleted resources meant to sustain the American economy. Notably, a significant decline in tax revenues symbolized government’s inability to generate both recurrent and capital expenditure for supporting the citizens in purchasing their essential commodities. This is because pupils were not attending school due to lack of stationery items such as books and pencils. Secondly, lack of clothing especially school uniforms demonstrated the incompetence of government in marshaling public attention to the plight of children directly affected by the Great Depression. Consequently, this curtailed child pursuits such as talent development and play with toys that is inevitable for a holistic education to produce a responsible American citizen. Third, the letters explained the need for small incentives to boost life chances of young people who were now suffering emotional turmoil because of the ravages of the Depression. In other words, the incentives would fill the gap in purchasing food and clothing. It would equally assist others in buying recreational items such as bicycles and toys that the children need as a distraction to hard times. The letters, thus, are important because they directly expose the feelings of young Americans that could not be relayed by sources such as television and radio interviews. Letters are more personal and emotional was displayed by Mrs. Roosevelt’s reaction after reading them. This is because unlike television or radio interviews that may hinder the children from speaking out freely and honestly, the letters permits them to confess their inner feelings concerning the repercussions of the Great Depression. Additionally, letters are mediums easy to read for the First Lady because she was an avid reader who was concerned with children’s education and overall welfare. In the same perspective, other sources of communication often took long to reach the government such as delegations that were often blocked or declined. Letters, therefore, were the easiest means of addressing the matter without delving into complicated details of the economic crisis. Alternatively, letters unlike television or radio were more popular and acceptable formats of communication. They also exposed the critical nature of young people in their juvenile comprehension of the Great Depression. Letters have several strengths worth noting. For example, they were easier and cheaper to write and help address the negative economic effects of the Depression. This was unlike television and radio interviews that were expensive to record and disseminate to the entire nation. The use of mass communication formats such as television and radio also lacked incentives to conduct an in depth analysis of the menace and, hence, could not match the acceptability of letters adopted by children in contacting the First Lady. Additionally, the letters allowed the children to speak freely to the government without hindrance in terms of basic needs they lacked and other recreational materials they required. Strength of letters was also the lack of complexity that involved its writing for any American child. In most of the letters, the children made various typographical and grammatical errors in attempting to catch the First Lady’s attention for dresses and shoes to supporting their schooling. Contrastingly, letters enjoyed a measure of anonymity that gave the most the children to express their needs and wants openly without inhibitions or fear of victimizations (Cohen 137). It is different from television that could have prevented the shy and nervous kids from confessing their uncertainties of the future caused by the Great Depression. However, letters, like all other sources of communication have their limitations. Letters, for example, are relatively expensive because one buys a writing pad, pen, and postage stamps to ensure the letter reaches the recipient. Therefore, during the Great Depression when most households lacked income for food, clothing, and shelters, writing letters was a form of a luxury. This hindered most impoverished children from amicably addressing their plights to the First Lady and government. Conversely, letters took several days in the post office before arrival because a few staff members who handled such packages. It, thus, hampered the immediacy of the message such as the need for Mrs. Roosevelt to help their families buy food items and dresses for schooling. Another limitation of letters included their lack of seriousness in capturing the magnitude of the Great Depression in America. A majority of the letters discussed only the fears of the fraction of Americans. However, they significantly ignored the parents and old citizens who had were on verge of psychological depression and suicide because of the economic crisis. This meant that letters achieved a selective bias in prompting the First Lady’s action of establishing youth programs while failing to providing solutions to other Americans. It, therefore, is imperative to note that children played an integral role in helping address the economic crisis of Great Depression. In writing letters, American children were affirming their commitment and honesty of fears, uncertainties, hopelessness that were affecting most citizens. Additionally, their correspondence with Mrs. Roosevelt was a testament of the emotional bond that should exist between government and its people in addressing pertinent matters such as economic and political crises. Alternatively, the optimism in the letters displayed the innocence of American nation in the face of a Great Depression that had led some to suicide and eventual death. Work Cited Cohen, Robert. Dear Roosevelt: Letters from Children of the Great Depression. New York, NY: SAGE. 2002. Print. Read More