Post by Angie on Jul 12, 2006 20:40:15 GMT -5
This is a report we had to do for English class. Names are changed to random initials to protect identities because these are real people. Also, it changes to first person and casual vernacular in the beginning because that's what I was instructed to do.
~
The Great Depression, which occurred during the 1930's, did not just affect people for one decade. Though some of its victims recovered financially, others did not. This permanent poverty not only determined how much food met the table, but it also established certain lifestyles and attitudes in the families it affected.
A and B C were newlyweds during the time of the Great Depression, and theirs was one of the families that did not fully recover from the financial blow. By the mid 1950's, they had seven children, the youngest of which were the twins D, nicknamed E, and F, or G. Luckily for their parents, G and E were very understanding children and were not greedy, which is probably a direct result of the way they were raised. The lifestyles their parents had to acquire may have shaped the very people G and her siblings became.
One thing that most somewhat poor families like us had to worry about was cutting back on luxuries to keep everyone well. Looking back I really admire my parents’ determination and work ethic. They were always somehow able to get us the things we needed, and even today I don’t see how they always managed it. But they never took charity from anyone, and that was one of the great things they taught us; no matter who you are or what situation you’re in, have pride. But even though money was tight a lot of times, we found ways around it. My mother would sometimes find old fabrics and make new stuff out of it, like dresses for us, quilts in the winter, or curtains for the kitchen. And we usually just bought the basic groceries you use in every meal so even if we were getting low on food, we had something to eat. I think our family always handled being poor better than some people did because we were creative, stubborn, and determined to make a good life.
Life wasn’t really awful for us or anything actually, especially when we got treats. Me and E knew not to ask for much, but sometimes we would end up with something we’d wanted anyway. Like I remember one time I’d made a passing comment to my mother about liking the color yellow, and a couple weeks later I ended up with a pretty little yellow dress she made me. Another thing I remember liking was when Mama or Daddy would come home from the grocery store with a little storybook or a piece of candy for each of us. It doesn’t sound like much, but those storybooks were fun, and we didn’t get candy all the time like some people. I think when you don’t get much of something, it makes you enjoy the little pleasures that much more.
One of the best things I remember about my childhood was Christmas. We never asked for any particular gifts or anything because we knew our parents would get us whatever they could, and what we got, whether it was new, used, or a hand-me-down, we appreciated. Oh, and the food was fantastic! We would have a pot luck, so everyone who came would pitch in something different. And I remember about a week before Christmas, Daddy would walk in with a big crate of apples and oranges, and they were sort of our Christmas candy. But all the food and presents weren’t the best part. Every December we would have relatives over from all around, and those were the times when I got to really know my family and our history and everything. It made me realize that it isn’t money or status or occupation that makes a person who they are, but it’s how they live their life and care for others.
G lives with her middle class family in the same town she grew up in. Though they are much better off than she was growing up, she tries to teach, through her words and actions, the valuable lessons she learned through experiencing life as a child in a fairly poor family. The strength, determination, pride, and compassion that developed in her parents to survive the hardships thrust into their lives passed on to their children and will continue to carry through the generations as proof that any situation can be valuable.
~
The Great Depression, which occurred during the 1930's, did not just affect people for one decade. Though some of its victims recovered financially, others did not. This permanent poverty not only determined how much food met the table, but it also established certain lifestyles and attitudes in the families it affected.
A and B C were newlyweds during the time of the Great Depression, and theirs was one of the families that did not fully recover from the financial blow. By the mid 1950's, they had seven children, the youngest of which were the twins D, nicknamed E, and F, or G. Luckily for their parents, G and E were very understanding children and were not greedy, which is probably a direct result of the way they were raised. The lifestyles their parents had to acquire may have shaped the very people G and her siblings became.
One thing that most somewhat poor families like us had to worry about was cutting back on luxuries to keep everyone well. Looking back I really admire my parents’ determination and work ethic. They were always somehow able to get us the things we needed, and even today I don’t see how they always managed it. But they never took charity from anyone, and that was one of the great things they taught us; no matter who you are or what situation you’re in, have pride. But even though money was tight a lot of times, we found ways around it. My mother would sometimes find old fabrics and make new stuff out of it, like dresses for us, quilts in the winter, or curtains for the kitchen. And we usually just bought the basic groceries you use in every meal so even if we were getting low on food, we had something to eat. I think our family always handled being poor better than some people did because we were creative, stubborn, and determined to make a good life.
Life wasn’t really awful for us or anything actually, especially when we got treats. Me and E knew not to ask for much, but sometimes we would end up with something we’d wanted anyway. Like I remember one time I’d made a passing comment to my mother about liking the color yellow, and a couple weeks later I ended up with a pretty little yellow dress she made me. Another thing I remember liking was when Mama or Daddy would come home from the grocery store with a little storybook or a piece of candy for each of us. It doesn’t sound like much, but those storybooks were fun, and we didn’t get candy all the time like some people. I think when you don’t get much of something, it makes you enjoy the little pleasures that much more.
One of the best things I remember about my childhood was Christmas. We never asked for any particular gifts or anything because we knew our parents would get us whatever they could, and what we got, whether it was new, used, or a hand-me-down, we appreciated. Oh, and the food was fantastic! We would have a pot luck, so everyone who came would pitch in something different. And I remember about a week before Christmas, Daddy would walk in with a big crate of apples and oranges, and they were sort of our Christmas candy. But all the food and presents weren’t the best part. Every December we would have relatives over from all around, and those were the times when I got to really know my family and our history and everything. It made me realize that it isn’t money or status or occupation that makes a person who they are, but it’s how they live their life and care for others.
G lives with her middle class family in the same town she grew up in. Though they are much better off than she was growing up, she tries to teach, through her words and actions, the valuable lessons she learned through experiencing life as a child in a fairly poor family. The strength, determination, pride, and compassion that developed in her parents to survive the hardships thrust into their lives passed on to their children and will continue to carry through the generations as proof that any situation can be valuable.
