Katie Demetriades Assignment 4: A World in Pictures

 

 

This famous photograph comes from the Great Depression, a time of misery, desperation, and fear. Taken by Dorothea Lange, the photo is titled Migrant Mother. The woman sitting in the middle is Florence Owens Thompson, age 32, and the mother of seven children. She and her husband worked as agricultural laborers in California. The story behind this picture, and its title, involved Thompson and her family traveling along the highway to find work. They stayed on farmer camps when they were not roaming, and that's when Lange got this shot. Lange claims Thompson told her that they had been surviving on "frozen vegetables and birds the kids killed." They supposedly sold their tires just to have money for food.

 

Clearly, this photo brings about strong emotions when we look at in this day and age. As my mom has always said, no person in a nation that is as developed as America should go to bed hungry, especially a child. But during the Great Depression, almost everyone in this country experienced at least some suffering. To think millions of people had to go through these conditions for several years is just God awful. And yet, people managed to get through each day the best they could without giving up hope for a better tomorrow. There's no image out there that represents this idea better than this one. You have a hungry, tired, and stressed mother that is still willing to do anything she can to keep her kids alive. They're terrified about what the future holds for themselves and their family, but their mother is still there to embrace and support them. However, this image shows the weaknesses of Americans at this time, as well. The depressed look on Thompson's face depicts that. The children burying their faces in their mother's neck depicts that. But as I said, most Americans were able to see the end of the Great Depression after almost a decade of suffering, including Thompson and her family. It shows that no matter how bad things may seem in this country, it could always be worse. Americans have managed to get through good times and bad, which is a good characteristic to have. In times of need, we unite and fight for a better tomorrow.