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Source 1: Living Through the Great Depression, 1929–1939 (1) October 1929 saw the start of the Great Depression, a worldwide economic downturn that caused catastrophic declines in industrial production and gross domestic product (GDP) and brought severe unemployment. Industrial production fell 47 percent, and GDP fell 30 percent. By 1933, unemployment in the United States had increased to 25 percent and remained above 14 percent into the 1940s. Those who were still employed were not immune to financial uncertainty, as employers cut workers’ hours to keep as many employees as possible. (2) The human cost of the Depression cut across class lines, causing suffering to both working-class and middle-class citizens. Nor were farmers spared, as prices fell so low that sometimes crops were left to rot rather than harvested. Many lost their homes or farms because they could not afford to make mortgage payments. Problems with malnutrition, family violence, poor mental health, and poor health care were widespread. Families broke apart for a number of reasons, perhaps the saddest one being that some children chose to leave home to avoid being a burden. (3) In addition to physical suffering, Americans experienced mental anguish because they believed they had failed; the inability to find work devastated breadwinners. The Depression not only undermined the American belief in the value of hard work as the way to success, but also compromised the consumer basis of American society. Both the free-market economy and social identity suffered dramatically. Source 2: Movies During the Great Depression (1) Americans were already in love with movies before the Depression struck. The crippling of the economy meant that theaters’ income suffered, and theater owners advertised giveaways, reduced admission prices, and gave cash prizes to keep patrons coming in the doors. But even in the depths of the Depression, 60 to 80 million Americans went to the movies each week, and there they found temporary distraction from their troubles, reassurance about their society, and glimmers of hope for the future. (2) During the first half of the Depression, films reflected the despair many Americans felt. Tough gangsters, corrupt lawyers, and cynical journalists filled the silver screen, and even comedies tended to flaunt social conventions. The films of the Marx Brothers, W. C. Fields, and Mae West poked fun at traditional institutions and middle-class values. (3) Some groups were outraged by such films and agitated for change, and when boycotts looked imminent, Hollywood producers enforced a code of censorship. As a result, in the second half of the Depression, films were different: They looked away from the harshest realities of the Depression and became much more optimistic in outlook. G-men1, detectives, and cowboys represented defenders of the law, not lawbreakers. Hollywood abandoned exposés for screwball comedies featuring the zany antics of eccentric individuals and dramas in which the “little guy” stood up against corruption to do “the right thing.” Some films began showing females as independent career women. Such films fostered a greater sense of optimism and reassured a demoralized nation. They helped people believe that individual success was still possible, that government could protect its citizens, and that Americans were united by their national identity rather than divided by social class. 1 G-men government agents Write an Explanatory Essay Based on your notes, write an explanatory essay that provides an answer to the question of how art can both reflect social context and help shape it. Make sure to include relevant details and examples in support of your thesis. Use transition words and phrases that help connect your idea, and develop a conclusion that reaffirms your explanation. Maintain a formal style throughout.