Read the excerpt from the interview with E.Y. (Yip) Harburg.We thought American business was the Rock of Gibraltar. We were the prosperous nation, and nothing could stop us now. A brownstone house was forever. You gave it to your kids and they put marble fronts on it. There was a feeling of continuity. If you made it, it was there forever. Suddenly the big dream exploded. The impact was unbelievable.Based on the excerpt and your historical knowledge, why did the stock market crash make Americans lose confidence in business?
Read the excerpt from the interview with E.Y. (Yip) Harburg.In the song the man is really saying: I made an investment in this country. Where the hell are my dividends? Is it a dividend to say: “Can you spare a dime?” What the hell is wrong? Let’s examine this thing. It’s more than just a bit of pathos. It doesn’t reduce him to a beggar. It makes him a dignified human, asking questions—and a bit outraged, too, as he should be.According to Harburg, the song “Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?”
Read the excerpt from the song, “Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?”They used to tell me I was building a dream, And so I followed the mob—When there was earth to plow, or guns to bear I was always there—right on the job. Which best restates the main idea of these lines?
Which sentence best summarizes the central idea of the song, “Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?”
Which historical event was the major incentive for Harburg to write the song, “Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?”
What led Harburg to write the song, “Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?”
Read the excerpt from song, “Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?”Once I built a railroad, made it run, Made it race against time. Once I built a railroad, Now it's done— Which idea is conveyed in the excerpt?
Read the excerpt from the song, “Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?”Once in khaki suits, gee we looked swell, Full of that Yankee Doodle-de-dum, Half a million boots went sloggin’ through Hell, I was the kid with the drum.What reality of the Great Depression does the excerpt convey?
Read the excerpt from the interview with E.Y. (Yip) Harburg.I was walking along the street at that time, and you’d see the bread lines. The biggest one in New York City was owned by William Randolph Hearst. He had a big truck with several people on it, and big cauldrons of hot soup, bread. Fellows with burlap on their shoes were lined up all around Columbus Circle, and went for blocks and blocks around the park, waiting.Which statement explains the irony of Harburg’s description of the bread line?
What effect of the Great Depression is described in the song, “Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?”
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