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?
Which historical event was the major incentive for Harburg to write the song, “Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?”
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?”
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