Depression and Hard Times – Flashcards

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. 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?" Say, don't you remember, they called me Al— It was Al all the time. Why don't you remember, I'm your pal— Buddy, can you spare a dime? The excerpt emphasizes the idea that the problems of the Great Depression

Read the excerpt from the interview with E.Y. (Yip) Harburg. Everybody picked up the song in '30 and '31. Bands were playing it and records were made. When Roosevelt was a candidate for President, the Republicans got pretty worried about it. Some of the network radio people were told to lay low on the song. In some cases, they tried to ban it from the air. But it was too late. The song had already done its damage. Based on the excerpt and your knowledge of American history, which statement is most accurate?

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