LITR 5731: Seminar in American Multicultural Literature

Poetry Presentation, spring 2006

Danielle Lynch-Masterson

March 30, 2006

Poetry Presentation: “Depression Days” by Pat Mora

Biography

64-year-old Pat Mora grew up bilingual in El Paso and is an advocate of speaking more than one language. Her grandparents arrived in El Paso during the Mexican revolution and her family has lived there since. She’s won many awards and writes poetry, non-fiction and children’s books. She received her BA from Texas Western College and her MA from the University of Texas-El Paso. Additionally, she has taught at the University of New Mexico.

Background Information (from 2003 class)
Depression Days: Title of the poem, referring to the time period of the Great Depression in the United States from approximately 1929-1940.
Fifteen cents:  The common or average price of a movie ticket in the 1930’s.  In the 30’s “85 million Americans attended 17,000 movie theaters each week” (americanhistory.si.edu).  During the depression there was a major increase in movie attendance.
Red Sails in the Sunset:  A very popular song during the depression.  It came out in 1936.  Written by Jimmy Kennedy and Will Grosz, and was performed by many popular artists.
CCC:  The Civilian Conservation Corps came from Franklin Roosevelt’s New Deal policy.  It was enacted on March 31, 1933 to preserve the natural resources of the United States.  It started out with about 250,000 men and ended up employing about 500,000 men by 1936.  The pay was $30.00 per month.  One had to apply and be selected to get the job.  A nickname for the CCC was “Roosevelt’s Tree Army” because one of the primary jobs of the Corp was reforestation. 
Wooden barracks:  The CCC sites would often have permanent or portable wooden barracks
Sergeant:  The CCC used military names for people in positions of authority.  The CCC was structured like the military, only it was civilian.

Objectives

Objective 3C: Mexican American narrative: “The Ambivalent Minority”

His father seems to have mixed feelings about coming to this country and the work they’re having to do.

Objective 4: To register the minority dilemma or assimilation or resistance.

His father seems to resist, while he assimilates and works and even will give up his name to work.

Objective 6A: To realize the emphasis of “traditional” or “community” within a culture.

 His father seems more traditional, while he seems to progress.His father seems to resist, while he assimilates and works and even will give up his name to work.

Analysis

Mora seems to write this poem from a teenage boy’s point of view. Based on the title, we can assume this is during the 1930’s/Great Depression era, when young men had to work to support their families.

His father is disapproving of this country, it seems and rather than assimilate, it seems he wants to stay “Mexican.” This is evidenced in the last stanza. In the third stanza, Mora references the main character’s father being dead, but this “death” seems figurative, in that he cannot embrace the life his family is forced to live.