When the stock market crashed in autumn of 1929 people of the United States did not have much to rely upon. Thankfully, a creative refuge emerged in the form of music. Pictured above left is one of the crooners of the day, Bing Crosby. In 1932, Crosby sang "Brother Can You Spare a Dime?," this somber tune described the woes of unemployment and the bitterness partnered with the Great Depression. Next to the picture of Crosby is Rudy Vallee, who was another popular jazz singer in the Depression-era. Vallee's song, "Life is Just a Bowl of Cherries," had a completely different feel than Crosby's. The song was one of hopeful optimism and looking past the current economic distress.
By looking through the lens of a narrative perspective, the rhetorical value of these Depression-era songs are brought to life. Now narrative perspective criticism brings these two concepts together: coherence and fidelity. Coherence is defined as the degree to which a narrative hangs together, and fidelity is the believability of a story. The story Crosby offers in his tune was very relatable to everyone after the stock market crash. A verse from the song reads, "They used to tell me I was building a dream/With peace and glory ahead/ Why should I be standing in line/ Just waiting for bread?" The struggle of impoverished life in the early 1930's is emphasized and relevant in and throughout the song. However, Vallee's song did not hold the same coherence to people of the Depression-era. Since he went for a more upbeat approach, "Life is Just a Bowl of Cherries" offered listeners a chance to find refuge outside of their current economic predicaments. The settings for these songs are quite different, too. In "Brother Can You Spare a Dime?" the setting is impoverished America where workers are promised the "American Dream" but given a bread line. Whereas, "Life is Just a Bowl of Cherries" has a setting of carefree America forgetting the troubles of the stock market crash.
The characters in each song are working-class men, and are either making ends meet or advised to slow down and enjoy life. There are multiple events engrained into the lyrics of these songs. Both have the major event of the Great Depression weaved into their messages. In "Life is Just a Bowl of Cherries" the major event is honestly forgetting about the recession and your worries. The minor event would be reminding those who are bustling around finding work to think about why they get so busy. The dominant event in both songs is the effect that the stock market crash of 1929 has on American citizens. The target audience of these songs are those suffering from these effects. All in all, these songs chime along with the hearts of those hurting people of the Depression era. The songs convey differing messages of, both, hope and reality.
The characters in each song are working-class men, and are either making ends meet or advised to slow down and enjoy life. There are multiple events engrained into the lyrics of these songs. Both have the major event of the Great Depression weaved into their messages. In "Life is Just a Bowl of Cherries" the major event is honestly forgetting about the recession and your worries. The minor event would be reminding those who are bustling around finding work to think about why they get so busy. The dominant event in both songs is the effect that the stock market crash of 1929 has on American citizens. The target audience of these songs are those suffering from these effects. All in all, these songs chime along with the hearts of those hurting people of the Depression era. The songs convey differing messages of, both, hope and reality.
For a blog, focus more on your closing discussion about why these songs matter. Interesting
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