After interviewing both my grandpa and Marty, what I learned most about the Great Depression was the emotional side of it. My interviewees were both raw and real, filled with stories and recounts of hardships and experiences that they lived through. As a student learning about the Depression in social studies class, I was told numerous numbers and statistics about lost money and job firings, yet hearing it from people who actually experienced these things is all the more real... especially when one of those people is your own grandfather! I am very close with my grandpa, and thought I truly knew him from the inside out... yet I was surprised by how much of him I was almost clueless about. His past has truly molded him into the man he is today, and I don't think he would change that for the world.
As I interviewed both Marty and my grandpa, I was surprised to hear how much they truly remembered about the time. They remembered specific and vivid stories, and a whole lot of them if I may add. This surprised me because they were just young boys when the economic crisis hit, they hadn't even reached their teen years yet at this point. Thinking about myself, I can hardly remember what I had for breakfast the day before and my childhood years are pretty much a blur. This brings me back to my point of how emotional the Depression was. They remember how they felt, the mood in the air and the tone in their parents voices, cause this all factored in to their everyday lives. Lastly, I was intrigued when my grandpa said his experiences from the Depression has effected him for the better in regard to his work ethic and value of money. He saw a direct correlation of the two, and looking at it now with an outside perspective, I can say the same. My grandfather is one of the hardest working men I know, working ever since he was a little boy up until present date, he is the first one to arrive to the office and the last one to leave. He puts in the time necessary and truly cares about his clients and there well being even on a personal level. He has received numerous letters from clients thanking him for his hard work and sincere dedication to their happiness. In regards to valuing money, he respects it for what its worth, always thankful and blessed with his situation because he knows from past experiences that times can be much worse. |
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