Please read the directions fully and pay close attention to this. Begin with a thesis statement and an introduction paragraph and end with a concluding statement and paragraph. Your introduction paragraph should discuss the larger historical context of the Great Depression which led to the rise in train-hopping youth. In the short essay ensure 3 of the following questions below are answered. Paper should be in MLA or Chicago Style format.
Writing assignment #2 (WA#2): Watch the posted 68 minute documentary film, Riding the Rails* and answer the following questions about it in a 2-3 page short essay. A standard 5 paragraph essay is fine.
Answer at least 3 of the following 4 questions in your short essay:
- Why did so many young people leave home during the Great Depression?
- What were some of the dangers of train-hopping/hobo life that were recounted in the film?
- How did the New Deal eventually help some of the interviewees?
- Why do you think it was so emotional for some of the interviewees to recall and discuss this period of their lives?
You are encouraged to quote or cite Give Me Liberty! in discussing the larger historical context of the Great Depression and the New Deal, noting the page number you quote or paraphrase from at the end of the sentence.
If you quote or cite the documentary, just write (Riding the Rails) at the end of the sentence.
Begin with a thesis statement and an introduction paragraph and end with a concluding statement and paragraph. Your introduction paragraph should discuss the larger historical context of the Great Depression which led to the rise in train-hopping youth.
Submit your document ideally in Word in 12-point font, double spaced, with one-inch margins.
Make sure to edit and proofread before submitting.
*You can watch the trailer and read a transcript here.