At first glace, it seems as if the cross is just a statue and not a headstone in the graveyard. Because of that initial reading of it, I saw the cross as a symbol that religion is bigger than life because the cross looks the same size, if not bigger, than the buildings behind it. I think its is interesting to look at this photograph in light of the film “On The Bowery” because there is only one scene that contains religion in it, when the main character goes to the mission. They are asked to be respectful of God if they choose to stay there and live by the rules of sobriety, which the main character cannot handle and leaves. Now looking at the photo in light of this scene, I would say that the homeless guy is representative of the people who walk by this graveyard everyday not realizing the large cross in it. They have God in their life everyday, just as the man did, and ignore it. I wonder what the small religious scene meant in the movie because it seems slightly out of place. Maybe this movie is really about the rejection of religion in society.
Taken during the height of the Great Depression this picture captures the evaporation of Americas industries and by extension, socio-economic infrastructure. Immediately, one notices the stark contrast between the industrial background i.e telephone wires, manufacturing site etc. and the simple, blue collar foreground which is also home to a graveyard. The graveyard is a interesting addition to this picture as it can symbolize two things. The first is that the graveyard is meant to shown the impending death of the american middle class by literally placing gravestones at in the backyards of these houses. The second is comparable to the first in that the graveyard holds the dead, but in this analysis the graveyard acts as a bubble; shielding the marginalized dead from the terrors of industry that presumably consumed them. This act of inclusion signifies a sense of solidarity amongst the community and therefore demonstrates the resilience many suffering communities demonstrate across America. Yet, by the far the most captivating element of this photograph is the cross: Crumbling, faded white and ominously on the verge of collapse. In my opinion the cross is meant to symbolize the fading allure of religion in America and how its lack of a rational approach to the depression has turned many of the masses away from its teachings. However, in contrast, one could argue that the cross is competing with industry and in some ways repelling it. The cross and the houses share a common decay and may symbolize the strength of the American lower class in times of tremendous economic suffering.
During the Great Depression, Americans were looking for hope, aspiring to once more be a part of a booming industrial nation. They encountered despair and crimpling industry; therefore, the cross in the picture is an emblem for hope. Having a cross as the focal point of the photo emphasizes how religion was the only thing that Americans had; they were left with little other than the faith that someday they will be lifted out of their desperation. However, it is also important to note that the cross is also a head stone located in a graveyard overlooking the city. In this regard, Walker is being ironic. He illustrates lost hopes and dreams, emphasizing that the Great Depression caused the death of the American Dream. Americans may look at this cross as this symbol of hope but in the end, those hopes for a better future are lost. Americans are looking up to and aspiring to have something out of their reach; it is a vicious cycle. They are filled with this idea of false hope.
This picture represents what many in the movie gave up on and that is religion. There were many in the movie that simply decided that because of the situation that they were in, God was not a part of their life and did not answer their prayers. The depression that many men faced during this time was a hard one and it shows through the movie. The cross in the picture is meant to represent the hope that most men did not have nor did want. The fact that the graveyard is also pictured also represents that the concept of religion was dead to many. It was a dying hope which was filled with a hope that was not their and never was going to be there.
When I look at this picture, I see sort of what everyone else is saying, but what I see in the background is the factories and the industry of the time, and then the cross in the foreground, is that there was religion the entire time, but it was enshrouded by other problems at the time; the Great Depression, World Wars, ghettos and industry, all of these things were going on that made America not exactly the best place to live for the less fortunate. But the cross being in the foreground made that all the more important that religion was there, and people were trying to find it, but it was hidden by other things going on at the time
Bethlehem, PA, 1935
At first glace, it seems as if the cross is just a statue and not a headstone in the graveyard. Because of that initial reading of it, I saw the cross as a symbol that religion is bigger than life because the cross looks the same size, if not bigger, than the buildings behind it. I think its is interesting to look at this photograph in light of the film “On The Bowery” because there is only one scene that contains religion in it, when the main character goes to the mission. They are asked to be respectful of God if they choose to stay there and live by the rules of sobriety, which the main character cannot handle and leaves. Now looking at the photo in light of this scene, I would say that the homeless guy is representative of the people who walk by this graveyard everyday not realizing the large cross in it. They have God in their life everyday, just as the man did, and ignore it. I wonder what the small religious scene meant in the movie because it seems slightly out of place. Maybe this movie is really about the rejection of religion in society.
ReplyDeleteTaken during the height of the Great Depression this picture captures the evaporation of Americas industries and by extension, socio-economic infrastructure. Immediately, one notices the stark contrast between the industrial background i.e telephone wires, manufacturing site etc. and the simple, blue collar foreground which is also home to a graveyard. The graveyard is a interesting addition to this picture as it can symbolize two things. The first is that the graveyard is meant to shown the impending death of the american middle class by literally placing gravestones at in the backyards of these houses. The second is comparable to the first in that the graveyard holds the dead, but in this analysis the graveyard acts as a bubble; shielding the marginalized dead from the terrors of industry that presumably consumed them. This act of inclusion signifies a sense of solidarity amongst the community and therefore demonstrates the resilience many suffering communities demonstrate across America. Yet, by the far the most captivating element of this photograph is the cross: Crumbling, faded white and ominously on the verge of collapse. In my opinion the cross is meant to symbolize the fading allure of religion in America and how its lack of a rational approach to the depression has turned many of the masses away from its teachings. However, in contrast, one could argue that the cross is competing with industry and in some ways repelling it. The cross and the houses share a common decay and may symbolize the strength of the American lower class in times of tremendous economic suffering.
ReplyDeleteDuring the Great Depression, Americans were looking for hope, aspiring to once more be a part of a booming industrial nation. They encountered despair and crimpling industry; therefore, the cross in the picture is an emblem for hope. Having a cross as the focal point of the photo emphasizes how religion was the only thing that Americans had; they were left with little other than the faith that someday they will be lifted out of their desperation. However, it is also important to note that the cross is also a head stone located in a graveyard overlooking the city. In this regard, Walker is being ironic. He illustrates lost hopes and dreams, emphasizing that the Great Depression caused the death of the American Dream. Americans may look at this cross as this symbol of hope but in the end, those hopes for a better future are lost. Americans are looking up to and aspiring to have something out of their reach; it is a vicious cycle. They are filled with this idea of false hope.
ReplyDeleteThis picture represents what many in the movie gave up on and that is religion. There were many in the movie that simply decided that because of the situation that they were in, God was not a part of their life and did not answer their prayers. The depression that many men faced during this time was a hard one and it shows through the movie. The cross in the picture is meant to represent the hope that most men did not have nor did want. The fact that the graveyard is also pictured also represents that the concept of religion was dead to many. It was a dying hope which was filled with a hope that was not their and never was going to be there.
ReplyDeleteWhen I look at this picture, I see sort of what everyone else is saying, but what I see in the background is the factories and the industry of the time, and then the cross in the foreground, is that there was religion the entire time, but it was enshrouded by other problems at the time; the Great Depression, World Wars, ghettos and industry, all of these things were going on that made America not exactly the best place to live for the less fortunate. But the cross being in the foreground made that all the more important that religion was there, and people were trying to find it, but it was hidden by other things going on at the time
ReplyDelete