Essay On O Brother Where Art Thou

In the 1930s, the United States was experiencing the largest period of economic havoc that had ever occurred in its history. Unemployment rates skyrocketed and production outnumbered consumption, resulting in an unhealthy economy. From 1933 through 1945, Franklin D. Roosevelt was president and implemented his New Deal Policy in an attempt to provide job opportunities for the American people. Women and minorities, such as African American people, began to receive greater recognition through the workforce, aiding the country throughout the Great Depression and helping to develop a stronger sense of unity and nationalism. The film O’ Brother Where Art Thou accurately portrays the rural South throughout the 1930s in the midst of the Great

In the movie, the message of the escape of the three convicts is spread through the radio and information on the development of the highly popularized election for governor is also shared in an attempt to alter the political beliefs of potential voters. PBS documents the prime time of the radio, stating, “For the radio, the 1930s was a golden age. At the start of the decade 12 million American households owned a radio, and by 1939 this total had exploded to more than 28 million” (PBS). Popular events and news were publicly shared and heard by thousands of people, and it was the highest form of communication in the household ever developed at the time, putting the American people in direct conversation with even the president himself. The article also suggests that “radio may have had such mass appeal because it was an excellent way of uniting communities of people, if only virtually” (PBS). The radio in itself is a mass means of communication that promotes social growth and development. O’ Brother Where Art Thou’s repeated focus on its prominence throughout the time period urges viewers to zero in on the positives of the time, with Roosevelt’s inclusive fireside chats and the emergence of unity regardless of appearance or race with technology eliminating the factor of looks. This history lesson disregards the not-so-golden aspects of the time period

Throughout the movie, the influence of the second wave of the KKK is illustrated along with its political aspect, with many government officials and politicians being involved in the group. The three protagonist convicts willingly enter a ritual to rescue an innocent African American man and end up saving his life. The South has historically been racially violent and discriminatory, but during the 1930s, the KKK had its second revival. Those associated with the group were reluctant to social change and inclusive progress. According to Khan Academy, “They saw themselves as vigilantes restoring justice, and they used intimidation, threats of violence, and actual violence to prevent African Americans, immigrants, Catholics, Jews, liberals, and progressives from attaining wealth, social status, and political power” (Khan Academy). They yearned for “racial purity” and inflicted upon the fairness of government and politics due to their biased outlooks. Especially in the South, African American people were harshly discriminated against and society was slow to progress when compared to the North and other more diverse parts of the United States. During the Great Depression, they endured the most struggles surrounding employment and were prone to living conditions that were lesser than wealthy politicians that were commonly