Dust Bowl Letter

Dust Bowl Letter

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Dust Bowl Letter

Some decisions affect different people in different ways. The decisions made by Mrs. Caroline and her husband Henderson are striking and they show how great people can be when it comes to decision making and when the two people are in love. The couple is in love the in the letter it is clear that Oklahoma is hit by dust storms which are very bad. However, they do not leave the place where they have been living for the last 27 years and they decide to stick together. The letter is from Mrs. Caroline and she writes to her friend Evelyn (Henderson, 1936). The contents of the letter are the many things that are happening in Oklahoma and how difficult it gets each and every day they have to live and take care of themselves as well as their kids. It also states the reasons they have not been able to leave the place and what this means to them. This paper evaluates this letter as a document focusing on the great depression and what it means for the person it is addressed to, the person writing and her family and what this means to historians as this period is of great significance to history.

The great depression was a period of economic downturn which was very bad in the United States of America as the New York stock exchange crashed in may 1929 and this remained this way until 1939. The economic problem was caused by the expansion of American economy in an un-anticipated way. Firstly, in 1920s to 1929 the country’s total wealth nearly doubled. A lot of people bought shares but this was not good enough as the shares came to crash and be considered worthless in 1929. With this basis it is clear to note that the presentation of the letter from Mrs. Caroline to her friend Evelyn is of great concern. The letter is dated 1935 June 30th (Henderson, 1936). This was a period when the economy was at its worst and therefore the issues presented in the letter prove how the situation was in the United States of America at that particular time and especially for the people who were experiencing environmental disasters like in Oklahoma where there were dust storms.

The ethical decision made by both Mrs. Caroline and her husband was the decision to stay back in Oklahoma even though it was difficult for them and a lot of people were leaving because of the environmental concerns combined with the economic status of that time which made it very difficult for them to get assistance from the government. This as Caroline states was not an easy decision and the making of the decision was done with full knowledge of what was happening and what they were probably expecting to make a decision like that. The major reason as to why they decide not to leave is the fact that their soil is good and it can produce a lot of food and crop. The only problem they had at that particular time was the issue of lack of rain (Henderson, 1936). The other reason as to why they decide not to leave was the fact that they had made that place their home and leaving meant that they had to start looking for other places to stay and they were going into uncertainty. A lot of people do not like being uncertain and this is exactly what they wanted to avoid. Therefore, they decided to stay.

There are also other reasons why they decided to stay. As Mrs. Caroline states she had talked with a graduate who pointed out to her that easy decision-making or a decision making which only looks to make life just simpler for the sake of it should not be considered. Therefore, Caroline never considered the decision of moving away.

If I was in the shoes of Mrs. Caroline, I would decide that I will not leave. Even though it is a difficult choice and the children get exposed to dust and a lot of other things, it is actually an ethical decision because first of all the land that is left is un-owned could be theirs and in case rain comes and they plant all of it the benefits are so many as they will be able to gain a lot of food, sell some for profit and the rest keep it as food. The area also provided options for expansion in terms of cultivating different things and deciding which area is good for what activity. In case the government provided support the support would be big and good enough since they were few and therefore the decision of staying behind was the best one.

However, a similar problem in the current society would be different as of today there are new technologies and different ways to do things. Even though I would still retain my option of failing to leave I would do other productive activities on the ground and the farm and make sure that it brings profit instead of just waiting for rains. Therefore, faced with a similar challenge I would choose not to go anywhere but continue to make that my home while at the same time making sure that it is a good place to live in. firstly the dust would be dealt with by constructing a house with current technology that does not allow dust to get into the house and filters all the dust. The second thing I would drill a borehole to make sure that I do not depend on the rains and therefore up my cultivation and make the product better. The other thing is that I would make sure that the land is well fenced and there is enough security against predators. I would also ensure there is solar power for power supply to the house and to the farm.

In conclusion, sometimes decision-making requires critical thinking and it is always important to think critically before making a decision. Just like Caroline made the decision to stay in Oklahoma I would make the same decision although with a detour in the running of the farm and the home.

Reference

Henderson, C. A. (1936, May 17). Letters From the Dust Bowl. The Atlantic; The Atlantic. https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/1936/05/letters-from-the-dust-bowl/308897/

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