DEPRESSION DAYS

BY PAT MORA
Who is Pat Mora?

 Born in 1942 to Raúl Antonio Mora and Estella

Mora, Patricia Estella Mora grew up in El Paso,
Texas, on the border between Mexico and the
United States.
 Mora’s first book of poetry for adults, Chants,
was published in 1984, and her first book for
children, A Birthday Basket for Tía, was
published in 1992.
  Her writings often include Spanish vocabulary, and many of them,
particularly her works of children’s literature, are presented in a
bilingual format, with English and Spanish alongside each other.
 One of Mora’s most significant legacies will be the creation and
promotion of El día de los niños/El día de los libros, which is also
Pat Mora promoted as Children’s Day/Book Day.
 Celebrated on April 30, the special day stems from Children’s Day,
which began in 1925 during the World Conference for the Well-
Being of Children in Geneva.
 The celebration emphasizes the importance of advocating literacy
for every child regardless of linguistic and cultural background.
Depression Days by Pat Mora
 The Great
Depression

 The Great Depression was the

worst economic downturn in
the history of the
industrialized world, lasting
from the stock market crash
of 1929 to 1939.
The Great
Depression  https://prezi.com/udrm13c71_pl/20s-great-depression-timeline/

Timeline
ELEMENTS

 Setting
 Colorado, US
 CCC Camp

 CCC: The Civilian Conservation Corps

The Civilian Conservation Corps was a voluntary public work relief
program that operated from 1933 to 1942 in the United States for
unemployed, unmarried men
  Characters
 Eduardo Delgado
Referred by the author in third person and
does not specifically identify him by name
until the fifth stanza, when she calls him her
“uncle.”
ELEMENTS  The Sergeant
The CCC used military names for people in
positions of authority. The CCC was
structured like the military, only it was
civilian.
  Stomachs almost as noisy as gears’ screech ( Simile
and Hyperbole)
 Our eyes hungry for paychecks (personification)

Figures of  I bought the dark with my last fifteen cents

(hyperbole)
Speech  I bought the dark with my last fifteen cents –
beginning and end stanzas (anaphora)
 I tried not to think – 2nd, 3rd, 4th stanzas (anaphora)
  Kinetic
 - Gripping an axe, swinging, slicing
 - Playing CCC lumberjack in a house still dark from
my father’s death

Imagery  Olfactory/Visual
 - That cold green smell, me a border kid , pale
Mexican
  Auditory
 - Stomachs almost as noisy as gears’ screech (can also
be tactile)
Imagery
 Visual
 In a house still dark from my father’s death
  The poem emphasizes the impact brought upon by the
great depression.
 Another theme is showing the horror of racial
discrimination. Delgado, victimized because of his
THEME Mexican name, vividly exemplifies the object of
racial discrimination.
 Issue of Identity is also a prevalent theme. The
sergeant’s order to Delgado to change his name so
that he can get a job is a very tempting offer, given
the time period and the economic crisis.
  The narrator in the poem is a young male, and is
searching for work during the great depression in the
United States. His name is Delgado, a Mexican-
American. Delgado is looking for work, and hopes to
get a job with the Civilian Conservation Corps in
DISCUSSION Colorado.
 The poem opens with Delgado in a movie theater,
having spent his last fifteen cents on a movie
ticket. Like many Americans during the depression,
the movies provide an escape from the harsh realities
of life.
  The poem opens with Delgado in a movie theater,
having spent his last fifteen cents on a movie
ticket. Like many Americans during the depression,
the movies provide an escape from the harsh realities
of life. The third stanza of the poem my private reel
can be seen as his wish for a job playing CCC
Discussion lumberjack. Delgado comes from the border of the
United States and Mexico. He refers to himself as a
border kid, yet he longs to escape, maybe to a place
like Colorado where he can earn some money, while
at the same time have a sense of adventure playing
lumberjack.
  It appears that Delgado does travel to the CCC camp along with
other men. There is the description of the camp out in the
wilderness (the barracks, the cold). The sergeant of the CCC Camp
calls out his name, spitting,his glare at my dumbness,The twitch of
his lips, showing the sergeants authority, and patronizing attitude.
 The sixth stanza of the poem recalls the exchange between the
sergeant and Delgado. See me later, is a request to Delgado that
Discussion perhaps the sergeant can do a favor for Delgado. The sergeant
believes that he is giving a compliment to Delgado when he tells
him You dont look Mexican. But, it seems that in order for Delgado
to get the job he must change his name, Just change your name and
you’ve got the job, the sergeant tells Delgado. Delgado sees his
deceased father eyeing him, perhaps as a reminder of the guilt, his
identity, or the denial of his heritage if he goes along with the
sergeant�s wish to change his name. Delgado does not want to
pass for white, and deny his culture, and his identity.
  The seventh and last stanza starts with the repetition
of the very first line in the poem, I buy the dark with
my last fifteen cents. Delgado tries to escape through
the movies, so he doesnt have to think of the ice box
without food, his mothers sad eyes, and his father,
Discussion who never understood this country, of the price of
eggs and names and skin. Despite the harsh realities
of the depression, Delgado pronounces, I am
Delgado, which seems to be an affirmation of his
identity. Delgado stands up for himself showing he
will not sacrifice his identity for a job.
  Fifteen cents:
The common or average price of a movie ticket in the
1930’s.
Poem Terms  Red Sails in the Sunset:
Background A very popular song during the depression. It came out
in 1936. Written by Jimmy Kennedy and Will Grosz, and
was performed by many popular artists.
 REFERENCES

 "Depression Days - Themes and Meanings" Critical Guide to Poetry for Students Ed. Philip K. Jason.
eNotes.com, Inc. 2002 eNotes.com 13 Mar, 2020
http://www.enotes.com/topics/depression-days#themes-themes-and-meanings
 https://prezi.com/udrm13c71_pl/20s-great-depression-timeline/
 Mora, P. (2007). Agua Santa/Holy Water.