Comparing Fact to Fiction

In history, you'll oftentimes find a reference to an event or ideal that may not be easy to recognize without context. For instance, the entirety of L. Frank Baum's The Wizard of Oz has been argued to be a thinly veiled political farce, with Dorothy and even the Cowardly Lion being connected to early 20th century farmers and politician William Jennings Bryan, respectively. The best example of this, however, is Orson Welles' classic Animal Farm; a retelling of Russian Communism in the form of an English farm and revolutionary pigs. As a student of history, it's your job to try and figure out these connections, but for many it can be quite hard. How was I supposed to know that the one character represented the President? But you'll actually be surprised to find that it isn't very hard; you just need to use your brain and some prior knowledge. Without the latter, you'll be completely lost, so make sure you pay attention in class!

Let's say the following sentence was written in 1930 in the US: "Martin watched as the clown walked down the dusty street, showing folks all of his shiny buttons and fancy wares. His stomach growled as he smelled the scent of the clown's strawberry rhubarb pie; he licked his lips as the clown munched on a savory piece. The people reached out for the clown, but when the former saw that their pockets were bare, became disturbed and continued on down the road. As he went out of sight, Martin began to wonder what a clown like that was doing in Kansas City."
Out of context, this sentence seems pretty strange; what IS a clown doing in KC? However, going off of the time period and location, it can be pretty simple to figure out who the "clown" represents. The year 1930 was near the beginning of both the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl, and the US at the time looked for a scapegoat. They found one in President Herbert Hoover, who had made the stupid decision to continue on buying expensive food and hosting grand parties as most of America starved, to show the country that the government was "OK". Naturally, people didn't take this well, and Hoover was kicked out by FDR in 1933. With this info, you can begin to connect the clown to Hoover, and his "shiny buttons and fancy wares" as his decisions to show level-headedness. The people not receiving any of the clown's wares showed how the Americans at the time felt betrayed and mocked by Hoover's actions, and even calling him a "clown" relays the public opinion of the Iowan President. The location helps connect the sentence to the Dust Bowl, and now it can be easy to see that this story is some form of political statement about the US at the time.

By using context, it can be easy to find a story's hidden meaning; but for some, it can be extremely hard. If you end up having trouble with connecting fact to fiction, use the Internet or a textbook to help you out. They exist for a reason!

-Pharaoh Noh-Tyep