I have been assigned to develop an inquiry question on the topic of the 1920s in Canada or the Great Depression. I was thinking about the most interesting things about what we have learned. By far the most action packed event was the day or two after the stock market crash. Descriptions of people losing everything in the market and some people in so much distress they committed suicide. We also read a short story by Sinclair Ross called The Lamp at Noon and the did a great job of representing what the life of the average Canadian was like during the depression. So I concluded it would be an interesting project to write a short story of the stock market crash. My inquiry question was : What was it like for those who were rich before the depression and whats was the diffrence between the rich and poor? Here is my short story about James Riordan a real rich person who was affected by the stock market crash.

Oct 29th 1929

The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 12% during Black Tuesday the largest slide it has ever seen. The US economy ended losing 13 Billion dollars that week. This is the fictional story based on true events of James Riordan a man heavily effected by the stock market crash.

 

 

 

 

I took a few steps out into the bustling city of New York to be taken back by the marvellous scene. The streets covered with people panicking like ants that have been scolded by a kettle of hot water. Till this moment I haven’t seen the world distress as I have been cooped up in my office trying to minimize my company’s losses. A well dressed man walks briskly by my with his head down. As the man brushes by me I hear some mumbled swear words under his breath. I look around and analyze a few more faces, one man looks like a son who has lost his mother another with a face of red as rage boils within. Those expressions often rare but are common on this day is I work my way home. I arrive home and open the door and the for the first time today I have a slight smile looking forward to see my always joyous soulmate. But that smile is quickly vanished as I am greeted with a lifeless “Hello Honey” the crash has also defeated my wife. I begin to feel hopeless because, if this horrible thing can defeat her then no can overcome it. I do not respond to my wife I just hang my jacket and hat up and solemnly walk to the staircase but before I saunter up the stairs. I take another look at my wife and see the same perplexity of thoughts on her face that race through my mind how could of this happened.

10 Days Later

The click clack of my shoes echo on the marble floor of the bank. I approach the one of the clerks I ask to withdraw the item. He looks at me inquisitively. I tell him who I am and he doesn’t question my request. It’s heavy and cold I have never held one before. I then click clack my way out of the bank thinking this is the last time I will ever see this god forsaken place. I then begin to work my way home to hide my item. I arrive home open the door and I don’t hear the usual white noise emanating from the kitchen. She is not home. I reach into my bag and curl my fingers around the handle. Now is a better time then ever. I draw the barrel to my head. Hands sweating I begin to slowly squeeze the trigger…..

James Riordan Died November 8th 1929 Committed Suicide at his home using a .38 Revolver. James Riordan a multi millionaire lost much of his fortune due to over speculation like many others.

 

 

 

To due this project I had to due some research on Black Tuesday. I wanted my story on someone who committed suicide by jumping off a building like Ms.Willmese mentioned. But to my pleasure I found that no one actually jumped off buildings in New York because of the stock crash. That is just a myth. Some people did kill themselves over the depression but that was later on. One of the first suicides was Jame Riordan and that’s who I based my story on.

Probably the greatest take away from this doing this blog post is the realization that everyone struggled not just the poor during the depression. I also read an interesting article while researching about the spawning of two different thoughts during the depression. One being that money meant everything and without it life is horrible. The other is the awakening of the hippy mentalty that money is just an object. Two completely diffrent points of view that are still common today.