Scoring a Sample Shorpy Photograph Analysis

Two-Banana Lunch

James Isaacks

Department of English, Tarleton State University

English 1302-330: Composition II

Dr. Elson Bond

February 19, 2024

Two-Banana Lunch

Two-Banana Lunch was taken in June 1942 by a photographer named Russell Lee. The photograph shows a lot of meaning just at first glance you see a younger boy sitting with an older gentleman eating lunch. The details of the photograph allow the viewer to see the difference in the age gap. This photograph demonstrates the citizens who were not eligible to enlist in the war due to age qualifications but still played a vital role in building the Shasta Dam.

When first looking at the picture you will notice the younger boy and the older man are on their lunch break. Both are dressed as working individuals with dirt from head to toe. This gives the viewer context that even though middle-class workers were missing due to their duty to fight in WWII the young and the older people left behind still did their part in working for the community to keep growing. Also, both people in the picture appear to have the same amount of tarnish and dirt, this also helps the viewer see that even though there was an age gap it was not seen as a gap on the shared workload side of things. Another thing seen is the way they dress from their worn jeans that have ripped ends that overlap their dirty work boots to the well-tarnished and used hard hats they are wearing and the dirt on their faces and arms.

The second thing seen by viewers is the dam in the background and you know it is a dam because the text under the picture reads “Shasta Dam, Shasta County, California” (Sharpy, 2022). This helps the viewer understand what is going on in the picture and where the picture takes place. It also helps the reader understand the history of the picture itself. Shasta Dam was built in 1942 the same year that WWII was going on. The reason for building the dam was that “During World War II, power generation became a critical need for the war effort, and workers building Shasta Dam knew the importance the power plant would play in winning the war.” (Bureau of Reclamation, 2022, Paragraph.5). This helps show that they weren’t just building a dam to stop water flow but to help generate power for to help win WWII.

The last thing that a viewer might notice is in the title “Two-Banana Lunch” This shows the viewer that yes even though there is a difference in the two workers in age and size they both are equal and are in the same work field.

In conclusion, this picture shows the impact not only on the workforce during the war but also shows that everything was seen as one because all of America came together as one during these times no matter the age.

Citations

Lee, R. (1942). Shasta Dam, Shasta County, California. workmen. The Library of Congress.

Shorpy, https://www.loc.gov/item/2017818744/

Interior Region 10 · California-Great Basin, B. of R. (2022). Northern California Area office. Shasta Dam Construction - Northern California Area Office | Bureau of Reclamation. https://www.usbr.gov/mp/ncao/dam-work.htmlLinks to an external site.