Life — February 3, 1921 — page 7: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# Analysis This page from *Life* magazine contains two distinct elements: **Upper section:** An article titled "Don't Knock 'Em!" by Dr. Samuel A. Elliot of Boston argues that Mayflower ancestry shouldn't determine a person's worth. He satirizes Americans who brag about Pilgrim lineage while being "illiterate and essentially plebeian," suggesting such ancestry claims are overvalued in determining social importance. **Lower section:** A sketch by Kerr Eby depicts a poor girl visiting Washington Market with her mother for the first time, asking "Mama, is this Heaven?" The caption satirizes the contrast between urban poverty and abundance—the girl's wonder at the market's plenty reveals the deprivation of her normal circumstances, critiquing economic inequality in early 20th-century America.