...The Grapes of Wrath Essay The Joad’s family trek from Sallisaw, Oklahoma to California was one full of suffering and devastation ,yet was full of hope. Upon arrival to California, the suffering and devastation did not cease or lessen ,it grew, as hope became nothing but a mere inkling in minds of the Joads. John Steinbeck ,the author of The Grapes of Wrath ,wrote of many topics that revolved around the “American dream” and the obstacles in between. Human survival became a first and violence became an everyday issue. People had it bad where they lived and they fled their country looking for a second chance in California because that’s what the “American dream” is; a second chance. All those who took refuge in California went through a process and several changes. Steinbeck used the Joads to give his novel a personal feel ,almost an up close view, and then he had those chapters that were repetitive and more widespread. Some of those chapters really help capture a lot of the inhumanity ,indignity ,fellowship, and selfishness in his novel. Within the first chapters of the book we learn about the struggle to get to California. One of the most symbolic chapters in the beginning of the book would be chapter three, where one reads about a turtle struggling and dragging itself along a highway. He reaches a highway embankment with his head held high ,but once he starts climbing up the embankment his efforts become much more frantic. He strains and slips , then has to crawl over a four...
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...Personalities of the Grapes of Wrath In any good story the author uses the characters to further develop the story. A great example of this is in the novel The Grapes of Wrath. The characters of Tom Joad, Ma Joad and Jim Casey provide different characteristics to expand the plot; Tom provides a sense of practicality to the story, Ma is strong, and Jim Casey shows leadership qualities. These characteristics foreshadow the character’s destiny in the story. In John Steinbeck’s proletarian novel, The Grapes of Wrath, his early descriptions of and dialogue for Tom, Ma and Jim Casey establish their personalities and futures. The main character Tom Joad is best described as practical. When Tom was in prison he learned the valuable lesson of taking one day at a time. Ma Joad explains it best when she says "You can't go thinkin' when you're gonna be out. You'd go nuts. You got to think about that day, an' then the nex' day, about the ball game Sat'dy….Jus' take ever'day." (91). An example of Tom being practical was just before the Joads and Jim Casey left for California and they were trying to figure out a way to get Granpa to go. Tom...
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...2. I think Jim grows more than she does in thier relationship. Antonia learns to speak english, but Jim grows to like people from all over the world, not caring where they are from. At the begining of the book, Jim doesn't care for people who are not from his own country. When he hears what Antonia's family has to go through, he tells her, "People who don't like this country ought to stay at home … We don't make them come here". At the end of the book, he ends up appreiating and learning what makes Antonia and people like her succesful. "The girls I knew were always helping to pay for ploughs and reapers, brood-sows, or steers to fatten," he explains. "One result of this family solidarity was that the foreign farmers in our county were the first to become prosperous". He sees the valie of a system that isn't his own. At the end of the book, Jim explains to the reader the ways that he has grown. “I knew that I should never be a scholar. I could never lose myself for long among impersonal things. Mental excitement was apt to send me with a rush back to my own naked land and the figures scattered upon it. … I suddenly found myself thinking of the places and people of my own infinitesimal past. They stood out strengthened and simplified now, like the image of the plough against the sun… All those early friends … were so much alive in me that I scarcely stopped to wonder whether they were alive anywhere else, or how.” 3. The author uses symbolism to cover lots of parts of the characters...
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...Abdullah Noorulhaqq Tara Burge AP English Language Composition A March 10, 2015 One author gives a firsthand account of what it was like to live through The Great Depression. Read this excerpt of John Steinbeck's essay "I Remember the Thirties."Then, answer the following questions based on Steinbeck’s rhetorical strategies. 1. The author says the decade had "a beginning, middle and end." His essay also has this structure. Briefly describe these three sections in Steinbeck's essay.Essentially the beginning, the middle, and the end he refers to are the beginning, middle, and end of the Great Depression. He described lie before the Depression as a writer. During the Depression, he described how tough life was and how writers were hard hit. After the Depression, he described the success he encountered in s his book. 2. What is Steinbeck's attitude towards those who "had it made" at the beginning of the decade? Quote the words or phrases that lead you to this conclusion.Steinbeck’s attitude toward those wo had it made was almost one of pity or somberness. He knew that those who had it made were not on solid footing and that the money they had could go as fast as they received it. What really helped me was “Their eyes had the look you see around the roulette table.” Meaning that they did not know what to expect next and had their hopes penned on something that was not even certain. 3. Steinbeck's use of sensory details provides a vivid description of life during that...
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...The Grapes of Wrath a well-known classic by John Steinbeck was published in 1939, and before it was published, migrant workers were living in very harsh conditions in several parts of the United States. The Grapes of Wrath is about an Oklahoma Dust Bowl family, the Joads, who suffer various hardships while migrating to California. The Dust Bowl was a period of time in the 1930s where harsh droughts led to severe dust storms which ruined million acres of prairie land in America. This story tells us the plight of all those migrants during the Great Depression through the perspective of the Joad family. In The Grapes of Wrath, Steinbeck uses intercalary chapters to provide background for the various themes of the novel, as well as to set the tone. Steinbeck’s previous book had bought him much success and Steinbeck did not want his success to weaken his commitment to the intellectual goals of his writing. So later, he embarked upon a trip from Oklahoma to California with a group of migrant workers. He worked and lived alongside them in a work camp in California. His experience was the inspiration for this novel. The story begins just after Tom Joad is released on parole from McAlester prison for homicide. On his journey to his home in Oklahoma, he meets former preacher Jim Casy whom he remembers from his childhood and the two travel together. He finds out his family has been evacuated from their land and are leaving for California. Tom and Casy join them. Going west on Route 66...
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...Synthesis Essay: Archetypes As a person progresses in age, or experiences traumatic situations, it is common that the innocence once possessed as a child can dissipate. Innocence can be easily viewed as temporal due to its tendency to falter in a myriad amount of people. Loss of innocence is a prevalent archetypal theme in Star Wars, Grapes of Wrath, Lord of the Flies, A Separate Peace, and Swing Kids. Although all novels display this archetypal theme well, the character Tom in Grapes of Wrath suffers the greatest loss of innocence due to the tragic effects of the Great Depression and the crime he participates in. In Star Wars, a young man, Luke Skywalker, who has lost his parents, lives with his aunt and uncle and is brought into a world of violence on his mission to become a Jedi. He encounters the ultimate archetypal devil figure, Darth Vader. Darth represents the darkness humanity possesses. Although Luke’s encounters with supernatural beings and death are frequent in the film Star Wars, this sharply contrasts with the isolation Tom Joad faces in Grapes of Wrath. While Luke’s loss of innocence is accepted as a way of life in Star Wars, including killing clones and destroying an entire planet, Tom’s inability to tolerate injustice, resulting in violence, is a crime in the world of his character. Essentially, Luke’s loss of innocence brings him closer to the people in the world he is surrounded by; his destroying of the Death Star is an act of bravery. Tom kills men who...
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...From the moment the assignment was handed out, I knew what I wanted my topic to be. After having multiple discussions centered around gender roles and taking adequate notes on gender role, I felt that it only made sense to write my essay on the topic I had already done so much research on. However, my stance on gender roles had shifted. At first, I believed that there was no “superior gender” in the book and that both sexes demonstrated adaptability. But, after I briefly mentioned this position to my well-read teacher and was told that this stance would be difficult to support within the word limit, I decided to change my approach; the women of the Joad family demonstrated they were the strongest sex by providing stability to their family. At first, I knew that Ma was going to be a focal point of my essay because I learned a lot through the discussions, however to meet the requirement of a pattern I needed a second example. I learned through briefly skimming over the book that Rose of Sharon was just what I was looking for. Austin Rodriguez, my friend and colleague, reviewed my essay. His revisions were mostly grammar related...
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...Henry David Thoreau was extremely opposed to the Mexican War and refused to pay taxes by means of protesting slavery. He addresses his experiences and views on civil disobedience, which were also revisited almost a century later in John Steinbeck’s account of the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl, The Grapes of Wrath. This novel reflects Thoreau’s ideas about civil disobedience such as, less government involvement is better, people should make their own laws, and they should work together to fight injustice. One of Thoreau’s principle beliefs is that the less government is involved in community affairs, the better. He is in complete agreement with the claim that “government is best which governs least… [or] which governs not at all” (Thoreau...
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...bog56269.app.qxd 7/23/03 1:01 PM Page A-1 APPENDIX Writing a Film Analysis Films are made to be seen and heard, to appeal to our visual and aural senses. Like any art form, however, films are also meant to be felt and understood, to appeal to our emotions and minds. One of the best ways to determine whether a film has succeeded in any or all of these goals is to analyze the elements that make up the whole work. To write an analysis of a film, you must study the film carefully. Your critical analysis should be derived from your personal encounter with the film, not from published criticism. Access to a videocassette recorder or DVD player is essential if you are going to perform a critical analysis of any depth. It is not enough to like or dislike the movie; you must determine why it succeeds or fails in reaching out and encompassing the viewer. The first step is to view the film in its entirety. From this viewing you can get an initial reaction to the many parts of the film that you will have to explore in more depth. When you first view the film, it is best not to try to take notes or separate the parts of the film; you should be familiar with the textbook in order to know what to look for. After you have formulated a thesis and have begun the process of supporting that thesis, you should view the film at least once more in its entirety and two or three times in segments in order to review scenes of major importance. The thesis statement is the element around which to...
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...While consumers purchase produces from markets, many of buyers are unaware of deadly pesticides that are regularly used on them. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) stated that even organic crops could be sprayed as long as pesticides were deemed “natural”. Americans had been using chemicals on produces since World War II and continuously used until the first strike took place, the Delano Grape Strike. This first protest was held in order to expose the risk in consuming intoxicated grapes. Pesticides not only affect the consumers, but also water, air, and soil. Cesar believed that five of the most dangerous pesticides used in grapes production should be banned because they caused health issues and may lead to death. In Cesar Chavez's Wrath of the Grapes Boycott, given in 1986 in Austin, Texas at a community center farm worker, labor leader and civil right activist Cesar regarding the harmful of agriculture in California, five of the leading pesticides should be banned of use in grapes and any crops. Several reports came out from The New York Times, stated that, "nearly 1,000 California, Pacific Northwest, Alaskan, and Canadian consumers became ill as the result of eating watermelons tainted with the powerful insecticide Aldicarb,” He, then, continued, “labeled the most acutely toxic pesticide registered in the United States." It shows the loophole on the regulations of the use of pesticides. Even though, it was one of the most toxic, unaware consumers were able to purchase...
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...As I went through these six pieces for my semester 1 portfolio I noticed that I have changed so much as a writer just the last few months. I very much enjoyed going back through each of my essays and getting the chance to correct any mistakes I missed in the heat of submitting a final draft. As far as my most improved piece goes I feel my Grapes of Wrath Essay had the biggest turnout. This is simply due to the fact that I had many grammatical errors along with some conceptual overlaps, and by fixing those the essay and the ideas behind it became much stronger and more clear. On the other hand, the piece I found the most troubling by far was the Absolutely True Diary Journal. When I originally did this assignment I choose to do it very free...
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...He accomplishes this feat through three main avenues, the first of which is to personalize only those characters who further his message. In The Grapes of Wrath, this group is composed of the impoverished migrants and a small, sympathetic faction of the owner class. There are thirty-one strictly named characters in the novel, twenty-seven of whom are migrants. Muley Graves, Willy Feeley, Mr. Thomas and Jim Rawley are the only four of this group to be part of the owner class and represent only thirteen percent of all named characters. By naming his characters, Steinbeck humanizes them and makes them relatable, while the rest of the people in the novel remain an ambiguous mass. Readers more readily connect with a relatable character, and by choosing to name only certain characters, Steinbeck controls which characters the reader sympathizes with. Steinbeck’s second approach to creating emotional...
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...In the essay “Superman and Me”, an extended metaphor is used to explain the connection between the author and Superman. Superman and the author have had a strong connection for a long time. When Sherman Alexie was three years old, he picked up a Superman comic while lying in the floor. Alexie’s dad always brought home books all the time, so Alexie read all the time. Superman and the author have always been together through Alexie’s childhood, school days, and adulthood. In Alexie’s childhood he was teased for being an indian child so he decided to stand out from the rest. “ I learned to read with a Superman comic.” This explains that Alexie was a young prodigy in school while others struggled. “I was three years old…” This shows that Alexie...
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...Advertising, Business, Buy Web Sites, Economics, Finance, Management, Marketing, Sell Websites Education - ADHD, Learning, Philosophy of Education, Privatization, Public Schools, School Violence, School Vouchers, Teaching, Technology and Education, Test and Testing, Writing English Composition Essays - Analitical, Autobiographical, Argument, Cause/Effect, Classification, Compare/Contrast, Comparison, Conversation, Creative+Writing, Critical, Deductive, Definition, Descriptive, Description, Dialog, Division, Exploratory, Expository, Informative, Interview, Inquiry, Journalistic, Narration, Observation. Personal Narrative, Place, Profile, Process, Proposal English Literature and Literary Analysis - Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, A & P, Antigone, Apocalypse Now, Araby, The Awakening, Barn Burning, Beowulf, Beloved, Bible, Birthmark, Blade Runner, The Bluest Eye, Candide, Canterbury Tales, Catcher in the Rye, Cathedral, Chrysanthemums, A Clockwork Orange, The Color Purple, Comparing Literary Works, Crime and Punishment, Death of a Salesman, Death in Venice, Desiree's Baby, A Doll's House, Dr. Faustus, Epic of Gilgamesh, Everyday Use, A Farewell to Arms, Frankenstein, The Grapes of Wrath, Great Gatsby, Great Expectations, Glass Menagerie, Gulliver's Travels, The Handmaid's Tale, Heart of Darkness, The Iliad, Invisible Man, Jane Eyre, The Joy Luck Club, The Lottery, The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock, Metamorphosis, My Antonia, My Papa's Waltz, Neuromancer, The Odyssey,...
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...Compare and Contrast Sherman Alexie’s Story with My Experience Every people may have their own favorite book when they were young. It could be a bedtime story, fable, or novel. This would pretty much affect their lives in a good or bad way. In Sherman Alexie’s essay, “The Joy of Reading and Writing: Superman and Me”, he simply explained about himself as an Indian kid who loved to read even he lived with low standard of living. Sherman’s dad had always spent his extra money to get new books for him. However, Sherman was different with most of Indian people in his age, because he read books that quite difficult for kids in his age at that time, such as “Grapes of Wrath”. He read everywhere and he believed that he could save his life by reading books. Based on Sherman’s childhood, I realize that reading a book could influence someone’s life, enrich someone’s knowledge and lead them to be a successful person. In his essay, Sherman tells us that non-Indian people mostly would underestimate Indian kids. Therefore, Sherman proves that they are wrong. He struggled with his lives and tried to read everywhere, because “(he) was trying to save (his) lives”. Ultimately, he becomes a successful writer instead of pediatrician. He writes books and teaches creative writing to Indian kids. According to Sherman’s experience, I feel that we have got common things. When I was a kid, I used to read a novel by Paulo Coelho, “The Alchemist”. The story tells us about a man who has to understand every...
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