During the great depression, the midwest underwent a long drought. Exposed dry earth swept away with the wind and caused huge dust storms that prolonged the dry weather. With the lowered selling prices and the lack of crops the farmers had some major economic trouble. In Black Blizzard and John Steinbeck 's Grapes of Wrath, the literature develops the ideas of the poor distribution of wealth within the populations and the social aspects of people of different economic class. Social differences arise in the wealthy, the employed, and the unemployed throughout this period of hardship.
In 2008 the United States economy experienced a recession worse than any other in the country since the great depression. The recession was caused by the burst of the housing bubble. The housing bubble was created by an accumulation of collateralized debt obligations (CDOs). CDOs are bonds that are made up of a collection of mortgages that give a return to the person who bought the bond when the mortgages are paid off by homeowners. In simpler terms, the person who invests in a CDO is betting that the mortgages are going to be paid off, and the bank is receiving insurance if the mortgage is not paid off.
The tone of chapter 11 in John Steinbeck's, “The Grapes of Wrath,” is sympathetic, sad and hopeless. His word choice and syntax show how the sad houses were left to decay in the weather. His use of descriptive words paints a picture in the reader's mind. As each paragraph unfolds, new details come to life and adds to the imagery. While it may seem unimportant, this intercalary chapter shows how the effects of the great depression affected common households.
Chapters 1-3: The author uses the call to arms and cry of death, on page 11, as her narrative hook. When Reva requests Zerah’s help with the laboring women, an internal conflict takes place inside of Shira—deciding whether to help or not. The indirect characterization of Shira’s strength amazed me. How strong Shira must have been to hold up herself and a woman in labor! Chapters 4-6: The point of view switches to Dvorah’s point of view before switching back to Shira.
In between each narrative chapter of The Grapes of Wrath, John Steinbeck wrote intercalary chapters to add to the narrative. These sixteen chapters were a very effective way for Steinbeck to make his points, and progress the theme of the novel. The intercalary chapters were a wise way to summarize the entire struggle of the suffering people during the dust bowl. They showed how Joad family was one example of the millions of families who migrated to California during the dust bowl, and the general rage and resistance felt in the innocent farmers, brought on by rich privileged men who gain their power from the unstoppable big banks. These chapters strengthen my knowledge of the struggles of the time, and give me more information of what is not seen from the Joad’s struggles alone.
Change. Many people are scared of change, and many are eager for it. This is what causes disputes among those with different opinions about change. Whether it 's an issue from decades ago or weeks ago people will start to want action. After all isn 't it time for revolution?
My theme is how humanity’s purpose should be to help one another in an upwardly manner. To help one another in times of need. To give to the collective. This is demonstrated by how Tom develops throughout the story. In the beginning of the book, Tom basically lives for the present movement.
1. “Nothing in life comes easy, if it does you should be suspicious” (222) 2. “Thinking about that moment was like peeling a scab off an almost healed wound” (9) 3. “They love to wave the red flag in the bullring, but you don’t have to react” (209) 4. “In any case, she refused to take the drug test and signed a paper for the termination of her parental rights to me instead” (137) 5.
Overcoming Oppression The Grapes of Wrath was written by John Steinbeck and is a story of overcoming oppression. When the dust bowl runs the Joad family off of their land in Oklahoma they are forced to leave with what they can fit into their truck and the little bit of money they have. The book puts you in the shoes of someone taking an unwanted journey to somewhere they are not welcome. The Grapes of Wrath shows how everyone is part of a bigger community, how religious people are seen as gullible, and how socialism unifies communities. The theme of community is consistently shown all throughout their journey.
When Tom Joad, said this quote, it was after the death of his really good friend Jim Casy. This event in the book is what concludes the character’s change from an irresponsible boy to a man who is ready to accept the responsibility for his future and act like an adult. John Steinbeck, in this excerpt from the book, portrays the themes that human life is sacred and that the union of all people is necessary. In this quote, Tom Joad decides to start protesting and striking because he begins to care for people, and wants to fight for mankind against the horrible treatment people are receiving. He realized that human life is precious, and that everyone needs to be safe and treated equally.
What was an influential presidents during this time frame and why? The main influential president was Lyndon Johnson because he was the president that signed civil rights act in 1964 and behind him was Martin Luther King Jr. The reason Lyndon signed it was because John F. Kennedy was assassinated.
Intercalary Chapter Literary Analysis During the Great Depression, the nation as a whole was stripped of financial security and forced into a survivalist way of living. This changed the ways that people interacted with one another and the overall mentality of society. In the Grapes of Wrath, the Joad family is torn from their land and find themselves with nothing, a common story for migrant farmers of that time, derogatorily called “Okies” by Californians. But this is not the only group that is struggling, the entire county was in a state of panic and bruteness, no matter how “well off” they seemed to be.
In The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck, the chapters alternate between two perspectives of a story. One chapter focuses on the tenants as a whole, while the other chapter focuses specifically of a family of tenants, the Joads, and their journey to California. Chapter 5 is the former and Steinbeck does an excellent job of omniscient third person point of view to describe the situation. Chapter 5’s main idea is to set the conflict and let the readers make connections between Steinbeck’s alternating chapters with foreshadowing. Steinbeck is effectual in letting readers make connections both to the world and the text itself with the use of exposition, and symbolism.
In John Steinbeck’s movie and novel “The Grapes of Wrath,” he presented the ecological, sociological, and economic disaster that the United States suffered during the 1930s. The movie is set during the Great Depression, “Dust Bowl,” and it focuses on the Joad’s family. It is a poor family of farmers who resides in Oklahoma, a home fulfilled by scarcity, economic hardship, agricultural changes, and job losses. Unexpectedly, affected by their hopeless situation, as well as they are trapped in an ecological madness, the Joad’s decided to move out to California; Beside with other people whom were affected by the same conditions, those seeking for jobs, land, a better life, and dignity.
Through John Steinbeck's plot in The Grapes of Wrath, the struggle of the typical American dreamer is depicted in the Joad’s attempt to move to California for a better life. While attempting this dream, the Joad family had to make multiple sacrifices. The first sacrifice occurs early on in their journey, the abandoning of their property (Steinbeck 59). This was extremely difficult for the Joads because they had lived on this land for a long time and they had many memories that had been created there.
