Thursday, September 27, 2012
Grapes of Wrath
As we have begun the reading of Steinbeck's famous novel, The Grapes of Wrath, and after having been introduced to the dust bowl, hoovervilles, the Okies, and the fertile valley of California, we can appreciate the vivid details that have helped readers to a part of this Westward journey. It was extremely rough as many people died or got ill during the long trip. They were subject to robberies, and women were sometimes mistreated. However, these people were survivors. The question is: Although many people survived the move westward in hopes of finding their dreams, the disappointments were many. The disillusionment was horrifying when they discovered that their dreams were not waiting for them as they expected. Think of another situation that might compare to this - either from fiction or from real life that you can relate. What were the hardships? How were the dreams realized or were they dissolved?
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The situation that I found that relates to the story of the people moving West during the Dust Bowl was the taking shelter during the Hurricane Katrina. Katrina struck in August of 2005. The superdome had been used for a shelter during two previous hurricanes that happened years before. The officials didn’t want to make the Superdome to nice because it was still safer to evacuate. Even though they wanted people to do this they tried to make the Superdome stand up to the weather conditions in case of a storm. The dome roof was built to stand up to about 200 mph and other natural disasters. The flood waters would still be a problem because it was said that it could flood to the second level of the stadium from the ground floor. Many people thought that this would be fine to go to get away from the weather. This however was wrong. Just like the people that moved to California they were hoping for better days. They didn’t get that though. When they moved there they were hoping to find jobs and just start a new life an easy one. The reality set in when there were hardly any jobs and living conditions were just as bad. Hurricane Katrina was just like this. People thought that if they didn’t get out of town they would just go to the super dome were they would be safe. When they arrived at the dome they were very surprised to see what they saw. On just the first night the roof had already been peeling off. There was about enough water and food for 15,000 people for three days. There was no water purification equipment on site, no chemical toilets, and no antibiotics and no anti-diarrheal stored for a crisis. This was part of the poor planning on the government official’s part. They should have had these things all worked out before the storm hit just to be safe. Other things that happened were suicide by jumping from the upper level seats. There were also unconfirmed reports of rape, vandalism, violent assaults, crack dealing/drug abuse, and gang activity inside the Superdome. This made the Superdome a unsafe place. Many people who needed medical help could not get it because of all the other people that were there before them. Many died of starvation, disease, suicide, and much more. Some people described the situation has horrifying. Many people realized that the better option should have been to get out of town when they were told. Both of these situations were horrible and the people both believed that were they were heading was a safe place. Only then to have their dreams crushed in the realization that it wasn’t.
ReplyDeleteHayley, I love the way you related the way that everyone must have felt during the Dust Bowl to Hurricane Katrina. The dismay and the helplessness the people must have felt towards everything would have been overwhelming. I can't imagine how hard it would have been for everyone to have to pack up and leave what they have had their whole entire lives behind in an instant. Their homes were destroyed and they could never come back to what they had always known. People died in Katrina and people died on their journey to California, they were very related to each other, it was so easy for me to see how they compare. Good job!
DeleteHaley, I liked your topic for comparison. Hurricanes definitely cause hardships among families. Not only does it take the lives of many people, it also destroys their homes and memories. I agree that leaving is one the hardest things to do, but in their case it was necessary. Also in comparison to the “Grapes of Wrath” many people died from the same causes such as disease and starvation. I also liked the statistics you put in your blog. They were both factual and helped me visualize the hardships those poor people had to suffer threw.
DeleteHayley, I see where you are coming from with your comparison. I also enjoy how identical the two situations were for opposite reasons; one for leaving, and the other for staying. But still, those during the Dust Bowl had no choice but to leave, for they had nothing left. Their homes were being consumed by dust, clean water almost had to have been in short supply, and even just stepping outside, people breathed in all of that dust. Also, the economy wasn't the best, and so many people were desperate. Since most people were farmers and the dust storms destroyed crops, farmers had no income. These people thought of their farms as themselves; just to see it being destroyed must have made these people die inside. Those involved in the Katrina disaster had a choice, and were given the option to leave; those like the Joad's had no choice. But still, it was devastating for both groups.
DeleteHayley, I understand where you are coming from on your comparison. They are both natural disasters and there were struggles in the aftermath finding jobs and places where for everyone that lost their homes and work places. In the aftermath, everyone in the Katrina situation tried to rebuild while everyone in the dust bowl just decided to move entirely.
DeleteI feel that the story is able to be related to a variety of different things. We all often come upon the feeling of disappointment in our everyday lives. I think that this is the way that everyone who was caused to move because of the dustbowl really felt. It would have been hard to move from your home, to a new place that is so unknown and to find out, once you arrive there, that there is nothing waiting for you there after all. Their feeling of frustration and disappointment in being let down must have been incredibly overwhelming. The way that your stomach forms into knots and how you seem so upset whenever something bad happens can be so relatable to so many different things. Whenever I relate disappointment to something, the thing that first comes to mind is whenever you play a sport. If you win the game, or the competition the feeling is so good and your happiness is so huge. Whenever you lose, however, the disappointment you feel in yourself is huge, too. The thing is, even if the loss wasn’t your fault you still blame yourself for it. Whenever your game starts, your nerves and the wonderment of what will happen and what will come is so exciting. The feeling of winning or losing is important. This is how the family felt on their journey to California. They didn’t know where they were going or what they would find there but they decided that they would try to make the best out of whatever it was, even thought what they found wasn't nearly what they wanted.
ReplyDeleteMorgan, I feel like most of us can relate to what you said about losing in a sport. Most of us are involved in a least one sport. Winning is one of the best feelings. Losing on the other hand is very disappointing. When the Okies moved to California I think they had a sense of losing. When they arrived in the west I think they thought that they were going to get there and everything was going to be perfect. This however was not the case. Kind of like when they moved to California some fathers felt like they were letting their whole families down. In sport when a team loses it’s kind of the same feeling. They are letting their coach down when they lose. This was a very good example that most of us can relate to now of days.
DeleteMorgan, I can definitely relate to you when you talked about the disappointment people feel when losing in a sport. In a sense when the Okies got to California they "lost". They thought they were going to "win" by getting a good paying job and starting over with a new life. As we all now this really wasn't the case for a lot of the people. In a sense I can understand how they feel because I have lost some very important games in my life and the disappointment you feel is a terrible feeling. This however is probably easier to get over than the disappointment that the Okies probably felt. I feel like it is easy to relate to how they felt through this example.
DeleteMorgan, I would not even would have ever thought to relate the Dust Bowl and its harmful causes to an everyday activity like sports. It was very well said ,however, about the feelings of winning and losing. They are definitely very important. Your last sentence is very similar to mine about optimism. If you are very optimistic you make the best out of everything possible. If you make the best out of everything possible, then you will succeed in life. I am sure that is something everyone would love to do.
DeleteMorgan, it is very unique how you related losing a sport to the dustbowl. Sports are taken to heart by a lot of people, very seriously. Losing can break a persons heart because they are losing something they love to do. In the dustbowl people were effected because they were losing things and people that they loved. A lot of emotion is in sports, whether it is a happy or sad emotion. Fortunately for losing a sport, we can come back and do better next time. Unfortunately for the dustbowl we can't change the past as well as we can in a sport.
DeleteMorgan, I agree that when you play sports that many times people are almost to confident in themselves that they are going to win. Many times when people think that way they sometimes lose. This turns the loss into an extreme upset because you are so confident that people underestimate other peoples efforts.
DeleteMorgan, the way that you related sports to the dustbowl was very interesting. I think that your view on this specific blog in very unique and unexpected. Your thoughts on relating everyday life to something that happened so far in the past are very insightful.
DeleteMorgan, I like how you related the blog to everyday life and especially sports. You painted a good picture! Even while I was reading it I could picture the situation you're portraying, good job.
DeleteIn John Steinbeck’s “Grapes of Wrath” the novel clearly demonstrates the challenges and difficulties of the Dust Bowl. The Dust Bowl caused a number tragedies among families and farmers. The Dust Bowl destroyed everything in its path. This event can be related to a numerous natural disasters such as hurricanes, tornados, and earthquakes. The events and hardships that occur in the “Grapes of Wrath” remind me the pilgrims’ voyage to America. In the Dust Bowl people were forced to move because the sand storms (and drought) destroyed their land. Many people died in the harsh sand storms and did not make it to California. Many families struggled to leave everything behind and to survive the long dangerous journey. Along with their travels California did not meet their expectations.
ReplyDeleteIn the pilgrims’ case they were persecuted about their religious beliefs to the point where the only way to practice their religion freely was to leave. Throughout the pilgrims’ journey many died from disease and others simply lost hope. The pilgrims faced many hardships among their journey. They had to leave everything they grew up and lived with behind including family, friends, and their home land. Once the pilgrims arrived their hardships were certainly not over. This new, foreign land was frightening. The pilgrims knew nothing about the land and did not know what to expect. Sadly many pilgrims died because of the harsh winter. Adapting to a new land is difficult. The pilgrims’ believed that once they arrived everything would be great and all better. This was not the case. The pilgrims’ expectations of the new land were completely wrong. They had to work hard and receive nothing in return, until they meet the Indians. The pilgrims meet many challenges such as meeting new people and having to make peace. Throughout this long journey the pilgrims were able to worship their religion freely, but first they had to face their fear and fight threw their hardships. Their new life was frustrating and stressful, but in the end it was worth it.
Faith, is the strength that can help you face any situation.
Marla, the pilgrims can be related to many situations. I never thought about relating them to the Okies. They both had to move from their homeland to an unknown territory. The pilgrims along with the Okies died from disease and starvation. Although there is no a lot of talk about sickness killing people it did happen. In the story “Grapes of Wrath” the grandmother and the grandmother and the grandfather both died due to illnesses. Also both had to move to new territories that they didn’t know and had to make it on their own. When both arrived there was nothing for them. They had no money and they had nothing to look forward to. This brought a great deal of disappointment. This is what happened with both groups and how much they are alike.
DeleteMarla, I think that your comparison to the disappointment that the pilgrims felt when they came to America related very well to this topic. When the Pilgrims came to America the land was nowhere near what they were told to expect. This is the same with the Joad family and other families when they arrived in California. I also liked how you said a lot of pilgrims died in the harsh winters. This is just like how Grandma and Grandpa both sadly passed away. I agree with you when you say their new life was frustrating and stressful but was worth it in the end because this is very true.
DeleteMarla, I like how you relate the idea of the Pilgrims to the idea of the Dust Bowl. They are very similar and have the same effects. Both had many die on their journey. They both had to start anew and face the challenges that would be in front of them. Optimism in starting a new life is essential to be on the right path in hoping that the new life you are about to start will take priority over the one you previously had. It may seem hard, but with God anything is possible.
DeleteMarla, I agree with the way you compared the Okies to the pilgrims. I only chose this comparison, but just a little differently. I feel like the pilgrims had it even a little harder then the Okies because there was literally nothing in America for the the pilgrims. The Okies at least could receive some kindness, perhaps, from citizens of California. The pilgrims couldn't buy anything if they had any money because there wasn't any civilization for them to go to! But you did a very good job of portraying them together.
DeleteIn the “Grapes of Wrath” there were many hardships that those moving away had to deal with. They lost their homes, most of their possessions, and even some of their family members. They must have had a huge amount of courage to overcome these adversities and keep moving on. Around 5,000 people got flyers that said there were 800 jobs in California, and 20,000 people saw these. Eventually when people did get to California, there were no jobs because they were already filled, and many people starved to death. The Joads make it to California, and find that a lot of people couldn’t make a living and were leaving. The Joads move on and they face yet another loss. Granma dies just like Grandpa. This is yet another disappointment that they had to face, and they haven’t even begun to look for jobs yet.
ReplyDeleteI think that the disappointment in the “Grapes of Wrath” relates to the disappointment that someone moving from a large city to the country faces. Being in a large city, there is a lot to do. Moving to a small town or the rural country such as Kersey, there isn’t nearly as much to do as people are used to. Before they moved there people might have told them that it would be nice and relaxing, but that adjustment would be extremely difficult. Once they got there they will probably be disappointed in how little there is to do, even if they were promised that there would be so much. They will also be disappointed about how small the population is. This type of disappointment however will probably be easier to adjust to than the disappointment that the Joad family, and other families like them felt. Disappointment is sadly found all over. It is a part of life though and people must learn to adjust to that and overcome the adversities in their way.
Rachel, first off I appreciate your comparison of the city life to a small village such as Kersey. (My home town!) Moving in general is one of the hardest things someone must go thru. Whether it is because of disaster of simply moving for a new job, change is difficult. Especially from moving to a fast, busy city to the small quiet life of a village. Another hardship along with that is fear of the unknown. The unknown can be from a foreign land to strangers. The only way to get threw life’s changes is to make the best of each situation.
DeleteRachel, your right, change is difficult. The hardships and loss the Joad family faced is probably more than most people today could ever fear of having to deal with. Yet, we still find even the smallest of issues hardships. It may not as serious as the plight in the story, but moving to a completely different area is a hard change; it's a fear of the unknown that makes anything difficult. Yes, I agree moving from the city to a small town probably is a hard adjustment, but I wouldn't necessarily call it a hardship.
DeleteRachel, I agree with you completely. When people, especially teens, move from a totally new area to another, they have to face going to a new school. Many times people aren't always nice to new people because they make first impressions on others that aren't always nice. This results in hardships that many people have to go through. It is hard and unfair, but people go through changes everyday, good or bad. I would like to say that i would disagree with maria. I think that it is a huge hardship moving from a new place, but i would also have to agree with her because it is also a hard adjustment.
DeleteIn John Steinbeck’s novel “The Grapes of Wrath” there were many hardships that people had to overcome. It involved moving to a whole different culture because the dust was so wicked and could not be avoided. Thousands of people had to abandon their homes because of the dust. It just doesn’t seem like it would be real. Leaving and abandoning your house and moving thousands of miles away simply because of dust. It was real, sadly, and many people lost their lives from a number of different things. The chance of actually successfully moving away safely was very low as the highways were so crowded with people that an accident was waiting to happen. This is a sad part of America’s history that I think should be remembered. I think it can relate to one thing. It simply can relate to people just moving to a different country or different state. It is very hard to adapt.
ReplyDeleteSay you are moving from Pennsylvania to California. How would you feel? Would you be very sad to leave, or excited to start something new? I would feel sad because I would be leaving all of my friends behind. It would be very hard to make new friends after having the friends I have now for so long. You would have to change your whole lifestyle, especially if you were moving out of the country. You would have to make new friends, get new clothes, and eat different foods and a number of other things. You might even have to learn a different language depending on where you are going. Staying strongly optimistic is would you would have to do to make the best out of your situation.
Another thing that can relate to this novel is if a hurricane would pass through your town and you would have to leave. This could be the hardest thing anyone would have to go through. Think of all the stuff that would be left behind. Some of your closest friends and family members might not even make it through the situation alive. You would have to leave knowing that you are leaving behind your family, friends, house, and the town that you live in. As I say once again, optimism is something you would have to have faith in and you would need enormous amounts of hope to be able to overcome the challenging obstacles would lie in your way.
Andy, this blog really made me think about what I would do if this happened in my life. How would I handle it? Would I be sad and scared? This blog is a very strong log and it really makes people think about their own lives and relate them to the dustbowl. I don't think any of us think about what we would do if this happened to us.
DeleteAndy, your blog made me question my thoughts more than any other blog so far this year. I understand the perspective of what the Okies had to go through on their journey across the country, but I am not even able to begin to comprehend what I would do if is was thrust into this situation. I know I would not be able to deal with what the Okies went through. However, I don't think I would even be able to move at a time when there are no disasters occurring. Everything being thrust upon the Okies at once would have been one of the most traumatic moments for families in American history.
DeleteYour blog asks many thought inducing questions and scenarios which is a very good thing. Leaving everything behind and starting life over again is something hard to have on one's mind. The distance people had to move for this could not have helped, let alone their entire life changing. They still held onto their hope and made it through the difficulties.
DeleteMany disappointment were made during the dustbowl. Many people got ill, there were many robberies, and women were very mistreated. So many hopes and dreams were shattered, pretty much everyone's lives in the dustbowls path were ruined. Their homes were ruined, all of their belongings were ruined, and it took many peoples lives whether it was theirs or a loved ones. Life was extremely hard for farmers especially because they rely on their crops and the dustbowl destroyed their crops leaving them hungry. I know that in my recent blog I related Thanatopsis to a situation in the holocaust, but I felt this particular story could also relate to it. The holocaust destroyed lives and ruined dreams. People were being killed for no reason and they couldn't control it. Like the dustbowl, people were fortunate enough to get through it and start their new lives. But most weren't able to get through the holocaust. A lot got through losing family members along the way. Many Dreams were shattered. Like the dustbowl, there were also many robberies and women were mistreated over men. In my recent blog I talked about Immaculee Ilbagiza, a holocaust survivor. She is very successful today and reached many goals and dreams, but I'm sure that inside of her she is still sad and scared because of her experience of all her family members and loved ones dying. People did survive the dustbowl and fulfilled many dreams but are probably still scared and broken inside.
ReplyDeleteLeah, I really like your comparison to the Holocaust. This comparison was a really creative way to think of things. When I put these two examples together, I think of all of the suffering and the different types of tortures faced by both groups. I think the Holocaust was a little harder to get through since it was pretty much a mass extermination. During the Dustbowl, there were a few more opportunities for survival. Also, the Dustbowl group was able to stay with their families during travel, unlike many families during the Holocaust. I liked how you mentioned the part about the survivors setting new goals. I agree how they now have different opportunities, but are still very scarred and broken from their previous experiences.
DeleteLeah, I think that you did a great way of comparing the Holocaust to the Grapes of Wrath and the Dustbowl. I really liked how you brought up the fact of losing family members and how hard it is. Both groups of people had to go through those emotions and deal with that loss in their lives. I think it would be the hardest for the parents to lose their children because we tend to think that the parent dies before the child. I also think that talking about the survivors was great. They had goals and dreams that they wanted to achieve and they might have only gotten to do them years after their trouble was over with, but at least they had that oppurtunity.
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DeleteLike from the book “The Grapes of Wrath”, I also have gone through journeys and incidents that have might of seemed to be a great one at the time, but in the end the outcome wasn't very happy. My first incident deals with the girls Elk County Catholic soccer team. We played a game against Punxsutawney Chucks. The outcome of the game didn't go as planned. Another event that many people in today's society along with the past societies is when people send their children to the war and unfortunately the outcome of this doesn't turn out to a happy ending. In conclusion these two events that occurred in my life and in others life both relate to the hardships people moving to California faced when moving to a new and better land.
ReplyDeleteOn Saturday, the soccer team that I play for had a game against the lady chucks. The years before we played them and beat them seven to zero twice. As a result we figured that we had this game in the bag. We were almost so confident that we were going to win, that losing wasn't even in our vocabulary. We were wrong. Once the game started we had it on their side of the field almost one hundred percent of the time, but then we made one little mistake that allowed the lady chucks to end the first half one to zero them. This stunned us. We were appalled by the outcome of the first half. Once the second half started we shot the ball multiple times, but we came up short. In the end the lady chucks soccer team won the game one to zero. As we walked off the field we were so stunned that almost all of us were crying. Therefore, we lost a game that we were favored to win. I learned a very important lesson from this. This lesson was to never underestimate the other teams because you never know what could happen.
Another situation that relates to the hardships people traveling from the dust bowl is of people in today's age and years past that have sent their children off to fight the war. Many people who did this were scared, but proud to be a soldiers parent, it is an honor and a privilege. What many parents didn't always think of was if their children were coming home. Many families thought of their children going off to the war a nice thing. Serving their country is something to be proud of. Although this seemed good at the time many peoples kids died in the war, which made the good event that seemed good at the time to turn into a terrible moment filled with sadness. This relates to the people who experienced the dust bowl very well. It seemed a good idea at the time to move to another area for work. It also seemed that life would be ten times better moving away, but that changed once they got to California. Like this the dying soldiers experience is very similar because at the time many people thought it was the cool ting to go off to war, but when they don't come back, their happy emotions become sad. In conclusion, they both are very similar in how hardships become a part of people lives while looking for a better life.
In conclusion, my soccer game, and the dying soldiers of family's both relate to the hardships people who traveled to California as Okies to find the California fertile valley to make a better living for themselves and others was. All three of these situations showed that even though you think that good things are going to come to you, many times hardships have to be faced like death, or even a lost soccer game.
Emma, your comparison to a soccer game is one that I never would have thought of but makes perfect sense. That was a very good thought. I also like how you relate it to dying soldiers in the war, because it is something very heroic and I highly respect the men and women who volunteer their time and possibly lives for the freedom of our country. Good job!
DeleteSoccer, The Grapes of Wrath, who would ever think of putting those two together? You did, and it fits greatly. It talks of how one thing was expected to happen, and something else almost entirely different happened. You description of people's reactions to the game probably fit with the reactions of the Okies and characters in the Grapes of Wrath when they reached California. Something that was almost garunteed to happen didn't, and it was unexpected. Nice blog, Emma.
DeleteJohn Steinbeck depicts the harsh reality for so many individuals during the Dust Bowl. “Grapes of Wrath” can, for some, be difficult to take in. They deny that our government would ever let such despair and tragedy go on in our nation. When Steinbeck published the book, he faced a lot of heat, but his description of the accounts of all those who hoped for success and only found more disappointment was proven accurate. The drought caused a variety of problems all over. The banks took farmland, homes, and the spirits of those who cared for the land. As Steinbeck describes in “Grapes of Wrath”, farmers looked to their land as they would their selves; they cared for it, and refused to leave it even when the banks destroyed their homes. Moving to California had to have been the hardest decision they ever made. Not only is it just moving to a new home because they heard a chance of opportunity, but they sold all of their possessions, were extremely poor, and new that there was nothing left for them. They had no choice but to move. Another incident of a large mass of people moving against their will would have been the Trail of Tears, when the governments made the American Indians leave their homes to live in some camp hundreds of miles away. Those people could probably relate to the hardships the Joad family, and countless others, faced. They had no choice but to take what they could carry, and leave their homes without looking back. Both the Native Americans and those that went to California only found more hardships and despair. Many had died, grew severely ill, or probably even committed suicide finding out they left everything they ever knew only to find more disappointment. The Native Americans were poorly treated throughout their journey, only to find that they were to live in a fenced and guarded camp like criminals, even though they did nothing wrong.
ReplyDeleteMaria, I never thought of the Trail of Tears being compared to the Grapes of Wrath. They are kinda the same kind of situation though. The government came in and just kicked them out of the land they owned. I kinda of disagree though with the Indians. They were forced onto a reservation and couldn't live any where. The Okies weren't forced onto a certain area of land. They did have restrictians, but not like the Indians. They had to do what they were told to do and the government didn't even treat them like Americans. You still did a great job of making the reference to both of them.
DeleteThe Grapes of Wrath talks about many things in detail, especially the struggles during family’s movements from places like Oklahoma to California. Everything was going to change for the people. They didn’t know what to expect, they didn’t know what they would get. All they could do was hope. The Okies were hoping for better lives and jobs in California. However, it wasn’t really where they were going that changed them. It was the journey that changed them the most. With loss, death, sickness, injuries, and more struggles, the Okies just had to trudge along into their new world. New problems were arising from the new ones, all because of one drastic move after a life changing experience.
ReplyDeleteWhen I thought of all the problems that the Okies faced, I thought of a recent high school graduate heading off to college for the first time. They are completely alone. They are shoved into a new world with less of a backup system of close teachers and family members next to them. They are living with new people that they do not know. They can only take a couple of their comforts from home. They are in a new area of the world. Some students do not even check out their college, which is very much like that of the Okies. In both situations, they enter new territories that are still unknown to them. They are very much alone. If it turns out they don’t like the area or what it has to offer, the Okies could not return to the Midwest because of the Dustbowl, and the college student cannot leave because of their already paid tuition.
However, the college student has easier solutions to their problems. The college student will have an opportunity to explore the university that they would want to attend. They will get to pick the city that they will eventually live in. The student may even have the opportunity to pick out what type of housing and roommate that they may want. The Okies had to go without any choice in the matter. Basically, their only choice in the matter was life or death; they would live if they moved to California or die if they stayed in the Midwest. They began their worries on the trip to the new area, which starts the downhill spiral to an unknown future.
Carli, your comparison to college and the Grapes of Wrath is exactly what I thought of! New place, new environment, and new people. I also like your very last sentence, it is amazing. I really enjoyed reading your blog, good work!
DeleteThe Dust Bowl cause many problems for people living in the great plains region of America. It essentially ruined life for everyone that lived there by killing all the crops. The only way out for most people was traveling to California in hopes of settling down and living there. Many people that made it there had found what they were looking for, but unfortunately, most people could not have that luxury. The sheer number of people moving made earning jobs in California incredibly difficult. Some people could not even make it into California; they were stopped at the border and made to stay in surrounding states. After leaving everything behind and making a long journey, you can only imagine the disappointment. They could not have just stayed where they were originally either, survival was becoming increasingly difficult there. The dust storms were not only annoying, but they were also deadly. The people were forced to decide between staying in fatal conditions, or hoping that California really is their salvation.
ReplyDeleteThe story of people moving to California is actually similar to one I read some years ago. The Warriors books tell the story of four clans of wildcats. At one point in the series, the cats are forced out of the forest because people are removing a large portion of it in order to build a road. The road being built would ravage a large portion of the forest and make living there very difficult. Similar to what the people in the Dust Bowl had to do, they had to set out on a dangerous journey and go to lands they only heard about. In the end the cats were able to make the journey with limited difficulties and settle in the new land successfully. They were really just lucky that they were able to make the journey with such ease; people escaping the Dust Bowl rarely got the luck these cats did.
John Steinbeck's "The Grapes of Wrath" shows the difficulties of the typical Americans moving from the area where the dust bowl took its toll to California, where there seemed to be a promise of greater work opportunities. After arriving, however, many realized that all of these "jobs" were just rumors.
ReplyDeleteI think that this situation could be compared to when people immigrate into America. People used to think that our country was extremely wealthy and that there would always be jobs for all. As an examply, Irish people would immigrate to America seeking work during the potato blight. After arriving in America, Irish people were turned away from jobs just because of the fact that they were Irish, and so many Irish people were moving to America due to starvation. This relates to the immigration of today. Our borders are sealed, except for those who have direct family member or spouse that is already a citizen. These people are expecting to come to America and be accepted into the culture, and they are looked down on by those in our country.
These two situations relate almost exactly. The people are in desperate situations where they need jobs to support their families. They need jobs, and trust that there will be jobs at the place that they have been made to believe there will be jobs for them. They plan on working hard, but there is not always eneough work for them.
I like how you brought up the Irish during the potato blight. They thought they would have something promising here. It turned out that there were not enough jobs here for everyone and many died from disease and starvation. It would be very scary moving to a completely new place. For those moving today it would so much easier to make sure you would have a job there and a home. Back then, they did not have the resources that we do today, so they no idea what it would be like in their future home.
DeleteIn the novel "Grapes of Wrath" by John Steinbeck shows the hardships faced by people who had to emmigrate from Oklahoma to California.
ReplyDeleteWhen I am trying to compare these hardships to hardships others faced when they thought they would be going into something promising, I think of those who immigrated from Germany, Italy, and other countries. They came into New York City, Philadelphia, and other larger cities only to face overpopulation and poverty. They came to the United States for a better life, but only then realized it was not much better after they got here. These people were also highly discriminated against due to the fact that they were of different ethnicity. We still face this today when it comes to Hispanics or Asians.
Another situation that reminds me of hopefullness is a high schooler. High school is made out to be fun and exciting and care free. I have had such rough times in high school, being faced with many losses and also a lot of homework. I was hoping that going from middle school to high school would be an exciting adventure, which it is, but it also is a very tough four years. Then after high school, it is another adventure to go off to college where you are in a new environment and being all alone without your family like you have had for the past 18 years of your life. The Grapes of Wrath is a very relatable book that is both hard to read yet kind of enjoyable.
That is a great point of view. I never thought of immigrants facing the same hardships as those people in the Grapes of Wrath. They did face hardships trying to find jobs, just like the Okies. They had trouble finding places to live, just like the Okies. Finally, they had trouble getting to the hopeful "new home" in the first place, just like the Okies.
DeleteThe Grapes of Wrath can be compared to many people and stories throughout history. They include some stories from the bible, going off to college or other places, or even trying something new. They all include looking and thinking that one thing will happen, while something else entirely happens.
ReplyDeleteI think that one bible story that fits this theme is the story of the Israelites leaving Egypt into the desert. They thought that they were going straight to the promise land, where everything would be great and perfect. Instead, they wandered around for Forty years. They ate mana and lived in the desert, not entirely what they expected. They were looking forward to a great life, but they wandered around in the desert instead. They suffered from disappointment just like the Okies and characters in the Grapes of Wrath.
Going off to college seems like it could be the same idea. It seems like it would be the same because some people would expect one thing and get another. They might expect to have complete fun, but be dissapointed when they have lots more work to do than they expected. This could make them feel like some of the characters in the Grapes of Wrath.
Trying something new could result in this feeling also. For instance, if your friend really looked forward to riding a roller coaster, and thought that it would be the greatest thing in the world. When they finally got on it they ended up getting sick. They thought that something would be great and as expected, but instead got something that was almost just as bad, just like the Okies and the characters in the Grapes of Wrath- by Steinbeck.
Jess, I like what you compared the Okie's journey to. Many people think that college is just a time to have fun, but then when they finally get there they realize it's time to focus on school and your future. Also, the Israelite's trip is very similar. They thought they were going to a great new place where everything is fine, but they end up realizing that life is difficult and the journey may have not been worth it.
DeleteI like your comparisons to the bible, a book everyone knows about but not everyone reads. The Israelites had to wait forty years for what they were promised, and instead suffered for the entirety of the years. College too is something that most people know the experiences of. The work that comes with it is not always considered by people.
DeleteI like the way you compared the novel to high school. I agree with you about how you said high school was supposed to be fun and I couldn't wait to get there. It turns out that I'm always overwhelmed and I can only imagine that that was how the farmers had felt whenever they had to move to a different place. They didn't know what was coming and they were afraid and overwhelmed at what they might find out there.
ReplyDeleteIn John Steinbeck's, The Grapes of Wrath, millions of people were fleeing to California from many other states in the West. They thought they would find a better life there. They encounter many people on along the way that tell them that California is not all that great. They are not sure what to believe. They don't know if they should stay home, and possibly starve, or make the very dfficult journey to find something better within the unknown. The whole time everyone was thinking, what if we find no jobs in California and life is not better there? If the trip there wasn't hard enough, with the truck always breaking down, and almost running out of money, they also lost loved ones along the way. Many of the older people were not strong enough to make the journey. Others got sick and did not have enough money to buy medicine.
ReplyDeleteThis makes me think of other people that have immigrated to the United States from different countries many years ago, and even still today. It would be so terrifying to move to a new place and not know what to expect. Many people were willing to take this journey in hopes that it would be better than the life they left behind. In some cases, the new land was not that promising, and not at all what they had expected. People would have to learn to live amongst people of different backgrounds and religion in an environment that they were totally unfamiliar with. I personally don't know if i could make such a journey.
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ReplyDeleteI think that the life that the Okies lived can be compared to the 9/11 attacks. Life was good in 2001. President George W. Bush was in his first full year of presidency. It was the second year of the 21st century and new technology was on the rise. Then, the world came crashing down, literally. The two towers that made up the World Trade Center were hit by two hijacked planes. The group that planed the attacks was called Al-Qaeda. That was one of the worst days that The United States had faced in a long time. Thousands of innocent people died for no reason. Many more died because we started the Iraq War shortly after. After the attacks, security all over the country was increased. I think that this can be related to the Grapes of Wrath, on the levels of both good and bad. America was a happy place before the attacks. The Okies were going to a place where they felt it was rich in food and fertile land. America soon turned into panic mode and started to worry about other attacks. The lives of Americans were forever changed and that day will never be forgotten. In the Graped of Wrath, the Joads were warned that California isn't what they thought it was going to be, but they didn't have anywhere else to go. They also had to deal with the deaths of Granpa and Granma. Noah, one of the sons, also left the family. These two experiences are something that really effect America and me as a citizen. I hope and pray that these types of things don't ever happen again, for both my family and my fellow citizens.
ReplyDeleteI think that the story of the Okies can be compared to the immigrants that came to America during the Irish potato famine. These people suffered immensely in their homeland as their main source of income and food was destroyed. They were left penniless and desperate. Like other immigrants throughout American history the Irish were lead to believe that there as opportunities for them in America. What they did not plan on was the hatred they discovered. Throughout the entire famine years close to a million Irish immigrants came to America. The Irish Catholics arrived in an Anglo-Saxon Boston and that caused an immediate dispute over religion. The Irish were also overcharged for living that was far from sanitary for them. The homes were overcharged, overcrowded, and filthy. Like the Okies they believed that they would find better conditions away from their home, but like the Okies they were disappointed. Not all encountered such hardships and a lot were able to eventually integrate into American society.
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