semester 2 blog 13 Grapes of wrath

The Grapes of Wrath balances a number of broad stories about the dust bowl farmers, and one family's problems in particular during the novel. Almost every other chapter followed this zoomed in and zoomed out pattern, and it always gives new perspective about what was going on, sometimes this would even foreshadow an upcoming event. You were easily able to notice these two perspectives throughout the book and the impact it has on the reader.

One of the first zoomed out chapters is about a turtle and its journey crossing a road. "The turtle entered a dust road and jerked itself along, drawing a wavy shallow trench in the dust with its shell. The old humorous eyes looked ahead..." This zoomed out perspective foreshadows the Joad family who is slowly moving west to California. A couple of chapters later, the Joad family is on the move and they begin their slow journey west. The chapter helped to keep the story moving, preparing for what is to happen next.

Before Casy and Tom even make it to the farm, there is a zoomed out chapter that fits perfectly into the story. Chapter five was about the owners of the land, banks, tractors, and the "monster" they have created."You’re on land that isn’t yours. Once over the line maybe you can pick cotton in the fall. Maybe you can go on relief. Why don’t you go on west to California? There’s work there" This is good for people who don’t know much about the dust bowl, this chapter gives you an idea about the situation so many people were in, and eventually learn how the Joads are in this place too. This chapter impacted the novel and gave the reader background information about what story they were really getting into. You get to see this from the families’ perspective, this helps the reader to understand how the dust bowl farmers felt even before meeting the Joads. It made their situation more relatable and it showed how many people were in the same place.

Another zoomed out chapter that kept the book flowing was during chapter 27."I aim to pick some cotton. Got a bag? Well, no, I ain't. Coast ya a dollar, the bag. Take it out o' your first hunderd and fifty" This chapter was about the cotton pickers, how the people worked and what cotton picking was like. Steinbeck kept the dialogue vague and he mixed thoughts, conversations and descriptions together. This chapter impacted the novel through the way it was written, and because it gave the greater perspective, and helped me to realize that everyone at that point was going through the same thing on the cotton farms. This also kept the book moving and also added some new twists to it.

Without the zoomed in, zoomed out chapters, the book would not have given the reader the same understanding they got from the balance of the two. The metaphors, foreshadowing, generalized thoughts and perspectives had an impact on the balance of the story with the Joads. The way Steinbeck wrote the book caused you to read more mindfully. This wasn’t just a novel about a family going through The Great Depression, it was about the whole country going through the same problem. The whole novel was impacted in a positive way that made you become a more involved and thoughtful reader.

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a public works project i would get rid of in today's society is the self check out line machines. I understand the point of them but the only problem is the older generations of people. They have never experienced this so its gonna take them a very long to adapt and speed up. they also take away jobs from cashiers and replacing them with machines now its every future movie's worst nightmare having the world run by machines.

semester 2 honors blog 2

Cannery Row tells the story of the different people that live on the row. A symbol that i thought really defined an idea and had a lot of meaning was the bag of frogs that Mack and the boys give to Doc. I felt That the frogs tapped into the characters of Mack and his crew, Doc and Lee Chong. Through the characters interactions with the bag of frogs, more of their personalities are revealed.

In the novel Mack and the boys wanted to throw a party for Doc, for being such a good guy to everyone. In the novel, they go to Doc and ask if they can go get frogs for him. They told him that he would pay for each frog they got. This was a way to remove any thought of something else. Although at first he thought the frog situation was sketchy; having the boys get the frogs was a convenience for him and an act of kindness.

When Mack and the boys successfully return, they go to Lee Chong to bargain. At this point, Doc is still away, and Mack wanted to get food and other supplies for the party. For Lee Chong, this whole transaction was about making a profit, and a little bit about helping make the party for Doc happen.

The Boys had all good intentions in mind throughout the frog adventure, and they even take it one step further. Mack decides it would even be better if the frogs were right there in the doorway for Doc to see at the party. When Lee Chong agrees to this arrangement he went to the length of having Mack write out a paper giving Lee the frogs in case someone asks questions. This showed me how cold blooded Lee Chong was, and that money was all that mattered.

The party ends up being wild and out of control, and Doc doesn't even make it home to be a part of it. By the early morning when the house is completely trashed, the frogs began to escape. "well before dawn they had all gone." Doc is angry when he gets home, but in the end forgives them because he understands what their intentions were. That shows me what kind of a person doc is, in my opinion he is the type of guy that doesn't dwell in the past instead he moves on.

The frogs were literally treated as money in the novel, and can also be a symbol. Steinbeck used the frogs escaping as a connection to money. He showed how when money is within our reach, and you decide to do something nice by using that money to make someone happy is better that just wasting it. Doc shrugs it off, showing that money isn't a big deal for him. Mack and the boys show a lot of sadness at this point, and it wasn’t even about the money, it was the fact that they tried to do something nice with the money to make someone else happy.

The frogs helped to show the characters true colors. From how they interacted and reacted to the frogs, this also gave you a better look at what their role was. Lee Chong was the profit obsessed grocer, Mack and the boys were the men with good intentions and Doc was the one who was forgiving and kept his cool. All of the characters in the novel were working towards something, and this symbol was just one way to show how certain characters get there and what truly matters to them.

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I think that grapes of wrath does successfully establish sympathy for the farmers during the dust bowl because it goes behind the scene to show how the people that were affect by the depression. i was new because i didn't know the pain that the families had to go through just so that they could provide a better life for their family. For example the Joad family who is struggling to keep everyone alive. the grandma and grandpa had already died, Casey is is jail, Connie was left behind, and tom is risking a parole violation to stay with his family. this book, in my opinion does establish sympathy for the Joad family, who were farmers originally.

semester 2 blog 9

i like that we are able to write about anything that we want but i don't like how we never get time in class to work on it at all. I feel that my ideas could be stringer if we had more time to work during class.

Semester 2 honors history blog 1

Dear Obama,

I know that things must be difficult especially during these difficult times. If you find yourself needing some guidance to look towards i would suggest a book called "Great Recession" it details all of the actions that Roosevelt did during his terms in office. Just like how he came into office you were graced with a lot support from the American people determination to change the way things were done in the white house.

An article in the New Yorker written in 2008 said "Last week, the Department of Commerce reported that the economy is shrinking. Almost certainly, the United States has entered its twelfth official recession since Roosevelt’s death." just like Roosevelt you have to deal with the recession. Even if there are those that are beginning to lose faith in you, it doesn't matter because they have no idea how hard it is to run a country and the responsibility that comes with it. For the people that are calling you a socialist, dont worry. Imagine what FDR had to go through when he was trying to organize and making the economy stronger.

Anybody could tell you our economy isnt the strongest thing right, but I think your efforts so far have been very good for us. Roosevelt created plenty of new jobs and created agencies that helped to improve our country. For instance he created the REA (Rural Electrification Administration) which gave jobs to electricians who then brought electricity to rural areas. You too have done this, I've seen the construction that you have started to but, maybe you could work on creating more agencies like FDR did. I think that what you did for research universities was a very smart move because this would help us make advances in science, and putting more money into the subjects.

Your relationship with congress has definitely been a difficult one, especially with the split congress and so many conservatives accusing you of being a socialist. President Roosevelt actually threatened his congress in his own inaugural speech, which was bold and he was lucky enough to have a positive outcome. He said "I shall ask the Congress for the one remaining instrument to meet the crisis-broad Executive power to wage a war against the emergency..." I think that its time you told congress what time it is by putting your foot down on the ground. Right now you need to work on winning more republicans over by hearing them out and compromising. People these days are very stubborn and want something if it directly benefits them. As for democrats who speak against you, you just need to do the same thing. Just because they are in your party doesn't mean they think the same way you do, but despite them you're doing a great job leading them.

As for you look among the American people, you have already created a positive image that many people admire and will remember. FDR spoke to his nation when they needed it most. One example is when he re-opened the banks. I know you address the public much more, especially with so much technology to utilize, but don't forget that its important to always speak to your people. FDR did this, and "people were amazed, almost flattered that a president would talk to them directly on such an important subject." Speaking directly to the people is a good way to earn their trust especially in these dark times because people need hope.