Zoom In and Zoom Out-Honors Grapes of Wrath Essay

In John Steinbeck's classic novel The Grapes of Wrath, the balance of broad stories about all of the dust bowl farmers, and the zoomed in stories about one family impacts the novel a lot. Almost every other chapter followed this zoomed in and zoomed out pattern, and it always gave a new perspective about what was going on, and sometimes even foreshadowed an event coming up. The balance between the two perspectives was evident throughout the book and impacted it in a positive way that gave the reader clarification, background information and a better understanding of what they were reading about.

One of the first zoomed out chapters is about a turtle and its journey crossing the 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 foreshadowed the Joad family slowly moving along and moving west. The words like jerked itself along and humorous eyes looked ahead, gave a mental image and a great metaphor to a family moving west. A couple chapters later, the Joad family is on the move and they begin their slow journey west. The chapter helped keep the story moving, subconsciously prepared for what was going to happen next, and gave context and clear idea of what the Joad's journey would be like.

Before Casy and Tom even make it to the farm, there is a zoomed out chapter that fit perfectly into the story. Chapter five was all 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" For someone who doesn’t know that much about the dust bowl, this chapter gives you an idea about the situation so many people were in, and you eventually learn 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 see it from the families’ perspective, and it causes 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 and in perspective, was 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 all about cotton pickers, discrepancies in the industry, how the people worked and what cotton picking was like. In the next chapter the Joad family is working on a cotton farm, and instead of going through and reading about how they got their cotton bags, you already know how they got one and how their new job works. 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 it made me realize that everyone at that point was going through the same thing on the cotton farms. It also kept the book moving and mixed it up, so then once it went back to the Joad family, they were already settled in and working.

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, look deeper into the story and the history behind it. This wasn’t just a novel about a family going through The Great Depression, it was about all of the people going through the same thing, and the way farmers treated the migrants. The whole novel was impacted in a positive way that made you become a more involved and thoughtful reader.

Public Works Projects

Public works projects were programs that FDR created during his time in office. They were to help create jobs and help the American people in the Great Depression.
Some public works projects included:

-NLRB (National Labor Relations Board)

-TVA (Tennesse Valley Authority)

-Social Security

-Federal money was put into the arts to pay artists and expose the people to music and art.

For our society today, I would recommend social security, even though we already have it, it needs some kind of reform because all of the money is being drained out of it.

I also think that we need more money put into the arts and it would have a positive impact on the country.

We also need more programs like the TVA. Even though we have programs like it going on right now, I think we could use the money to work more on fixing pot holes, and research in medicine and on renewable energy. The programs we need to have should create jobs but also move our country forward.

Another place that needs money in our society is in our education system. Teachers that our educating the next generation shouldnt be laid off or get wage cuts. Our country isnt leading in education anymore, we are actually 16th in the world and that needs to change if we want our society to move forward.

A Bag Of Frogs (Honors Cannery Row Writing)

Cannery Row is a classic novel that tells the story of different people living on the row. One symbol that really defined an idea and had a lot of literal meaning was the bag of frogs Mack and the boys gave to Doc. The frogs tapped into the characters of Mack and his crew of boys, Doc and Lee Chong. Through the characters interactions with the bag of frogs, more of their personalities are revealed, and it keys into some of the underlying themes of the novel.

Mack and the boys wanted to throw a party for Doc, since he was such a good man to everyone. In the novel, they go to Doc and ask if they can go get frogs for him. For them, going to the frogs meant money, and also doing two good things for Doc; throwing him a party and getting him the frogs he needed. For Doc, although he thought the frog situation was sketchy; having the boys get the frogs was a convenience for him and an act of kindness. Lee Chong didn't have any interest in the plan to get the frogs, but he did supply the truck the boys went to get them in.

When Mack and the boys successfully return, they go to Lee Chong to bargain. At this point, Doc is still away, but Mack wants to get food and other supplies for the party. Since frogs were worth money, they work out a deal to treat frogs like money in the grocery store. "Frogs were cash as far as Doc was concerned, the price was standard and Lee had a double profit." 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. Mack said "Them frogs ought to be right here, right here in the middle of the room...." When Lee Chong agrees to this arrangement he went to the length of having Mack write out a paper "transferring the frogs to Lee in case there should be any question." That revealed how suspicious and how much of a cold businessman Lee Chong was, 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 enraged when he arrives home, but in the end it wasn’t a big deal and he moved on. His personality was clearly acknowledged as someone who doesn’t get hung up over the little things and it very forgiving and willing to let go.

The frogs were literally treated as money in the novel, and were a symbol too. Steinbeck took the irony of the frogs escaping and connected it to money. He expressed the concept of money being within our reach, sacrificing it to do something nice for someone and then having it be thrown away. This gives a better connection to how a particular character thinks of money. Doc shrugged off, showing that money wasn’t a big deal for him. Mack and the boys expressed a lot of sadness, and it wasn’t about the money, it was what they tried to do with it to make someone else happy. As for Lee Chong, the money was everything and almost the only thing that mattered. It all goes back to who you choose to be and the things that matter most to you in life.

The frogs helped the personalities of these characters shine through. From how they interacted and reacted to the frogs, and each other gave you a better look at who they truly were and their role in Cannery Row. 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. This point in the book gave a lot of insight and helped guide the readers perceptions of the characters for the rest of the book. 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.

Sympathy For Dust Bowl Farmers?

I think that the Grapes of Wrath successfully establishes sympathy for the Dust Bowl farmers. Steinbeck tells a side of the story that wasnt really known. You get the story from a migrant families perspective, and although the Joads did pretty well, you read about the families who weren't so fortunate. Having policemen arrest you for being smart, burning down your home, being called names and getting paid near to nothing, it's degrading and it really makes you feel bad for the characters. Although they may have been ignorant to what was coming, its still a story that makes you feel bad because they still have so much hope. I can understand where the farmers perspective comes in, but that isn't the focus of this story, you never pity them while reading.

Dear President Obama.....(Honors History)

Dear President Obama,

I know you have been going through some hard times trying to run our nation in such a difficult situation. If you want to succeed in fixing this "Great Recession" you should look to President Roosevelt and all of the action he took. He came into office almost the same way you did, with a lot support from the American people and a 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." You arent the only president who had to deal with recessions since Roosevelt's time in office. Even if some in America are beginning to lose faith in you, they have no idea how hard it is and how many other times this has happened. Its all a part of the economy. And for all those calling you a socialist, dont worry, imagine the things they were saying about FDR when he organized the economy and made social security.

Our economy isnt in its strongest place, and I think your efforts so far have been pretty good. Roosevelt created a lot of new jobs and created agencies that helped improve our country. For instance he created the REA (Rural Electrification Administration) which gave jobs to electricians to bring rural areas electricity. You too have done this, Ive seen the construction that has been a result of it, but maybe you could work on creating more agencies like FDRs. I think that what you did for research universities was a great move because it helps advance science, and puts money into the subjects who are everyday people like me.

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 don't think that this would be the right path for you, at least not right now. What you're doing seems great, calling together members for a summit so you can hear them out is very gracious of you. You just need to work on winning more republicans over by hearing them out and compromising. People these days are very stubborn and want to do what they think their state wants, hear them out but still assert your power and judgment. As for democrats speaking against you, do the same thing. Just because they are in your party doesnt mean they have to think the same way you do, but youre doing a great job leading them whether they agree with you or not.

As for you look among the American people and leaving your mark in history, you have already created a positive image that many people admire and will remember. FDR spoke to his nation when an important time was upon them. One example is when he re-opened the banks and encouraged people to keep using them, and the deposits ended up exceeding the withdrawals that day. I know you address the public much more, especially with so much technology to utilize, but its important to always be speaking 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." Speak directly to the people of the United States, and do it before something important happens.

Take charge in congress and work with them, be bold, speak to the people, come up with new ideas to better our nation and work to get new legislation passed. Try your hardest and keep your head up, whether people like it or not, you're the best thing our country has right now, and you have at least three more years to prove that to them.

Good Luck,

Emilie Colwell

Sources:

(Packet Sabrina gave us in class) Chapter 4, FDR's First Term: Battling the Great Depression page 55-67

Packer, George. "THE NEW LIBERALISM." The New Yorker November 17, 2008

Coll, Steve. "THE TEST." The New Yorker November 10, 2008

Freedoms and Structures of Ampersand

I think that I preformed pretty well with the freedoms that we got to work on Ampersand. I really would have appreciated more work time to develop ideas. But I spent a good portion of my time working on being one of the managing editors, and less time on brainstorming. The structures really helped me to figure out what I wanted to write about and how to make it interesting. Looking back at last years book was really helpful for me. It was hard for me to come up with the perfect topic because I wanted it to be as good and interesting as most of last years articles. And it doesn't help that I'm really in-decisive about everything! In the end I got feedback from a few different people and now I cant wait to start my article!