Monday, October 22, 2012

Chapter 22

This is the chapter where the group arrives at Weedpatch.  The characters that appear in this chapter are of course the Joads, Timothy and Wilkie Wallace, Mr. Thomas and all the other camp members.  This is where things actually start looking up for Joads.  They finally have found a place to sleep and eat comfortably in a place where everybody has had similar struggles.  Another upside to this chapter is that Tom actually finds good work with Timothy and Wilkie Wallace getting 30 cents an hour.  Unfortunatly, they found out that the wage has been cut to only 25 cents per hour now.

One important theme in this chapter is when Tom finally lands a decent job.  This is basically the first bit of good news that the Joads have heard since the start of their journey.  It shows that there may actually be a little light at the end of the tunnel. Another important theme is having an organized "government" in the campsite.  This helps lead the people to more friendly tendencies when they are actually given a voice such as in Weedpatch.

An important passage is one at the end of page 294 when Mr. Thomas talks about how the bank is making him lower his wage to only 25 cents.

The chapter that mostly resembles this one is one way earlier in the book before the Joads even started on the road.  I believe it compares to this time because it was the only other time where hope was evident in the story.  This chapter contrasts with chapter 21 because this is when they find out that most groups despise the Okies, but we find out this isn't true and they can actually get hired for work.

CH 22


The characters in this chapter besides the Joads would be the camp manager, Timothy and Wilkie Wallace, Mr. Thomas and other camp members. The Joads arrived to the camp and Tom managed to get the family settled. The family finally had basic necessities that they needed to live such as warm water, food, and security. Tom managed to get a job and learn about the camp and the people in it.

Tom getting his job is a big milestone for the family. The money he makes helps go towards food and living in the camp. Even though the pay was cut because of the Farmers' Association, he is more than willing to take the job. The Farmers' Association is trying destroy the government camps to help remove the "Okies".
What is the Farmers Association and what do they do?
How did Tom get his first Job?

Mr. Thomas said, "Well look out next Saturday" because he was warning them about a fight that was going to happen in the camp. This passage shows that not everyone is against the Okies and that a future is possible even though a large portion of the population around them want them to leave. Another quote is, "You got wash tubs-running water?" which was stated by Ma. This sentence shows how much the Joads don't have. Water is needed for survival and the Joads have just gotten a feeling of hope from hearing about running water.

This chapter can be compared to when Tom came home from jail to find nothing of his house. He eventually found his old friends and neighbors though to help him find his family and support him. Tom went home expecting to find his family but only found destruction until he found his friends. This is similar to him going to the West where he found nothing at first but eventually found the camp where he now has a job. 

chapter 22 Dillon Steinhilber

Cast of Characters: The Joads', the camp manager, the watchman, Wilkie and Timothy, Mr. Thomas, the crazy religious lady, and the women's committee.

Main Events: 1. Tom getting a job- Tom got lucky, he got a job right off the bat when he arrived at the camp. He met up with a man and his son (Timothy and Wilkie) and quickly became friends with them. they took him with him to their work site digging ditches and convinced Mr. Thomas to let Tom on the team.

2. Rose of Sharon getting yelled at by the religious lady- The super crazy religious lady scared Rose of Sharon very much when she was talking about sin. Rose was so scared that she even cried because she thought that her baby was going to be still born. later when Ma nad thesame lady got into a verbal argument, The camp manager told Ma that she always causes trouble and not to mind her. Ma warned the manager though, that if she comes again she might hit the crazy lady.

3. Ma meeting the committee- This was a very important moment for Ma, she spent the entire day cleaning up the kids and the family. She wanted to be respectable to the ladies so they will like her and she can get  a good job around the camp. she really ended up liking the committee and it really solidified her liking of the camp as a whole.

Main Themes: Improvised leadership- when the Joads went into the camp the quickly found out that there was a camp manager, but the real power resided in the committees. the committees are actually ran by the inhabitants of the camp themselves and are elected by the others. leadership always promotes peace and prosperity to any desperate situation because people have someone to look up to.

Pregnancy- I believe that the whole reason Steinbeck created a pregnant character was to bring about the concept of a better tomorrow and that no matter what happens, life will always go on. He does thi though Rose of Sharon.

"The people here worked me out of a job. They keep the camp clean, they keep order, they do everything. I never saw such people. They're making clothes in the meeting hall. And they're making toys. Never saw such people."

"You be good. If you got in on you-you better watch out for that there baby"

Compare and Contrast-
Comparison: There are similar camps just like the one the Joads are currently in all around the world, even today. Sadly there will always be homeless people, and the government is trying to be responsible and help them out. You really see that clearly in this chapter.
Contrast: The government camp is much nicer and better in every way than the Hooverville that the Joadds were in before. This one has toilets, government, running water, and no outside interference by the corrupt police department.









Chapter 22

Characters: Tom Joad, Timothy Wallace, Wilkie Wallace, Mr Thomas, Jim Rawley, Mrs. Sandry.

Summary: In this chapter the Joads come across a government sponsored camp called The Weedpatch camp. It is self governed so the local police can't abuse the people living there. After arriving Tom meets two men, Timothy and Wilkie Wallace, who take him to a ranch that is looking for work. Once there they meet the boss of the ranch, Mr. Thomas. He tells them about the Farmers’ Association which puts a cap on how much he can pay the men, 25 cents an hour. Mr. Thomas also tells the men of the Farmers Association to start a riot in the Weedpatch camp so the local police can step in and kick everyone out. At the camp Ma Joad meets the camp manager, Him Rawley. He is very kind to Ma and revives her lost hope for human kind. Also Mrs. Sandry stops by and tells Rose to beware of the sinning that goes on in the camp, and that if she sins her baby will be born dead.

Themes: The two themes that I noticed and thought were important were how man kind can be good, and that sometimes you must be patient.

Passages: Pg. 294 - 295
                 Pg. 320

Compare and Contrast: This chapter is similar to chapter 13 because the Joads meet people that want to help them. Also they are still living in improvised house and communities.  
                                           This chapter differs from chapter 21 because is 21 they talk about how the locals from together in to bands that terrorize the okies. In 22 Mr. Thomas shows that not all of the locals hate the okies and that they are willing to pay them good for work.


Ch. 23 and 24- Grapes of Wrath

Chapter-23
Character: Migrant Workers within the camp
Summary and analysis of Chapter 23: Migrant workers within the camp drink sing and play music in order to alleviate some of the stress coming from the hard economic times. Families spend money on alcohol and drink and gather around the campfire for songs and stories. This chapter truly shows how the migrants are feeling and even though many of them have little to no hope. They find time to get away from it all for a little bit and are able to leave their worries behind for a short period of time. As the story continues we see that many have found salvation or hope through these activities and the preacher's sermons around the fire and baptism's show that many people have found salvation either through religion or through the formation of relationships within the camp.
Theme: The main theme in this chapter appears to be the fact that the migrants how found a way to forget about there problems. Many have also found salvation and hope in religion and beliefs that have helped them continue through the rough economic times. Another theme is the coming together of various cultures and customs and coming together to share and create a new type of music and forms of entertainment to forget about the difficult times
Passage:"the stars are close and dear and I have joined the brotherhood of the worlds. And everything's holy-everything, even me."


Chapter 24
Characters: Jule Vitela, Timothy Wallace, Ma Joad, Ruthie, Winfield, Al, Rose of Sharon, Pa, Uncle John, Tom, Willie Eaton, Ezra Huston.
Summary and Analysis: Uncle John and Pa leave to look for work opportunities  While they are gone Willie, Huston, Timothy, Jule and Tom come together to find the a culprit that has been sent to start a riot in order for the police to have the opportunity to close the shelter and camp down. They capture the men after Jule spots one of them trying to mess with another mans women in order to start a fight. But no fight occurs they interrogate and kick the men out of the camp. In this chapter we see how much the police is trying to eliminate and get rid of the camp. The cops devise a plan that will grant them the right to close the facility that a large amount of families have become dependent on. The attempt to destroy the camp is one that is both malicious and selfish of the farmers association and shows how greedy yet scared they are of the migrants.
Theme: In this chapter we see the act of the farming association attempt to eliminate the camp that many families have become dependent on. They have begun to send in undercover members in hopes of starting a riot and therefore getting the authority to enter and close the camp down. The theme in this chapter most likely is the teamwork used in order to find the undercover members. They succeed and save the camp from the devious plan.

Passage: "Don't knife your own folks . . . . You're jes' harmin' yourself." 

Friday, October 19, 2012

Chapters 23 & 24: Kris Brown

Chapter 23
Characters: Migrant Workers, A man recruited against Geronimo
Summary: Migrants scutter around for jobs; meanwhile a man is describing his time among rifleman that shoot "Injun's", stories of the city life, getting drunk, string bands and dancing.
Main Theme: The main theme was by using juxtoposition of the main storyline, describe the life of other people during this time period. One question about this chapter is, where exactly is this man from? It leads me to believe Texas because it is mentioned occasionally, but it never is clear.
Passage: " Maybe that Injun knowed somepin. Knowed we couldn' shoot Jes' laid there with the rifles cocked...Lookin' at him. Head-band, one feather. Could see it, an' naked as the sun. Long time we laid there an' looked, an' he never moved. An' then the captain got mad. 'Shoot, you crazy bastards, Shoot!' he yells. An' we jus' laid there. 'I'll give you to a five-count, an' then mark you down,' the captain says...An' ever' man hoped somebody'd shoot first. I ain't never been so sad in my life. An' I laid my sights on his belly...an'--then. Well, he jest plunked down an' rolled."
Chapter 24
Characters: Willie Eaton, Ezra Huston, Timothy Wallace, Ma Joad, Ruthie, Winfield, Al, Rose of Sharon, Pa, Uncle John, Tom, Jule Vitela.
Summary: Uncle John and Pa leave to look for work; Willie, Huston, Timothy, Jule and Tom all band together to root out men they suspect are sent to start a fight at the dance which allows for the police to interfere with their private community. Ma, Ruthie, Winfield, Rose of Sharon all stay near the tent and watch the dance; Al goes to the dance and flirts with girls. Jule spots the men and they are captured, questioned, and kicked out of the camp.
Main Theme: The people of the camp simply want to enjoy their autonomous collective without the interferance of the police, but the cops send in men to start a riot so that they can intervene and govern the camp. A question that could be asked is, What exactly becomes of the men that are kicked out of the camp? It says that they disappear into the darkness, but it leaves it open ended as if they might make another appearance in the book.
Passage:"'Awright boys, put 'em over the back fence. An' don't hurt 'em. They don't know what they're doin'.'..Jule said 'Le's jes' take one good kick at 'em.'
'No you don't!' Willie cried. 'I said we wouldn'.'
'Jus' one nice little kick,' Jule pleaded. 'Jes' loft 'em over the fence.'
'No sir,' Willie insisted...The three men climbed over the fence and disappeared into the darkness."

Chapters 24 and 25


     The cast of the chapters included the chairman of the camp committee, Ezra Huston, Rose of Sharon, Tom, Ma, Willie, Connie, John, the men paid in attempt to start a riot, and the man who shares his story about the men who were hired for cheap labor and ran out of town.  In these chapters, the camp dance was to happen at night.  There was word of people starting riots to allow the government an excuse to shut down the camps.  Ezra hired several men to watch for these instigators and try to contain them should anything be attempted.  Three men were unsuccessful in trying to start a riot confessing to the fact that they were paid handsomely to do so.  There was a man that told a story of travelers who were hired for cheap labor and started a union.  They were soon run out of town by the townspeople after the start of the union.  In California, migrants and farmers were struggling against the land owners who monopolized the farming industry.  Everyone was growing impatient for salvation.
       One theme I noticed was the need for family.  With that I mean a group of people who are willing to get each other’s backs even if it means consequence.  We see that the camp has a committee devoted to making sure that everything in the camp itself is run smoothly with the cooperation of everyone by having everyone chip in and having people look out at the dances as if their own form of security.  You can see that people do care and the fact that they are having a dance for the camp shows a great sense of unity in that they still have hope in each other.  Another theme that is probably going to be popular is hope.  These themes do have similarities, but you can see the hope that everyone has at the dance at night by enjoying themselves and just getting away from all of the hardships for a bit and the migrants and farmers in California are all struggling, but are not quite completely giving up.  The people obviously still have hope for something better if they are still working because that is what it is going to take to get to something better.  Working that is.
       One question I had was as to how people can be so terrible as to hire others to start a riot for an excuse to take away all hope a group of struggling humans had?  Another question I had was, why is that the local farmers in California could not create their own unions? Were they really that afraid to stand up to the monopoly?  I mean it’s not like they had anything else to lose.
       One passage I found was on page 337 where Ma told her daughter, “’You always was a good girl.  I’ll take care a you.  Don’t you fret’”.  Again with this we see that people are looking out for each other.  Another passage I found interesting was on page 349 where it says, “In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage”.  This quote shows the desperation coming from the farmers and that something really needs to be done before all hope is lost.
        A comparison I made was when the dance was going on, you could see that there was a lot of hope kind of like we saw earlier when grandpa died and the family still kept moving on in hopes of something better and in the world we see hope with multibillion fundraising in hopes of cures for diseases like cancer and we see the stories of those who have been affected by it.  A contrast I noticed was with the government trying to buy off people to instigate riots to get an excuse to shut down the camp.  I contrasted this to the fact that the government advertised themselves earlier in the book as doing many things to help the nation rebuild and grow, but are trying to make it impossible for some in doing so.  Today we see some corruption with the lies and the promises that rarely kept in our government.

Christian Watson- Chapter 24/25

Chapter 24

Cast of Characters: Erza Houston, Willie Eaton, Jeremy, Ruthie, Winfield, Tom, Al, Rose of Sharon, Pa, Ma, Uncle John, Jackson, Jule, Blackhat

Summary: It's the night of the dance and the Joad Family attends. Tom and some men are on the look out for people trying to start a riot and get the camp shut down. Tom and the men spot some suspicious men and keep an eye on them for the time being. One of the suspects gets into an argument about someone's dance partner. The men gather up the suspects and kick them out of the camp. The final result being that the dance continued and the camp was not shut down.

Themes:
Ma continues to be the Anchor of the family
Tom begins to grow as a person

Questions:
How/ Why were these men picked to start a riot?
How would have things been different if the men didn't catch the suspects?

Quotes:
Pg 340 "These here dances done funny things. Our people got nothing, but jes' because they can ast their frien's to come here to the dance, set ' em up an' make 'em proud"

Pg 337 "You're a good girl", Ma said. "you always was a good girl. I'll take care a you. Don't fret."

Compare/Contrast:
This chapter and as chapters before shows Ma Joad's love and value for family and that she is a true bond like an anchor for ship of the family. This chapter is different because people have temporarily forgotten about the present challenges and hardships and are currently amused by the dancing.


Chapter 25:

Characters: Small farmers and larger monopolizing landowners.

Summary: Small town farmers get overrun by larger monopolizing landowners just like the migrants. Crops are poor and debt continuously increases.

Themes:
Depression
Devastation of small business

Quotes: 
Pg 349 "In the souls of the people and the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage"

Pg 349 "There is a crime here that goes beyond denunciation. There is a sorrow here that weeping cannot symbolize."

Compare/Contrast:
This chapter like others takes a step back from the main characters of the story and looks at the big perspective of the situation.







Chapter 26 analysis

Summary
The Joads have been at the camp for a month and the only work that they found was Tom's five days worth. Everyone in the family was getting hungry and sick. The Joads then decide to pack up and leave. Before they leave though, Tom says his goodbye to his friend, Jule. Jule suggests that if the migrant people had a leader, and all got together to form a union, then the cops could not push them around anymore. As the Joads are on their way up North to look for work, their car gets a flat tire. As Tom and Al are fixing it, a guy pulls over on the road and tells them that there is work up North picking peaches. They evemtually get to the place that offers work picking peaches, and find out that it provides housing. The whole family got involved in picking peaches for work. That night, Tom went to explore the area. Tom found Casey, who was leading a protest outside the area. Casey is protesting because the wages drop from five cents a box to two and a half cents a box once more people start coming in. After Casey and Tom talk for a little while, a cop comes and kills Casey for being a lead protestor. Tom reacts by killing the cop that killed Casey. Tom received a busted up face from the other cop, but somehow managed to get away. The next day, Tom went into hiding, because he would be caught immediately if people saw his face. Also the next day, the wages drop from five cents a box to two and a half cents a box, just as Casey said they would. The Joads find out that the word on the street is that Tom killed the cop before the cop hit Casey. The Joads decide to leave the area, with Tom hiding in the back of the truck. They drive down the road a little ways, and see a "Cotton Pickers Wanted" sign. There are old abandoned cars to live in for shelter. The Joads decide to stay there, and live in the cars and pick cotton. Tom decided that he will hide out in the woods until his face is better, and then he will join the rest of the family in work.

Two Important Themes (Underlined above)
1. One important theme of this chapter is the migrants coming together as one to form a protest, or a union against the authorities. We see this theme when Jule and Tom are saying goodbye to each other, and Jule says that the migrants should all get together, and then the cops could not push them around anymore. Also we see this theme whenever we find out that Casey is the leader of a protest against the authorities.
2. Another important theme of chapter 26 is abusive authority. We see this theme when the cop kills Casey for leading the protest. We also see it when the cops spin the story around, and make it seem as though Tom is the one who struck first.

Two Questions for this Chapter
1. What causes the tire to go flat on the road?
2. Who is leading the protest outside of the camp?

Two Passages
1. On page 353 Ma Joad says to Tom, "You got more sense Tom. I don't need to make you feel mad. I got to lean on you. Them others - they're kinda strangers, all but you. You won't give up Tom."

2. On page 384, Casey says to Tom, "Cops cause more trouble than they stop."

Compare and Contrast
Comparison: This chapter is like chapter number 20 because of the abusive authority involved. In chapter 20, the cops burn down the camps and tents that people were living in. In this chapter, a cop kills Casey because he is leading a protest. This reminds me of the cops in the south during the civil rights movement that would beat the black people trying to march and stand up for their rights.

Contrast: This chapter can also be contrasted to an event in chapter 20. The even that contrasts is at the end, when Tom is able to hold back when the cop aggrivates him. In chapter 26, Tom also faces a lot of aggrivation from a cop, when the cop kills Casey. This time however, Tom cannot hold back, and he kills the cop. This event reminds me of America's involvment during WWII. At first, America was able to stay out of the war. Then when America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by Japan, America could not hold back anymore and got involved in the war.
Chapter 23&24

Characters- people migrating

Themes- copeing- people are trying to cope with the situation by writing music or drinking alcohol.
seeking god- preachers preformed mass batizing sesions and gave sermons.

Main idea- people were trying to take thiere minds off of what was going on. they did this with music or drinking. people were also worreing about what there lives were comming to. preechers gave large sermons to try and help the people through it.

1. how do you think the preechers felt about the situation. did they have trouble dealing with the lifestyle.
2. did the preechres take part in the drinking at all?

the chapter was talking about a large group of migrants such as the book has done in the past. it is describing how the people are trying to deal with the troubles of there life. it tells us the ways they coped with the situation. what the chapter did that other chapters had not yet done was showed how worried people acctually were.

Chapter 24

Characters-  duputy sherifs, ezra huston, jule, jackson, al, pa, ma, rose of sharon

Themes- letting go- the migrants get together and have a dance. people go and have a good time and kinda let go for a little while and have a good time.
sticking together- the men get together and stop the men that try to start the riot at the dance.

1.how well do you think the men were paid to try and start the riot
2.do you think this dance helped people during the hard time

this chapter like many others showed the familys getting together and overcomming a challenge such as stopping the riot. the book never really has showed the migrants getting together for fun like this

Chapter 22

In chapter 22 the Joads finally arrive to the government camp and have the opportunity to rest in a safe location. The Joads meet similar new people at the camp such as the manager, committee members, and caring and friendly 'Okies' also looking for work. The Joad family found a place to settle down within an area that provided plenty of luxuries such as hot water and toilets and protection from law enforcement.  Tom was able to find work the next morning after arriving at the camp and this sparked excitement in the family because they began to believe this was a start to a new life. While on the job, Tom and two others from the camp are informed about a plan by the Farmers' Association to invade the camp and start up a riot to allow the police to enter.

As the Joads settle at the camp it is obvious the begin to feel a sense of security and for the first time in a long time are happy about the camps way of life. The theme here is the change in lifestyles for the Joads on the road. At the camp they have the opportunity to find work, be safe from trouble, and enjoy the time they have  because the camp is filled with kind and friendly people, but also people just like them working hard for a fair chance in society. Another theme during the discussion between the employer, Mr. Thomas, and Tom and two other workers about how Association doesn't like the government camps and wants to get a deputy in to clean out the camp. The theme in this event is that despite the 'Okies' are trying to form their own way of living through government camps, because those in power, the Bank and Farmers' Association, have no influence over them, the powers want to shut down the government camps in order to regain that influence. The wealthy fear the loss in control and the gathering of the working class setting up their own foundations that could lead to future trouble with their current businesses.

How are the government camps organized?

What does Mr. Thomas say to explain why the Farmers' Association wants to shutdown government camps?

Two passages I thought were imprtant in chapter 22 was when Timothy, The committee member and person who worked with Tom, said. "They're scairt we'll organize, I guess. An' maybe they're right. This here camp is a organization. People there look out for theirselves. Got the nicest strang band in these parts. Got a little charge account in the store for folks that's hungry. Fi' dollars-you can git that much food an' the camp'll stan' good. We ain't never had no trouble with the law. I guess the big farmers is scairt of that. Can't throw us in jail -why, it scares 'em. Figger maybe if we can gove'n our- selves, maybe we'll do other things."

Another passage was when Ma cried to Pa, "This here's the time the fambly got to get decent Comin' acrost they wasn't no chancet. But now we can." Showing the family is anxious about finally settling down and get the opportunity to live decently.

Chapter 22 can be compared to chapter 10 when the family was still at their home but were preparing for a new lifestyle. Chapter 22 may be compared to the world when families are given government aid to live such as welfare. The welfare helps them get off the streets and live a better life than struggling on their own with little food and money.

In contrast chapter 20 is much different in chapter 22 because instead of being excited about a new location to stay at they were introduced to 'Hooverville' where there was a gathering of poor and suffering people barely surviving the day. The Joads were introduced to a group of people who lacked organization and leadership and were confronted by trouble with a contractor and deputy. You see locations such as these in the world, which are usually called slums.

Chapter 23 & 24

Chapter 23:
Cast of Characters- Migrant People; Parents, children, and a preacher

Main Events- The people who were now migrants made their own fun and good times even though life for them was at it's hardest at this time. In the camps, the people are worried about what their lives have come to and a preacher tries to save them.

Themes-
Perseverance; Even though times were hard, they kept pushing on and making their own fun to try and stay happy.
Worry; This theme describes the part of the chapter when he is talking about how the preacher is saving the migrants in the camp.

1. Do you think the preacher the chapter was referring to could have been Jim Casy?
2. Do you think the men who got drunk to ease the pain did it very often during this time?

-The passage with the Texas boy and Cherokee girl dancing is interesting because it shows us what a wide variety of people from so many different states had the same issues going in their lives and all show up here together and still try to make the best out of what they have.
-The passage where those who are trying to be saved by the preacher in the camp is sad because we see how worried these families are about their lives that they would randomly do this.

Compare- This chapter describes a general group of migrants who drank, sang, and danced to forget about the hard times they were going through. This is just like the Joad's in the camp when they attend the dance on Saturday night. The chapter describes migrant men who drank to try and forget about what their families are going through, many people still drink today to try and ease pain and hard times in family life.
Contrast- The book has never before described families being so worried that they result to being "saved" by a migrant preacher. This chapter said that men would buy alcohol to drink when they had a couple extra dollars or change. The prices of alcohol today are so much more than just a few bucks or just a few cents.


Chapter 24:
Cast of Characters- Migrant men, women and children, Ezra Huston, Willie Eaton, Jeremy, Ruthie, Winfield, Al, Pa, Ma, Uncle John, Rose of Sharon, Tom, Black Hat, Jule, Jackson, caller, guard, deputy sheriffs.

Main Events- The camp held it's dance on Saturday night and all of the Joad's attended. It was heard there was going to be a fight at the dance and when the boys arrived who were going to try and start the  fight, some of the men from the camp stopped them and the dance continued as planned. The men get worried talking about slim work options towards the end of the chapter.

Themes-
Opening up; The migrants come out of their shells to have a good time and try and forget about the pain they are going through. Even Rose of Sharon, who has been depressed about Connie, also opens up attends the dance.
Repetition; The way the end of the chapter describes what the men look like while they sit, worried, talking about where they can work sounds very similar to the beginning of the novel when Steinbeck was describing the way they looked while they sat and worried about what to do with their crops and families.

1. Do you think Rose of Sharon would have fully opened up and danced with one of the boys who asked her if she were not pregnant but still missing Connie?
2. Do you think planned fights like the one described in this chapter happened often at dances in the camps?

-The passage where boys are coming up to Rose of Sharon and asking her to dance shows us that even though Ma talked her into coming to the dance, she is still protective of her feelings and does not force her to go any further than she feels comfortable as she tells the boys no for Rose of Sharon when they ask.
-The passage at the end of the chapter where the men sit and discuss jobs really interested me how it was so similar to chapter one in describing the men while they sit and worry about jobs the way they sat and worried about their farms in chapter one.

Compare- The way the chapter described the men's faces, posture, and gestures at the end of the chapter sounds extremely similar to the way he described these same men, or same kind of men, in the very first chapter of the novel while they were back on the Plains. The way he describes them also sounds similar to the way men still worry today in our economy about finding a good job to support their families.
Contrast- The way the men are worrying differs, however, from the first chapter because they do have some hope of finding shabby jobs in California. Whereas, in the first chapter there was no hope for their crops on the Plains and that is why Steinbeck described them and their wives the way he did in Chapter one. It is sad how people do not use dancing as often now as they did then for entertainment or to escape hard feelings.


Chapter 26

Summary:
The Joads decided to leave the government camp in order to find work. They have run out of food and money and Winfield is starting to get sick. They head north and along the way they run into a man who tells them that there is work on a farm picking peaches. They reach the farm and they must be escorted into the camp because there are a group of men outside the gate protesting. After they settle into their shack they all go out to work and they earn some credit. After supper, Tom decides to go out and see what all the commotion outside the gate was all about. During his travels he runs into Jim Casy. Casy tells Tom all about the farm that they are working on and how they will lower the work wages and that the are out there protesting against it. While Casy is telling Tom this a group of police arrive and try to break up the protest. They find Tom and Casy hiding out and they kill Casy. Tom kills the man who killed Casy and he gets hit in the face and his face gets bruised really badly. Tom finds his way back to his family in there shack and sleeps for the night. The next day Tom tells the family what had happened, Winfield gets really sick and the family decides to leave the peach farm. At the end of the chapter the Joads find themselves parked next to a cotton with Tom hiding out in the woods until his face gets better.
Critical Thinking and Analysis: 
Some main themes that I find is this chapter is definitely protesting and how the law is against it. These people were just peacefully protesting against the cut wages that this peach farm gave to these workers. The violence only started when the cops came and burned them out and when they violently attacked the protesters in an attempt to get them to stop. A passage that I think really shows how cops were back then was on page 384 "Ya see?" he cried " I tol' you. Cops cause more trouble than they stop."I think this really shows how cops were shady and did whatever they wanted just because they had a powerful position.
I think another big theme in the chapter is poverty and starvation and how it changes people. Before the depression most people were all eating healthy and getting the nutrition they needed. Everyone would help each other out and pull together to get through a problem. In this chapter we are starting to see how people are starting to fend for themselves and they are trying to get ahead of the person next to them. The poverty and hardships that everyone is going through is starting to make the people cold and bitter. A passage that supports this theme is on page 403 " Ever'body's gittin' mean," said Pa. " Ever'body. You seen that fight today. Fella changes. Down that gov'ment camp was wasn' mean". I think this passage really shows that the world is changing including the way people treat on another.
Compare and Contrast
This chapter can relate to chapter 20 because it also showed the theme of shady cops and that they would do basically whatever they wanted because they were an authority figure. I think this could also relate to the Kent State shooting back in 1970. Four student protestors were shot on there campus by members of the Ohio National Guard. These protesters were doing nothing wrong

Chapter 26 Analysis

Chapter 26 was certainly the height of the story. Some of the biggest themes and ideas were put into action through all that had happened. At the beginning of the chapter, the Joads decide to leave the government camp in hopes of finding work up north. They were told that there is work picking peaches in a ranch. As they get there, they do happen to find work for 5 cents a box.  As the chapter progresses, Tom wanders off in the middle of the night and comes across a tent on the outskirts of the ranch. He happens to find his friend Casey there, along with a few other men. Casey had stated that he and the other men were on strike, because the ranch was planning on dropping down to 2.5 cents as soon as more people arrived. Unfortunately, a group of men find this camp, and are aware of their strategy. The preacher was killed, and Tom managed to injure the man who had killed him, but gets away injured himself. His family finds out about what had happened, and decide to leave the ranch in order to protect Tom.

One of the biggest themes pointed out in this chapter is that it is a horrible crime to take advantage of the poor for somebodies own greed. Before Casy was killed, he had said some of the most meaningful words written in this book.
"Casy stared blindly at the light. He breathed heavily. "Listen," he said. "You fellas don' know what you're doin'. You're helpin' to starve kids.""

Another important theme was that it is important to keep fighting for what you believe, although you may be in the odds. This was also brought up by Casy.
"He says, 'French Revolution - all them fellas that figured her out got their heads chopped off. Always that way,' he says.'Jus' as natural as rain. You didn't do it for fun no way. doin' it 'cause you have to. 'Cause it's you. Look a Washington, he says. 'Fit the Revolution, an' after, them sons-a-bitches turned on him. An' Lincoln the same. Same folks yellin' to kill 'em. Natural as rain.'"

Question 1: Do you think Casy knew his death was coming?

Question 2: Why do you think the ranch planned to drop the wages down to 2.5 cents?

This chapter compares with chapter 20 in the sense that the themes point out what those above the poor are willing to do in order to keep the poor at their position.

However, it contrasts with chapter 24 because the chapter shows how important it is work as a community to make the world better. But in chapter 26, Steinbeck points out how completely opposite the country was at this time.

Thursday, October 18, 2012

Chapters 23 & 24: Ryan Starner

Chapter 23 is about how migrants try to get their mind off everything going on around them by listening to music and have sources of entertainment.  A theme I noticed in this chapter comes back dealing with how music and entertainment helps people escape all of the bad around them.

Chapter 24 is about Tom Joad and some other men work together to try to make sure a riot doesn't break out the night of the dance.  When suspicious men try to start a riot people come to break it up.  They ask them why they wanted to turn on their people and they said it was good pay.  A them in this chapter is that Tom Joad and the group of guys work together to protect the camp.

Question 1:  What helps you temporarily forget about all of the bad things that are happening around you?

Question 2:  Do you think the Joad's will make it once they have to leave the camp?

Passage 1, Page 329: "The fiddle squeaks and the guitar bongs.  Mouth-organ man is red in the face.  Texas boy and the Cherokee girl, pantin' like dogs an' a-beatin' the groun'.  Ol' folks stan' a-pattin' their han's.  Smilin' a little, tappin' their feet."

Passage 2, Pages 332 & 333:  These pages talk about how they need to handle the riot for when it is going to happen during the dance.  They need to not let the fight break out or the camp will have to close.

Chapter 23 and 24 go together because they both deal with music and entertainment. 

Chapter 24 is different from some chapters that deal with how their no more room in California but now there are these camps for people to stay in.

Chapter 22 Analysis

This chapter introduced many new minor characters. As well as containing the Joad family. The new characters were the Women's Committee, the camp manager and several other camp members and committee members.

The main events of this chapter is the Joad family finally settling down somewhere where they feel they belong. Also in this chapter, it shows the serious problem of other groups of people, like the farm association, not wanting the migrates to feel like people. They tried to disrupt the camp. The camper, however, refused to give in to the pressure.

The two main themes in this chapter is the sense of belonging that the Joads develop, along with their feelings like they found a place t settle down for a while, and the other theme is how the people in the area feel about the migrates.

What do you think the Joad's felt when they reached the camp and learned of its set up?

Why do you think the farmers association and police want to break up and disrupt the camp?

Two great passages from this chapter are found on page 290 and on page 307

The first passage starts "The girl kept to her work. Once she set the baby down and tied her birds together with a string..." This paragraph is a great characterization of the young women in the tent next to the Joads.

The second passage starts "Ma wiped the tin dishes and stacked them. She said, 'We're Joads. We don't look up to nobody. Grampa's grandpa, he fit...'" This paragraph is excellent characterization of Ma and it is a great description of Ma's feelings about their trip so far.

This chapter is similar to chapter 8 in which the family is introduced, back then the family did nit worry so much, and Ma was still rested and relaxed.

This chapter contrasts form the chapters in which the family was on the road. When they were worn out and tired. Specifically the camp in this chapter is much different from the camp in chapter 20.

Wednesday, October 17, 2012

Paul and Spencer: Black Tuesday

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Roman and Gonzalo: FDR

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Dakota and Kris: Bonus Army

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Garett and Larissa: The Dust Bowl

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Monday, October 15, 2012

EXP.7 Police Brutality

One theme that i saw within the Grapes of Wrath was the theme of freedom of expression and abuse of power by police officers and Government officials. One specific area that I saw this situation in action was in chapter 20. When Floyd Knowles tells Tom that he must watch what he says around cops and act in a "Bull-simple" manner. Meaning he must act dumb and unaffected. Floyd explains that if he does not act in that way he can get in trouble with the cops and be blacklisted or arrested and labeled as "red" and dragged off. This expresses a big cultural theme that many could consider to be the loss of freedom of speech and the Abuse of power seen from government officials. This theme can many times be seen even today with police brutality. Police brutality happens less than it did back in the day but even today there are still reports of cops abusing their power throughout the U.S and the world. One example of this abuse of power even today can be seen in this video of NYPD officials abusing a suspect caught on video. CLick Below to watch video.

Kris Brown's Exploration 7

A cultural theme that I wanted to learn more about was about prisons during the Great Depression. As it turns out, incarceration rates during the years of 1925 to 1939 nearly doubled. The cause for this increased rate was the incarceration of more blacks and less whites during this time period. Prison communites began to form convict social structures, and became governed by a convict code which clashed with many institution's official rules and regulations. U.S. prisons had already existed for about 100 years at this time, and many had not underwent any change. During this time period, prisoner's experienced the shift to reduce them to bare essential's needed for life. They also had considerably less private property. A prison labor system soon emerged. The Hawes-Cooper Act was enacted by Congress in 1929 that allowed for the transportation and sale of products made by prisoners in one state to another state. This only became effective around 1934, but many legal issues concerning borders stood in the way. Eventually in 1940, the transportation of prison goods was shut down. Many prisoners were relied on for their labor that was used to reduce prison costs.

Today, prisoners have more luxury than the elderly and the homeless. They are not assigned jobs, are given neccessities such as cigarrettes, and are allowed time to watch television. Prison is a much more pleasant place than it used to be. Prison's should definitely revert back to the way they used to be, with the exception of being provided with the securities and technology of modern times.



Incarcerated convicts spend their days in their cells.

Underhanded Practices of the Farm Association / Hooverville

In chapter 22, After the Joad's arrive at the goverment camp they begin to show signs of hope, they start to believe they can survive in California as things begin to look up. Tom wakes to a nice breakfast, and heads up the road with Timothy and Wilkie. After they turn up Mr. Thomas' drive, Mr. Thomas steps out onto the porch and tells the men that he can only pay 25 cents instead of the 30 cents they had been getting. By doing this he is testing how trust worthy the men are because he understands how harsh life can be. Once he feels comfortable he informs Timothy and the men about his meeting with the farmers association, feeling the guilt of decreasing the wages due to threats of forclosure on his own farm from the bank he felt he should tell the men of a plan to cause trouble at the weekly dance that would allow the deputies in to cause trouble for the migrating workers. Mr. Thomas Knew he would loose everything maybe even his life for telling but he knew he could just as easily loose everything as the Joads and thousands like them.
While researching for this blog I found this. President Hoover was known for his humanitarian involvement and this was a large part in his election to office in March of 1929, but according to http://westga.edu/~hgoodson/The%20Great%20Depression.

    Another desperate group was composed of World War I veterans. In 1924 Congress had promised veterans a bonus for their service (to be paid in 1945), but with the onset of the Great Depression many veterans decided that they needed and deserved the bonuses right away. In the spring of 1932, thousands of them converged on Washington, D.C. from all over the country. They became known as the Bonus Army, and they camped out in vacant government buildings and in a shanty town on the Anacostia Flats, hoping that their presence would convince Congress to pay out the bonuses. The House agreed to pay the bonuses, but the Senate rejected the idea, at which point thousands of disappointed veterans returned home. But thousands remained in Washington and were a great source of anxiety for Hoover, who feared that they might become violent and threaten the government. When local police attempted to clear veterans out of the abandoned buildings, fighting broke out and two veterans were killed. The U.S. Army was called in to take control, under the command of Gen. Douglas MacArthur. MacArthur defied Hoover’s orders (which were that the Army simply seal off the Anacostia Flats and keep the veterans away from town) and used teargas and heavily armed troops to rout the veterans out of their shanty town, after which their shacks were burned. One baby – who had been born in the veterans’ camp – was accidentally killed in the process. The spectacle of troops violently dispersing unarmed American veterans was deeply disturbing to many Americans and did still further damage to Hooover’s rapidly sinking reputation.

Gonzalo Adriazola Exploration 7: The importance of Family


     Family is one of the topics that in my opinion have great importance in the book. To the Joads family equals survival. I think it is safe to say that without each other there would have been no way they could have handle the loss of their land, further the dream of start a new life in California would have been  impossible without the family’s strength. Family is the one weapon that the Joads have against the each time more challenging world that surrounds them. The Joads together have a combination of qualities like: knowledge, skill, strength, dedication, hard work, and many others that each individual alone would not have.

    There is no doubt that the pillar of the Joad family is Ma Joad. She keeps the family together, because she knows that her family is the only factor they have to survive and succeed. She supports the family in an insuperable way that not even Pa Joad can match. Without her I think the Joads’ journey would have end very fast.

    As we could perceive in the book, families were very different back in the 30’s. Men were the main providers for the family while women were responsible for taking care of the family, keep it running and maintain the unity in the family. The most children a family could have the better for the family, because the biggest family one had, the biggest working force one had. Also back then was common to have the grandparents and sometimes uncles living all together as a family.

    Today, it is fairly rare to find families with that structure. To start with it is very rare to see families with more than 3 children. The average American family has 2 children, and in many cases they are single parents. Nowadays we have one of the higher rates of divorce in the world. Close to 50% of couples end up in divorce. This makes me think and wonder if we are really moving forward. In a way I believe we have lost that value of the importance of a united family.
Certainly in actuality having a full family will not determine our survival, but in my opinion this value that was so important back then should be preserved.


                                    "A homeless family walking to California looking for work"

Tyler Lacks: Exploration 7

    I decided to look into Hoovervilles some more so I could try and get a better sense of what it was like for the people that had to live in them.  For those that do not know what they were, they were the old run down shacks that were built by homeless people to just provide some form of shelter for their families.  They were usually made out of just scrap metal and cut up wood and whatever other materials that could be gathered to provide the necessary shelter to somewhat escape the elements.  The book indirectly uses these as a temporary place for the Joads to stay at during various points through the book.
    Today we do not generally see what would have been called Hoovervilles, but there are still plenty of people that have had to make their own shelters in the same fashion that those during the Great Depression had to do.  For me they show that people can still muster up the will power to survive longer by any means even if it seems like there is no point in the future to do so.  It is good to be able to have people that are able to share that sense of hope and gives more meaning to everything that we have around us today and how we should cherish them more than we probably do now.

                                           A family in a hooverville during the Great Depression

Exp 7: Rich vs Poor

A cultural theme that is evident in The Grapes of Wrath is the difference in power between the working class and the business owners. Although the working class have a larger number of people in its structure, they do not have greater power or influence than the business owners. The business owners have the majority of the money which gives the the majority of the power. While the poor struggle to find jobs to earn money, the rich thrive from the increase in their profits by offering low wages and outsourcing jobs to those who are willing to accept such low wages. In The Grapes of Wrath  the business owners their influence and control a lot of power within the police force. They use the police to punish the Okies when they act against the owners will.

There is a similar theme in present day. In this case, Occupy Wall Street (OWS) protesters represent the working class and the corporate powers are the business owners in The Grapes of Wrath. It is said that 1% of people, who are the extremely wealthy and mainly corporate businessmen, control the majority of wealth and power in the world while the 99% of people have little to no monetary influence. This is important to me because after college I will be trying to find a job and if the power balance does not change it will be very difficult for me to find a job. Also it is wrong for greedy businessmen to monopolize industries and have more influence than 99% of the population in the world. Throughout history of The United States, people have claimed that capitalism offers the freedom for any man to attain wealth through fair business, but in our current economy those in power continue to increase their strength while undermining the people trying to make a living for themselves.

These are Occupy Wall Street student protesters being pepper sprayed by law enforcement despite  engaging in a peaceful sit-down protest. The law enforcement officer is abusing his powers. It is thought that the reason for law enforcement is to serve and protect the people, who is this officer really protecting...his people or the 1% that pay his bills?
migration was a huge theme of the depprision. people from all over were moving west to california. the dust bowl had forced many of them out of there homes because they couuld not make a living off the land anymore. this was one of the largest migrations in the history of the us. we see this theme today not so mch in america but more peole comming to america. people imigrating toj the us for several reasons such as more freedom, aand more job oportunties.
CAPTION
this is a family loading up and getting ready to move west to califormia to try and make a bettter living.

Exploration 7: Highway 66

In the book the Joads travel to California on Highway 66, also known as Route 66. This highway is the main travel route for those that are migrating from the "dust bowl" to California. Route 66 is 2,448 miles long and stretches from Chicago down through Tulsa Oklahoma and finally comes to an end in Santa Monica California.
Route 66 was originally written into law in 1927 but was not fully paved until 1938. In 1985 the highway was officially removed from the United States Highway system after the entire route had been replaced by interstate highways, although some parts of the road have been designated  a National Scenic Byway. Ever since it's official retirement as a highway several groups have refurbished gas stations, service stations and have even converted several into Route 66 museums.
A refurbished station in Illinois part of the original Route 66.

Exploration 7 - The Battle of Geronimo (Daryn Lyons)

     At the very beginning of Chapter 23, a man tells a story about how he was involved in the Battle of Geronimo. "I was a recruit against Geronimo----...Took three regiments to kill a hundred braves---always." I have never heard of Geronimo, so I decided to research it.
     The Battle of Geronimo was less of a battle, and more of someone standing up against oppression. Geronimo was an native american who was living on reserves. He was known in his tribe as a Shaman (medicine man) and war leader. Geronimo had many past encounters with the law but, this was the worst to date.
     In May 1885, Geronimo fled with 35 warriors and 109 women and children after the sudden arrest of one of the tribe's warriors. They fled back to Sierra Madre Mountains where they held out until their base of operations was infilitrated in January 1886. Many of the people surrendered by the end of March 1886, but Geronimo and 38 other escaped. They were finally cornered in Skeleton Canyon by General Nelson Miles. They finally surrendered in Septemeber 1886. Geronimo and some other warriors were shipped to Fort Pickens in Pensacola as prisoners. Geronimo was taken back to his family the following year after his tribe were moved to Mount Vernon Barracks in Alabama. After five years, they were taken to Fort Sill, Oklahoma.
    This relates to current day life because it is a story about a man tired of being oppressed by a clearly stronger force. It follows the theme of revolt and standing up to "the man."
A picture of Geronimo at the age he would have been during The Battle of Geronimo.

<Works Cited>
"FOTD: What Comedienne Campaigned to Be President of the United States in 1940 on the “Surprise Party” Ticket?" Fact of the Day Blog | Archive | Politics. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Oct. 2012. <http://factofthedayblog.com/category/politics/>.
"Indian Wars: Geronimo." About.com Military History. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Oct. 2012. http://militaryhistory.about.com/od/army/p/geronimo.htm

Exploration 7: The Claiming of California

The origin of California is mentioned at the beginning of chapter 19. The book describes how Americans poured into Mexican California and forced the Mexicans out, claiming California as part of the America. However, the occupation of California was not quite that simple. For the reason California came to be part of the U.S. is due to the Mexican-American war. During the war the U.S. Navy sailed into California and began a military campaign to take it from Mexico. The battle for California lasted about seven months. The story in Grapes of Wrath describes the take over of California as being a sort of migration of Americans, who then forced out the Mexicans. The truth is that California was taken by force during the war between the U.S. and Mexico. California became a state in 1850.

 
 
 
San Francisco Harbor in 1850
(3 years after California was captured from Mexico)


Exploration 7: Escaping the Hardships

Throughout the reading, you begin to wonder how the people moving west tried to keep their minds off of everything going on.  Once the Joads get to the government camp, every weekend ther is a dance to distract the migrants from everything bad that is happening around them.  Chapter 23 is all about the migrants trying to find ways to clear their minds, by drinking, telling stories, listening to music, and going to sermons.  When I get in a situation where I need to clear my mind, I will listen to music, just like what the migrants did during the depression.  Escaping the hardships during the Great Depression is a big theme because everyone needs to get away from it for awhile.
Dancing and Listening to music during the Great Depression helped people escape the hardships.

Exploration 7, Peter Vaccarella, John Sutter

In chapter 19 the book mentions Sutter's land.  This phrase refers to the land granted by the Mexican government in Sacramento Valley, California to a German/Swiss immigrant named John Augustus Sutter.  This area is claimed to be where the California gold rush begun.  John Sutter first moved to America after dodging a trial for his enormous debts.  He spent a lot of his first moments in America by traveling and visiting different places.  He eventually settled in California after the Mexican Governor granted him land.  He received over 48,000 acres of land and he started hiring Native Americans to work for him (at this time Native Americans were the majority of the population in California).  He planned on having a agriculture utopia on his land and wanted to be protected by the French army.  Once the United States seized control of this once Mexican land, Sutter agreed to turn his fort over simply because he was way out numbered.

Sutter started building a new sawmill when he noticed a gold looking nugget in the ground.  He performed basic tests to prove that it in fact was gold.  Sutter knew what that he needed to keep this a secret so he could expand his land as much as possible around where he found the gold.  His attempt at keeping his findings a secret failed once a journalist found out about it and put it in the newspaper.  From then on people came through Sutter's farm and basically destroyed everything he had built so they could find the precious gold.  Sutter's life work was ruined and he ended up living a impoverished live for the rest of his days.

John Sutter aftewr his farm was ruined, 1866
Works Cited:
"John Sutter." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 10 Nov. 2012. Web. 15 Oct. 2012. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Sutter>.

PBS. PBS, n.d. Web. 15 Oct. 2012. <http://www.pbs.org/weta/thewest/people/s_z/sutter.htm>.

Exploration 7: Entertainment

While reading The Grapes of Wrath, I noticed a lot of references to dance and music during the time period, and I was increasingly interested in the entertainment that people would enjoy. As you can imagine, the sources of entertainment were much different than they are today, mainly because new technology was still being developed. Families would usually try and find cheap sources of entertainment, which would sometimes include dance and radio. Also, with the addition of sound, movies were starting to become more popular.

While reading the book, I began to realize that the reasons for entertainment were the same as they are today. It was something that people would use to keep their minds off their hardships for a short period of time. I began to understand this when the Joad family was in the government camp and there was talk about dance every Saturday night. Even today, we still use entertainment as an escape from reality, even for a short while. I believe that it is a necessary "break", especially if one is going through rough times.
Here is a picture of a migrant worker playing the guitar.

 "Art and Entertainment in the 1930s and 1940s." loc. N.p.. Web. 15 Oct 2012. <http://www.loc.gov/teachers/classroommaterials/presentationsandactivities/presentations/timeline/depwwii/art/>.