Gretchen Gator lives in the swamp and her house is very muddy. She is not affected by its appearance and she has gotten used to its appearance. On Saturday, Gretchen Gator decided to have Young Panda over to her house to play Hungry Hungry Hippos. When he got to her house, Young Panda decided that he not park directly in front of the garage so that if someone had to come or go from the house, then they would not be blocked from getting into the garage. He walked up to the front door to her muddy abode and saw that the door was slightly ajar. Young Panda did not want to be rude to his good friend and decided to knock on the door and ring the door bell before he entered. Gretchen Gator came to the door and invited him inside. Panda took off his shoes and took a seat on her log that she uses as a couch. Panda was very uncomfortable but he did not say anything about because he did not want to make her feel bad. She asked him if he would like a drink and he said that a water would be great because he did not want to hurt her feelings but he did not want to be a burden either. The two of them sat down to a friendly game of Hungry Hungry Hippos, which soon became very competitive and violent. Young Panda thought "This is not my house, I will let her win". After he did this she was a very soar winner and Young Panda had his feelings hurt. Young Panda asked to get excused and he went home because he thought that she was not being a very good friend, even though he had been very polite. Gretchen Gator knew that she had done wrong by him and she apologized. Young Panda is a very good friend and he forgave her right away but he still felt like going home and so he did.
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Friday, August 26, 2011
Journal 1 Native American Creation Story: How the Panda got his Bamboo
Young Panda was walking down the trail. All of a sudden Slithery Snake pulled his tail. Panda turned to see who had pulled his tail in a fury and he was going to hit Slithery Snake for pulling his tail. Slithery Snake apologized right away for what he had done and he said that it was an accident. Young Panda did not believe that the snake did not do it on purpose and he was still mad. Then Papa Panda came out of the woods and said "Young Panda, do not do anything that you will regret and feel sorry for. Do what you know is right." Young Panda then thought about what Papa Panda had said and he turned to Slithery Snake and said "I forgive you for pulling my tail, but can you please try to not do it again?" Slithery Snake is the Jungle's bully and he said "I can not promise you that because I have a reputation to keep." Papa Panda took his son for a walk and he told him that he was proud of his son. He said that Young Panda had handled the situation correctly and he rewarded his son with BAMBOO!!! Young Panda got his bamboo for doing what was right. Young Panda avoided a confrontation with a mean animal by not overreacting and he forgave Slithery Snake for hurting his feelings. Young Panda is still immature though because if Papa Panda had not shown up to make him stop and think about what he was doing then Young Panda may have done something unkind and hurtful towards Slithery Snake and he would not be any better than Slithery Snake. After the incident Slithery Snake went on his way and one day he pulled Young Panda's tail again. Young Panda did not need Papa Panda to tell him to stop and think and he was able to handle the situation rationally and he got more BAMBOO!!! Young Panda got full and slept the rest of the day.
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
Importance of the Characters
I think that these three books are the best that I have had to read for my summer work. I fell in love with the characters and their personalities. Each of them was different in many ways. Holden is an immature rich kid who has a dirty mouth and I loved to read what he was saying because he was always saying something bad about someone that he would never have said to their face. Actually Holden may have not been afraid to tell them what he thought of you to your face. Tom is an ex-convict who cares for his family deeply. He protects them and tries to provide for them and he takes friendship very seriously. Tom watched one of his friends get murdered and he avenged him right away without even think twice about it. He loves his mother and father more than anything in the world and he is not sorry that he had to go to jail. He went to jail for something that he believed in. I find Tom a very respectable man because he does what his heart tells him to, not what someone else says to do. I loved Santiago because he is that little old man that everyone thinks is cute but he is able to bring in a thousand pound marlin all by himself. He is a remarkable man in the fact that he fishes alone. I also feel bad for him because he loses his best friend and he is made fun of because the other villagers think that he is a bad fisherman. Santiago catches the biggest marlin ever caught in the town though and I think that they will respect him for a long time now. These characters were so easy to love because of each minor detail that made them unique and I can not wait to read the books again when I am older, to fall in love with them again.
Rating: The Old Man and the Sea
Whenever we do a book project in school we are required to rate the book. For example a book could be four out of five stars or something like that. After you rated it, you have to explain why you gave that book a certain rating and I think that this is an appropriate blog subject for this book.
The Old Man and the Sea was a very engaging book. It had the thrill of a hunt and the feeling of victory. I loved this book, but I think that it was too short. I would give this book a four out of five. The story of the old man was depressing yet you knew it was going to be ok for him so the reader was not sad all the time like in The Grapes of Wrath. When Santiago caught that fish I felt so good for him. He will not be ridiculed anymore for being a poor fisherman. I did feel bad for him though. He was out in a boat all day long by himself(Salinger, 35). He would have to talk to himself and this was depressing also because he used to fish with his favorite person in the world, the boy, but his parents forbid him to fish with the not prosperous old man. The book had quite a bit of action and character. All of the characters were different and as the reader, we fell in love with all of them. Even the poor fish was very unique and you can not help but feel bad for him because he will never be the same even if he does escape from Santiago's hook. The book was an easy read because of its length and content and I do plan on reading this book again in the future. It has a message that we can live by, never give up and you will be prosperous. Santiago fought this fish for many days and he never gave up and ended up catching the fish.
Hemingway, Ernest. The Old Man and the Sea. New York: Scribner, 2003. Print.
Rating: The Grapes of Wrath
Whenever we do a book project in school we are required to rate the book. For example a book could be four out of five stars or something like that. After you rated it, you have to explain why you gave that book a certain rating and I think that this is an appropriate blog subject for this book.
The Grapes of Wrath is a very depressing book. I think that is a good book but not the kind of story that I am into. I would give it a three out of five. I hate books that make me feel sad because the people in the story are struggling to just survive. We have so much and I think that most people take it for granted and this really makes me sad. I think that the worst part of this book, for me, was when the family is at the gas station begging for gas and they watch their dog get hit by a car (Steinbeck, Chapter 13). Number thirteen is an unlucky number and I find it interesting that the dog is killed in this chapter. I do not like to hear about animals being harmed because I have a dog. The story of this book is good though. A struggling family is able to dig itself out of the hole of poverty and I feel good for them when they find the barn in the rain because I know that they will be safe for another night. I also liked when Rose of Sharon cared for the hungry man with a gift that she was not able to use on her own child because it died. I found that part very sad too. A dead baby is not ever a happy subject and especially since she had done everything to protect him from what was going on around her. It was a good book even though it was very depressing but I am happy with the rating I gave it.
Steinbeck, John, and Robert J. DeMott. The Grapes of Wrath. New York: Penguin, 1992. Print.
Evaluation: The Catcher in the Rye
Whenever we do a book project in school we are required to rate the book. For example a could be four out of five stars or something like that. After you rated it, you have to explain why you gave that book a certain rating and I think that this is an appropriate blog subject for this book.
The Catcher in the Rye was a very entertaining book for me. If I had to rate it I would give it a five out of five stars. There is not much that I did not like about this book. I liked how Holden stood up for himself and he kind of did whatever he wanted to do. I wish that I could just decide to leave school and do it, but if that happens today then the police are notified and it becomes a big deal. I also like the language used in this book. Most books do not use swear words in the dialogue. I think that when they don't the book is not very realistic. Everyone uses swear words and when the author completely strips the book of them, I can just not believe that none of the characters in that book ever said a swear word. Holden says what is on his mind and I think that I probably saw at least one swear word on every page and there was usually more than one(Salinger, 88).
I also liked Phoebe's character a lot. She seems like a very bright and funny little girl. Phoebe is also much more mature than Holden and I find this funny too. Holden is a kid who does not like many things and you would think that he would be somewhat mature, but his little sister puts him to shame when it comes to maturity. The message of this book was very important to. I think that the message of this book is to not fear changes. Especially changes that are bound to come like adulthood.
Salinger, J. D. The Catcher in the Rye. Boston: Little, Brown, 1951. Print
The Catcher in the Rye, The Grapes of Wrath, The Old Man and the Sea similar book?
Over the summer I had to read these three books for english. They were all good books that I was able to take a message away from and a message that I think I will be able to apply to my everyday life. I do think that some of the books were similar though. The Old Man and the Sea can be compared to The Grapes of Wrath. Both of them deal with struggles. Santiago cannot seem to be able to catch a fish and the entire village makes fun of him for it(Hemingway, 23). In The Grapes of Wrath, the family struggles to survive. None of them have a job and they begin to rapidly run out of money, they have to beg for gas and they have to figure out a money situation quickly so that they can keep eating and stay alive(Steinbeck, Chapter 13). A similar struggle is dealt with in The Catcher in the Rye. Holden begins to run out of money and he must be thrifty with it. He ends up getting money from his little sister though and he does not have to be as thrifty anymore(Salinger, 232). All of the stories also have some victory and good moments for the characters. In The Old Man and the Sea, Santiago catches a enormous marlin and his fishing drought is over and if he can get it back to shore then perhaps the villagers will stop making fun of him. In The Grapes of Wrath, the family is able to get jobs and they make enough money to keep on living and they are able to buy food and necessary supplies. In The Catcher in the Rye, Holden is able to get to a new school at the end of the book and probably went on to become a successful adult. They were all very well written books and I think that when I get older I may read them over again to see if I can get a different meaning or a better understanding of the books.
Hemingway, Ernest. The Old Man and the Sea. New York: Scribner, 2003. Print.
Steinbeck, John, and Robert J. DeMott. The Grapes of Wrath. New York: Penguin, 1992. Print.
Salinger, J. D. The Catcher in the Rye. Boston: Little, Brown, 1951. Print
The Catcher in the Rye: Phoebe's Maturity
Phoebe is Holden's younger sister and even though she is six years younger than him, it is obvious that Phoebe is more mature than Holden. Some people say that woman mature faster than guys do, but by six years? I think that some of the decisions that Holden has made in his life has affected her also. It is possible that seeing him get kicked out of school has made her more mature because she knows not to disappoint her parents or they get mad. She may have also learned that making bad choices does not help you in life. She exhibits great maturity and even chastises Holden for his immaturity. Like Mr. Antolini, Phoebe seems to recognize that Holden is his own worst enemy. It is remarkable that a girl of such young age is able to recognize her older brother's level of immaturity.
Phoebe knows that everyone has to grow up someday and she is not afraid of adulthood like Holden is. She already realizes the natural course of life and she helps Holden to grow up and to stop his immature demeanor. Phoebe is a foil character in this book because she makes Holden seem that much more immature because of her level of maturity at such a young age. She is more mature than Holden and he is six years older than her. Phoebe also knows how to save her brother at some points in the story. When her parents come home she tells her mom that she was the one smoking(Salinger, 230). She lied to her mother's face t0 protect Holden. Phoebe is mature for the reason of Holden being immature. She makes him a better person. She does have some problems though. She wants to leave her whole life to go and run away with Holden and I think that this is immature of her. Phoebe should have a bright future because of her early development into a mature young girl.
Salinger, J. D. The Catcher in the Rye. Boston: Little, Brown, 1951. Print
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
The Old Man and the Sea: The Marlin
I am not sure if you can call the fish an important character because he is just that, a fish. But the story seems to develop itself around him and Santiago so I will consider him an important character. The Marlin is a good guy and a bad guy because of many reasons. If Santiago loses the battle then he will return to his village after many days without a fish, and since the Marlin is in conflict with the main character that makes him the antagonist of this story. The Marlin is also a magnificent creature of such beauty and grace that the old man begins to feel bad about hooking him and he wishes that he could just let him go(Hemingway, 84). The Marlin is also a good guy because of that reason. As the reader, we want the old man to catch the fish so that he can feel good about himself again and so that people will not make jokes about him, but we also feel bad for the Marlin. His life and his future has been snatched from him in the blink of an eye or the open and close of his mouth and this can be sad for the reader.
During their battle, the Marlin is in the same position as Santiago. They must outlast the other and not lose the fight. To lose this fight means death. The Marlin does all that he can do to ensure that he does not go easily. It is not like the Marlin thought he was going to die, he very much believed that he could get this hook out of his mouth somehow or that he was strong enough to just pull that boat floating above him forever. We are happy for Santiago because he catches the great fish and that he can return to the village a true fisherman but we also feel bad for the graceful yet powerful fish. He was the perfect opponent for Santiago and he fought valiantly.
Hemingway, Ernest. The Old Man and the Sea. New York: Scribner, 2003. Print.
Santiago and the Boy: The Old Man and the Sea
The relationship between Santiago and the boy is introduced early in the story. They are unlikely companions; one is old and the other young, yet they share an awesome amount of respect and loyalty for each other. Santiago does not treat Manolin as a young boy but rather as an equal. Age is not a factor in their relationship. Manolin does not even act as a young boy; he is mature and sensitive to Santiago's feelings. He even offers to disobey his parents and accompany Santiago on his fishing trips instead of the more prosperous boat. Santiago is viewed as an outcast in his village because he has not caught any fish for more than eighty-four days and is therefore unlucky. Manolin is loyal to Santiago and even when his parents forbid him, he wants to help his friend. Their conversations are comfortable, like that of two friends who have known each other for a long time. When they speak it is usually about baseball or fishing, the two things they have most in common. Their favorite team is the Yankees and Santiago never loses faith in them even when the star player, Joe DiMaggio is injured with a heel spur(Hemingway, 21). In this way Santiago not only teaches Manolin about fishing but also about important characteristics such as faith. They help each other to become more understanding and better people.
These two are the best of friends. Even though the boy is not aloud to fish with Santiago, he brings him coffee and fresh bait in the hope that he will catch fish so that Manolin can rejoin him in his boat. The boy loves Santiago, and Santiago loves the boy. Manolin cares for the old man even though he does not have to. He knows that his friend is struggling to make money and he knows that he is not eating that much. So what does he do? He brings the old man some food. In the end though Manolin rejoins the old man's boat and they are able to sail the seas together again, even though it goes against what his parents had told him to do.
Hemingway, Ernest. The Old Man and the Sea. New York: Scribner, 2003. Print.
Relationship of Ma and Pa Joad
Ma is the superglue that prevents the entire Joad family from cracking into a thousand tiny pieces. Whenever a family member considers leaving the family, Ma tries her hardest to convince them to stay. Although the men are supposedly the leaders of Dust Bowl era families, in the toughest of situations, Ma is in charge of decision-making. Ma is a strong, loving caretaker for the Joad family. She will do anything to protect her family even if that means going against what her husband is saying.
Pa has an extremely hard time adjusting to his situation after leaving the farm. This is mostly due to the fact that he no longer has to fulfill his role as the sole provider of the family. He is extremely hard working and continues to search for a job even when the search seems hopeless. When Rose of Sharon was having her baby, the rain threatened to flood the Joad’s temporary home in a boxcar. Pa got all the nearby men to help him build a dam to stop the rising water(Steinbeck, Chapter 30). Through his disheartenment, Pa continues to show his commitment to his family. He slowly began to lose his role of group leader as the journey went on. He began having trouble making decisions and Ma stepped in when he froze or needed help. Ma stood against him when it came to Tom having to leave the family. He usually would have hit her for talking back to him but she was holding a weapon and the position of power, and he made the wise decision of agreeing with her.
Ma and Pa are happily married and seem to work well together. They used to clash in fights, but both of them know their place and it works as a very good support system for the family. They provide for their family in a time of great need and do whatever they can to ensure the survival of the people they care for, even if that means less food for themselves.
Steinbeck, John, and Robert J. DeMott. The Grapes of Wrath. New York: Penguin, 1992. Print.
Monday, August 8, 2011
Reverend Casy
Jim Casy is a reverend that has given up preaching. After leaving his hometown, which he also preached in, he develops a new belief and insight into his life and the well being of his soul. Everyone wants to get to heaven, which means taking care of your soul. Jim Casy thinks that everyone' s soul is thrown into one pot and his collected as one soul. As people act in a way that would not allow them into heaven their soul is taken from the whole soul that contains everyone's soul. He is still a religious man but he just does not believe the same things he did when he first became a preacher. Throughout the story Granma wants him to pray for dinner and other times in the day when people pray and he really does not want to do. In the end though Granma gets her way and he does an old fashion prayer for their sake even though he may not believe the same thing they do. Jim does guide them though into a better spiritual life and I think that they become better people because of him.
Steinbeck, John, and Robert J. DeMott. The Grapes of Wrath. New York: Penguin, 1992. Print.
Was the journey to California worth it?
The Joads have decided that there are jobs in California and they leave everything they know and love behind for the chance of survival and their future in this country. Chance is the keyword in that last sentence and that is exactly what it is. Some people are fortunate in California to have a steady job that pays them enough to feed their family, but on the way to California the Joads experience some of the consequences of their decision. People stop and tell them that there is no work there and that they should turn back to where they came from. The Joads do not want to believe this because of the promise and hope that they have for this far off land. On their way to California though they use quite a bit of gasoline and of the money they had. They get to the point of begging for gasoline so that they can continue their journey, and at this point their dog is hit by a roadster and their misfortune continues from there(Steinbeck, Chapter 13). On this journey, the Joads lose both Granma and Granpa. They are sadden by the elders' death, but the rest of the family knows that they must have them buried and continue on unless they want to end up like their recently deceased. After troubles of food, money, and gas on the trip they finally arrive in California. They have to wait many days after looking for jobs until they finally land a job that is paying them barely enough to keep on living and they end up making just enough to make dinner each day and this is even after everyone is working the entire day. I am not sure if the trip was worth it or not. They lose their dog, grandparents, and quite a bit of money. In the end they do get jobs and a barn for a home, but was their original home and state in this bad of shape? They are working for food. They cannot buy new clothes for a while after saving their money for a very long time and I think that this is very sad. I hope that in the end they think that they made the right decision and I guess that this is all that matters.
Steinbeck, John, and Robert J. DeMott. The Grapes of Wrath. New York: Penguin, 1992. Print.
Pa Joad
Pa is the leader of this family, but he sure is a quiet one. Having fathered six children and having lived in Sallisaw, Oklahoma for all of his life, farming the land, Pa Joad has his hands full. He isn't always the best at staying calm or at making decisions, but he does the best that he can. Marrying Ma Joad might have been the smartest move he's ever made. In the last blog I talked about how Ma slowly inherits the status of group leader from Pa because he struggles to make the difficult decisions. They are happily married though and never fight; except for on some occasions they disagree about what is best for the family and go to the edge of violence. We notice that Pa Joad gets quieter and quieter as the journey goes on. Here and there, we catch glimpses of how he might be changing. For example, when Ma Joad demands that the family not leave Tom behind with the broken touring car, she has to arm herself with a weapon. In the old days, Pa Joad would have beaten Ma Joad for talking back or for disagreeing with his decision(Steinbeck, Chapter 16). But times have changed, and Pa, who has lost almost everything, is more shocked by the change he sees in his wife than he is angered by it. In fact, as the novel unfolds, Pa grows more and more bewildered by just about everything he sees. He is not sure what is going on around him sometimes, which is the point when Ma steps in to make a decision for him so that the family can continue on their way. Pa does want the best for the family, but I think that he does not know what the best for the family is sometimes. He just needs some help sometimes. He also probably feels guilty about what has happened to them. He is the man of the house and was not able to keep a job and I bet this makes him feel really lousy about himself.
Steinbeck, John, and Robert J. DeMott. The Grapes of Wrath. New York: Penguin, 1992. Print.
Ma Joad
Ma Joad is the heart of this caravanning family. She stays at Pa's side for the duration of the book, but she also develops into the leader of this family when Pa begins to be unable to make decisions. Ma is also hesitant of going to California because she is not sure if there will be work there or not and it turns out that her intuition is partially right(Steinbeck, Chapter 10). She believes in "If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is." and this serves her very well. Ma knows that California is a sketchy situation but she goes anyway because this is before she began to influence decisions made by the family. Ma sees right through the California dream. Maybe Ma Joad has such a strong intuition because she's experienced so much in her life. She dreams of having a little white house surrounded by orange trees and of reaching out and grabbing as many oranges as her hands can carry, but she is also afraid of nice things because she does not think that they can happen so easily. Ma Joad is a strong-hearted woman and she is very tough. She is like the watcher of her flock and she will not let anything happen to them. Although she is an older woman, she has the strength and will of a bull. When she wants something to happen that is what is going to happen. Ma Joad does not have an easy life. However, she remains cool, calm, and collected, even when she's lost her house, her land, and has to burn her earthly possessions. She has to be solid as a rock, so that her family doesn't fall apart. Without her, the Joads would not be the Joads.
Even though she loses some of her family on the road and she is sad about them, she is able to keep control and do what is best for her family and that is what made her Ma in this book.
Steinbeck, John, and Robert J. DeMott. The Grapes of Wrath. New York: Penguin, 1992. Print.
Sunday, August 7, 2011
Cases of the Bible in Grapes of Wrath
There can be many references to the Bible in Grapes of Wrath. One example is when Tom Joad returns from prison. Once disgraced, he returns to lead his family through their ordeal. Tom becomes a symbol of a simple man trying to do the right thing; he wants to redeem himself in a world that does not play by the rules. In the Bible this can be compared to the "Prodigal Son". He wants to do the right way and the way he thinks would make him a better person after his decision, not a worse or immorally poor man. He is a good man even though he does do things that you would not think a good man would do such as murder another man and go to prison, or hit a man in the head with a stick and kill him out of vengeance.
Another example of a Bible reference in this book is in Chapter 30 when Rose of Sharon milks the man back to health(Steinbeck, Chapter 30). She takes care of this man who is in need and she uses one of her motherly attributes on him even though he is not related to her and she does not even know this dying man. She does what she knows is the right thing, like Mary did by birthing a child that was not really hers because she was a virgin. She cares for him just the same because she knows that it was a miracle that he was born, just like Rose of Sharon knowing that it is a miracle that she can save this poor man. The Virgin Mary birthed a baby in a barn also and in some sense this is what Rose of Sharon is doing by suckling this man. She is giving him another chance, a new life to start over with, and she acts saintly and calm about an ordeal that could make her afraid to do. She does feed the man though and that is all that matters.
Steinbeck, John, and Robert J. DeMott. The Grapes of Wrath. New York: Penguin, 1992. Print.
Rose of Sharon
Rose of Sharon is not a character that you would expect to save a man when he is under dire circumstances. Rose of Sharon is very close to the family but she is partial to the life that is in her womb. She is afraid of things that could hurt her baby and little does she know what the fate of that baby will be. In Chapter 13, when the truck has to stop for gas, they see the family's dog get hit by a new roadster and she is afraid that seeing something so gruesome and inhumane will somehow hurt her baby (Steinbeck, Chapter 13). I think that this is a ridiculous. I know that she is just worried about her child being healthy and strong but there is no way that something that the mother sees could affect the child's outcome. She is a nice enough woman and all but she is too protective and almost strange.
Even though her child is stillborn, she still keeps her motherly abilities when it matters most. She is crushed by the outcome of her child's birth, but when they have to flee to the barn and discover the starving man and his boy, she does what any mother would do for her child. She suckles him, allowing him to suck her nipple for milk, because he has not eaten for so long he cannot digest solid food. She saves this man and he is very grateful to her for it. This scene is a ray of sunshine in the world of darkness. This scene illustrates to us that there is still kindness and sacrifice left in a world of thieves and people doing anything to survive. I am very glad that she did this for the man and proved her worth to the world. Rose of Sharon went through a lot before her courageous act and she did not deserve what happened to her child, but when push came to shove she did the right thing for a person in need. She was quiet and mysterious when she was pregnant but now she can be her lively self again because she feels good about what she did, even though the book may not say this.
Steinbeck, John, and Robert J. DeMott. The Grapes of Wrath. New York: Penguin, 1992. Print.
Symbolism of the dog's death
After the Joads sell all of their possessions and buy a truck to make the great trip to California, they are unaware of the tragic problems ahead of them. They set out for their new lives and they encounter the constant setback of their fuel situation. With all of the items they have and all of the family in one truck, it is much heavier and with it being a truck it does not get very good gas mileage in the first place, but with so many people they are using gas very quickly and are having to stop and use money on it. At one point they stop and as they are begging for gas their dog is killed by a new roadster(Steinbeck, Chapter 13), which symbolizes the misery of what is to come to the family and who it is brought upon them by, the wealthy.
The dog's death is symbolism and foreshadowing of the events that are to come on the journey. They lose some of the family to disease and age and the dog's death was a symbol of what was to come. They lose Grandma and Grandpa very early in the trip and do everything they can to give them a respectful funeral, but at some points the money is just to tight to afford it and they leave Grandma at the coroner's office. This makes some of them upset, but it is what they had to do to ensure that they survive the trip. They also lose a baby that never got to experience the world. It may be best for the child to have not lived too long because being born into a world and country of poverty would not be the way for any child to first see the world. It is born still and Rose of Sharon and the whole family is saddened by this because a face of occasional laughter may have lifted their spirit greatly. The dog's death is the sign of doom for some of the family members.
Steinbeck, John, and Robert J. DeMott. The Grapes of Wrath. New York: Penguin, 1992. Print.
Saturday, August 6, 2011
The Grapes of Wrath: How accurately does this novel reflect events in history?
I have to believe that this question has been made just for this book. None of the other choices from the reading list have such an historical significance like The Grapes of Wrath does. This book is historical fiction and it revolves around The Great Depression and the book reflects this time period very well. People are dying, starving, leaving their homes, selling all of their possessions, and in all suffering. That word sums up The Great Depression very well, suffering. There was next to no prospering during this time period in America. Whole families were dying off because they got sick or did not have any food on the table.
I think that The Great Depression must have influenced Steinbeck. The author lived through The Great Depression and he must have been greatly affected by it just as most of America. He knew everything about it and it left an impression on his life, so much to write a book about the excruciating ordeal. Steinbeck is very qualified to write this book. We know he did not just go to the library one day and learn about it. He wants the reader to feel how he did during the whole thing, angry and depressed. I believe the idea of "The grass is greener on the other side." must have inspired him also. He wrote a book about a family who thinks that there is more opportunity in a far off land and they are willing to do anything to get there. Selling all of their possessions and risking their lives just for "greener grass". His mother also may have inspired him. In the last chapter, Rose of Sharon becomes a motherly figure and a savior because even though she does not have a live baby, she saves the starving man's life with her breast milk (Steinbeck, Chapter 30). It is possible that he thought his mother was a saint and she would have done the same thing.
Steinbeck, John, and Robert J. DeMott. The Grapes of Wrath. New York: Penguin, 1992. Print.
The Grapes of Wrath: What techniques does the author use to engage the audience?
John Steinbeck uses many literary tools to his advantage in The Grapes of Wrath to keep the audience engaged and interested in the book. Steinbeck uses mystery, suspense, and the reader's emotion and caring trait to his advantage when keeping the reader interested. Some of the mystery and suspense go together. When the Joads are ready to leave for California, we are not sure how they are going to get Grandpa to come with them so it is suspenseful and interesting to see what they do. They finally decide to put him to sleep with a medicine and the reader's wonderment is put to rest. Another example of both mystery and suspense is when Tom witnesses his friend, Casy, die by the hands of a guard. We do not know what he will do after he sees this, if he will retaliate or flee in fear of his own life. It is suspenseful because we do not know what he will do and it is mysterious because we are not too sure why the guard killed Casy.
Steinbeck uses the feelings of the readers many times also. We feel sorry for the people in this story because they are suffering and dying. The Great Depression drove families to do things that they may never think they would have to do. Steal, kill, and fight for jobs, which gave them money to be able to feed their family. This is sad and hits the reader in the heart because in our great country no one should have to endure such hardship and misery. We feel especially bad for the Joad family. We grow to care for them and we wish that they are able to find work. They left all they had and sold all of their personal possessions just for the hope of work in California, that for all we know is not there. We are also deeply touch at one of the last scenes of the book. Rose of Sharon suckled that man so that he may live(Steinbeck, Chapter 30). We feel good that the man may be able to live instead of dying a death that no person, good or bad, should have to endure of starvation.
Steinbeck, John, and Robert J. DeMott. The Grapes of Wrath. New York: Penguin, 1992. Print.
Friday, August 5, 2011
The Grapes of Wrath: Why do we still read this book?
We still read this book because of how timeless and important the message is to the history of the United States. The Great Depression is a time in our history that we can not forget because if we do not forget it, then it can not happen again. This book illustrates for the reader one of the worst times in American history and it can help the reader understand how the people felt and what they endured during this time. The characters in this book are timeless because of what they endure and the feelings that we feel for them. The reader feels like they are with the characters and try to understand the misery. The message of this book is very important to the reader also. The message is that we should never give up no matter what kind of trouble we are in. Perseverance is what can make a person who they are and can get them out of some sticky situations. The characters know that they could go hungry and starve to death but they do not because of how determined they are to get to California for jobs so they can buy food(Steinbeck, Chapter 4). They know what must get done to survive and they are aware of the risk that they are taking by leaving the land that they know to go to a place that is new and they do not know what will be there when they arrive.
The Grapes of Wrath is a book that I think will always be read because of the significance of the Great Depression. It is also appropriate for high schoolers and college aged students to read it because they say that we are the future and we have to know what happened and how it happened so that we can make sure that it does not happen again. The Great Depression is the opposite of the American dream. It is not prosperous and it is not the reason why people want to come to our wonderful country. We have to know our flaws so we can learn from our mistakes.
Steinbeck, John, and Robert J. DeMott. The Grapes of Wrath. New York: Penguin, 1992. Print.
The Grapes of Wrath: How does this novel reflect the history, behavior and social issues of the time period and setting?
This novel is historical fiction. It took place during a real event but the characters and people in the story are made up. The Great depression is one of the most monumental time periods in the history of the United States. Everyone struggled and many people had to fight for jobs. With most people out of a job, they were not making any money and a lot of families would have problems getting food on the table, if food had been on the table they would leave the table still hungry(Steinbeck, Chapter 15). This book does a very good job of portraying how the average american felt during this time. We get to follow a family on their journey to California for the promise of jobs.
During the time period, many people did not have homes and in the book it explains how people would try to live in the ditch on the side of the road. It tells us about the struggle for a job and how some men would come around and say how many men they needed and they then watched the people fighting over the positions. I know this all happened from what I learned about the Great Depression in history class and from what I already knew of it. The behavior is similar to what was just said. People did what ever they had to do to ensure their family's safety. They would fight over jobs, food, money and they would steal if they had to. The people of that time and in this book were not as fortunate as we are today and I think that we should be very grateful for what we have. The social issues of this time were pretty sever. People were not throwing a party every weekend because they were hoping to just have enough food to get them through the week and they hoped that they still had a job to be able to buy food. Only the very wealthy were not fazed as much by the Great Depression and we did not hear much about the wealthy in this book because the suffering were not worrying about them, they were worrying about themselves.
Steinbeck, John, and Robert J. DeMott. The Grapes of Wrath. New York: Penguin, 1992. Print.
Tom Joad
Tom Joad is one of the main characters in this book. Tom is a very violent and passionate man. It is not that he is an evil man or that he is a naturally born killer, but when something or someone he cares about is disrespected or hurt, he tends to overreact. For example, when the guards attack his friend, Casy, in the twenty sixth chapter, with a pick handle, he takes the pick handle out of his friend's head and turns it on one of the guards before he gets hit in the head by the other guy(Steinbeck, 527). His anger got him so riled up that he killed a man even though it may have been justified. This series of actions expresses both of those characteristics of violence and passion.
We also know though that he has not always been on the straight and narrow road. When the story begins, Tom is out of prison and on his way to his family's farm when he hitches a ride with a trucker. The trucker is not sure he should because of his "no riders" sticker but Tom is able to in a way manipulate the man so the trucker thinks that if he does not give him a ride then that he is a bad man. Tom seems to be a very wise boy and now he is one of the best dressed in his family because of the clothes that the prison facility gave him when he was released. He only served four years and was released early on good behavior even though I do not remember what he went to jail for.
Tom is a man who served his time, is a very loving brother, and he will do anything to make sure that his family has everything that they need. Tom is the person of the group that makes the long journey away from camp to look for work and sometimes he gets it, whether it is picking cotton or picking baskets of peaches. He may not make them much money but he is a major reason why they are able to sustain themselves and to keep living.
Steinbeck, John, and Robert J. DeMott. The Grapes of Wrath. New York: Penguin, 1992. Print.
The Grapes of Wrath: What universal themes does this book address?
The universal themes are part of the analysis and dissection of a book. In this book I think that sadness is a universal theme and feeling that people feel in this book. All of the middle-class people and everyone below them struggle to find a job so that they can earn money for food to feed their family. This whole thing is sad. It is also sad that our government could not send out food or supplies to help these people when it was the governments fault that this whole thing happened. Even if you had money and it was put away in a bank, they would not let you take it out because the banks had to use it to stay a float. When people thought that the market was going to crash, they went to the bank and took all of their money out and this only sped up the failure of our stock market.
The Okies had to travel all the way to California and they did all they could to survive. They had to sell all of their possessions for the hope of a job that for all they knew may not even be there. No one should have to go to such extremes just to survive and this is sad. Today, none of us think that we will miss a meal and we take for granted all that we have and all that we are blessed with. For one man in this book it even came to sucking a woman's teet so that he could survive because he had given all of his food to his son(Steinbeck,Chapter 30). This whole book is full of sadness and despair. Everyone is struggling to find work and food and people begin to die off from hunger or sickness, all of this is sad. If you can read this book and not find it sad, then I do not think you are human and have no emotion or feelings for another person's well being.
Steinbeck, John, and Robert J. DeMott. The Grapes of Wrath. New York: Penguin, 1992. Print.
The Grapes of Wrath: What are the causes, gains, and losses of the conflict dealt with in this book?
The conflict in this book is easily identifiable. The Great Depression is forcing people to leave their homes in the hope for work somewhere. The story is about tenant farmers mostly, who are forced from the farms that they tend to by bankers and tractors. They know that they can not stay in the desolate place that was once their home. A drought has taken over and there is not enough healthy crop for them to stay and live of the land in Oklahoma. The losses dealt with in this book is that the families have to sell all of their possessions at insanely low prices to try and have enough money to buy a crappy car that the dealership has just made very expensive. Some of the cars do not make it to where they are going and they have thrown away their possessions and the money that they made from them. There are not really any gains in this story other than the family comes closer together. Another loss is that once the Joads reach California, after selling all of their possessions and buying a truck they venture to California or the promise land, they realize that there is no work. They traveled all this way for nothing. Eventually though they are able to find enough work to make them money for some food and some liquor, which only solves temporary problems.
The family also losses Tom again, after the youngest boasts about how he has killed two people. This is obviously another lost dealt with in this book. He is a good worker and eventually is able to come out of hiding but I wonder how much money he could have made them if he did not have to hide which could have bought them more food. A gain in this story also comes as a loss. Rose of Sharon births a still born baby, loss. But after their temporary home floods, they are forced to retreat to a barn where they find a man and his son. The man sacrificed his food for his kid and his now dying of hunger. He can not digest solid food and needs soup or milk. All of the family leaves the barn except Rose of Sharon and she suckles the man so that he may regain some strength (Steinbeck, Chapter 30).
Steinbeck, John, and Robert J. DeMott. The Grapes of Wrath. New York: Penguin, 1992. Print.
The Grapes of Wrath: What does the writing reveal about the author's values and attitudes?
John Steinbeck, author of The Grapes of Wrath, is a writer who knows and understands what the reader feels. When reading this book, the reader feels awful for the people in this time period and I think that this is the feeling he tried to portray. He wants us to know what they had to endure during the Great Depression. They had no food, no money, no jobs and the people of this time were forced to do whatever they had to do to ensure that their family would survive another day. John is also able to make us feel anger. The reader feels anger towards the larger farmers and the banks that pushed all of these tenant farmers off of the land that they cared for and loved.
I think that John Steinbeck values family. In this story they are all trying to survive and try to make sure that their other family members also survive. As the reader, you can tell that this family cares for one another deeply and that they would do anything for each other. I also think that John values determination. All of these people are fighting for their lives and for jobs. They sell everything they have just so that they can have the opportunity of a job in California(Steinbeck, Chapter 9). The Joads seem to not have much and they don't but they keep on pushing through the hunger and tiredness so that they can make a better life for their family.
John writes from the perspective of a suffering American. The country that is supposed to be free and prosperous is in the situation of the decade and he writes from each of the people who are suffering and struggling to survive. The reader comes to understand how these people feel towards the government, the farmers, and each other through this perspective and I think that it is very important to the concept and understanding of the book.
Steinbeck, John, and Robert J. DeMott. The Grapes of Wrath. New York: Penguin, 1992. Print.
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
Holden and his teachers
Even though Holden was kicked out of a few schools, and for the most part he did not like many people in the schools whether they were students or teachers, he came to like a few teachers. At his most recent school he came to be friends with old Mr. Spencer who was his history teacher. I am not sure why Holden was fond of Mr. Spencer over many of his other teachers, especially seeing as how he taught one of the classes that Holden failed, history. Mr. Spencer is an extraordinarily wise man who begins to lecture Holden and Holden does not like this. Even though Holden chose to go and visit Mr. Spencer instead of going to the football game or something, he did make up a lie to try and get out of the lecture saying he "has equipment in the gym that he has to get before going home"(Salinger,20). This is one of two teachers in the book that we know Holden liked and almost regrets leaving.
The second teacher that we learn about is Mr. Antolini. Holden saw him many times when he would come to Holden's house for dinner, or at school, or at the club to play some tennis. He seems like a nice guy and seems to want the best for Holden, for him to succeed in life and school. He takes Holden in and lets him eat and sleep at his house for the night because Holden did not have anywhere to go after he left his parents house. But in the middle of the night Holden is awoken to find that Mr. Antolini is stoking his head, which freaks Holden out. Holden then leaves as soon as he can saying he has to go to the station to get his bags and stuff out of the strong box but that he will be back. Holden ends up sleeping in the station corridor that night. I would have been freaked out to and Mr. Antolini seems like a pervert.
Salinger, J. D. The Catcher in the Rye. Boston: Little, Brown, 1951. Print
Time Period comparisons to then and now
The way people in the era of The Catcher in the Rye lived is very interesting and intriguing to me. The kids are basically able to do whatever they feel like doing. Holden just decided to leave his school and as far as we know, no one said anything or called his parents or anything. Now a day, if a kid was expelled from school then the parents would be the first person they call. But the modern school system is way to involved with the parents and bothersome to them more than anything. My parents do not care if my phone was taken away or I shot a piece of paper into the wastebasket instead of walking it over. There is a reason why people in Holden's time were more self dependent. Texting teaches us no communication skills. People want to be able to hide behind there phones instead of talking about a problem with the person directly to their face. I am no different and I know that I need to change my habits. Kids were able to smoke and drink back then without much consequence because no one cared(Salinger,185). If you really think about it teachers must hear what goes on during high schoolers' weekends. People try to be sneaky and discreet about it out of fear of being caught. I think that parents back then trusted their children more because they knew that they had risen them to act a certain way, but today so many parents do not care what their kids do and do not receive punishment for misbehaving. The kids think that they can do whatever they want to and this is not the case. The two time periods are so different and some would say that our period is better because of all the advancements in technology but the human nature has severely changed since then and I think I could leave Facebook and my cell phone to be a better person and live in a better world.
Salinger, J. D. The Catcher in the Rye. Boston: Little, Brown, 1951. Print
Holden and Phoebe
Holden and Phoebe seem to get along very well together. Phoebe also seems to be the only person Holden really cares about. I know this because throughout the entire time he is in New York he thinks about what it would be like if Phoebe were here with him, and he is speaking of dropping in and "shooting it" with her all the time. Anyone else is phony because of one small flaw in their personality that most people would not even catch on to. Phoebe acts very mature, more so than Holden, even though she is six years younger than him. This may be why they can interact together so well. She understands his problems and knows when he will be in trouble. Phoebe knows that whenever Holden gets expelled that her father is furious and she knows that he will be again this time also(Salinger,224). She socializes with other kids very well too but she finds some of them to be immature just because they are not as mature and smart as her. which I find very funny. Holden knows that he can confide in his sister and she will not their parents because I do not think that she wants to see her brother in trouble and she does not want to see her parents upset. They seem to care deeply for each other like family should and I believe that Phoebe will be very important to her brother's development into an adult because she is mature enough to know that we all have to grow up sometime and she can help Holden get past his fear of natural change.
Six years separates the two, but Holden and Phoebe act as if they were twins. They dance together, talk about very important problems in each others life and can trust the other to help them with these struggles even though they may seem small. Phoebe also lends him money because she knows that she can trust her brother to pay it back even though it was all of her Christmas money.
Salinger, J. D. The Catcher in the Rye. Boston: Little, Brown, 1951. Print
Holden's Schooling Experience
Holden Caulfield has just succeeded at being kicked out of another great, expensive prep school and he knows that his parents will be furious and disappointed. He was able to flunk four out of five subjects. English is the only class he passed because he likes it and he does not think it is too ridiculous for him to concentrate in and he does not think it is a phony subject. Now I do not understand why he only has five classes. I guess he may not have to take a physical education class at a private school but where are his electives? It is possible that he would have been able to better at school if he could choose some of his classes, ones that he enjoyed and that he knew he would exceed in. Holden was also the manager of the fencing team. "I was the goddam manager of the fencing team. Very big deal."(Salinger,6). I wonder though, why was he not a member of the team? It is possible that you had to keep certain grades to be eligible for extra-curicular activities and maybe he was just found to be not very good but they wanted him to have a place on the team because he tried. That happens at our school when sports season comes around and there are tryouts. Only a few people have to be cut but they are almost always offered a spot on the team as a manager or something similar and I think that this is more embarrassing than being cut. During the games everyone knows "He must not have made the team" or something similar and people do pick them out. It is sad to see and they are made fun of. That could be another reason why Holden hated school. He left school at the first opportunity he had and he just picked up his stuff and left. Holden did not like many people there. Only a few teachers and a few kids and he thought what the hell, why not leave?
Salinger, J. D. The Catcher in the Rye. Boston: Little, Brown, 1951. Print
Tuesday, August 2, 2011
Character Analysis: Holden
Holden Caulfield is a young boy who has recently flunked out of his latest school. He is the main character in this book and he is also the narrator. Holden is a boy who is interested in many adult things such as smoking, drinking, and having sex even though he has never had sex. He drinks very often unless the waiter asks him of his age in which case he prefers a Coke. He is a well-rounded kid and he knows what he likes and what he does not, which is most things. Everyone and everything is phony and he does not think that people are real and believable. Holden is afraid of growing up though. He wants to stay a boy and be treated like an adult. He wants to drink and smoke but he does not want to get stuck in the same day to day activity that many adults who have constant jobs have to endure. He does not want to be a phony and when talking with his sister about what type of job he may like he says "How would you know you weren't being a phony? The trouble is, you wouldn't."(Salinger,224).
Holden does not seem to have many people he likes other than his sister Phoebe. He talks about people that the reader may interpret as a close friend but then he goes on to call them a bastard and you know that he does not have any friendly feelings for that person, most likely because he thinks they are phony, or what we would call two-faced, or playing both sides of the fence. He needs some close friends because if he were to be with them when they began to grow up and act more maturely maybe it would rub off on him and encourage him to do the same. Even his little sister is more mature and has a better understanding of her future than Holden and she knows that she can not stay a kid forever.
Salinger, J. D. The Catcher in the Rye. Boston: Little, Brown, 1951. Print
Characters: Phoebe
Phoebe is a very smart, kind hearted, and determined young girl who is the sister of Holden in The Catcher in the Rye. Even though she is six years younger than her older brother, she understands that no matter what everyone has to grow up and become a mature adult. Holden is yet to understand this while he tries to fight maturity. She is very smart in her school and knows what is right and wrong. She knows that Holden getting kicked out of school is not good and that he is just being immature and even though they love each other very much, she is mad at him for this. She just wants him to be happy and she knows that when he talks bad about all of his teachers and old schools he is really talking about problems he has. Even though she is young, when her parents come home from a party she takes the heat from her parents about the cigarette smell even though it was Holden(Salinger, 230), when most young kids I know would not have hesitated to rat out an older sibling. Phoebe understands what makes her parents upset and she knows that she does not want her or Holden to disappoint them and she does not want Holden to be in trouble.
Phoebe is also very useful to the Holden's story and background. She becomes a second narrator when he comes to visit and we learn things about him that we would not have learned if Holden was the narrator the entire story. She pressures him into a corner with one statement, "You don't like anything that's happening."(Salinger,220). He argues with her and she asks him to name one thing he likes, really likes. This is the point when we learn more about their deceased sibling Allie. I do not thing we would have learned more about him if it were not for Phoebe and her level of maturity and understanding of the course of life.
Salinger, J. D. The Catcher in the Rye. Boston: Little, Brown, 1951. Print
Irony: The Catcher in the Rye.
There are many cases of Irony in The Catcher in the Rye. I think that it is very peculiar that all of these things and people in the world are phony to Holden, but that none of the things he does is ever phony. The thing is though, that i think this show he puts on to act like a teenager is an act so that he can slow the process of maturity and the next progression in his life to adulthood. He is afraid of adulthood even though he tries to act like an adult.He does quite a bit of drinking and smoking which most kids do not do.
He also buys a prostitute from the elevator boy but when she comes to the room he does not want to "give it to her" even though he says she is very pretty. He makes up all of these outrageous reasons why he can not have intercourse with her. Holden says that he has just had a very bad day and when this does not work he tells her that he just had a procedure done his is spine and on a part of his spine that i do not know to exist. He is frightened because he is guilty of the sins he criticizes in others, and because he can’t understand everything around him. But he refuses to acknowledge this fear, expressing it only in a few instances. "Sex is something I just don't understand. I swear to God I don't." (Salinger, 82).
Holden is afraid of becoming an adult because he does not want to become one of those people who get up and do the same things everyday. All of this is phony because he is not acting in a consistent manner. He is putting on some type of front to make us think that he is mature when he isn't. It is ironic because he is phony, when he does not think that he is but that everything else is.
Salinger, J. D. The Catcher in the Rye. Boston: Little, Brown, 1951. Print
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