Grapes of Wrath Essay: Steinbecks Political Beliefs -- Grapes Wrath e

The Grapes of Wrath and Steinbeck's Political Beliefs      Ã‚   Steinbeck's relationship to the transcendentalists [Emerson, Thoreau, and Whitman] was pointed out soon after The Grapes of Wrath appeared by Frederick I. Carpenter, and as the thirties fade into history, Jim Casy with his idea of the holiness of all men and the unreality of sin seems less a product of his own narrowly doctrinaire age than a latter-day wanderer from the green village of Concord to the dry plains of the West.    Although Steinbeck argues for collective action to achieve specific goals, only the most unperceptive critics continue to argue that he is a collectivist in either philosophy or politics. Throughout his work he decries the mindless indoctrination of the totalitarians and maintains that only through reflection upon his bitter experience can learn the value of acting in concert with others for the relief of emergency conditions -- like the flood at the end of The Grapes of Wrath -- so that the individual may subsequently be free to realize his own potentialities. Nothing better illustrates Steinbeck's concept of social organization than the pictures in Chapter Seventeen of The Grapes of Wrath of the world that is created each night a people come together, and disappears the next morning when they separate.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In reference to the government camps in The Grapes of Wrath, Steinbeck never suggests that these camps should offer more than temporary relief during emergencies; he never suggests that the government should provide work for the people. We must recall, too, the camp manager's comment that the people in the camp had taken his job away from him by assuming responsibilities for self-government. Steinbeck's approval ... ... the question: How can any form of government avoid playing a continual role in the shaping of people's lives, whether directly or indirectly?      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Simply to prove that Steinbeck was not a socialist, a rather easy task these days thanks to the work of Steinbeck scholars in the 60s and 70s, does not mean that he was a conservative bastion of American individualism and an opponent of "big government." Such a portrait of Steinbeck is as inaccurate as the socialist portrait French and Lisca exposed.       Works Consulted French, Warren. A Companion to The Grapes of Wrath. New York: The Viking Press, 1963. Hawgood, John A. America's Western Frontiers. New York: Alfred P. Knopf, 1967. Jones, Evan. The Plains States. New York: Time Life Books, 1968. Steinbeck, John. The Grapes of Wrath. New York: The Sun Dial Press, 1939.      

127 Hours The Movie

After watching and studying the film, reflect on a defining moment in your life. We often talk about character epiphanies (realizations). Use one or two of Ralston’s quotes as a springboard for your own personal reflection. Write out a response and video tape it. Due Tuesday, October 22nd as well as Journal. (Personal Response Rubric – Thoughts and Ideas/Presentation) Quotes from Aron Ralston novel, Between a Rock and a Hard Place â€Å"It's me. I chose this. I chose all of this — this rock has been waiting for me my entire life. I’ve been moving towards it my whole life.† â€Å"Saying farewell is also a bold and powerful beginning.†You'll never find your limits until you've gone too far.†Ã¢â‚¬Å"How would I behave in a situation that caused me to summon the essence of my character? The tragedy inspired me to test myself. I wanted to reveal to myself who I was: the kind of person who died, or the kind of person who overcame circumstances to help himself and others†Ã¢â‚¬Å"Indeed, it has affirmed my belief that our purpose as spiritual beings is to  follow our bliss, seek our passions, and live our lives as inspirations to each other.†Ã¢â‚¬Å"Like looking through a telescope into the Milky Way and wondering if we're alone in the universe, it made me realize with the glaring clarity of desert light how scarce and delicate life is, how insignificant we are compared with the forces of nature and the dimensions of space. (†¦) We are not grand because we are at the top of the food chain or because we can alter our environment – the environment will outlast us with its unfathomable forces and unyielding powers. But rather than be bound and defeated by our insignificance, we are bold because we exercise our will anyway, despite the ephemeral and delicate presence we have in this desert, on this planet, in this universe.†Ã¢â‚¬Å"Adversity has the effect of eliciting talents, which, in prosperous circumstances, would have lain dormant. -Horace†Ã¢â‚¬Å"dum spiro, spero -Part of the official state motto of South Carolina. Literally, â€Å"While I breathe, I hope† Or more loosely, â€Å"Where there is life, there is hope.†Ã¢â‚¬Å"That boulder did what it was there to do. Boulders fall. That’s their nature. It did the only natural thing it could do. It was set up, but it was waiting for you. Without you coming along and pulling it, it would still be stuck where it had been for who knows how long. You did this, Aron. You created it. You chose to come here today; you chose to do this descent into the slot canyon by yourself. You chose not to tell anyone where you were going. You chose to turn away from the women who were there to keep you from getting in this trouble.You created this accident. You wanted it to be like this. You have been heading for this situation for a long time. Look how far you came to find this spot. It’s not that you’re getting what you deserve – you’re getting what you wanted.† ― Aron RalstonBetween a Rock and a Hard Place

Being Born As An Arab Minority - 903 Words

Hope Being born as an Arab minority in Nazareth, Israel made me experience different events and feelings in at an early age that I will never forget forget until this day. Every time I would go for a trip outside Nazareth to a near non-Arab cities with my school I would feel the tension and the specious eyes on me and my classmates as if we did something wrong, because we spoke little Hebrew due to our age and Hebrew being our second language and Arabic is the first language. Therefore, communicating with the people in those cities was a bit challenging to a fifth grader child, such as, buying food to eat lunch, asking where the restroom is, etc. I still remember this event as if it was yesterday; my class went to a trip with the school to a water park that is located in Haifa city that is located in northern Israel. I went with my friend to one of the waterslides and as we were waiting in line, we were talking in Arabic and the children behind us were speaking Hebrew. All the sudden they started imitating the way we spoke and laughed then they pushed us. I did not know at that time what we did wrong to be treated like that and why none of the adults that whiteness how the other children made fun of us and pushed us did anything to stop them from treating us that way. Even though the lifeguard saw what happened, but did absolutely nothing to prevent the children from hurting us. Days have passed and I began to understand how things are going around me as a minorityShow MoreRelatedRacial Discrimination Against Minorities And Immigrants1090 Words   |  5 Pagesbuild a better life. Some immigrants bring their families. Others come alone with nothing but determination. Racial discrimination against minorities and immigrants is an underlying problem here in America today. Racism is seen in our daily lives when people are discriminated against because of their race and ethnicity. 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