Journal 2- Manners

There once was a flying squirrel named Louis, and a chipmunk named Winston. Louis was a very outgoing flying squirrel. He was very curious and always liked to find some way to make an adventure out of something that was not as important as he made it out to be. Winston was the opposite of Louis. Winston was shy and an introvert. He enjoyed to stay in his home with all of the things he had collected over the years. When Winston was younger he was not like he was now. He used to be adventurous and loved to nearly escape death. After he was nearly killed by a human when Winston was caught in a trap. Know he was afraid to go outdoors now. He enjoyed staying at home and admiring all of the things he had attained in his younger years. Louis loved Winston's collection as well. Louis loved to borrow Winston's stuff. Louis used to be very careful with Winston's collection, but over time he became careless and had little respect for Winston's possessions. Winston was not the kind of person that would tell someone when he was upset with that person. He was becoming upset with Louis because he felt that Louis was taking advantage of Winston's generosity. Winston did not have a problem with lending Louis his stuff, but he would have enjoyed it if Louis would ask before he just borrowed something. At first Winston did not say anything, but now he was becoming worried that he would not get his stuff back. Finally one day he told Louis. Louis had no idea that Winston felt the way he did. Louis realized that he was not being polite, and that he was not being a good friend by taking advantage of Winston's generosity. Louis apologized and promised that he would never take anything without asking ever again. Now in their old age Louis and Winston are the best of friends.

Journal 1, A Creation Story

There once was a time when the snake had long flowing fur, and strong legs like that of a lion, in fact the snake resembled the lion very much. There was only one thing that separated them from the each other, and that was that the snake did not have a long tail that is so distinct to the lion. When the animals were first created the snake was fine with not having a tail. He felt he was special and better then all of the other jungle cats. All of the other animals had long tails that the Snake thought that were in the way and slowed them down. When the all of the jungle cats would race along the river and through the forest the Snake would always come in last. The reason being he had no tail to balance himself when he ran. When the ran along the edge of the river he would always fall in. He could not balance himself. He was humiliated, but all of the other animals tried to comfort him. They told him that he was still the coolest looking animal in the jungle. For a while Snake believed all of the other animals, but after he started to see how useful all of the other animals tails were he became upset. When of the animals were napping they used their tails to keep away the flies and other bugs off of them. Snake however did not have a tail so he was continually bitten and pestered by the insects. He rarely got to have a good afternoon rest because of the bugs. When the other animals saw how distressed he was they tried to help him out. They tried to use their tails keep the bugs off of him. It worked for a little while, but once they fell asleep. The bugs would bother Snake again. He finally became so frustrated that he became angry with the Creator. He complained to him, and he cried out, "Why did you give everyone else but be a tail?" The Creator said that he should be content with the way he was made, but Snake kept complaining. So to teach him, and all the other animals a lesson, he turned Snake into a tail only. He lost his legs and his beautiful mane. He was only a small slimy tail. He became the snake we know today.

Fahrenheit 451 question 4

4. The hero of this book is Guy Montag. He stands up for what he eventually knows is the right thing to do. At first he struggles with the idea of changing, but once you change there is no way of going back. Guy was perfect character for this book. If he were any different it would not have been as good for the book. He was not always sure of what he was supposed to do, but once he did it he had made up his mind there was no going back. He was determined in what he was going to do. One of his less admirable traits was when he became angry he became enraged. It is obvious when he killed Beatty at his home. I think that even though he thought that Beatty wanted to die, and that is how he comforted himself, it was not the right thing to do. I think that Guy Montag represented courage. When he had his made up he stuck with it. Even when it was not the right thing to do he stuck with it. When he was worried about what he should do when he was in trouble he had Faber to help him at first. However when he was going on a rant, he had no fear. He was always ready to fight when he was angry. He lacked a lot of self-control and he did a very poor job of controlling himself. Guy Montag also represented truth. When he was trying to realize the goodness of books. He wanted people to know that there was truth in the books. Since he wanted people to realize the truth in the books I believe that he himself represented truth. He knew the truth in the books. Guy also knew that other people needed to see that it is okay to have different views. He knew that they had to realize it themselves. It was up to him however to show them how to understand it.

Fahrenheit 451 question 3

3. One of the universal themes in this book, Fahrenheit 451, is happiness. In the book Guy Montag is faced with the question, “Are you happy?” He is trying to find what will truly make him happy. He comes to realize that his job does not make him happy. His wife, Mildred, does not make him happy. In the book he is trying to understand why Clarisse McClellan is happy. Why she is so strange yet happy, genuinely happy. He wants the same happiness that Clarisse McClellan has. The more he goes on living like he had his entire adult life he realizes that he is becoming unhappy. So throughout the book Guy Montag is trying to find happiness, the burning of houses and books used to make him happy. Now that he had seen happiness in a different light, he was trying to attain that level of real happiness and joy. Ray Bradbury understands that it is human nature to desire to fit in. He understands that people are always trying to be normal. They do not want to stand out. It is especially obvious at the junior high and high school levels. No one wants to be different in the crowed. This is key to the book because this is one of the main conflicts in the book. Guy Montag is faced with a choice do I stay “normal” and keep going to my job and forget this silly idea that may make me fall flat on my face, or do I go after this idea of true happiness? As he grew more unhappy he knew that he had to go against the grain of the wood. He had to seek true happiness in the last place he knew to look, the books that he was supposed to destroy. If it was not human nature to want to fit in, then this book would lose a lot of its conflict, and it would just be about a man who could not make up his mind about what to do.

Fahrenheit 451 question 2

2. One of the biggest conflicts in this book is Montag’s conflict with himself. When Guy meets Clarisse his starts to change, he wonders why this girl is so strange. Then Clarisse asks him if he is happy. I think this is the first spark in the fire for Montag. At first he plays it off as if it is nothing. Guy kids himself into thinking he is happy. Thinking he is happy with his life. Then Clarisse shows him the dandelion trick to see if he was in love. It showed he was not. He was angry with her, but as he began to think about it he realized that he was not sure if he loved his wife. He began to notice that he was just going through the motions of life. Clarisse started to change him. She asked Guy questions that made him think. Wondering why she was so happy, yet she was so different. He enjoyed her company, he enjoyed talking to her and listening to what she had to say. All the time she talked Guy listened. He started to think. He realized how unhappy he was with his life. He wanted to find a meaning to what he was doing. And the only way he could think of was to read a book and see what it was all about. The conflict I am talking about is should Guy Montag tell anyone how he was feeling. He was afraid to tell the firemen for fear of what they would do. He felt he did not have a good enough relationship to tell his wife. Guy Montag was struggling with himself. Should he venture off into the unknown world of reading books, or should he just forget it and play it safe and go back to work like nothing had ever happened. The real question is did he want to be happy and a fugitive, or did he want to go on being unhappy and safe?

Fahrenheit 451 question 1

1. Fahrenheit 451 was a revealing book. It shows the way Ray Bradbury values God. In the book God is portrayed as an old fashioned idea. God is a thing of the past. He is something from a book long, long ago. In the book religion itself is ancient. No one wanted to be responsible for their actions. All people wanted to do was watch television. To them the bible was just another book to be burned. There was nothing special about it. The bible was just a way to call an alarm. In the book there is no reverence for God, or his power. It shows that Bradbury had no care for God. It also reveals his attitude about books. I think that Bradbury had a deep respect for books and what they had to say. The whole story is about saving books. Bradbury had a love for books and knew that they were important. In Fahrenheit 451 the author portrays a world without books as a very lonesome place. The only reason most people visited each other was to watch television together. There was no real social quality in the visits. To me it seemed like a very dull, and lame place to live. It was obvious to me that books meant a lot to him. I could tell he was trying to stress the importance of books in our lives. Not only books though, but literature all together. He knew that if there were not different views in the world then everyone would be the same. If everyone is the same then no one is special. That is why Bradbury stressed the importance of books in Fahrenheit 451. The way the author valued books makes me realize how important they are to society. Books give us different views on subjects like politics and religion. I think it is good for people to know all the sides of an argument. As I said earlier if we all had the same view the world would be a much less exciting place. Since he wrote from a third person perspective it was interesting to read what Guy Montag thinking. It was kind of hard to follow the story at some points, but for the most part it was good.

The Grapes of Wrath, Human Affairs

19. I think that in this book, The Grapes of Wrath, John Steinbeck was trying to draw attention to one thing. Steinbeck was calling attention to a justice in human affairs. In the book several times there are incidents where human beings are treated like animals by other humans. The first would be when the bankers were plowing all of the land into one big field. They did not care that farming was the only thing the Joad family, and many others, knew how to do. They did not care that this was the only land the families lived on. It was like they were herding animals off their land. Like cows being moved from one place to another. That is how the bankers viewed the people. The only thing they wanted was more money. Another incident would be at Hoovervill when the deputy treats all of the people like they were nothing. He talked down to them like they were less important. He treated them like dogs. When he told Floyd to get in the car it was like the deputy was Floyd’s master. I think this was the first time that the Joad family realized what they had gotten into. When the Joad family left Hoovervill they were stopped by a group of men that said they did not want any “Okies” in their town. It was like the “Okies” were just were just a name and not real people. They did not need food or shelter. “Okies” are not real people they were just animals. Once they had made it to the peach orchard, Tom went to look around. When he found Casy he was really surprised. Tom learned about the way the men were treated in jail. When they were being chased and caught by the men Casy was killed. The thing that is disheartening is that there was no respect for human life. They killed him like they would smash a bug.

The Grapes of Wrath, Rose of Sharon

18. One of the lesser important characters in this book was Rose of Sharon. Even though she is not as important, she still played a vital role in The Grapes of Wraths. Rose and her husband Connie had come on the journey because they were afraid of being separated from Rose’s family. I also think it was because they did not know what else to do. I did not like Rose of Sharon because she was always complaining. Whenever there was something she did not like, she would complain about it. Rose would blame it on her pregnancy, and I times it have been, but I think she enjoyed complaining. She had no problem telling someone she did not like something. When Connie left, all she did was cry. She pouted and wanted the rest of the family to feel sorry for her. It was as if she did not realize that the family was struggling to survive. When they went to the government camp, and the over religious lady talked to her, Rose of Sharon freaked out. She thought she had killed her baby because she had danced with Connie. After that she thought that every bad thing that happened would affect her baby and make it a bad baby. Rose of Sharon enjoyed having the attention on her. When Winfield became sick and needed milk, Rose of Sharon complained that she was not getting any milk for her baby. She thought she was the most important person in the group. Rose of Sharon was little help her mother, and when she did help Ma had to constantly reminder her to keep working. Rose would always say she was tired and needed to lie down. She also believed that Connie would come back to her; she was very naïve in thinking he would come back. When Rose of Sharon wanted to help her family harvest the cotton, Rose may have been trying to help, but I think it was to draw attention to herself. Then she became sick and was little help to anyone. And when it came time for her to have her baby she had little strength. Rose was never thinking of others, but always of herself.

The Grapes of Wrath, Jim Casy

17. Casy was probably one of the most complicated characters by far. He had so many complex ideas and so many strange thoughts. It really made the reader focus on what he was saying and think about what he was saying. Being a preacher made him think about a lot of things. Why was he a preacher? Why was he baptizing people? Should he be baptizing people? Was he really worthy of being a preacher? In the book he was really struggling with a lot of questions. He did not really understand the concept of his religion, so he disowned it. He was trying to grasp the concept of sin, what was sin? Did it really matter what you did. Through the trip Casy was a good help to the Joad family. Whatever they needed him to do he would do it. When they needed someone to help with the car, Casy volunteered. He would say grace for Grandma, and he said it at Grandpa’s funeral. When Tom got into trouble at Hoovervill, Casy helped him out. He kicked the deputy right in the neck, knocking him out. He took the blame for hitting the deputy and tripping him. He was a truly good friend. Casy was not worried about what would happen to his self. He did not have anyone to take care of so he did not need to worry about providing for someone else. Going to jail was like a blessing in disguise for him. He had good shelter and he was given food everyday. Later on when Tom found Casy leading a revolt, Casy had changed from a preacher to a leader. He was doing something right. He wanted equal rights for all of the workers. Better pay for them and better living conditions. He had gone for a preacher to an activist trying to change the course of history. He gave his life for something he truly believed in. He was trying to better his country.

The Grapes of Wrath, Ruthie and Winfield

16. Winfield and Ruthie were classic adolescent sibling characters. They were always messing around, and finding ways to get in trouble. They constantly found something to argue about or to aggravate the other person. When the Joad family was traveling they would whine and complain about anything they could. They would whine that they were thirsty or hungry. When the family stopped to camp for the night, they would run off and play not helping the family. They would always tell on the other. Even if it was not a big deal, they wanted the other to get in trouble. When the Joad family stopped at the river before they crossed the desert you could tell that Winfield and Ruthie were getting on everyone’s nerves. It was like everyone wanted them to be more mature then they really were. They never thought of others. The only thought s they had were for their own well being or enjoyment. At the Hoovervill camp they were stuck up because they had food to eat and the other children did not. They were showing off to the other children. They did not know that in a few weeks they would be the exact same as the other children. When they were in the government camp they were very mischievous and curious. They went into the sanitary station and were amazed at the toilets. They had never seen a toilet before so when Winfield flushed it, he thought he had broken it. Ruthie knew that this was the perfect thing to tell on Winfield for, but she did not know that her plan would backfire. Ma told them that is what a toilet did. Ruthie was a brat, when she wanted something she had to have it. When the kids were playing croquet Ruthie thought she could just march in and take over. She did not realize that the other kids would not be so willing to give up their club. When she finally got the club no one else would play with her so she went and cried so the other kids would feel sorry for her. I think she felt sorry for herself.

The Grapes of Wrath, Al

15. Al was funny to me in this book. He was always “tom cattin around” as they said in the book. Al was always looking for girls, and when he found them you would not see him for some time. When Pa was looking for a car to go to California in, Al was the one who helped him pick it out. He checked the engine, and the rest of the car. Al knew which car models were good and reliable. Al was a big help to the family when they left. He had learned a lot about cars and was able to drive the truck along with Tom. When the Wilson car broke down he and Tom were the ones who were able fix it. It seemed like Al was always trying to leave the family and do what he wanted. Ma and Tom made him stay several times because they knew he would be better off with the rest of the family. When the Joad family got to California, Al wanted to find a job at a garage. I do not think he realized how hard it was going to be for him to find a good, well paying job. Once he found it I do not think he would be hired because he did not know that much about cars, and a garage would want someone with a lot of experience. They would not want someone they would have to teach. When Al went to the government camp with the rest of his family, he could not find a job the entire time he was there. However he did find a girl and he promised he would marry her. When the Joad family left the camp the girl was upset with him, but he promised he would be back. Once they found work at the cotton fields he had found Aggie, and he had promised to marry her. I find it comical the he promised to marry both girls, but Al seems more devoted to Aggie. I think he finally realized the commitment he was making and he knew he had to stick to it. Through the book the reader can see Al maturing. At the end of the book, Al stays with Aggie instead of going with the rest of his family.

The Grapes of Wrath, Uncle John

14. Uncle John is an interesting character in this book. In the beginning of Grapes of Wrath the reader learns that his wife died when he was younger. We find out that he thinks his wife’s death and the death of the baby was entirely his fault. For much of the traveling to California the reader hears nothing about Uncle John. For a while I forgot that Uncle John even existed. For much of the book the reader only hears his name, but he does not say anything directly. Uncle John is not involved in much dialogue. He is very remorseful about his wife’s death. He is always trying to make it up to everyone. He gives things to people, or does things for them. It is like he is trying to make up for what he thought he did by doing good things. He is trying to ease his conscious by helping other people. On the trip he was hiding five dollars so that when they go to California he could get drunk. Whenever he was upset or depressed he would go out and by himself whiskey. I am not trying to run anyone’s life, but I do think that getting drunk is going to solve anyone’s problems. He seemed to think anytime something went wrong part of it was his fault. When Rose of Sharon had her baby, he volunteered to burry the baby. I think he did this because he wanted a chance to burry the baby that had died in his wife’s womb. It probably helped ease the pain of the loss, now that he had a chance to burry the baby. I found it interesting however that Uncle John did not burry the baby, instead he put the baby in the swollen river and let it float away. In the end of the book it seemed like he did not care about living anymore. When the flood broke through the levy they had built, he did not hurry to get out.

The Grapes of Wrath, Ironies

13. One of the main ironies in this book is that the Joad family, and thousands of other families like them, left their homes to get better work in California, when they were better off staying home and holding out for something better. The families were sent brochures that told them of the wonderful California. There were orchards as far as the eye could see and there was so much work that you could never go poor. Everyone thought that they would go and have a much better life in California. Ma thought that they would go to California and live in a small white house, and that the family would go out everyday and pick peaches, cotton and grapes. She never stopped to think, and no one else did either, that everyone else would be going there with the same dream. The reality was that it was extremely difficult to get work. There were way too many workers and way too few jobs. Everyone found out the hard way that there was no easy way to live in California. They had to go looking for jobs everyday, and come back to camp everyday jobless. They spent weeks on end looking for jobs so that they could feed their wife and kids. When they did find a job they were paid very little. It was barely enough to feed their families. Sometimes it was not enough for them to feed their families. The camps they lived in were dirty and nothing like what they had imagined. They had to live in tents and be harassed by the police and other more fortunate people. No running water, no toilets and no showers. I am sure the smell would be terrible. It is almost funny how drastically different the two were. They dream of nice houses and good work, and they show up and find they have to live in dirty camps with low paying or no work.

The Grapes of Wrath, Conflicts 2

12. Once they reached California a big conflict was that everyone they had talked to who was on their way back from California was right. There were no jobs, no nice, white houses to live in and nothing came as easy as they thought it would. It was a big shock to them that they had to work hard and go hungry because it was such a bad situation there. When Tom saw how the people were being mistreated by the cops and the employers he was livid about it. This brought the potential for Tom to get in trouble. He did not want to start trouble, but he wanted to stand up for what was right. When the deputy cam to Hoovervill and treated everyone poorly. Tom became upset and when the deputy was chasing Floyd, Tom stuck out his foot and tripped the deputy. Thankfully Casy stepped and kicked the deputy and knocked him out. Casy was willing to take the blame for Tom because he did not want Tom to get in trouble and get sent back to prison. From then on Tom had a kind of strange hatred for the police in California. They were corrupt, and unjust. Once they learned about the government camp they headed straight for it, but a group of men did not want any “Okies” in their town. Tom was about to fight them, but his mother calmed him down and they just found another way around the town. When they were in the government camp everything was great, but after the first five days they were there they could not find any work. They did not want to leave such a wonderful place, but they knew they had to go so that they could get food to feed the family. The men did not want to leave, but Ma knew that they had to go if the family was going to survive. Their only choice was to move on and to look for work somewhere else.

The Grapes of Wrath, Conflicts

11. There are several conflicts in this book, and quite a few major ones. The first one in the book I would write about is when Grandpa refuses to leave Uncle John’s house. It must have been difficult for him to leave the place had always lived. He most likely was born there, and grew up there. He was leaving the place he had worked all of his life. The only place he knew to work and the only thing he knew how to do was to farm. It was difficult for his family to persuade to get in the truck and leave. Eventually they had to drug him to make him fall asleep so they could put him on the truck. A big conflict for Tom and his mother and father was that they knew Tom would have to break parole if he left the state and went with them to California. Ma did not want Tom get caught and sent back to McAlester. I think that it eased Ma’s mind when Tom told her the only way that he would get caught is if he committed another crime. Another conflict would be what to do when Grandpa had died. They did not want anyone to think that he had been murdered and buried along side the road, but they did not have enough money to go to the coroner’s office and by a death certificate. So they decided to burry him along side the road and place a bottle in the grave with him that explained what had happened. I think that this was a good resolution to the conflict they had. Something that troubled them was when the Wilson’s car broke down. The men wanted Tom and Al to stay and fix the car, but Ma went wild and said that she did not want the family to be split apart. Once they finally calmed Ma down and they convinced her everything was going to be alright Ma knew she had been wrong.

The Grapes of Wrath, Tom

10. Tom was an interesting character in The Grapes of Wrath. He had just gotten out of prison on parole when the reader is introduced to him. It is interesting to see him adjust to the new culture after being in prison for four years. When he meets Casy under the tree he never suspected that he would have to leave his home. I do not think that Casy knew anything was going on either. Casy had been away for a while so he knew little of what was going on. It was a big shock for Tom when he realized that no one lived in his house anymore. I can not imagine what it would be like to come home and have nothing there, no family, no possessions. I think it was a comfort to him to have Casy there with him though. He must have wondered what had happened to his family. He may have been worried. It was probably a big relief when Muley told him that his family was safe at his Uncle Johns house. It must have been like a weight lifted off his chest when he was reunited with his family after being gone for four years. While they were traveling Tom was a good help to his family. He knew how to fix the truck and drive it, so he could trade on and off with Al. He always did his best to not cause any trouble. In the back of his mind I bet there was always the thought that he would get sent back to prison for breaking parole. He felt like if he was sent back he would be letting his family down. When they arrived in California he was the first one to find work to provide for his family. He was also the first one to be troubled by the way the workers were being treated. This was not good because he did not want to get in trouble, and let his family down.

The Grapes of Wrath, Religion

9. One thing I want to respond to is the way Steinbeck portrays the organized church. He makes it seem like the church was not a good thing. I am not saying that everyone always has to agree with the church, or that they have to believe in God. However in most literature the church is played as a controlling, unintelligent organization that is good for nothing. I find it disturbing that people can be so numb to the way they are treating other people. I realize that he is making a statement against the church, but it is also disheartening when the church constantly gets bashed and dragged down by the media. Often times they only focus on the negatives of the church, or the churches that mess up. The religious woman in the government camp was not an accurate portrayal of a person of the church. There are not that many people who behave in such a harsh manner. Many people in the church are nice and willing to help a person in need, but that’s not everyone. There are hypocrites in the church. And there are people in the church who think they are above everyone else. I am hoping that I can be someone who will change the way that people think about the church and the people in them. Often the world view of the church is diluted. The people who consume the literature and media don not get a good picture of the church and the people who are associated with it. Steinbeck may have never even been associated with anyone in the church. So if you never get an accurate description of something, and you tell someone else about it you are lying to them. It is just frustrating that the church is never given any justice in literature. So I am going to do my best to change many peoples view of not just the church, but religion itself.

The Grapes of Wrath question 8

8. This novel reflects history very well because the author lived in the time period written about. This gives him an upper hand to any other person writing on the great dust bowl. I think that Steinbeck was trying to get us to realize the responsibilities between workers and bosses. I believe that he wanted us to understand the fact that many bosses were mistreating their workers. He was making a statement against the cruelty of the people in positions of power. Also I think that he wanted us to see that women were important to society as well. In the beginning of the book Ma did not have much say in many of the issues the Joad family was facing. The men were the ones who were making the big decisions. In the last third of the book however Ma was the one who was holding the family together. She was the one making the important decisions. Ma was the person deciding to move. She told the men what to do most of the time. I think that Ma was on of the most influential people in the book, but that her family did not realize it until after they arrived in California. I believe that Steinbeck was trying to start a movement towards justice in human affairs. He was very concerned with they way people were being treated. They were treated like animals at some points in the book. I think he was influenced by what he culture he lived in. Steinbeck wrote the book during the Depression. So it was easy to get inspiration for what he was writing because it was happening all around him. It may have been happening to Steinbeck himself. The people he saw probably influenced him the most. The stories they told, and the wear and tear he could sense in the people themselves made a vivid inspiration for him. The entire ordeal with the depression was his greatest influence.

The Grapes of Wrath question 7

7. I think that Steinbeck kept the reader engaged by giving the reader challenging things to think about. Many times Casy would give long “speeches” about his religion and his time as a preacher. It made me think about my religion and I had a tough time thinking about some of the things he brought up. Many times I read on to see if there was an answer to some of the questions Casy brought up. Even though I did not agree with almost all of the answers that were given, it was interesting to get a different perspective on the subject. The author also used mystery to keep the reader engaged. He would end a chapter after setting up an interesting scene. Often times it would be action and adventure that he would leave off on. I found myself almost being forced to read on because the story was so interesting. Most of the time however I did not feel engaged in the book. At some points the story was boring to me, and it became very flat. Towards the beginning of the book it was uninteresting for me. At some points I felt there was too much dialogue, and at others there was too little. When there was a lot of description of the details in the book, I lost a lot of interest. For me a good book will have a lot of action and adventure. I am not saying that dialogue is bad, but at some points I felt like it was not crucial to the book. It seemed as if he was just trying to fill space in the book. The book only seemed to pick up the last two hundred pages or so. Until then the book seemed to drag on. But once the booked picked up it was easy for me to read. There was action evenly balanced with dialogue and description. It was as if someone cut a weight off a runner and all the sudden the pace quickened.

The Grapes of Wrath question 6

6. I think we still read this book because it gives us a different perspective on the Great Depression. Usually when we hear about the Great Depression, we are reading about it from our history books. When we read about the Depression it usually is just facts and numbers. We do not hear individual stories about people and their struggles. Many times we do not really understand the real impact the Depression had on people. This novel however helps us to realize the true effects of the Great Depression. When I read this book I empathize with the Joad family. The way Steinbeck writes, I almost feel the weight of their struggles myself. It was easy to empathize with Tom because we have all been in trouble at one point in our lives, and we were afraid and hid from our parents or elders. I think it is safe to say that we have not been in the same trouble Tom has. It is timeless because we could have another depression at anytime. And even with all the protective laws we have, we could still end up like the Joad family. The Grapes of Wrath made me think about how I would react in that situation. It forces us to think and remember that anything could happen. We have to remember the people who struggled before us to make this great country. We have to understand the sacrifices people made so that we may live in freedom. I think that we can learn that we can never give up hope. The Joad family knew that if they were going to survive they would have to keep pressing on. We can not wallow in our grief and sadness. If we did that we would never get anything done. We have to stay determined; I think one of the main things we the author wanted us to take away from this is that we can not give up hope.

The Grapes of Wrath question 5

5. I think this book is reflects events in history very well. The great depression was a time when there were hundreds of thousands of people trying to get jobs, and they were doing anything to get them. Along with doing anything to get them, they took very low wages. Many people got by on the very bare minimum. One of the main social issues in the book the abuse of power. Time and time again in the book a person in authority would belittle others because they were less fortunate then them. One thing that stood out to me especially was the policemen. Anytime they didn’t like something they would arrest the person they thought had wronged him. They would put the person in jail with little or no reason, besides the fact they didn’t like them. Another issue was that the bankers who owned the farmers land had no regard for the people who farmed them. Even though they may have missed a few payments on the land, I think that having compassion on someone has a much better effect in the long run. I know that the bankers just wanted more money, but helping human beings survive would be much more rewarding. This is not just a story of survival it is a story of desperation. The Joad family, and many other families like them did almost anything to survive. They worked at jobs that provided little money. Many times when they ran out of money, the Joad family would go without food. They were more fortunate than others however, they didn’t starve to death. The business men and land owners didn’t care about their workers and how they would survive or how they would feed their families. The only thing that they care about was when their crops would get harvested. That’s what drove the bitterness between the workers and the owners. There was no sense of morality or compassion. All they cared about was money.

The Grapes of Wrath question 4

4. I think that Ma is the hero of this book. She is confident, wise, strong and brave. Throughout the book she is stays strong for the rest of the Joad family. When Grandpa died she comforted the other family members, especially grandma. And when Grandma died in the middle of the night she didn’t bother anyone until the next day. Whenever there was a big family decision to make Ma was there with good advice and helpful comments. Whenever someone needed help it was usually Ma who was there to help them. When someone needed to talk something out, they talked to Ma. While the Joad family was at the government camp she was the person to take initiative. Ma was the one who knew they had to leave to get work. Even though she didn’t want to leave she knew she had to be strong in front of the other family members. And when Tom got in trouble at the Hooper ranch, Ma was the one to make a plan to get Tom out. She was always strong for everyone else; she was always there for the family. When times were tough and people wanted to leave, she kept the family together. She knew that they would do better when they were together. The abstract truth I think that Ma portrayed is courage. She always displayed courage no matter what they were doing. When they made the decision to leave home she displayed no emotion because she knew everyone looked to her. When Ma had to send Tom away, it was a tough thing to do. In spite of that she still displayed courage so that Tom would know it was the right decision to make. When Rose of Sharon had her baby she was there for her, and was with her every minute. She was the shoulder for Rose of Sharon to cry one. Ma was the main support of the family.

The Grapes of Wrath question 3

3. Some of the many universal themes in this book are as follows; sacrifice, suffering, grief and family struggles. In the book the Joad family has to make many sacrifices. They have to leave their friends and their home, all for one little pamphlet that says they need work in California. The family has to go without food for long periods of time, go without good shelter; they have to use most of their money just to pay their way to California. Many times they argue about what they are going to do. Who should do what, who can leave, and who has to stay with the family. They lose many of their close relatives and friends. Sometimes they have to be mean to get what they want. Everyone had to make sacrifices. The kids gave up toys and pets and friends, the adults gave up their home, money and careers all to set out on this crazy journey to California. I think Steinbeck understands that we all make sacrifices at one time or another and that we all have grief and sorrow. He knows that we can relate to them because we know how they feel. Even though most of us have never had to go through something that harsh and difficult, he knows we can all see a little bit of ourselves in the characters of the book. He knows we will take pity on them because they are going through so much. Another universal theme is your own morals. In the book many of the characters struggle with what they have done or what they are doing. Uncle John struggles with what he did to his wife a long time ago, and Rose of Sharon worries about her baby and what is going to happen to it. Through the book all of the themes pull at the family, but most of the time they stay together. And most of the time they stay strong.

The Grapes of Wrath question 2

2. There are so many causes, gains and losses in this book. I think the first would be the thing that caused Tom to go to jail was because he had killed someone. There are several losses in the book. The first would be the loss of the Joad’s home; another would be the loss of their dog, the cause of that would just be the stupidity of the animal. There are more complex examples however. The death of Grandpa, I think that his death was a combination of the stroke, but also the shock he was going through. He was forced to leave the home he had known all his life. Then there is the death of Grandma, this is most likely because she was in shock that her husband had died. The family looses Noah and Connie. I think they left because they were scared of what was going to happen and they didn’t want to deal with all of the family struggles anymore. Another thing they lost that I believe is important was their dignity. In Hoovervill they were treated with disrespect from the cops. That was the first time they had encountered it, but they had been warned before. Being poor caused the Joad family to face some tough decisions: such as should the children work, and how long could they stay in the nice government camp. In this whole book I can not see any gains in this book. It was a very sad and depressing book. I guess one thing that the Joad family could be happy about is that most of them were still together. One thing that strikes me though throughout the book there is very little grieving in the book. Whenever someone died, no one displayed emotion. Rose of Sharon was the only one who would cry about things, but most of them were miniscule and unimportant. I think if I lost my grandma and grandpa and my brother and my sister’s baby all in a period of a few months it would be unbearable.

The Grapes of Wrath question 1

1. I think that The Grapes of Wrath reveals a lot about the views of the author, John Steinbeck. The first thing that struck me was the way they viewed God. They all seemed to have such a skewed vision of him. It appeared to me that the grandma was the only one who had any real reverence for God. Everyone else acknowledged his existence, but didn’t follow his rules. Even the preacher was very far from what he should have been doing. No one followed Gods commandments and their speech was as if there was no respect for God what so ever. It seems like they all knew there was a God, but none of them were ever taught how to follow through with at belief. They all believe that they are going to heaven by the good things they have done and not what God has asked them to do. I think that Steinbeck himself was never really introduced to God. In the book there is no biblical information or any real truth from God in it. Even if he was introduced to God it was only a very small amount, a very small diluted amount of information. And the way Casy addressed sin was poorly thought out. Saying that it is only sin if you think it is is such a childish way to look at it. It is such a childish idea. That’s like saying the glass is only broken if you think it is. The glass is still broken whether you think it is or not. And that is the same thing with sin. Murder is still a sin whether you think it is or not. The way That Rose of Sharon thought that all the sins were being brought on her is also a very silly idea. Sin isn’t like Karma where what comes around goes around. Sin is a very personal thing. I believe that John Steinbeck’s view of God is small, and he believed that God was not an important part of life.

Old Man and the Sea and question 8.

8. This book did very well on being historically accurate. Ernest Hemingway did well covering the baseball scene in America at that time. The great players like DiMaggio and Gonzalez. I think that Ernest Hemingway wanted us to realize the responsibility we have to ourselves. In the book Santiago always did his best in what he did. He always made the best of every situation. There were times in the book when the Old Man was down on his luck. Even in these situations Santiago would do his best to stay positive. I really think that is why Ernest Hemingway wanted to show us that we owe it to ourselves to do our best. When we do not do our best its like we do not want the best for ourselves. I think that is what the author wanted to realize the responsibility we have to ourselves to do our best all the time. Santiago was the perfect example of this idea. He did his best no matter what. Some things that my have influenced him were the stories he had heard from fisherman and other people. He may have experienced it himself, but I think that he most likely used stories he had heard and read about. Using the information he had gained the then put the story together; an inspirational story about a poor fisherman in Cuba. He always does his best and tries to get a fish everyday. He is down on his luck however and does not usually catch anything. In the book the stories that he had heard and the things he had read about were the things that had influenced him the most. So when he wrote this book I think that he used some truth mixed with some fiction. He had such a good imagination that he developed a good story with little influence from outside sources. I think he did an excellent job with such little influence.

Old Man and the Sea question 7

7. Hemingway did a good job of keeping me engaged in the book, when he ended a chapter he would end them on something suspenseful. He would end the chapter with something that would make me want to read more of it. He hooked my attention with the way he described things that the Old man saw or smelled or felt. He did an excellent job of keeping interested through the entire book whether something exciting and dangerous was happening or something like when he was preparing to set sail. If this were a movie I would probably been on the edge of my seat for most of the time. Hemingway ended a chapter when Santiago was battling the fish, and when he was fighting the sharks. These things seemed to grip me and keep me pulled into the book. The way he used suspense and mystery were key to the success of the book in my mind, as well as any other book. The way the author used different writing techniques like, suspense and mystery and occasionally some humor here and there was the key in making an effective story. It kept the reader entertained so that the author could get his point across. I think that is the mission of most writers, they need to keep the reader engaged in the book so that their views can be unconsciously digested by the reader. Hemingway did a good job of using different techniques in this book. I think that Hemingway did an excellent job of keeping the reader engaged with these writing techniques. His attention to detail was spectacular. He would tell how Santiago felt, or how the water looked. There was a lot of detail about the wildlife in the sea. The way he described the fish and the way the light looked was amazing. It was as if I was really seeing it myself. Hemingway did a spectacular job in this book.

Old Man and the Sea question 6

6. I think that we still read this book because it has some good messages behind it. I believe that Santiago’s perseverance is one of the main reasons we read it. I know it inspired me a little bit and it probably does the same thing to a lot of other people. He always had a plan and he always knew that things had to turn up some time. Even though he didn’t like to eat the dolphin because it tastes bad, he still ate it because he knew it would make him stronger. When he stuck with it in the little things it made it easier for him to stick with it in the bigger harder things. I think another reason we still read it is because it is very relatable to us. In some books we can’t relate to the main character, but Santiago is a perfect person to relate to. We have all been down on our luck before, and we all know what it is like to feel loss and the pain of hard work. Santiago was very down to earth and he was never trying to be better than someone else or trying to out do them. I think it is easier to like someone that is humble than it is to like a character that is rich and stuck up and has everything handed to them on a silver plate. Another reason it is a timeless classic is because of the writer, Ernest Hemingway. Hemingway is a very successful writer, and many people enjoy his style of writing. The combination of all these attributes makes this book almost irresistible for anyone who enjoys reading a good book. The main thing to take away from this book is that the way you carry yourself, and the way you go about what you do makes a huge difference in the way you look at life and the way you approach it.

Old Man and the Sea question 5

5. The Old Man and the Sea reflects the history of Cuba in 1951 very well. There were a lot of fishermen, and most of them were not exactly the richest and best equipped. In the book Santiago often refers to the great DiMaggio and other famous baseball players of the time such as Dick Sisler, John J. McGraw, and Mike Gonzalez. Many times the old man looked up to DiMaggio for courage. When he thought about how badly he hurt, he thought of how DiMaggio was playing with an injury in his ankle. He thought if DiMaggio can continue to play while being hurt, he could continue to fish while he was hurting. Santiago was the poorest of the poor when it came to fishermen, but he always was trying to be positive. I think one of the social issues was poverty. I believe that poverty will always be a social issue. In the book the boy and Santiago both come from poor families. Santiago has to fish to make a living and for the past eighty five days he has caught nothing so that means he has eaten nothing. The behavior was correct to the time period. There were a lot of fishermen in Cuba at that time. Lots of people in that time period were interested in baseball, and to this day there are millions of people interested in baseball. In this book I think that the sea symbolizes life. In life you are given good things and good things are taken away from you. When you receive something good you usually have to work hard for it. In the book the old man has gone a long time without receiving something good. When he catches the fish it is the first good thing he has gotten in eighty five days. Santiago has to work hard for the fish, and once he has pulled it in there is no room for it in his boat. So he lashes it to the side. On his way back sharks come and eat away at the fish. So you work hard for something good and good things come; however good things are also taken away.

Old Man and the Sea question 4

4. I believe that the old man is the “hero” in this book. He has perseverance and wisdom. He knew what to do and when to do it. He always had a good attitude about what he was doing even when it was hard or dangerous work. When he is at sea he catches the biggest fish he had ever seen. Probably the biggest fish anyone on the island had ever seen. Santiago had some specific qualities that make him posses this heroic state. He is brave when he goes far out in the sea alone, and the old man represents two other abstract ideas, one being goodness and the other is courage. Santiago is always kind to the boy and the other fishermen. He has a strange yet remarkable respect for the creatures of the sea. His courage is displayed constantly throughout the book. He fights the sharks; he is dragged miles by the big fish and still maintains his composure. He is portrayed as an old, simple man. A man living on the bare minimum, he lives in a small shack with one set of clothes and a simple bed to sleep on. To me he almost has a little bit of mysticism about him because he knows where and when to be at the perfect time to catch the big fish and maintain a firm grip on the fishing line. He is old but he still has the strength of a young man. He battled with the fish for almost three entire days. That is something not many young fishermen could do. His accomplishment is most likely one of the greatest things that has ever happened to anyone on the entire island. For a fisherman to catch a fish that size is like a football team to winning the super bowl. It is hard to do in the first place, and it is hard to repeat. With the catch of the big fish, Santiago is forever remembered for such a great accomplishment. Even though he didn’t bring it back in one piece, it is still amazing what he did.

Old Man and the Sea question 3

3. I believe that Hemingway addresses several universal themes in this book. He addresses the universal theme of suffering in this book on many separate occasions. When the old man has the fishing line across his back is a good example, or when his hands are cut when he is holding onto the line. Another theme I found in the book was courage. To me the old man was courageous throughout the entire book. When all of the other fishermen stayed close to the shore, he went farther. When the fish pulled him out to sea, he kept his composer and knew he would be able to sail home again. When the old man had to battle the sharks, he fought them with bravery and was not fearful of them. I think that Hemingway understands that since the old man has such bad luck, the reader will take pity on the old man. The reader will hope that the old man can catch a fish and will be rooting for him the whole time. Hemingway knows that if he makes the main character poor, and unlucky there are a lot more people that can relate to the old man. If the old man caught big fish everyday the story would be less interesting. I think another thing Hemingway understands is that if there is a Good Samaritan figure in the story like the boy, the reader is more inclined to enjoy the book. If there is someone to help the poor old man, then there is more enjoyment from the book. I also think that kindness could be a universal theme. Everyone knows what kindness is and everyone can display kindness when they want to. So when the boy displays kindness the old man, the reader can relate because he has been shown kindness and he has shown kindness himself. Knowing these qualities in human nature, Hemingway can effectively capture our attention as readers with these universal themes.

Old Man and the Sea question 2

2. To me it does not seem like there are many gains in this book for the old man. The only one I can think of would be that he had the satisfaction to say that he hooked the big fish. There are however many loses that were visible to me in this book for the old man. He had gone eighty four straight days without catching one fish, right there is a loss of pride and respect as a fisherman. On the eighty fifth day he was out at sea most of the day when he finally caught The Big Fish, and he was out there two more days. He suffered cuts to his hands and cramps as well. The old man had the strain of the line across his back and shoulders. The big fish pulled him far out to sea. He had to cut his other line and let it go so that he could pay attention to the big fish. He endured two nights with no sleep, eating one raw fish a day. He waited hours for the fish to circle and grow weary. When the old man finally had pulled the fish in, he realized that he could not put the fish in his boat so he had to lash it to the side. There was conflict between the old man and the sharks that were following the boat to get a taste of that huge fish. The old man broke every weapon he had attempting to fend off the attacking sharks that were trying to ruin the hard, dedicated work of the old man. On his way back the sharks ate everything off the fish accept his head and his tail. When the old man finally returned home it is at night and he leaves his boat and his fish in the water because he is heartbroken. All his hard work for the past three days was ruined by those murderous sharks. One gain is that everyone was amazed at the sight of this huge fish and the old man gained more respect from the fisherman.

The Old Man and the Sea question 1

1. In The Old Man and the Sea there are several things revealed about the author’s values and attitudes. I think it is apparent that the author valued nature, and respected the animals in it. In the book several times Santiago talks to the fish and birds as if they could hear and understand them. This reflects back on Hemingway. There is great attention given to detail in this book, and I believe that Hemingway really wanted us to be able to picture what he was describing. He told how the sun reflected off the water and the way the colors shown off the fish. I also noticed that the way he presented his attitude towards life was that life is what you make it. Throughout the book the Old man always had a positive attitude about what he was doing. When he was fishing he always had a plan, when the fish pulled him out to sea he always said he could find his way back with the stars, even when the sharks were coming he was doing his best to fight them off. Even though he didn’t bring the fish in, while he was at sea he was imagining all the things he could do with this great fish. He was always keeping a good attitude. I also noticed his view of God. It appeared to me that he knew there was a God, and he knew the power that God possessed. It seemed that he was not a dedicated follower of God though. When he needed help though, Santiago always called on God to help him. He always promised that he was going to say a hundred prayers whenever he was in trouble. God was not a central figure in his life. To Santiago God was his back up plan, his life line. God was there for him when there was nowhere left for him to turn. Hemingway told this story from a third person all-knowing perspective. I enjoyed the book and the way Hemingway always had something the grab my attention.