Have you ever had one of those impetuous moments when you say something like "I hate people"? We all have those moments when we get so fed up with people in our lives that we often say things we don't mean. It has always been easier to focus on the bad things and "view the glass as half empty". Thanksgiving is an easy time to focus on the things worth being thankful for. From the hundreds of social media posts seen throughout the week of thanksgiving to the typical "what are you thankful for?" asked during this time. However, it seems that immediately after the holiday, people forget how greatful they were for the good things in their lives and, once again, begin focusing on the negatives.
Before looking too far ahead into 2014, I have thought about the things for which I have been thankful in 2013. These are the things I want to keep in my life. The foremost thing in my life for which I am greatful is the people that surround me. Over the past year, I have met many great friends but have also lost a number of friends. In losing the friends I did, I learned many things about myself and about life. I am greatful for this experience because of the lessons it taught me. I learned even more lessons about life through the friends I have made. These friends I surround myself with are friends who will always help me when I fall. They have proven to be an essential part of my life and exceptional role models as I try to figure life out. So, when asked "What are you thankful for?", without a doubt in my mind, I will answer by saying I'm thankful for the people in my life because of the way they treat me and the things they have shown me about myself and life.
Thursday, January 9, 2014
Monday, January 6, 2014
Analysis of Chapter Five
Chapters 1-4 of The Grapes of Wrath are the chapters that set the stage for the book and introduce the characters and farm. Chapter 5 of The Grapes of Wrath is the most awakening and meaningful chapter thus far in the book. After the stage has been set, the characters have made a connection with the reader, and it feels as though the audience itself works on the farm, Steinbeck introduces an unfortunate and devastating event. This event is the eviction of the farmers from the land.
The farmers plead and beg the owner not to, however, they are not successful. In chapter 5, Steinbeck gives the title " The Monster" to the bank. This is because of how senseless, detached, and emotionless the bank seems to be to the lives of the farmers. Steinbeck also demonstrates how controlled and robot-like the workers for the bank are. When the tractor driver stopped for a lunch break, the tenant came to talk to him. The tenant asked him why he's doing this work against his own people. The driver responds by saying he has a family to feed and the bank gives him consistent pay. After a brief discussion about the responsibilities the tractor driver has been given by the bank, the tenant tries to discourage him from destroying the farm. However, the tractor driver responds by saying "It's not me. There's nothing I can do. I'll lose my job if I don't do it." (pg. 38). This quote shows how confined and restricted the tractor drivers are.
Chapter 5 ultimately gives the reader a feeling of helplessness. He paints the idea that the farmers must either join the system or die. "Joe Davis's boy", a former fellow farmer, gave into the "monster" and turned on his friends and family because it was the easier thing for him to do for his own needs. Steinbeck could have included an anonymous tractor driver, but instead chose a character that had a connection to everyone in the book because it shows how easily characters may be enticed into the system, or "monster", and just how difficult it truly is for the characters not to turn on their friends and families.
The farmers plead and beg the owner not to, however, they are not successful. In chapter 5, Steinbeck gives the title " The Monster" to the bank. This is because of how senseless, detached, and emotionless the bank seems to be to the lives of the farmers. Steinbeck also demonstrates how controlled and robot-like the workers for the bank are. When the tractor driver stopped for a lunch break, the tenant came to talk to him. The tenant asked him why he's doing this work against his own people. The driver responds by saying he has a family to feed and the bank gives him consistent pay. After a brief discussion about the responsibilities the tractor driver has been given by the bank, the tenant tries to discourage him from destroying the farm. However, the tractor driver responds by saying "It's not me. There's nothing I can do. I'll lose my job if I don't do it." (pg. 38). This quote shows how confined and restricted the tractor drivers are.
Chapter 5 ultimately gives the reader a feeling of helplessness. He paints the idea that the farmers must either join the system or die. "Joe Davis's boy", a former fellow farmer, gave into the "monster" and turned on his friends and family because it was the easier thing for him to do for his own needs. Steinbeck could have included an anonymous tractor driver, but instead chose a character that had a connection to everyone in the book because it shows how easily characters may be enticed into the system, or "monster", and just how difficult it truly is for the characters not to turn on their friends and families.
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