John Steinbeck's work, The Grapes of Wrath, involves many moving motifs and ideas that are as culturally relevant now as they were when he wrote the novel in 1939. One of the topics that was especially common in the novel was migration. These quotes expertly describe the conflict that migration causes within society. Chapter 19, however, is solely dedicated to this topic. For the purposes of this close reading, I will be analyzing the beginning of this chapter. The syntax in this text is clearly purposeful and important. By using short sentences for the business men's speech, Steinbeck makes them seem apathetic and merciless. The length of the sentences also contribute to the tone of the passage; it was descriptive in the beginning because Steinbeck was telling a story, transitioned into short sentences, and ended on defiant, passionate-diction filled sentences. In the same way the ending sentences, filled with passionate diction, generate a defiant tone, they utilize polysyndeton to make the Okies seem strong and invincible. The phrase "fierce and hungry and armed" allows Steinbeck to leave the reader feeling supportive of the Okies while still feeling that same apprehension (of their desperateness) the owners felt. …show more content…
Words like horde, feverish, hunger, frantic depict the owners as savage beasts who destroyed the Mexicans for their resources. This description defies the idea that the American Westward Expansion was majestic and patriotic. Furthermore, Steinbeck's similar description of the Okies (fierce, hungry, and strong) insinuate that the Okies are just like the owners were: making the owners hypocrites. This interpretation is supported by the ending sentence: "and perhaps the owners had heard from their grandfathers how easy it is to steal land from a soft man if you are fierce and hungry and
In the Great Depression era novel The Grapes of Wrath John Steinbeck deploys descriptive language to convey Man’s perseverance. For example in chapter 3 Steinbeck describes Man’s perseverance by using a turtle and it struggles to represent the Joad family’s struggles. One can see Man’s perseverance when narrator states, “Now the hands, braced on top of the wall, strained and lifted, and the shell came slowly up and rested its front end on the wall.” In this passage the phrases “strained and lifted” and “came slowly up” evoke the reader's sense of struggle and hardship because the turtle is slowly lifting itself with all its might over a large obstacle. This dialogue also expresses life’s will to survive regardless of the
Steinbeck is highlighting the manipulation and deception coming from the salesmen to evoke emotion in the reader enough to blame businessmen. Then later on, someone enters the lot after seeing a car in the front that another salesman priced at $50. The salesman proceeds to basically gaslight the customer into thinking that the car is worth much more. He says “Fifty? He’s nuts.
In John Steinbeck’s award winning novel, Of Mice and Men, there are many characters, and they all have different personalities and backstories. One character Crooks, is presented on page 76 of the novella. Steinbeck uses various writing techniques in this extract, five of which I will be looking at in depth. Steinbeck uses negative adjectives such as dirty; mauled; tattered and battered to describe Crooks’ possessions. It is possible to infer that this is due to the fact Crooks is a black man, and black people were disliked in that specific time.
Immigrants in the 1930s all across America struggled with their journeys to hope and redemption. The main purpose for chapter three, which depicted a turtle struggling to cross a highway, was to outline the struggle that the immigrants faced as they took their journey to a new destination where they would spend the rest of their lives, as well as sticking with those who could help them through this long, enduring excursion. Hopefully, when they reached those endpoints, they would have a new job and a life worth living. The Joad family, a family of farmers and the family depicted in The Grapes of Wrath, repeatedly have to go through events that could potentially throw them off course far enough to have no hope for returning to their former glory.
This chapter takes place in a dry, desolate land in the midst of drought, Steinbeck describes the terrain as "gray mountains and brown mountains, dry and rocky, rising toward each other until they caught the yellow daylight" (Steinbeck, 2006, p. 325). Using diction Steinbeck creates a tone of despair by describing the uninhabitable terrain and conditions that the migrant workers must endure in order to survive. Steinbeck builds onto
John Steinbeck, in the novel, Grapes of Wrath, identifies the hardships and struggle to portray the positive aspects of the human spirit amongst the struggle of the migrant farmers and the devastation of the Dust Bowl. Steinbeck supports his defense by providing the reader with imagery, symbolism and intense biblical allusions. The author’s purpose is to illustrate the migrant farmers in order to fully exploit their positive aspects in the midst of hardships. Steinbeck writes in a passionate tone for an audience that requires further understanding of the situation.
There were many migrant families who were unwilling to pay anything less than the actual sticker price because they believe that it was like stealing to them. Many of the Okies did not want special treatment from people because of the situation many of them were in, but they rather prefer to be seen as an equal with everybody else and not seen as people in need. They were a tough group of people tougher than the folks in the cities or suburbs and they wanted to fight and never give up and the Okies were also very hard working people. The organization of the government camp also highlights this culture of self-sufficiency. Many of the Okies did not want charity they were angered by remarks if such when people would try and hand them stuff because they were people that wanted to have dignity and wanted to be respected around their peers and wanted to be seen as equal with honor.
The tone of chapter 11 in John Steinbeck's, “The Grapes of Wrath,” is sympathetic, sad and hopeless. His word choice and syntax show how the sad houses were left to decay in the weather. His use of descriptive words paints a picture in the reader's mind. As each paragraph unfolds, new details come to life and adds to the imagery. While it may seem unimportant, this intercalary chapter shows how the effects of the great depression affected common households.
In the novella Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck often employs animal imagery to dehumanize Lennie, in order to allow the reader to justify George putting him down at the end of the novella. As Steinbeck’s use of animal imagery progresses throughout the novel, Lennie is dehumanized by being compared to an animal that only hinders George’s pursuit of happiness. Starting with Lennie’s introduction, Steinbeck influences how the reader perceives Lennie. During the reader's first encounter with Lennie, he is described as walking “heavily, dragging his feet a little, the way a bear drags his paws," (Steinbeck 2). Steinbeck’s diction invokes animal imagery by comparing Lennie’s movements to that of a bear, which immediately dehumanizes Lennie to the reader.
John Steinbeck has a style of writing unparalleled in history and in the modern world. In the same way, his philosophies are also unparalleled, with his focus in socialism not extending to communism or abnegation of spiritualism. His ideal world is utopian, holding the dust bowl migrant at the same level as the yeoman farmer was held in Jeffersonian times. In The Grapes of Wrath Steinbeck Steinbeck, who posses impregnable technique, conveys his message of a group working tirelessly for the betterment of the community.
Violence isn't the way to achieve ones goals. Almost everyone has someone of something that stands in the way of their ultimate goal. Many people come to a point where they feel that the only way to achieve that goal is at the expensive of another. This isn't necessarily the case. Rather then inflicting violence on one another we must use the intelligence we were blessed with.
The Death of The Unborn Female American Dream Of Mice and Men, written by John Steinbeck, takes place during the time of The Great Depression; an era extremely difficult for women. The novella contains many iconic characters that serve as a metaphor to our societal standards. Curley’s wife is introduced just like any other; however, the emphasis on her feminine features are metaphoric to where women stand in society. In order to prove that society makes it impossible for certain people to attain The American Dream, Steinbeck objectifies, sexualizes, and kills Curley’s wife to show that women cannot reach The American Dream. Steinbeck uses specific vocabulary to objectify Curley’s wife; alienating her from The American Dream.
In The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck, the chapters alternate between two perspectives of a story. One chapter focuses on the tenants as a whole, while the other chapter focuses specifically of a family of tenants, the Joads, and their journey to California. Chapter 5 is the former and Steinbeck does an excellent job of omniscient third person point of view to describe the situation. Chapter 5’s main idea is to set the conflict and let the readers make connections between Steinbeck’s alternating chapters with foreshadowing. Steinbeck is effectual in letting readers make connections both to the world and the text itself with the use of exposition, and symbolism.
“Dazed with fear, Okonkwo drew his machete and cut him down. He was afraid of being thought weak” (Achebe 61). His culture expects all men to never show weakness, therefore negatively influencing Okonkwo. Okonkwo uses what his culture taught him throughout the book, even when the white settlers appear. He is disappointed when he realizes that his clan no longer wants to fight the men out of their clan, and rather leave them be.
He employs the use of the words such as “Okies”, “gleaming”, “goddamn”, “lithely”, and “dark curl of crisp pork”. These words, together, manifest into a detailed description of scenery, characters, and the common life of the migrants. The words “Okies” and “goddamn” demonstrate Steinbeck’s desire to allow his piece to flow with accuracy as if the characters were real people having a conversation. These words were common and conversational throughout the time of the 1930s and the Dust Bowl, allowing the reader to be transported within the story. Steinbeck’s written conversations in Grapes of Wrath demonstrate unity due to their communal and friendly nature.