Injustices, tragedies, and unfortunate circumstances have plagued humankind for all of existence. Many of these problems have arisen from the society of man, and could not be found in nature. The hatred, selfishness, prejudice, and maliciousness seen in so many injustices man created unnecessarily, as well as all the suffering it causes does not need to exist. If an individual witnesses a crime or injustice occurring, it is their responsibility to defend the weak and fight for whatever is morally right, even at the cost of themselves. During the Great Depression, many people were desperate for a job, food, shelter, and security, all of which are standards expected in the modern world. However, in the midst of an economic crisis, the people who had stability despised those who could not achieve a steady way of life. Farmers who hoarded the food that could keep people alive would not help those in need. By selfishly withholding aid, the farmers failed humanity in a way, “that topples all our success,” showing that what they did was not right (Steinbeck 349). When faced with the injustice of people being too poor to afford what they need to survive, those who had resources were morally obligated to help feed those …show more content…
What separates humans from animals is that when the same tragedy occurs over and over again without hinting at its end, people have the conscience to push for a solution to end the vicious cycle. When evil, greed, and hatred seem to be the driving force of the world, it is the responsibility of humans to advocate for a better life and to even “suffer and die for a concept,” if that is necessary (Steinbeck 151). Change and justice will never occur if everyone stands back idly, waiting for someone else to do it. Change begins with every individual, and they must make the change happen, especially if no one else
Steinbeck’s, The Grapes of Wrath follows the difficult journey of the Joad family as the attempt to move to California. Interwoven into this story is small paragraphs that deliver smaller, individual messages. One such paragraph is paragraph 11. In this paragraph Steinbeck speaks of how the farms have changed over time. This juxtaposition of times seems insignificant and unrelatable to those who don’t look deeply into this short, quick story.
Some individuals opt to embrace violence and exploitation as a means of ensuring their own survival, while others display compassion and empathy, seeking to protect the vulnerable. These divergent actions underscore the inherent disparities that emerge from contrasting identities and belief systems, ultimately influencing how individuals respond to the challenges they
The obligation to help others in danger extends beyond the immediate act of assistance. It ripples outward, inspiring and motivating others to follow suit. The power of collective action cannot be underestimated. When individuals witness acts of compassion and solidarity, it sparks a chain reaction, prompting others to participate and create a more compassionate
With the growth of society and the fast pace of everyday life, people had slowly forgotten their sympathy and ethical responsibility. In the “Can The Law Make Us Be Decent?” contributed by Jay Sterling Silver, he expresses his feeling of irritation how people goes unpunished even though they stood by to watch people dying. People should be punished for ignoring others in need of help because it’s inhumane. People should be penalized for overlooked the troubled one because they didn’t support those in need even though they have the ability to help. In the article, “If Decency Doesn’t, Law Should Make Us Samaritans” written by Gloria Allred and Lisa Bloom is about the car crash of Princess Diana.
Jacob Spaulding Carolyn Grimm Great Literature Mar 13, 2023 Underlying Issue of Greed and it’s Consequences The society in which we live is devoured by greed in many forms. From large corporations maintaining a stronghold over certain types of businesses to a simple upcharge of rent, this deadly sin seems to be inescapable. This plague however, can be seen throughout the entirety of recorded history, as greed is only part of human nature. The three novels that we have read so far, The Odyssey, Uncle Tom’s Cabin and The Grapes of Wrath, are prime examples of greed throughout history.
John Steinbeck’s novel, The Grapes of Wrath, illuminates the despairing and depressing conditions the American farm families in Oklahoma had to go through during the Dust Bowl era from late 1920’s to early 1930’s. The novel depicts Steinbeck’s fanaticism of the land, hatred towards the corporeality, and his belief that people can survive the cruel influence of their surroundings. Steinbeck accomplishes the following by illustrating the life of the Joad as well as by using various types of symbolisms throughout his novel. According to Oxford Dictionaries, “a symbol is a thing that represents or stands for something else, especially a material object representing something abstract.” The three symbols in Steinbeck’s novel include the dust, the
In The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck follows the Joad family as they suffer the hardships caused by the Dust Bowl in the 1930’s. The most important lesson people can learn from the novel is the value of a human life. Although the 1930’s was a low point in American society, the ill-treatment of human beings is still relevant today. Just like Jim Casy’s philosophy, it is important to fight for the rights of the people and their dignity. There are several examples of oppression in The Grapes of wrath.
Since the book came out in 1939, everyone has had a opinion on the ending to John Steinbeck’s Grapes of Wrath. It has a very controversial ending, that Steinbeck thought would name the last nail into the coffin, so to speak, on how bad the dust bowl and moving west really was. The ending starts when the Joad family is threatened with a flood, so they make their way to a old barn where they find a boy and his old father. The boy says his father is starving, and that he can’t keep anything solid down. He needs something like soup or milk.
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.
If people do not stay cowardly and stand up to the bad situations going on they can make a difference. When a person lets other people do bad things like killing that makes them as guilty as the killer. Even when society says that crimes and killing are okay but a person knows it is wrong they cannot keep quiet. If the person does stay quiet they are saying it is okay to do morally wrong acts which is wrong. It is easier to stay quiet, not create conflict, and accept the fact they are guilty but it is not the right choice to make.
In general, there are 5 main injustices in our world. Abuse Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. For the commandments, ‘You shall not commit adultery, you shall not murder, you shall not steal, you shall not covet,’ and any other commandment, are summed up in this word: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.” – Romans.
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.
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.
The Human Struggle: Good Versus Evil Good and evil is present everywhere. In many shapes and forms, good and evil manifest. It is always around us and always within us. Good is that which is morally right. Someone who is good does the right thing regardless of whether or not anyone will know.
All throughout history, occurrences of oppression and invasion have happened all around the world. The rights and freedom of innocent lives have been taken. The people with power have abused it and become tyrannical and self-centered. The innocent begin to rise against the malicious leaders trying to control their lives. Even through times of downfall and nonsuccess, humanity continues to fight back.