Emily+H

**The Grapes of Wrath﻿﻿ ﻿ **
by John Steinbeck "Houses were shut tight, and cloth wedged around doors and windows, but the dust came in so thinly that it could not be seen in the air, and it settled like pollen on the chairs and tables, on the dishes." -The Grapes of Wrath media type="youtube" key="xqaTv8cCWeg?fs=1" height="385" width="480" align="center"

Fear the time when the strikes stop while the great owners live - for every little beaten strike is proof that the step is being taken … fear the time when Manself will not suffer and die for a concept, for this one quality is the foundation of Manself, and this one quality is man, distinctive in the universe. media type="youtube" key="yer4L1Uhayc?fs=1" height="324" width="589" align="center" (The Grapes of Wrath) "was a phenomenon on the scale of a national event. It was publicly banned and burned by citizens, it was debated on national radio hook-ups; but above all, it was read." -Peter Lisca "//The Grapes of Wrath// may well be the most thoroughly discussed novel - in criticism, reviews, and college classrooms - of twentieth century American Literature." -John Timmerman "Steinbeck was attacked as a propogandist and a socialist from both the left and the right of the political spectrum. The most fervent of these attacks came from the Associated Farmers of California; they were displeased with the book's depiction of California farmers' attitudes and conduct toward the migrants. They denounced the book as a 'pack of lies' and labeled it 'communist propaganda' However, although Steinbeck was accused of exaggeration of the camp conditions to make a political point, in fact he had done the opposite, underplaying the conditions that he well knew were worse than the novel describes  because he felt exact description would have gotten in the way of his story. Furthermore, there are several references to socialist politics and questions which appear in the John Ford film of 1940 which do not appear in the novel, which is less political in its terminology and interests." - Bryan Cordyak "Great work"  - Nobel Prize Committee
 * The Grapes of Wrath**

**Why I chose what I chose:**
Quote One: I liked this quote because I think it gives you the feel of what the dust bowl did to these people. It really wasn't just a little dust storm. It was a huge natural disaster that affected many people. In the book they talked about the dust being everywhere you can imagine. I don't see how these people made it through that. It was a real tragedy. Quote Two: This quote was one of my favorites from the book. When they said that I really thought about it and I thought it told about their struggles well because no matter how hungry or tired or beaten-down these people were, they still kept fighting against the companies. I believe that what makes us human is the ability to have feelings. The big banks and companies are not men because they don't feel for the poor workers they employ or the families they destroy so that they can increase their insane amount or profit. This quote really spoke to me about the struggles of poor people and their ability to keep fighting for what they deserve.

Video One: I found this video very interesting because it tells about how John Steinbeck began this novel. I would never have guessed that he wasn't planning on writing a book when he began his journey. Every other chapter in the book was like a little article about the entire Depression, not just the Joads. He probably wrote the articles and then put them in among the story. Video Two: I thought this video was a good representation of the man character, Tom. The way he talked really showed how he felt and all the anger he was keeping inside himself so that he wouldn't upset the family. I think that anger finally came out of him in the end. I could tell by the look on her face that Ma was horrified because she thought that Tom was going to turn out to be crazy but I think the whole family already was a little crazy to begin with.