Literary Analysis "The Grapes of Wrath"

General: 1. The book begins with Tom Joad hitching a ride from a trucker after being released from Prison. Tom was put into prison after getting into a fight at a bar and hitting someone with a shovel. Once arriving to his town he begins walking home where he sees his neighbor who tells Tom of how a drought led to many former residents to not be able to pay banks and have their land taken. After learning of this news Tom quickly heads home to find that they were already preparing to leave. His family reveals that they weren’t able to pay the bank either and headed to California after receiving pamphlets stating work and a better life there. The Joad family finishes packing and leave to California with their old pastor tagging along. On their trek to California the family goes through many hardships like the death of their grandparents. They also realize that the abundant work and easy life the fliers promised is the complete opposite with hostel people, no work, no food, and nowhere to live. The novel ends with the family huddled under a barn escaping the rain with nothing else but each other to keep from collapsing. 2. The theme of “The Grapes of Wrath” was interdependence of family as the Joad family relied on each other to get through their extremely difficult journey. And in the end it was basically what kept them alive when California wasn’t what they expected. 3. The tone of the book was very dark and gloomy as the family goes through a bombardment of obstacles and unfortunate events throughout the plot. • “And the little screaming fact that sounds through all history: repression works only to strengthen and knit the repressed.” • To California or any place, everyone a drum major leading a parade of hurts, marching with our bitterness. And some day, the armies of bitterness will all be going the same way. And they'll all walk together, and there'll be a dead terror from it. pg. 91-92 • If you're in trouble or hurt or need—go to poor people. They're the only ones that'll help—the only ones. pg.394 4. Setting-The book takes place during the infamous Dust Bowl and Great Depression. First starting out in Oklahoma and through the states to California. “Highway 66 is the main migrant road. 66 – the long concrete path across the country, waving gently up and down on the map, from the Mississippi to Bakersfield –over the red lands and the gray lands, twisting up into the mountains, crossing the Divide and down in to the bright and terrible desert, and across the desert to the mountains again, and into the rich California valleys.” CH.12 Allegory: The turtle at the beginning of the novel is a metaphor of the Joad’s family difficult trek to California. ”For a long moment the lay still, and then the neck crept out and the old humorous frowning eyes looked about and the legs and tail came out.” CH 3 Tone: The tone of the book was very dark and gloomy as the family goes through a bombardment of obstacles and unfortunate events throughout the plot. “And the little screaming fact that sounds through all history: repression works only to strengthen and knit the repressed Mood: The mood like the tone is very dark and gloomy also. To California or any place, everyone a drum major leading a parade of hurts, marching with our bitterness. And some day, the armies of bitterness will all be going the same way. And they'll all walk together, and there'll be a dead terror from it Imagery: The imagery of the novel further helps express the gravity of the family’s situation. “In the daylight [the migrant people] scuttled like bugs to the westward; and as the dark caught them, they clustered like bugs near to shelter and to water...But along the highway the cars of the migrant people crawled out like bugs.” Diction: The author’s diction is full of colloquialisms that portray the characters how they truly would have spoken at that time. "Okie use' ta mean you was from Oklahoma. Now it means you're a dirty son-of-a-bitch. Okie means you're scum. Don't mean nothing itself, it's the way they say it." CH 18 Syntax: "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." Symbolism: In Steinback’s writing many symbols are used to represent the Joad’s family situation. “In the daylight [the migrant people] scuttled like bugs to the westward; and as the dark caught them, they clustered like bugs near to shelter and to water...But along the highway the cars of the migrant people crawled out like bugs.” Metaphor: The author does many comparisons of other things or objects with the Joad family situation. “In the daylight [the migrant people] scuttled like bugs to the westward; and as the dark caught them, they clustered like bugs near to shelter and to water...But along the highway the cars of the migrant people crawled out like bugs.” Characterization: 1. Direct Characterization-“He was not over thirty. His eyes were very dark brown and there was a hint of brown pigment in his eyeballs. His cheek bones were high and wide, and strong deep lines cut down his cheeks, in curves beside his mouth. His upper lip was long, and since his teeth protruded, the lips stretched to cover them, for this man kept his lips closed. His hands were hard, with broad fingers and nails as thick and ridged as little clam shells. The space between thumb and forefinger and the hams of his hands were shiny with callus.” Direct Characterization- He wore a pair of new tan shoes of the kind called "army last," hob-nailed and with half-circles like horseshoes to protect the edges of the heels from wear. Indirect Characterization- The driver, getting slowly into the truck, considered the parts of this answer. If he refused now, not only was he not a good guy, but he was forced to carry a sticker, was not allowed to have company. Indirect Characterization- "New shoes," said the driver. His voice had the same quality of secrecy and insinuation his eyes had. "You oughtn' to take no walk in new shoes—hot weather." The hiker looked down at the dusty yellow shoes. "Didn't have no other shoes," he said. "Guy got to wear 'em if he got no others." 2. The authors diction does not change in the novel as the main dialogue comes from the Joad family who have a Oklahoma farmer type accent. 3. Most of the characters in the novel are static except for maybe one which would be Rose who changes from foolish optimism to serious realistic. 4. From the book I came with that in our society there is always the people we make our slaves but always hate and in the years to come someone writes a book about it and we say things like “Oh how sad how could we have been so ignorant.” When ironically we repeat the same actions over and over again. For example Egyptians and Slaves, Americans with slaves, Americans with Dust Bowl migrants, and again Americans with Hispanic Immigrant workers.

Dickens Map

I will continue reading every other day for about half an hour to hour

1. In this novel, things are often not what they seem. Discuss how the theme of "expectations" is illustrated by and through the major characters in this book. How are Pip's expectations different from and similar to those of Joe Gargery, Miss Havisham, Estella and Magwitch?

2.Why do you think it is one of Magwitch's principal conditions that Pip "always bear the name of Pip" (which is actually his childhood nickname) in order to receive his financial support?

3. If Pip had not received his "great expectations" and never left Joe's forge, how do you think his life would have been different? Are the lessons he learns during his physical and emotional journey necessary for him to arrive at the wisdom he displays as the middle-aged narrator of this tale? In what ways?

4. Why do you think Miss Havisham manipulates and misleads Pip into thinking she is his secret benefactor? What, if anything, does she derive from this action?

5. Given Dickens' portrayal of Estella, what do you think attracts Pip to her in the first place, and what, when he learns of her cold-blooded manipulation of men, keeps Pip devoted to her until the end, loving her, as he says, "against reason, against promise, against peace"? (page 594)

http://www.oprah.com/oprahsbookclub/Great-Expectations-by-Charles-Dickens-Reading-Questions

• I think we should be tested on the material such as an AP exam with us showing our knowledge of the literary devices used in the book to better describe the overall theme.

1. 
   

Lit Terms 31-56

31. Dialect: the language of a particular district, class or group of persons; the sounds, grammar, and diction employed by people distinguished from others.

32. Dialectics: formal debates usually over the nature of truth.

33. Dichotomy: split or break between two opposing things.

34. Diction: the style of speaking or writing as reflected in the choice and use of words.

35. Didactic: having to do with the transmission of information; education.

36. Dogmatic: rigid in beliefs and principles.

37. Elegy: a mournful, melancholy poem, especially a funeral song or lament for the dead, sometimes contains general reflections on death, often with a rural or pastoral setting.

38. Epic: a long narrative poem unified by a hero who reflects the customs, mores, and aspirations of his nation of race as he makes his way through legendary and historic exploits, usually over a long period of time (definition bordering on circumlocution).

39. Epigram: witty aphorism.

40. Epitaph: any brief inscription in prose or verse on a tombstone; a short formal poem of commemoration often a credo written by the person who wishes it to be on his tombstone.

41. Epithet: a short, descriptive name or phrase that  may insult someone’s character, characteristics
 -Beaner ( Im hispanic)
42. Euphemism: the use of an indirect, mild or vague word or expression for one thought to be coarse, offensive, or blunt.

43. Evocative (evocation): a calling forth of memories and sensations; the suggestion or production through artistry and imagination of a sense of reality.

44. Exposition: beginning of a story that sets forth facts, ideas, and/or characters, in a detailed explanation.

45. Expressionism: movement in art, literature, and music consisting of unrealistic   representation of an inner idea or feeling(s).

46. Fable: a short, simple story, usually with animals as characters, designed to teach a moral truth.

47. Fallacy: from Latin word “to deceive”, a false or misleading notion, belief, or argument; any kind of erroneous reasoning that makes arguments unsound.
-red herring
48. Falling Action: part of the narrative or drama after the climax.

49. Farce: a boisterous comedy involving ludicrous action and dialogue.

50. Figurative Language: apt and imaginative language characterized by figures of speech (such as metaphor and simile).

51. Flashback: a narrative device that flashes back to prior events.

52. Foil: a person or thing that, by contrast, makes another seem better or more prominent.

53. Folk Tale: story passed on by word of mouth.

54. Foreshadowing: in fiction and drama, a device to prepare the reader for the outcome of the action; “planning” to make the outcome convincing, though not to give it away.

55. Free Verse: verse without conventional metrical pattern, with irregular pattern or no rhyme.

56. Genre: a category or class of artistic endeavor having a particular form, technique, or content.

Smart Goal

After thinking it over I finally came to the decision of my smart goal. I decided that I want to be more resilient  in my academics and the way I carry out the things I turn in. I want to stop being as careless as I have become in my assignments, presentations, and just the way I speak in front of others.

Lit Terms 6-30

6. Analogy: a comparison made between two things to show the similarities between them

 

7. Analysis: a method in which a work or idea is separated into its parts, and those parts given rigorous and detailed scrutiny

8. Anaphora: a device or repetition in which a word or words are repeated at the beginning of two or more lines, phrases, clauses, or sentences

 

9. Anecdote: a very short story used to illustrate a point

 

10. Antagonist: a person or force opposing the protagonist in a drama or narrative

 

11. Antithesis: a balancing of one term against another for emphasis or stylistic effectiveness

 

12. Aphorism: a terse, pointed statement expressing some wise or clever observation about life

 

13. Apologia: a defense or justification for some doctrine, piece of writing, cause, or action; also apology

 

14. Apostrophe: a figure of speech in which an absent or dead person, an abstract quality, or something inanimate or nonhuman is addressed directly

 

15. Argument(ation): the process of convincing a reader by proving either the truth or the falsity of an idea or proposition; also, the thesis or proposition itself

 

16. Assumption: the act of supposing, or taking for granted that a thing is true

 

17. Audience: the intended listener or listeners

 

18. Characterization: the means by which a writer reveals a character’s personality

 

19. Chiasmus: a reversal in the order off words so that the second half of a statement balances the first half in inverted word order

 

20. Circumlocution: a roundabout or evasive speech or writing, in which many words are used but a few would have served

 

21. Classicism: art, literature, and music reflecting the principles of ancient Greece and Rome: tradition, reason, clarity, order, and balance

 

22. Cliché: a phrase or situation overused within society

 

23. Climax: the decisive point in a narrative or drama; the pint of greatest intensity or interest at which plot question is answered or resolved

 

24. Colloquialism: folksy speech, slang words or phrases usually used in informal conversation

 

25. Comedy: originally a nondramatic literary piece of work that was marked by a happy ending; now a term to describe a ludicrous, farcical, or amusing event designed provide enjoyment or produce smiles and laughter

 

26. Conflict: struggle or problem in a story causing tension

 

27. Connotation: implicit meaning, going beyond dictionary definition

 

28. Contrast: a rhetorical device by which one element (idea or object) is thrown into opposition to another for the sake of emphasis or clarity

 

29. Denotation: plain dictionary definition

 

30. Denouement (pronounced day-new-mahn): loose ends tied up in a story after the climax, closure, conclusion

Poems

-Muhammad Ali


“This is the legend of Cassius Clay, 
The most beautiful fighter in the world today.
He talks a great deal, and brags indeed-y, 
of a muscular punch that's incredibly speed-y.
The fistic world was dull and weary,
But with a champ like Liston, things had to be dreary.
Then someone with color and someone with dash, 
Brought fight fans are runnin' with Cash.
This brash young boxer is something to see 
And the heavyweight championship is his des-tin-y.
This kid fights great; he’s got speed and endurance,
But if you sign to fight him, increase your insurance.
This kid's got a left; this kid's got a right,
If he hit you once, you're asleep for the night.
And as you lie on the floor while the ref counts ten,
You’ll pray that you won’t have to fight me again.
For I am the man this poem’s about,
The next champ of the world, there isn’t a doubt.
This I predict and I know the score,
I’ll be champ of the world in ’64.
When I say three, they’ll go in the third,
10 months ago

So don’t bet against me, I’m a man of my word.
He is the greatest! Yes!
I am the man this poem’s about,
I’ll be champ of the world, there isn’t a doubt.
Here I predict Mr. Liston’s dismemberment,
I’ll hit him so hard; he’ll wonder where October and November went.
When I say two, there’s never a third,
Standin against me is completely absurd.
When Cassius says a mouse can outrun a horse,
Don’t ask how; put your money where your mouse is!
I AM THE GREATEST!”


Out of the Night That Covers -William Ernest Henley 

Out of the night that covers me,

Black as the Pit from pole to pole,

I thank whatever gods may be

For my unconquerable soul.

In the fell clutch of circumstance

I have not winced nor cried aloud.

Under the bludgeonings of chance

My head is bloody, but unbowed.

Beyond this place of wrath and tears

Looms but the Horror of the shade,

And yet the menace of the years

Finds, and shall find, me unafraid.

It matters not how strait the gate,

How charged with punishments the scroll.

I am the master of my fate:

I am the captain of my soul.

Every day in Africa a gazelle wakes up.
It knows it must run faster than the fastest lion or it will be killed.
 Every morning a lion wakes up. It knows that it must outrun the slowest gazelle or it will starve to death.
 It doesn’t matter whether you are a lion or a gazelle.
When the sun comes up, you better be running.

Abe Gubegna
Ethiopia, circa 1974



The Sea of Faith
Was once, too, at the full, and round earth’s shore
Lay like the folds of a bright girdle furled.
But now I only hear
Its melancholy, long, withdrawing roar,
Retreating, to the breath
Of the night-wind, down the vast edges drear
And naked shingles of the world.

Ah, love, let us be true
To one another! for the world, which seems
To lie before us like a land of dreams,
So various, so beautiful, so new,
Hath really neither joy, nor love, nor light,
Nor certitude, nor peace, nor help for pain;
And we are here as on a darkling plain
Swept with confused alarms of struggle and flight,
Where ignorant armies clash by night.

AP PREP POST 1: SIDDHARTHA

1. Siddhartha features substantial activity and narrative action. At the same time, it is about one man’s largely internal spiritual quest. What is the relationship between the internal and exterior worlds of Siddhartha? How does Siddhartha negotiate these worlds?

2. Discuss the ways Siddhartha attempts to attain spiritual enlightenment. Which approaches are successful? Which ones are not successful, and which ones have limited effectiveness? How does Siddhartha progress from one approach to the other?

3. Consider Siddhartha’s relationship with Govinda. How are they similar, and how are they different? What are the narrative functions of Govinda’s reappearance throughout the novel? How does their relationship impact the novel’s ending?

http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/siddhartha/study.html

4. .If you were the river, would you be enlightenment or would you know enlightenment? In other words, what’s up with the river? What is it’s relation to enlightenment? 

5. What purpose does self-denial serve in Siddhartha? What about self-indulgence

http://www.shmoop.com/siddhartha/questions.html