cat08 /
May 18, 2007 #1
I added some more support to my essay. Essay is due within 7 hours this is posted. No pressure. Any Last Minute Suggestions would be great.
A simple definition of a family is a group of people living together. In a family there is one household. The members of the family are related by birth, marriage, or adoption. In the novel The Grapes of Wrath, John Steinbeck conveys a broader definition of a family. Steinbeck shows that a person is fulfilling the role of the family when he or she extends and provides help beyond the individual or nuclear family for humankind.
Ma takes part in the role of the family when she provides help to others. Ma allows Casey to come with the family members on their trip to California. She states, "There ain't room now...One more ain't going to hurt" (102). Although the Joad family does not have room, she does not reject Casey. Moreover, she welcomes Casey despite the family's tough circumstance. Thus, Ma's consideration lies beyond her nuclear family, and she contributes in the role of the even larger human family. Later, when the Joad family stays in California, Ma shows compassion to the hungry children she finds staring at her stew. She states, "S'pose you was cookin' a stew an' a bunch of a little fellas stood aroun' moonin,' what'd you do? We didn't have enough, but you can't keep it when they look at ya like that" (304). As Ma reveals, the Joad family had very little food to eat. Regardless, she continues to give to the less fortunate. Ma's persistent sacrifices to help others and to better humanity reinforce Steinbeck's definition of the role of the family.
Casey also contributes to the role of a family member when he helps others. When Floyd gets into trouble with the deputy and Tom trips the deputy, Casey takes the blame. Casey explains, "They'll fingerprint you...Somebody got to take the blame. I got no kids. They'll just put me in jail" (265-266). Casey has great regard for the Joad family. Casey understands that Tom is part of the Joad family, and Casey has only himself. His daring action to take the blame and go to jail displays his selflessness to others. By acting for others rather than for himself, the individual, he is acting in the role of a responsible family member. Later, after he is released from prison, he forms a union to fight for better wages for the migrants. He states, "You fellas don' know what you're doing. You're helpin' to starve kids" (386). Casey makes a bold statement to help humanity by commenting on how they are allowing kids to starve. His focus is not on himself or the individual, rather his focus is on humankind. Because of his consideration for others and the sacrifices he makes to benefit humanity, Casey performs the role of the family member.
In addition, Tom fulfills the role of a family member when he helps others. He does so when he fills Casey's spot in the union. Steinbeck explains, "Tom looked down at the preacher...Tom leaped silently. He wrenched the club free" (386). Once Casey dies, Tom takes action by taking the club. By doing so, he is taking on the role of Casey. Tom, therefore, becomes the successor of Casey's fight for humanity. Thus, Tom is partaking in the role of a family member. Near the end of the novel, Tom further displays his role of the family member when he decides to leave his nuclear family. Tom tells Ma, "I been thinkin' how it was in that gov'ment camp...I been wondering why we can't...work together for our own thing" (419). Taking on Casey's role, he is determined to reach out to humankind. Through Tom's understanding of working together and the fulfillment of a common goal, Steinbeck conveys his idea of the role of a family member. As Tom explains to Ma, a family's struggle is also humanity's struggle. By leaving his family, Tom is joining the struggle with his larger family of humanity, Steinbeck's definition of family. Therefore, Tom is part of the family.
Similarly, the migrants demonstrate the role of the family when they help each other. When the migrants join and help each other out, there is progress. Steinbeck describes a situation involving the migrants: ""I have a little food" plus "I have none." If from this problem the sum is "We have a little food," the thing is on its way, the movement has direction"" (151). Steinbeck emphasizes the importance of the idea that "I" becomes "we." Through this visual equation of a migrant with little food and a migrant with no food, he shows that survival is possible when the two migrant groups unite. Steinbeck further reveals, "The two men squatting in a ditch, the little fire, the side-meat stewing in a single pot...The baby has a cold. Here, take this blanket. It's wool. It was my mother's blanket-take it for the baby" (152). As is evident, the role of family is established between the two migrant groups. The migrants share their food by sharing one pot. Furthermore, they look for the wellbeing of each other, as demonstrated when one migrant gives a sick baby his mother's blanket. Thus, Steinbeck reveals the crucial role of the family is to unite with humanity.
In contrast, the California farmers think only of themselves and do no act in the role of the family. They inconsiderately keep a vast amount of vacant land to themselves. As a result, Steinbeck reveals, "a homeless man driving the roads with his wife beside him and his thin children...man could know how a fallow field is a sin and the unused land a crime against the thin children" (234). At the expense of humanity, the Californians are able to enjoy the luxury and abundance of unused land they have. Steinbeck criticizes this as the land could have provided a home for the family. He blames the farmers as the cause of the children's thinness and lack of nutrition. Self-interest diminishes their concern for humanity. As a result, the California farmers lack concern for the human family. Their lack of sympathy causes families to starve and be without a home. Moreover, the inconsiderate California farmers charge high prices for fruits, causing poor families to be unable to afford them and starve. Furthermore, Steinbeck states, "a million people hungry, needing the fruit-kerosene sprayed over the golden mountains...And children dying of pellagra must die because a profit cannot be taken from an orange" (349). When the oranges are dumped and kerosene is sprayed, many people continue to be hungry. Steinbeck criticizes the California farmers for wasting a "mountain" of oranges, which could have been fed to the dying children. Steinbeck points out the California farmers' lack of compassion when he reveals that the profit of the oranges cannot even be sacrificed for children dying of pellagra. In the process of the farmers' greed and selfishness, the state of humanity is worsened. For this reason, Steinbeck calls the California farmers "failures" (349). Their concern for themselves reflects the California farmers' lack of consideration for the larger family of mankind.
Thus, as expressed by Steinbeck, the role of family is fulfilled when an individual or a nuclear family helps humankind. Humanity is vital. Society will not find success when men act as an individual and caring only for themselves. The success of any society relies on the positive contributions of many for the wellbeing of all. Both the individual and humanity can benefit from a wider definition of family.
A simple definition of a family is a group of people living together. In a family there is one household. The members of the family are related by birth, marriage, or adoption. In the novel The Grapes of Wrath, John Steinbeck conveys a broader definition of a family. Steinbeck shows that a person is fulfilling the role of the family when he or she extends and provides help beyond the individual or nuclear family for humankind.
Ma takes part in the role of the family when she provides help to others. Ma allows Casey to come with the family members on their trip to California. She states, "There ain't room now...One more ain't going to hurt" (102). Although the Joad family does not have room, she does not reject Casey. Moreover, she welcomes Casey despite the family's tough circumstance. Thus, Ma's consideration lies beyond her nuclear family, and she contributes in the role of the even larger human family. Later, when the Joad family stays in California, Ma shows compassion to the hungry children she finds staring at her stew. She states, "S'pose you was cookin' a stew an' a bunch of a little fellas stood aroun' moonin,' what'd you do? We didn't have enough, but you can't keep it when they look at ya like that" (304). As Ma reveals, the Joad family had very little food to eat. Regardless, she continues to give to the less fortunate. Ma's persistent sacrifices to help others and to better humanity reinforce Steinbeck's definition of the role of the family.
Casey also contributes to the role of a family member when he helps others. When Floyd gets into trouble with the deputy and Tom trips the deputy, Casey takes the blame. Casey explains, "They'll fingerprint you...Somebody got to take the blame. I got no kids. They'll just put me in jail" (265-266). Casey has great regard for the Joad family. Casey understands that Tom is part of the Joad family, and Casey has only himself. His daring action to take the blame and go to jail displays his selflessness to others. By acting for others rather than for himself, the individual, he is acting in the role of a responsible family member. Later, after he is released from prison, he forms a union to fight for better wages for the migrants. He states, "You fellas don' know what you're doing. You're helpin' to starve kids" (386). Casey makes a bold statement to help humanity by commenting on how they are allowing kids to starve. His focus is not on himself or the individual, rather his focus is on humankind. Because of his consideration for others and the sacrifices he makes to benefit humanity, Casey performs the role of the family member.
In addition, Tom fulfills the role of a family member when he helps others. He does so when he fills Casey's spot in the union. Steinbeck explains, "Tom looked down at the preacher...Tom leaped silently. He wrenched the club free" (386). Once Casey dies, Tom takes action by taking the club. By doing so, he is taking on the role of Casey. Tom, therefore, becomes the successor of Casey's fight for humanity. Thus, Tom is partaking in the role of a family member. Near the end of the novel, Tom further displays his role of the family member when he decides to leave his nuclear family. Tom tells Ma, "I been thinkin' how it was in that gov'ment camp...I been wondering why we can't...work together for our own thing" (419). Taking on Casey's role, he is determined to reach out to humankind. Through Tom's understanding of working together and the fulfillment of a common goal, Steinbeck conveys his idea of the role of a family member. As Tom explains to Ma, a family's struggle is also humanity's struggle. By leaving his family, Tom is joining the struggle with his larger family of humanity, Steinbeck's definition of family. Therefore, Tom is part of the family.
Similarly, the migrants demonstrate the role of the family when they help each other. When the migrants join and help each other out, there is progress. Steinbeck describes a situation involving the migrants: ""I have a little food" plus "I have none." If from this problem the sum is "We have a little food," the thing is on its way, the movement has direction"" (151). Steinbeck emphasizes the importance of the idea that "I" becomes "we." Through this visual equation of a migrant with little food and a migrant with no food, he shows that survival is possible when the two migrant groups unite. Steinbeck further reveals, "The two men squatting in a ditch, the little fire, the side-meat stewing in a single pot...The baby has a cold. Here, take this blanket. It's wool. It was my mother's blanket-take it for the baby" (152). As is evident, the role of family is established between the two migrant groups. The migrants share their food by sharing one pot. Furthermore, they look for the wellbeing of each other, as demonstrated when one migrant gives a sick baby his mother's blanket. Thus, Steinbeck reveals the crucial role of the family is to unite with humanity.
In contrast, the California farmers think only of themselves and do no act in the role of the family. They inconsiderately keep a vast amount of vacant land to themselves. As a result, Steinbeck reveals, "a homeless man driving the roads with his wife beside him and his thin children...man could know how a fallow field is a sin and the unused land a crime against the thin children" (234). At the expense of humanity, the Californians are able to enjoy the luxury and abundance of unused land they have. Steinbeck criticizes this as the land could have provided a home for the family. He blames the farmers as the cause of the children's thinness and lack of nutrition. Self-interest diminishes their concern for humanity. As a result, the California farmers lack concern for the human family. Their lack of sympathy causes families to starve and be without a home. Moreover, the inconsiderate California farmers charge high prices for fruits, causing poor families to be unable to afford them and starve. Furthermore, Steinbeck states, "a million people hungry, needing the fruit-kerosene sprayed over the golden mountains...And children dying of pellagra must die because a profit cannot be taken from an orange" (349). When the oranges are dumped and kerosene is sprayed, many people continue to be hungry. Steinbeck criticizes the California farmers for wasting a "mountain" of oranges, which could have been fed to the dying children. Steinbeck points out the California farmers' lack of compassion when he reveals that the profit of the oranges cannot even be sacrificed for children dying of pellagra. In the process of the farmers' greed and selfishness, the state of humanity is worsened. For this reason, Steinbeck calls the California farmers "failures" (349). Their concern for themselves reflects the California farmers' lack of consideration for the larger family of mankind.
Thus, as expressed by Steinbeck, the role of family is fulfilled when an individual or a nuclear family helps humankind. Humanity is vital. Society will not find success when men act as an individual and caring only for themselves. The success of any society relies on the positive contributions of many for the wellbeing of all. Both the individual and humanity can benefit from a wider definition of family.
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