Next Steps and Draft: The Grapes of Wrath

Okay so me and Courtney discussed my ideas and really talked about fleshing them out as well as figuring out the exact path I will go with for my paper. We talked a lot about Steinbeck's life and how it influenced his writing. There was also a ton of synopsis of each one off our stories so that we could understand each other's arguments and direction.
Here's my writing goal for today:
1. Flesh out ideas
2. Outline and structure argument
3. Start backing up ideas with research
4. Not freak out about a time limit!

See you in a couple of hours!

Update: So for the one hour of writing #anxietytime I got together my white board, quote guide I made for the Vanity of Human Wishes and all my sticky notes. First I divided everything up into sections and then I gave a brief summary of where I want it to go. Now all I have to do is fill it in with research and actually write the paper!

 Here's what my work looked like:

The Grapes of Wrath and Vanity of Human Wishes 

Introduction

            Hook: How are we exposed to our own follies? After we are exposed to the vanities of human nature, how do we react? Is this what causes change? If so, what change do we want it to or does it bring?

            Introduce the Claim: Begin with the Grapes of Wrath because it’s the main source. Joads, constant struggle, stupidity of humans continuing to hope. Then move onto The Vanity of Human Wishes as the second primary source (used on as a juxtaposition for the Grapes of Wrath). Laughing philosopher, vanities of all humans, letting vices take over virtues.

            Thesis: Although The Grapes of Wrath, by John Steinbeck, is perceived as a novel of triumph of the oppressed and a call for socialism, in actuality the novel exposes the vanities of human nature as described in Samuel Johnson's The Vanity of Human Wishes and calls for a return to God for the betterment of society.

            Evidence: See Body Paragraphs 1-

Body #1: Reason Vs. Stubbornness

            Grapes of Wrath: “But at last its legs waved in the air, reaching for something to pull it over.” (After almost being killed, the Turtle still gets back up and tries again… WHY?)

“If a man owns a little property, that property is him, it’s a part of him, and it’s like him.” (This is the reason why the turtle gets back up, because it feels like there is something worth fighting for… is this stubbornness or reason?

“For a moment he was about to walk on down the road, but instead he sat on the running board on the side away from the restaurant” or “But sometimes a guy’ll be a good guy even if some rich bastard makes him carry a sticker.” (It’s both! Reason and stubbornness. But I think in terms of this essay, I will argue stubbornness because of the fight that the people engage in.)

“Rose of Sharon loosened one side of the blanket and bared her breast. ‘You got to’ she said.” (Only reasonable thing! Not the best of options but needed for survival)

            Vanity of Human Wishes: “How rarely Reason guides the stubborn choice,/ Rules the bold hand, or prompts the supplicant voice/; How nations sink, by darling schemes oppressed,/ When Vengeance listens to the fool’s request.” (This is arguing the point of them being stubborn. The want vengeance, they want to rise up and live a good life without the demands of the government BUTTTT because they do it out of stubbornness, they will never get far!)

Body #2: Democritus

            The Grapes of Wrath: “You don’ know what you’re a-doin.” (Jim Casy, Christ figure, tells the police that they don’t know what they are doing, that they are judging the Okies, without even trying to understand. Crucifying the innocent.) “It’s all work” the preacher replied “They’s too much of it to split up to men’s or women’s work. You got stuff to do. Leave me to salt the meat.” (Casy talks about how silly we are to split things into men and women’s work. Vanity that there’s a difference and that we have to divide things up based off gender.) “There ain’t no sin and there ain’t no virtue. There’s just stuff people do. It’s all part of the same thing.” (Casy remarks on his philosophy of human nature, it’s not black or white or even gray. It’s any and everything.)

            The Vanity of Human Wishes: “Once more, Democritus, arise on earth,/ With cheerful wisdom and instructive mirth.” (Democritus and Casy are juxtaposition because they both are preaching the same things and looking at human nature from a different point of view,. BUTT go about it differently – laughing vs serious)

Body #3: Change

            The Grapes of Wrath: “ nobody can’t keep a turtle though.” (turtle is a symbol for the people, for time, for the world and basically you can’t stop it. You can’t stop progression and there’s only 3 options) “She saw the turtle and swung to the right, off the highway, the wheels screamed and a cloud of dust boiled up.” (Option A: Try to avoid it) “And now a truck approached and as it came near, the driver saw the turtle and swerved to hit it.” (Option B: Face it head on, or C- which I don’t have an exact quote for- try to keep pace/pick it up like Tom). “Times are changed, don’t you know.” (And you can choose one of those 3 options but either way it will continue to move forward.)

            The Vanity of Human Wishes: “Where change of favorites made no change of laws, And senates heard before they judged a cause.” (We want…. We don’t want… BUT we don’t want to put in the effort ourselves.)

Body #4: Power

            The Grapes of Wrath: “The bank- the monster has to have profits all the time. It can’t wait. It’ll die. No taxes go on. When the monster stops growing it dies.” “Men made it, but they can’t control it.” (Power is something we want in a pretty box with ribbon topped with a bow but really it’s uncontrollable and when we create something with power we are allowing that to take over because no human can control the force that drives it.)

            The Vanity of Human Wishes: “Claim leads to claim and power advances power.” (It’s a never-ending cycle. What do we do about it now?)

Body #5: People in Charge

            The Grapes of Wrath: “Some of the owner men were kind because they hated what they had to do, and some of them were angry because they hated to be cruel, and some of them were cold because they had long ago found that one could not be an owner unless one were cold.” (Sad life of being in charge, nothing you can do because POWER aka the monster is in charge and so these people HAVE to submit to its rule.)

            The Vanity of Human Wishes: “He views, and wonders that they please no more;/ Now pail the tasteless meats, and joyless wines,/ And luxury with her slave resigns.” (There comes to a point when being in power hits reality and it isn’t great anymore and so like the owners you have 3 options for how you can react… Which will you choose with the city lights become dull?)

Body #6: Education

            The Grapes of Wrath: “Mechanical engineering. It’s easy. Just study a few easy lessons at home.” (Oh how naïve! Is this how we view education and the educated? There is something more, promise!)

            The Vanity of Human Wishes: “Through all his veins the fever of the renown/ Burns from the strong contagion of the gown” “And Bacon’s mansion trembles o’er his head.” (it could all crumble, all the hard work, because that’s what it is, yet we still pursue it. It will burn in the end)

Body #7: Future Generations

            The Grapes of Wrath: “That lady that says I’ll lose the baby.” (What people do now, does have an effect on future generations.) “He guided the box gently out into the current and let it go” (Sometimes we have to let go and allow the future generations to decide what they want to do. (Raise a child in the way he or she should go and then let him/her decide where they will take it)

            The Vanity of Human Wishes: “from age to age in everlasting debt.” (What we do now will leave the future in debt. We won’t see  the consequences of our actions but rather we will see the consequences of the actions of those before us and the future will have to pay for what we have done, etc.)

Body #8: Second Coming/ Christ’s Reign

            The Grapes of Wrath: “She looked at Pa and Uncle John standing helplessly gazing at the sick man.” (We don’t know what to do without the Lord. We are helpless without him and so we need him to come back!) “And the two women looked deep into each other… She said, ‘Yes.’” (The women are live the servants of the Lord who understand his plan and know what needs to be done to help.)

            The Vanity of Human Wishes: “In life’s last scene what prodigies surprise,/ Fears of the brave, and follies of the wise!” “To Interest, Prudence, and to Flattery, Pride,/ Now Beauty falls betrayed, despised, distressed,/ And hissing Infamy proclaims the rest.” (Our wishes and thoughts are vain but heaven’s are not. The truth, beauty, and good. Things fall into place when God is on your side.)

Conclusion:

Wrap it up! Like a crunch wrap! JK, not really.