Group items tagged

"many of the farms literally dried up and blew away creating what became known as the "Dust Bowl." Driven by the Great Depression, drought, and dust storms, thousands of farmers packed up their families and made the difficult journey to California where they hoped to find work"

"California was emphatically not the promised land of the migrants' dreams" This was the common misconception that the migrant workers had, they believed and with good reason that when they reached california all of their struggles would disappear. This was not the case because of the 30% unemployment rate and the constant scheming of their employers to find the cheapest workers available, even if it caused children to starve.

Discusses the treatment of the Okies, their ethnic and cultural backgrounds, and why they were so disliked. It is pointed out how the Dust Bowl encompasses many universal human experiences such as the discomfort of displacement, cultural tensions, and discrimination.

States the effects of the Grapes of Wrath and gives concrete information on the masses of migrant workers and their treatment in 1930s America. Shows legal actions taken as well as position of the press during the time period

"a four-week strike in October 1933 that involved 12,000 to 18,000 workers. Workers refused to pick the 1933 crop for the $0.60 per hundred pounds offered by growers" This quote describes the workers banding together in a strike attempting to do away with the poor treatment they are receiving from the large farm owners.

About the migration of "Okies" and "Arkies" to California, their efforts to survive in the face of abuse by Californians, and writers' attempts to make public the migrant workers' plight.

A lawsuit occured involving the trafficing and poor treatment of migrant workers. Many of these workers paid agents to come to the states to get a job, only to find themselves living in crowded, infested conditions. This relates to the Jungle and the struggles and conditions of the migrant workers then.

The oppressive economic system is symbolic of the poor treatment of the workers by the nasty aristocrats. Steinbeck was in favor of changing the images of the migrants and economy and therefore he used the plight of the migrant workers.

Good site describing migrant struggles

The site gives the general background of migrants in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The rise of the railroad led to a massive migration from an agrarian based society to an industrial one centered in the city, which was also fed by a myriad of immigrants. Migrants from the midwestern states also experienced a large movement during the early 20th century. Tenant farmers were pushed off their land, and tried to find success in the fertile fields of Calfornia. The source also gives information pertaining to the rise of trade unions in the nation, like the American Federation of Labor.

Although Sparknotes is a very stereotypcial website on novels, it's still a very effective source of information. It makes blatantly clear the fact that the rich, aristocratic upper class is mainly responsible for the poverty and economic devastation in the country. The rich get richer at the cost of the destruction of the lower class. The workers are treated poorly in an effort to keep them desperate, which in turn keeps the rich people rich. Selfishness and greed, key themes in practically every novel read so far, is clarified and pointed out. The condition of the migrants is no accident, it's an intentional, deliberate plot to oppress them. Their only hope is through unity.

This source is all about the optimism of the workers, and how the big corporations constantly tried to manipulate and/or stamp out the sparks of hope and dreams that the migrants had. They used the migrants' dreams against them

An overall summary of the depression/GOW. It especially hits on the selifshness of the rich, who seek to keep the poor divided, as well as on the unity of the poor, who die and sacrifice for each other. It contains an EXCELLENT quote from Steinbeck which cynically describes human nature, basically saying that nice guys are admired, but they never get ahead. Greedy, mean guys are hated, but they are admired for their success.  Again, later  it ties into crushing the migrants' dreams in order to keep them down and divided.

The article details the historical background of the migrant workers plight in the Great Depression. 3.5 million people joined the migrant work force in the Dust Bowl. The article also tells of how the over farming led to the desertification of the soil. The article is useful for historical background information on "The Grapes of Wrath".

"The most evident and substantial theme that Steinbeck employs in The Grapes of Wrath is simply an outcry against the ill treatment of all migrant workers. The Joads function as a symbol of the migrant working family, their horrific existence, and the effects that poverty has upon them. In penning The Grapes of Wrath, Steinbeck is generally calling for an end of man's inhumanity towards his fellow man, while he is specifically calling for a more humane treatment of the migrant worker."

"In an attempt to defend their right to earning living wages, migrant workers tried to organize labor unions. Naturally, this was strongly discouraged by the growers, who had the support of the police force, who often used brute force. In Kern County in 1938, for example, a mob led by a local sheriff burned down an Okie camp that had become a center for union activity."

The quote you addressed, out of context, would easily assimilate with the points made in FFN, N&D, and The Jungle as well.

Oooh. Ellen, calling her out on context! Nice ;) I still think Sarah makes a decent point though. GOW and small parts of the Jungle are the only books where actual and real brutality and force are used to oppress workers. While the other books simply mention corruption or unethical practices, maybe even some law-breaking here and there, her quote addresses physical abuse and literal violence towards the workers, almost like slave-era times.

An editorial talking about how the migrant farm workers system is broken, and that many migrant farm workers are fleeing places where they can find work because of anti-illegal immigrant laws.

This article depicts the exploitation if the worker in their time of need. Greedy companies such as the car shop takes advantage of the migrants' need for a vehichle and use their monopoly to sell the cars at an unfair price. This is another example of the corrupt power that the upper class has over the migrants.

"But there was not enough work for everyone who came. Instead of immediate riches, they often found squalor in roadside ditch encampments." This was exactly the problem for most of the migrant workers, including the Joads. They had false hope of finding a better life in California when in reality they had just been deceived by the higher ups .

Profiles of different Migrant worker organizations. If these had existed in the time of The Jungle and GOW, maybe things would have been easier for the two families! In the modern day, these groups all work to make sure the basic needs of workers are met, and that they are not being exploited or used.

This illustrates the tough working conditions during the Great Depression through the "Joads struggle to find low-paid work". Due to the fact that the Joads are a symbol for the many migrant workers in the 1930s, this "struggle" was clear throughout the United States.

Steinbeck portrays the reealism in the struggles of the migrants. He showed the horrors of the dust bowl the way no on else saw it. He helped to bring help and attention to the migrants.

This article mainly shows how Steinbeck gathered his information that he later compiled into the Grapes of Wrath. Steinbeck lived among the "Okie" families and talked to them about their struggles in California. He was hosted by the Weedpatch Camp numerous times, and Tom Collins was especially helpful in Steinbeck's work. Both men fought an battle to better Okie migrant laborer and family living conditions. Steinbeck's work was also influenced by some of Collins', who was an influential reporter himself

I think this is interesting, because by living with the people he was really able to get a feel for what he was writing. Instead of writing from a 3rd person point of view, he wrote from a member of the migrant class. This creates a deep personal connection, as opposed to an outside perspective.

This review discusses the plight of the Joads and other Oklahomians to that of today's immigrants. The food industry of today, like that of the 1930s, depends on cheap, replacable laborers.

Great review of the Grapes of Wrath with specific topics brought out by the book.

The review talks about the specific angles of poverty, labor rights, unemployment, and discrimination. It also compares the plight of the "Okies" to the treatment of today's immigrants. Just as current immigrants have derogatory names, the "immigrant Okies" were hated by residents of California where they eventually resided. The fight for labor rights was a strong interest of Jim Casy, and later Tom's, who began organizing people soon after coming to California.

This quote can be seen as the modern day version of The Grapes of Wrath. As the cyclical theory repeats itsself in history, the people of modern time are experiencing the same problems as the migrant workers. The author again evokes the passion to show the consequences of the poor treatment of workers