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This selection shows Steinbecks true intentions in writing The Grapes of Wrath. He was once hailed as the "great new prophet of proletarian literature" who is said to have felt deep remorse for the masses and wanted better conditions for all. Steinbeck wanted a world where the little guy could rise up and have as much as the wealthy, or socialism.

"By turning his anger outward to benefit a larger community, Tom makes a final commitment to his society. As readers, we sense that Tom Joad's greatest actions are yet to come. These future actions, we sense from Tom's rhetoric, will become an intentional protest against established authority."

"Tom's transition from the private to the public, from an inner, intuitive sense of morality to an outward expression of that morality, parallels the exemplary American man embedded in the rhetoric of one of America's first social rebels, Thomas Paine. As an augmentation of Paine's rhetoric, Tom further mythologizes rebellion and protest as the natural right of all Americans."

This article tells of Tom's transformation from a private man into a public one. The article discusses the similarities between the audacious Tomas Paine of the American Revolution to Tom Joad. Although Paine has nothing to do with business ethics or treatment of the workers, it is interesting to see the parallels between Paine and Joad. The article also brings to light how America's morals change over time.

This source gives a general description of the hard times of the 1930s, beginning with the stock market crash in 1929. The Grapes of Wrath is written about this time period, when the dust bowl was also occurring. Times were tough for millions of American, as the unemployment rate rose to 25% nationwide and many more suffered cuts in wages. The migrant Okies and others affected by the Dust Bowl were hardest hit, as they had to deal with mother nature and a near-dead economy.

"Jurgis Rudkus and his bride Ona are crushed by a series of blows that suggest parallels between the treatment of the livestock and the workers employed to process them." This alludes to the fact that the workers were treated no better then animals by those whose only goal was to make as much money as possible.

"The Joads are very real people, which allows the reader to sympathize with their plight. As one critic states: "In the fate of one such family - the Joads of Oklahoma - Steinbeck has told the fate of all" (Kronenberger, 24). Certainly, the tale of the Joads parallels countless numbers of migrant peoples during the depression." This illustrates that the Joads weren't the only ones to suffer during this time and that it was in fact most of the country.

This whole site talks about awful treatment of the workers in packing industries. It's a lot like Fast Food Nation and the Jungle, because it gives both specific stories and overall points about the dangers that the workers face, and how little the companies care about such dangers.

This article is one that describes the depressing plight of Kenny Dobbins, a worker at the Monfort/ Con-Agra Beef Plant in Greeley, Colorado. A hard working and loyal worker, Dobbins suffered injuries, saved lives, and broke strikes during his years, only to be rewarded by getting fired after suffering a heart attack and seeking compensation. A recurring theme seen in Fast Food Nation and The Jungle was that profits are the only concern for businessmen, as the worker is indespensable and replaceable.

"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."

"...Scarcely mentions the Mexican and Filipino migrant workers who dominated the California fields and orchards into the late thirties, instead implying that Anglo-Saxon whites were the only subjects worthy of treatment." This brings together both The Grapes of Wrath and The Jungle. The quote refers directly to The Grapes of Wrath saying that it focused only on the Anglo-Saxons and that they weren't the only ones being poorly treated; tying in The Jungle since it was solely about Lithuanian immigrants and their mistreatment.

"Mohandas Gandhi said that a nation's moral progress can be judged by the way it treats its animals."

This article brings up a very important point to the discussion of ethics, or lack of, in the meat packing industry. While many readers who read The Jungle or Fast Food Nation focus on the treatment of the worker or food safety, animal welfare is also a chief concern of these books, and even in plants today. Throughout the past century, people and groups, like PETA, have fought for better conditions for animals in the slaughterhouses. These are places where chickens don't have enough room to flap their wings, pigs cannot turn around, and sick cows are sometimes dragged to the slaughterhouse.

Response to a Times article defending the changes brought upon by American writers. The original article stated "it is tyranny that has most often drawn writers into politics," this tyranny can be found in the Bosses from the Jungle, the plantation owners from GOW and the corporation owners in FFN.

The Kosher meat industry is supposed to provide the highest quality meat while having high standards of business ethics and righteousness. The source shows that even in the Kosher industry, identity theft, child labor, and other unethical practices are abundant. However not only in 2008 have Kosher plants done wrong , they have been breaking the rules for years. This string of arrests has stirred much controversy in the Jewish community.

This article compares the purposes and effects of Schosser and Sinclair's writing. It also speaks to the work need to be done to make changes (spreading awareness and public demand)

The fast food industry has sprung up more quickly than most other industries and has had a powerful affectnon modern society. It has especially affected the diet of middle and lower class suburban families.

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 passage describes the fight that workers had to put up with in order to have a reasonable work day. Before the push for an 8-hour workday, workers were manipulated into working for 12 hours or more with few or none breaks

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.

This article describes the themes of "The Grapes of Wrath". For example, the article discusses the themes of class conflict and hope. The article is also a good source for examining the allusions and symbols which bolster the themes in the novel. The article will give support to a paper discussing the class struggle over time.

"when a bag of chips is cheaper than a head of broccoli ... or it's more affordable to feed a family of four at McDonald's than to cook a healthy meal for them at home"

This is an interesting article proving that eating real food can actually be cheaper than fast food. This works well to explain how fast food has become a staple ingredient in many Americans weekly and even daily diet.

" fast-food restaurants rely heavily on the services of the billion-dollar flavor industry, which manufactures and sells the complex chemicals that give distinctive flavors to processed foods such as "smoky" chicken, "strawberry" shakes and even 'flame-broiled' burgers"

This source examines the important points that Schlosser brings up in his book Fast Food Nation.