Blog # 13

How does Jim Casey's moral philosophy guide the novel as a whole?

In the novel, Jim Casey the ex-preacher feels an obligation to practice and preach Christianity to the people. The characters christen faith is constantly being tested by the obstacles they face. Jim considered being himself like Christ, a savor of the common man even though doing so put his life in jeopardy. He encourages Tom to become more socially conscious to help his fellow man. Jim Casey see’s the good in all men. Casey develops strong morality and shares a handful of similarities with Jesus Christ. The Joad’s belief, that justices will ultimately triumph keeps them from giving up. Casey exemplifies the suffering of Jesus by becoming a martyr. His words are meaningful throughout the story which makes him the moral force of the novel

Jim Casey considers all people as a whole to be good. In the story, he states, “All that lives is holy”. Jim wants the Joad’s to not let go of their christian values no matter what. Jim was asked to say grace at the dinner table and says, “ …I been in the hills, thinkin’, almost you might say like Jesus went into the wilderness to think His way out of a mess of troubles. He says this because he wants the Joad's to know that he journeyed to the wilderness to seek answers to hidden questions thus made him feel like Jesus Christ. He does this to renew his faith. Furthermore, Casey provided comfort to them after the unfortunate death of Granma Joad, stating that, “every’body got to die” and helps them to understand and tolerate the inevitability of death.

Jim Casey’s strong sense of justices also leads him to try and organize a riot to demand fair and decent wages. Jim Casey speaks of consequences to the people saying, "Tell 'em [the people who are picking peaches] they're starvin' us an' stabbin' theirselves in the back.’Cause sure as cowflops she'll drop to two an' a half jus' as soon as they clear us out,", he knew that as soon as the riot had completely ended the laborer’s salaries would decrease to unfair wages. Just like Jesus Christ, a staunch friend of Tom Joad, Jim Casey allegedly takes the blame for the attack on the deputy and thus sacrifices himself for Tom.

In conclusion, Jim Casey is a very spiritual man who drives the story with the good moral values of life. Whether it’s helping other to better understand them or to accept faith for what it is. He will always be known as that Christ figure of the novel. He lives up to his title. I guess you can say that he was triumphant in his quest in helping the Joad’s and the unfortunate soles of the story.

Blog #12

What were "public works projects"? What famous ones were part of the New Deal? What public works projects would you recommend for our society today?

The Public Works Administration was developed to repair the nation's infrastructures like bridges, highways and public parks. You can generate more employment for the American people in the areas of green projects like self-sustaining projects of the future. During the New Deal, Congress appropriated millions of dollars to provide employment for the improvement of public buildings, rivers, harbors and highway construction. The Federal Emergency Relief Act appropriated 500 million for aid to the poor to be distributed by state and local governments. The Civilian Conservation Corps enrolled young men to work on fluid control, soil conservation, and forest projects under the direction of the way department.

Honor Novel #1

Steinbeck’s Turtle

By

Osamah Elhams

Steinbeck’s Symbolism

By

Osamah Elhams

The turtle in John Steinbeck’s novel The Grapes of Wrath symbolizes the perpetual struggle of the hard luck farmers will to survive against all odds. In Chapter three, the turtle that Steinbeck describes crossing the road overcomes obstacles that cross it’s path. It’s very life is in peril when a man tries to run it over. It is at the mercy of its surroundings and can do very little to escape its fate. Even so, the turtle struggles on.

Much like the farmers who are striving to get to California to start a new life, the turtle is also struggling to get to a safe place. Like the farmers, it encounters dangers along the way. Even though the farmers get beaten down in life, they like the turtle, persevere. Tom Joad’s character is much like the turtle on the road. They both show strength and tenacity when confronted by life’s difficulties. The turtle doesn’t give up when a passing car causes it to flip over. It struggles to get itself upright so it can continue it’s journey. Likewise Tom Joad doesn’t give up even though he experiences many hard times with his family. The Joad’s are forced to leave the land they grew up in order to survive. Drought has destroyed their ability to grow their crops and they have been forced into a desperate situation. Once fertile farmlands are turned to dust. People are being thrown out of their homes by greedy landowners and unsympathetic banks. Without an income, people find themselves without food or shelter. The turtle on the road is probably also seeking food and shelter. It must venture out in the world in order to find what it needs to survive. Doing so however, puts it at great risk to the dangers of it’s environment. Even though there are some kind people that try to avoid hitting the turtle when it crosses the road, there are those who would deliberately do it harm. The farmers on their journey encounter many hardships but they, like the turtle, have no other choice but to keep moving in order to survive.

Towards the end of the novel, as the Joads along with other families continue to struggle against the injustices of landowners who take advantage of them, Steinbeck also speaks of the “grapes of wrath” symbolizing the growing anger of the migrant families. Grapes that could have provided nourishment have instead been left to decay because of greed. Rich landowners unjustly seek to get farmers who have no other choice to work for very low wages. Because they are desperate and starving, migrant families will accept the low wages to feed their children. Even though bad things happen to them they try to show kindness to others that are also struggling. They suffer many misfortunes like the loss of several family members and pets throughout the story. The Joad family grandparents die during their move to find a better life in California. A baby is stillborn. Many things happen to test their endurance but through it all, they still survive and never lose their humanity.

Blog# 11

Dear Mr. President,

Mr. President, this is a very important letter that I would like you to read. We need to discuss America’s future. We need to end this economic crisis. I understand your efforts to restore the American economy are good but America is asking for more than just a stimulus package that helps the banks. We need to turn the tables and start convincing our enemies to stop hating us and become allies. That way we can use the money spent on the war effort towards stabilizing and growing our economy.

We need you to pass bills through congress and I hope that these bills will bring a positive change. Congress needs to stop this war against you and start acting towards the benefit of the people. Congress doesn’t seem to realize that they are only delaying the economic recovery. The American government is not as stable as it should be. America cannot afford to fail.
Let’s start with the banks, Mr. President. People are demanding reasonable mortgages from their banks to be able to stay in their homes. We need the banks cooperation to help them do this. Homeowners should be given a five year extension to make payments at their present rate to give them time to adjust to a higher interest rate or by selling their home if they need to and buying a home they can afford. Like Franklin D. Roosevelt, you should regulate the banks so they only make loans to people that can really afford to buy a home.

We need to create more jobs for the American people. We need to reward businesses that keep Americans working instead of taking their jobs to people outside the US. FDR saw that it was necessary to increase employment for the American people. People should be taught new skills that will help employ them for jobs of the future. Workers should be able to organize and demand decent wages and medical benefits.

The most important thing is to gain the support of the American people. They need you and you need them. Your powerful speeches will only have an effect on the people who believe your words. We need to convince those who don’t trust you with action not just words. FDR also liked to speak to the people directly through his “Fireside Chats”.

I hope you take my suggestions into consideration and know that I as well as other will be here to support your efforts. I know you cannot accomplish this on your own.


Sincerely,
Osamah Elhams



Works Cited

Feldmeth, Gregory. AP U.S. History. 8th ed. Piscataway, New Jersey: Research & Education Assoc., 2009. Print.
Hirsch, E. D. The Dictionary of Cultural Literacy. Company: Houghton Mifflin, 1988. Print.

Parenti, Ph.D., Michael. Democracy for the Few. 8th ed. Boston, MA: Thomson Wadsworth, 2008. Print.

Zinn, Howard. A People's History of the United States. New York: HarperCollins, 2003. Print.

Honors History Blog #1

Dear Mr. President,

Mr. President, this is a very important letter that I would like you to read. We need to discuss America’s future. We need to end this economic crisis. I understand your efforts to restore the American economy are good but America is asking for more than just a stimulus package that helps the banks. We need to turn the tables and start convincing our enemies to stop hating us and become allies. That way we can use the money spent on the war effort towards stabilizing and growing our economy.

We need you to pass bills through congress and I hope that these bills will bring a positive change. Congress needs to stop this war against you and start acting towards the benefit of the people. Congress doesn’t seem to realize that they are only delaying the economic recovery. The American government is not as stable as it should be. America cannot afford to fail.

Let’s start with the banks, Mr. President. People are demanding reasonable mortgages from their banks to be able to stay in their homes. We need the banks cooperation to help them do this. Homeowners should be given a five year extension to make payments at their present rate to give them time to adjust to a higher interest rate or by selling their home if they need to and buying a home they can afford. Like Franklin D. Roosevelt, you should regulate the banks so they only make loans to people that can really afford to buy a home.

We need to create more jobs for the American people. We need to reward businesses that keep Americans working instead of taking their jobs to people outside the US. FDR saw that it was necessary to increase employment for the American people. People should be taught new skills that will help employ them for jobs of the future. Workers should be able to organize and demand decent wages and medical benefits.

The most important thing is to gain the support of the American people. They need you and you need them. Your powerful speeches will only have an effect on the people who believe your words. We need to convince those who don’t trust you with action not just words. FDR also liked to speak to the people directly through his “Fireside Chats”.

I hope you take my suggestions into consideration and know that I as well as other will be here to support your efforts. I know you cannot accomplish this on your own.


Sincerely,
Osamah Elhams



Works Cited

Feldmeth, Gregory. AP U.S. History. 8th ed. Piscataway, New Jersey: Research & Education Assoc., 2009. Print.

Hirsch, E. D. The Dictionary of Cultural Literacy. Company: Houghton Mifflin, 1988. Print.

Parenti, Ph.D., Michael. Democracy for the Few. 8th ed. Boston, MA: Thomson Wadsworth, 2008. Print.

Zinn, Howard. A People's History of the United States. New York: HarperCollins, 2003. Print.