The Grapes of Wrath
The Grapes of Wrath exposes the desperate conditions under which the migratory farm families of America faced during the 1930's. In the central part of the United States of America, there was an area called "The Dust Bowl," because of its lack of rain. Here drought and poverty combined to withdraw many farmers from their land. The Grapes of Wrath is a story of the Joad family, who were ejected from their farm by natural disasters and economic changes beyond their control. They traveled a great journey in search of peace, security, and another home. The film illustrates how the Joad family deals with their journey to California, how they survive the cruelty of the landowners that take advantage of them, and their poverty and willingness to work. In the beginning of the film, Tom Joad is hitchhiking on his way home to his family's sharecropping farm. Tom had just completed serving a short prison term. Like the other migrant farmers, the Joads lost their land and their hope for a comfortable future. They were evicted from their land due to foreclosure, and they had to abandon their home and their livelihoods. Ma Joad had to decide which of her possessions to kee
The film captured how the depression affected families. Banks began to foreclose on farms, and people became homeless. The loss of people's farms, due to the Great Depression, caused them to travel to the west. Farmers were not doing well because they were producing more crops and farm products than could be sold; therefore, they made a very small profit. The Great Depression ravaged the economy; finding work and feeding one's family were nearly impossible. Banks lost money from the stock market and from Americans who could not pay back loans. By the 1930's, thirteen million workers lost their jobs. Farmers had no money and were not capable of paying their mortgages. The farmers found themselves in debt that was caused by the purchase of land, tools, animals, and other items bought on credit. This credit was due to the bank and when farmers found themselves not capable of repaying the debts, the bank took everything the farmers possessed. Tractors destroyed everything on the farms, which included homes and barns. The farmers were so desperate for money that they had to sell all of their belongings for pennies. To cut down the number of people seeking j
Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 791
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)
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