Grapes of Wrath Essay

In Grapes of Wrath, John Steinbeck wrote hygienic-nigh the Joads and their forced migration from Oklahoma to California. They were forced to leave their simple farming keep because of the large(p) Depression. Through the struggles of the members and friends of the Joads, Steinbeck was able to portray an undesirable, yet accurate regard of the States in the early twentieth century. Thus, this story is considered as unitary of the almost powerful social novels in human history.But, Steinbeck did non however describe the country where he lived. In the later part of the novel, Steinbeck crafted a governmental message that is intended to change the present and unacceptable pronounce of America. In Nobody Knows My Name, James Baldwin wrote a series of essays about the experiences, thoughts, and struggles of an Afri crumb-Ameri bed deep in the heart of Europe. The collection of essays appears to be a ceremony of passage for Baldwin who did not want to be labeled as a Negro writer , but simply an American writer.But, through the series of essays, Baldwin wove together his testify political message, which wanted to radic exclusivelyy shift the point of catch of society about what America is all about. In both pieces of literature, it can be found that the written works of art are not just mere expressions of the authors creativity. This is because a simple creative expression is locomote and aimless. The written art is similar to a powerful brand name that can be wielded to effect political and social changes, but this figurative sword obeys the authors individualized views that are derived from their personal experiences.Despite the personal basis of the authors opinions, the political nature of the written art is needed in societies that are impel in the midst of variance and run afoul because the political nature of written art serves as a guiding beacon of light, both for the everyday citizens and for the political stretch forthers. Steinbecks Grapes of Wrath has m either interpretations that originate from varying perspectives, such(prenominal) as religious, economic, social, political, and personal.The same could be verbalise of Baldwins Nobody Knows My Name. polar and numerous interpretations of literary works are acceptable because that is the nature of all literary works and the authors could not be confronted and asked to choose which interpretation is the most accurate. It is probable that Steinbeck purposely wove a novel that is a mosaic of some(prenominal) messages. And it is also probable that Baldwin delved into different issues and each essay in the said collection might be about more than one perspective.But, in comparing the novel and the essay collection, the two perspectives that pass on be analyze are the similar personal and the political beliefs of the authors about the American society. both(prenominal) Steinbeck and Baldwin see a divided American society. In Steinbecks novel, the division is am ong the affluent and the shortsighted. This division is felt sharply in the Great Depression when the rich and powerful preyed on the desperation of the poor deal. The reputed rich grape vineyards in California became attractive to the Joads and other poor people who are suffering the pangs of hunger due to the poor harvest.The house was dead, and the palm were dead (Steinbeck, 135). The family chose to uproot themselves and went to California. But, the vineyards did not deliver the promise of providing enough diet security for the people. Instead, the Joads toiled hard, day and night, but remained poor, oppressed, and discriminated. In Baldwins essay, the division is between the Blacks and the White. The Civil War has ended but the discrimination against the Black Americans remained. umpteen Americans gave lip service to the fancy of equality and assimilation, but it is far more difficult to remove the generations- emeritus dogma of Blacks being an inferior race. Hoping to ac hieve the desired state of equality, the Blacks fought by excelling in the fields of sports, music, and literature. But this was not enough. Instead, the Blacks go along to endure discrimination. The nature of the division that was described by Steinbeck may not be exactly the same as the division described by Baldwin. But the division and the conflict are strongly felt.And because of the presence of the conflict, America is not united. Unfortunately, in that respect are more conflicts that exist other than the conflict between people of different races and people who come from different socio-economic status. thither are conflicts based on gender, education, and sexual orientation. The tensions of American life, as well as the possibilities, are tremendous (Baldwin, 11). But what could be the long-term implications of having a divided country? Both Steinbeck and Baldwin predicted that the present divisions in America would lead to overwhelming wrath that might deflower society .In Steinbecks novel, the poor finds that many of their opportunities are kept off(predicate) from them or wasted away by the rich and powerful. The people come with nets to fish for potatoes in the river, and the guards assume them back in the eyes of the hungry there is a maturation wrath (Steinbeck, 477). It is suggested that the travels of Steinbeck revealed to him the desolate state of his country and the increasing resentment of the poor. In Baldwins essay Fifth Avenue, Uptown a Letter from Harlem, he described the rotting and festering social situation of Harlem, the corner of the piece where he grew up.Baldwin drew upon his experiences and observations when he was still living in Harlem to get this essay that depicts the oppression that the Whites wielded through the police. The policemen represent the force of the white human race the black man corralled up here, in his place (Baldwin, 57). The Blacks have began to suck that they were being discriminated and that the basic right to human dignity was been taken away from them through the selfish and callous way that the Whites treated them in the preceding(a) decades.But, instead of being apologetic, the Whites, being the majority, demanded assimilation. It would be inevitable that the Blacks would feel resentment. And with resentment, there would be a burgeoning anger. Steinbeck and Baldwin are personally aware of the negative effectuate of the quick conflicts in their societies. They knew that anger would be fermented. There is a frontier to the patience of the people who are being oppressed. What then should Americans do with the existing conflicts in their country?Both Steinbeck and Baldwin personally believed that there must be a antecedent political change in the country, but for any radical change to happen, there should also be a radical change within each individual American. In Steinbecks novel, there were many characters that underwent changes throughout the story. However, th e character that underwent the most radical change was come up of Sharon, who, after suffering from the loss of her own child, has agreed to nurse an old man. Then she lay down beside him. He shook his head tardily from side to side.Rose of Sharon loosened one side of the blanket and expose her breast (Steinbeck, 619). This last scene in Steinbecks novel much elicits a cherry-red reaction from readers. But, upon reflection, it was the most humane act of all. The violent reaction occurred simply because many readers are trapped within the spring of societys conventions. Without these conventions, the readers will be rid of preconceptions that prevent them from ambit out to other people. Without preconceptions, the division between the poor and the rich would eventually disappear.In Baldwins essays, the personal change that he wanted to flummox is to prevent the self from following the tides of anger that will sweep and destroy the country. Thus, instead of wearing the easy c loak called Negro writer, he chose to force a new one, the American writer. He found that the American writers of his cadence lack the sense of purpose that a literary artist should have. This is because the American writer, similar to the many readers of Steinbeck, is trapped by conventions of society.Baldwin believes that unless the American writer is released from the utilisation of flexing his muscles and proving that he is just a regular guy that he realizes how cripple this habit has been (Baldwin, 6). If all Americans will remove the concept of race from their minds, they will find that there is no Negro problem after all. The concept of effecting an individual change prior to achieving a wider social change evolved in the first place from the personal experiences of the authors and from their observations.These were distilled to create the plot of the novel and the subject of the essays. As prestigious authors, were Steinbeck and Baldwin ethically appropriate in creati ng literary works that came from their personal experiences and personal political beliefs? The answer is an affirmative. The literary artist must take his own personal history, distill truth from his experiences, and use his insights responsibly by send a political and social message to the rest of the world.