Grapes of Wrath?

What are the most significant tension facing Midwest American farmers during the Great Depression?


OR


What were the most traumatic changes brought upon America by the Great Depression?





This is only a two page paper- what major examples from the book could answer and support either question? It would be VERY helpful if someone could accompany their answer with the chapter the event occurs.


I'm a college freshman with a 3.96 GPA- I also work 40 hours a week- please don't tell me to do my homework. This is an isolated incident.


Thanks a lot ahead of time. I really appreciate it.

Grapes of Wrath?
Wow! You're a busy young woman. Tom gave you some good info, though I don't know if I agree about the land management....difficult to offset a prolonged drought, though possibly it could have been mitigated with better management.


The tensions they faced? ... leaving everything they cherished, loss of security and self confidence; families scattered, homes lost., lives style totally altered. Then, not finding what they had been told awaited...descent jobs. They were terribly taken advantage of by the employers in the fields, treated inhumanely. Looked down upon by everyone but the other 'okies'. Stress and corruption caused a division in their family.


If at all possible, you should rent the movie, it's fabulous and follows the book closely.....also has a poignant scene when Tom Joad leaves his family to avoid arrest.


There are small booklets(clep notes?) that would be far more definitive, but maybe combined, we've given you enough to get the job done. Good luck, ambitious one.
Reply:There were several major tensions facing Midwestern farmers.





They didn't manage their fields well and created a "Dust Bowl" where the wind literally blew away the top soil making it nearly impossible to grow anything.





Having watched their top soil and seeds planted blow away, there was little left to sell come harvest.





Having nothing left to sell, most farms went into foreclosure. People lost everything, packed what they could into their trucks and took to the open road looking for work elsewhere. Remember, there were no "highways" in that time period.





Tom Joad's family lost their farm (that they'd owned for several generations) in a bank foreclosure. They packed what they could (including grandma) and headed west. Granny died on the road and was buried under a tree (if I remember correctly), never getting to see the "Promised Land" (AKA California).





The mass exodus and foreclosures changed the very face of America. People had little hope and there was no end in sight. It gave birth to people like Woody Guthrie and Will Rogers. It also gave foothold to a new political ideology -- communism and socialism.
Reply:It is all about the Dust Bowl and the exodus from Oklahoma, Arkansas, and part of Texas. It is not about the MidWest. Those are not Midwestern States.
Reply:the lessons and thoughts in the Grapes of Wrath cannot be given in two short paragraphs. Sorry, you need to read it. The teacher will know if you give an uninformed answer, even if your facts are correct. Good Luck.

bleaching