formal Essay

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he Grapes of Wrath—you will write formal essays of at least1200 words each. Remember to analyze, not just summarize, In evaluating your papers, I will consider how well you formulate a thesis, construct an argument, incorporate textual evidence, meet grammatical standards, organize ideas, and display originality. Essay (Double spaced) should be typed in 12 point font with one-inch margins. Use MLA format to cite any sources. Number your pages and insert header with both name

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Write an essay of at least 1200 words about John Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath. While you may analyze any aspects of the novel that intrigue or disturb you, I have suggested some options below. When quoting directly from the text, include parenthetical citations with page numbers. In addition to extending our class discussions through your own interpretations, this paper should draw upon insights either from Robert DeMott's “Introduction” to our Penguin Classics edition or from one of the pieces listed in “Suggestions for Further Reading.” Add a works cited page at the end of your essay to document whichever specific materials you have used. Option 1 Examine the structure, style, and tone of The Grapes of Wrath. Why does Steinbeck combine the story of a particular family with broader commentary on environmental, agricultural, social, and economic conditions in America during the 1930s? How do the novel's omniscient point of view and contrapuntal form—alternating between narrative chapters about the Joads' tribulations and “interchapters” about the plight of all migrants-enable the author to advance the plot as well as to articulate a more generalized or universal vision? How does Steinbeck employ foreshadowing, symbolism, metaphors, dialects, folksy voices, lyrical prose, naturalistic description, historical reflection, economic analysis, and politically charged rhetoric? How does his authorial attitude merge compassion with anger? Should fiction writers crusade for social justice? Can literature engage effectively with politics or contemporary humanitarian crises? Is the book ultimately a work of art, a piece of propaganda, both, or neither? Option 2 How does the novel stress tensions and connections between individuals and groups? Analyze the strengths and weaknesses of several characters and their relationships with one another. In addition to pondering a few members of the Joad clan—Grampa, Granma, Uncle John, Pa, Ma, Noah, Tom, Rose of Sharon, Al, Ruthie, and Winfield—you might scrutinize others who drift in and out of their orbit, such as Connie, Jim Casy, Muley Graves, the Wilsons, or the Wainwrights. How does the narrative dramatize conflicts between individual concerns and family bonds? How do material circumstances alter or strain gender roles, intergenerational communication, marital relations, parental affection, filial devotion, and sibling rivalries or alliances? Moreover, beyond the Joad family's togetherness or fragmentation, how does Steinbeck advocate for working-class solidarity and a societal movement from I to We? Why does Tom, echoing Casy, argue that each person contains “a little piece of a great big soul” and that “a fella ain't no good alone” (418)? Option 3 The Grapes of Wrath chronicles the Joad family's loss of place, both geographically and socially, and their struggle to find a new home for themselves. As with thousands of other families, why are they uprooted from their farm in Oklahoma and forced on the road westward to California? Explore some of the places they stay and explain why they cannot remain anywhere very long. How does this experience of displacement weigh on them throughout the novel? Why do their individual and collective moods swing so drastically from fear to hope, shame to pride, anxiety to reassurance, desperation to determination? As migrants, how are they hampered by poverty, ignorance, lack of work, malnutrition, discrimination, and exploitation? How do they improvise and endure, thus counteracting their suffering and marginalization through resourcefulness and neighborliness? No matter what place they wind up in, how does Tom's refrain of “I'll be there" (419) transcend both their travels and their travails?
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Tags: writing eassay ENGL 1010