2. In chapter eleven Steinbeck describes the effect of houses left vacant on the land. Animals breach

into the houses and weeds grow in places that they had not before. The environment had claimed what

the people left unmaintained. Another way that I know Steinbeck’s environmental responsibility is

present in the novel is the backdrop of the dust bowl. The dust bowl was caused by men overworking

the land for generations, and neglecting environmental responsibility.

-“The houses were left vacant on the land, and the land was vacant because of this”. Pg. 115 

4. Humans are hungry to be social. When a man is incarcerated in prison filled with criminals, being

punished in prison is being separated and isolated depriving a man of part of is humanity. In Weedpatch

the Joads become a part of a community, and Tom and the other men oppose injustice by stopping the

three men trying to cause a riot.

-“The three were walked in now. And each one felt the grip of hands. And then the wall of men moved

slowly off the platform”. Pg. 343 

6. The government camps are depicted as socialistic because of how the community works together for

the common good. Another reason the camps are socialistic is the uneven distribution of goods and pay

for work done. There is limited private property, and the people make little money considering the

amount of work they do. The people make up their own rules to work together and live.

"The Association don't like government camps. Can't get a deputy in there. The people make their own

laws, I hear, and you can't arrest a man without a warrant. Now if there was a big fight and maybe

shooting - a bunch of deputies could go in and clean out the camp." pg. 378

8. The grapes of wrath is a literal work because of the creative characters, plot, and setting that define

the novel. It is a sociological history because of how it illustrates the developing society of American

families, culture, and work during the great depression, and how the farmers have switched to a migrant

society. It is a moral commentary because of how in the novel characters that preform good actions

receive good benefits, hope is reflected in bleak circumstances through shining morale compasses such

as Tom and Casey, and how the rich companies and banks reap the life, land, and liberty of innocent

citizens. Steinbeck is critical of the wrongdoing and hopeful towards the perseverance of good.

-“Thus they changed their social life - changed as in the whole universe only man can change. They were

not farm men any more, but migrant men.” Pg.250 

10. The quotation applies to the novel because when the Joads reach the promised land of California in

search for plentiful work and land, they soon realize that it is a harsh land ripe with menacing police,

hostile workers, and desperate families. Staying in the land without becoming morally bankrupt

requires the courage to stand against corruption and the strength to persevere past loss and hardships.

More than anything, the Promised Land is an idea rather than a place, it is something to hope for but

never attain.

 

-“Why don’t you go west to California? There’s work there, and it never gets cold. Why you can reach

out anywhere and pick an orange. Why there’s always some sort of crop to work in….” Pg.34 

12. Steinbeck’s philosophical agenda is to address how people should work positively for the greater

good of humanity and not just themselves. Steinbeck shows how one positive act can have an impact

on others and help to change the world. He shows how good is present in the worst of circumstances

and how the human spirit can stay strong to help humanity as a whole. Ma Joad gives food to the less

fortunate children, Tom and other men help stop a riot, a worker at a dinner allows a man to buy candy

for a lower price and is tipped by truck drivers, and the book ends with Rose of Sharon helping a starving

man live, proving that hope is strong and that humanity has to work together to achieve the greater

good.

-"What are you doing this kind of work for - against your own people?"Pg.45