Monday, November 28, 2011

People and injustice


Parvaneh Ashktorab
ENG 1B
Nov, 23, 2011
Rough draft                                    
  People and Injustice
According to John Steinbeck in Dubious Battle there are many people who suffered while they lived in 1930. There were people who worked for the wealthy that did not understand the unfair life of a farmer. Jim was one of the characters who touched this unjust situation in 1930. Jim had a miserable personal life. He was ashamed of his families’ life. His mom had a weak personality and she always obeyed her husband. At that time, women did not have any power, and they had to zip their lips and stay quiet. For example, his mom wanted to practice her religion and go to church, but her husband did not allow her to practice her catholic religion so she could not go to church. Jim had a father who worked and got drunk at various times. Jim’s father was beaten by the police and he hated to work for the government because he was forced to work like a slave. Workers in this tale mostly did not get treated properly by their bosses. For this reason, Jim wanted to do something. When Jim was released from jail, he found Mac who had organized a big party among farmers that followed ideas of Marxist society. At that time farmers usually had a hard job with low wages of money. Jim considered he could not stand up against the government alone; he had to find a party which was more organized, so he joined Mac’s party. They established a gathering in order to have a strike against the government. “It’s like this, by tomorrow a couple of thousand men will be on strike, and the apple picking will stop” (Steinbeck 118). People participated in the strike because the capitalists kept all farmers working like slaves and Jim thought that Marxist society may open windows for farmers, worker, and poor people. Mac is a protester as he is sent by the party to gather the men in that valley called Torgas valley, and to go on an angry strike for higher wages. These situations happen today in 2011, in the United State. People are protesting against capitalism. They are not happy with their government and they want to, by protesting, show they are suffering with this situation. Poor people get poorer and the rich people get richer.  There are so many mob groups and protesters that are angry with the policy that the government is running in this country. For example, one of the protests was nearby San Jose area, in San Francisco and Berkley. According to the news on Aug, 15, 2011, Jeyon Cochran, a protester, stood in the door of the Bay Area Rapid Transit train at civic center in San Francisco, his strategy was to protect public safety on train platform (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu).
 Indeed, there are other groups who are huge protesters such as students and other people who have been demonstrating in Berkley at Oakland city. Those protesters are likely to move forward with a variety of plans to try and enforce their demands on the transit system.
According to New York Times, people in New York City protest the bank system and and other institutions. These Mobs and protesters are acting as the same as the protesters at the time of 1930. They are angry because the government does not accomplish their needs in the twenty-first century. People believe the government only serves the rich, while they do not care about those who are middle class and the poor.

The protester at Wall Street is not just demanding change. It is for many people who could not find a job, pay their debt, or keep their home. At the end, the protesters today and in 1930 are gathering together because of discrimination to the majority of people who are either middle class or poor.    




3 comments:

  1. Thanks for such an interesting post. You have made some great connections with the novel and the Occupy Movement! I'm glad to that you can see the relevance of this important work of fiction in a contemporary context. As you continue to revise, refine your draft, please use in text citations even when you are paraphrasing important passages, such as when you are explaining critical details (in the beginning of your paper) about Jim Nolan's family. It's so interesting to read these details, which is why your reader wants to know where they come from in the novel. For example, I had forgotten about the information about Jim's mother, so I'd like you to put a page reference (Steinbeck 54) after this information, so that I can go back and re-read this section. This is one of the most important aspects of a Research paper because it allows the reader to go back and read more on aspects of your work that are interesting and in this way continue the conversation that you started...good work here!

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  2. Great paper! I agree with what you have wrote so far. It is most unofrtunate that women did not have a voice or a strong role in the novel, and they had to do whatever their husbands told thme too. Another point i agree with what you have said about the strikes. We can see the history repeating itself. The people are getting out again to fight for their rights, especially the people who are unable to "find a job, pay their debt, or keep their home."

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  3. Great way to relate the two subjects. But i like how you brought to my attention how people are just standing up for they deserve. I too agree that the goverment only help the "poor get poorer and the rich to get richer". Its sad but true, i think you have some great points. You have the start of a great paper.

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