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Riley's post about America learning from their mistakes shows the true American way and is a good interpretation of never taking a full step back in society.

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Alexiss's idea about American's citizens being involved in every other countries situations is very true and she gives good examples about Americas participation in WW2.

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In chapter 14, Steinbeck mentions society “never (takes) a full step back”. This quote may be interpreted in many different ways, but I believe it is referring to one’s tendency to ignore the other problems happening around the world. One may “take a half step back” to see how their own actions can effect certain situations for themselves but they never truly look outside of their own issues by taking a “full step”. This idea applies to every country, especially in the instance of world war one, when each country is fighting for themselves. This quote may have not had the same impact if it were to be written in a peaceful time for the countries at war. This quote could also have a different meaning if it was more specific towards one individual rather than society in general. If it were to be a single person, it would be less impactful and pertain more towards selfishness rather than ignorance.

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Abby's comment shows how the quote can be interpreted many different ways. I agree with her argument that if the quote was written in a peaceful time then it would have a different meaning.

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Skylar's post about how society can never take a full step back puts into perspective that society should learn from their mistakes. I completely agree with her statement.

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I believe that when Steinbeck mentions the fact that society can never take a full step back, he means that no matter the issue and no matter how much one thinks that they cannot be bothered by a situation, no one is entirely willing to sit back and watch what happens. No one wants to be so far from a situation to not be involved at all. I'm sure that this is relatable to many countries, but it is very evident in the United States. For example, in World War II, the United States claimed that they would not get involved, but once it was necessary, they were all in. If the audience for this novel was different, they may have found a different way to interpret this phrase, but through my eyes, this is my interpretation. If this were written in a different time period, this phrase could have quite possibly have been used to talk about a different scenario.

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I agree with Evelazquez2020s comment because it takes on a new state of mind. Using the example of racism was a great way to collect and relate thoughts. Her point that there was no equality and nothing happened supports the point of the nation refusing to act on problems within itself.

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I agree with Haley Ramirez's response to the quote because the US is a selfish nation and they are only concerned with their own well-being, they are too focused on what's going on within the country to notice any problems going on outside of it.

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Steinbeck is talking about the fact that the United States never takes the time to pay attention to not only their neighbors next door but around the world unless its convenient for them. We are still like this today on the fact that we don't even take the time to pay attention to the events going on within our own country. Yes, this quote is relatable to the US because we are a selfish nation as a whole.

This piece would change depending upon the audience because it is focused on the problems of this nation, if this was based somewhere else it would be written with their problems in mind to relate to the people. This piece wouldn't change if it was written in a different time because the problems may be different but the solutions would remain the same.

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I really admire Trysten's comment on perspective. It really made me aware of how much biased decisions can affect a society or the growth and development of a society. It also made me aware of how many different perspectives there are in viewing and interpreting the quote in the initial post provided.

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I do like, and agree with, Nason's comment because of his different view of the quote that we are examining. He related the to words of the quote strictly to "change", which is something that I had not thought of. Now that I have read his comment I am able to see the quote in a different light.

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Steinbeck mentions that society “never (takes) a full step back.” What I take from this is that Steinbeck is saying we as people and the people (characters) in his book never just take a step back and self reflect, which relates to present day. For example take the tractors (monsters) who tore down tenant farmers land and houses. They were so concerned about themselves and providing for their own family that they didn’t take a step back to consider that the tenant farmers were not only losing their work but as well as their homes and now having to find a way to provide for their families. That relates to present day, there is many things in the United States where we as Americans don’t take a step back and self reflect. For example take Homeless people, most of us don’t take a minute out of our day and step back and think “oh that guy on the street could be suffering, cold, hungry, depressed.”  Most of us choose not to think about what that individual is going through. That can go with a lot of topics as well like Racism, Homelessness, Equality, political situations,  Etc..

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One comment that I found myself really relating to was Lexi's comment. We kind of went about the same way that we aren't Abe to pull ourselves all the way out of a problem. Along with ChoppyTrout's post.

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Steinbeck states that society “never takes a step back,” and it shows that we may never be able to fully remove ourselves from a situation. For example, during WWII, America tried to stay uninvolved, yet we were still bombed by Japan at Pearl Harbor. No matter how much we tried to mind our business, someone still managed to create a scene. This is relatable to other countries that may be underdeveloped because they are easier to be taken advantage of, and easier to be drug into being involved in a situation. I think that if the audience changed, it wouldn’t be called “never fully taking a step back.” It would be called “never taking a step back at all.” Other countries aren’t as liberated as we are, and they don’t have all the freedoms we do based on their government. If it was a different time and place for this statement, I don’t think it would apply as much as it did around the time of the Dust Bowl, The Great Depression, and even WWII. Now a days, its easier for us to defend our own beliefs and take a step back than what it used to be.

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Riley's idea really shows how through all problems countries go through then solve they are never the same afterwords.

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Trinity response makes total sense in how society is always changing. New technology and new ideas keep society from fully taking a step back in the sense of improvements.

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My GreasyGrandpa brings up a different perspective of Steinbeck’s saying, however, I agree since society does get caught up in opinion as a whole instead of fulling looking at the bigger picture.

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Haley's comment was great. I liked how she put in thoughts on the book and the hardships of WWII. very well thought out.

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Initial Post: When Steinbeck says that society "never takes a full step back", he is implying that no matter what hardship or set back a society may face, they will never be worse off than where they started. A society is always improving and growing. Hardships and difficulties only have a minimal impact on a flourishing society. In fact, I believe that hardships strengthen a society after the initial impact. I do not believe that this is relatable to only the United States. I believe this is something that is relatable to any fluctuating or growing society. I do not believe that this piece would change if the audience, place, or time were different because like previously stated, a society is always growing and improving, even with minor setbacks or hardships.

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trysten's comment was unique and very interesting. I liked how he used real world references to tie the post together.

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Hi wassup's opinion on people not being able to put things into perspectives is decent, but too generalized. To fully understand his interpretations on Steinbeck's quote, he needs to provide more details, and a couple of examples.

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I agree completely with evelazquez2020's post. The issue surrounding racism may seem new and more pronounced as of recent. However, this issue has always been around, but with all of the forms of communication that are around now, people's opinions are more voiced that in the past. The United States will never fully be able to walk away from this issue because society will always be judgemental, no matter how much effort is put into changing it.

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Steinbeck states that society “never (takes) a full step back” because unlike other countries the United States have many opportunities unlike small, less developed countries. The audience is shocked by the Dust Bowl, but if we were to take a step back and pay attention to other world problems, like the Nazi’s attempt of world domination.  The United States relates to this quote because even if the Dust Storm were to not damage anything, Americans would still be worried about themselves. If this novel was written in a different period or time the piece could possibly open other countries eyes on the tragic events such as the Dust Bowl.

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Hi wassups idea really puts my previous thought in another more thorough perspective. By stating that it happens all around the world and not just in the United States really opened my mind

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I disagree with ChoppyTrout's comments, as I interpreted what Steinbeck was meaning in his statement in a different way. His opinion is original, but I don't believe it to be accurate.

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Choppy trout's idea explains very thoroughly how no matter what our society was in the past, it will never be the same as it used to be.

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Nason's comment about this topic is written from a completely different perspective, but I agree with his post. The issue has always been there, but depending on the time frame, the reason for this comment may be for a different reason. In the United States and also in other countries, people try to be peacemakers for problems that are not their own. In the past, most of our issues were intercontinental and created by our own country, but different groups of people could "never take a full step back".

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Nason's response is accurate in every regard, he especially has an accurate opinion while addressing how the piece may change had it been written in a different time.

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Evelazquez2020's ideas on racism in America are intelligent and completely true. People in modern America fabricate ideas on how there is an increase in racism. It was an excellent example of how society doesn't take a "full step back", even in modern times.

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Greasy Grandpa's idea really explains how Steinbeck's opinion puts a new perspective on the world and helps people see through the stereo types of homelessness.

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Seth's statement was unique the way he also included the movement of other places's around the world. I completely agree and think the perspective he brings is unlike the others.

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Nason's idea explains how society doesn't stop or slow down. And how if the piece was written in a different time and place that it would change juristically.

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What Steinbeck means by “america can never fully take a step back” is that the nation and its citizens can never completely stay out of a situation. Throughout history Steinbeck's theory is proven in WW2, homelessness, ISIS, ect. Though he states “fully take a step back” is more that society and/or the government may not always be 100% cut off from the problem but they most definitely won’t leave it up to someone else. Best way i know how to put it is the U.S. is very self aware. In World War 2 America had tried to be entirely neutral on the war in Europe but after a few years the president and american congress  had agreed to assist by the Lend Lease act. What this shows is the U.S will always be in the know or part of the problem as time goes on.

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Evalazquez2020’s response gives a clear description of the racial issues introduce in The Grapes of Wrath. I agree with her ideas because it shows that Americans still have the same problems as they did during that time period. Things Steinbeck states in his book relates to present day.

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Trysten's idea gives me a different perspective on how people look at society as if all of us are the same, but instead in society, some people are greater than others and some aren't.

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When Steinbeck states that society “never (takes) a full step back.” he is implying that everyone (as a whole) never takes the time to put things in perspective. This is relatable to a large majority of people all around the world, as most people are too caught up in their lives and on the wrong things to put things in perspective. This piece would change in many ways depending on the audience. For example, many consider older people to have a better perspective on life, as they have been around longer to experience more. Had this piece been written in modern times I don't think it would have been as critically acclaimed. This is due to the fact that in today’s age most people don't value the right things, myself included.

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When Steinbeck says that society “never (takes) a full step back.”, he means that no matter what goes on in the world, society never  goes completely back to what it was in the past. The United States has not taken a full step back in its existence, however some countries, such as Venezuela, have taken full steps into the past. If the audience changed, they might not understand what the United States went through at this point in time. Society changes constantly as time goes by, so if written at a different time the piece could be completely different. If written in a different place, such as Ethiopia or Kenya, the circumstances would be completely different, and some could argue that society does sometimes take a full step back.

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By stating society “never (takes) a full step back.”  Steinbeck puts his opinion of the world in a perspective that we are so caught up into what society makes a group of people seem like they are all the same. For example, not all homeless people are drug addicts that would kill for a dollar, just so they can get a little bit of drugs to fulfill their needs. But if we were to take a step back and look at it from a different perspective you would see that not all homeless people are like that. Some of them are former military  personnel who served for many years and came back to debt above the tallest skyscraper that they lost everything, and are trying everything to get back where they once were.

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He’s talking about how society never stays the same or goes back, it’s constantly changing. This society problem is relatable to the United States and various other countries. This piece might say something like “Society never stays in one spot” if the audience changes. The piece might change if it was written in a different place because that country might not have that exact problem that our society has. The piece might also change if it was written in a different time because views on society change over time.

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Steinbeck talks about how society “never (takes) a full step back.” And what he means by that is that society constantly changes and does not stop or slow down. Not only is society changing here in the U.S. but it is also changing in other countries around the world. Steinbeck also uses his opinion in a way that gives us a different perspective on the world. And this new perspective helps us understand that he stereo types of homeless people are not always true. Now if the audience were to change then the piece would not have the same effect as it does. Everything about it will change and if the piece was written in a different time then it may not be as impactful and influential as it is now.

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When Steinbeck states that society "never (takes) a full step back" he means no matter how bad America gets we will always be moving forward. He is also meaning that we learn from everything we do. If something in society goes wrong we will most likely learn from our mistakes and it will not happen again. I do think if this statement was applied to a different country it would be true in some ways. I hope that other countries would learn from their mistakes but I know some countries do not.

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By saying that one “never (takes) a full step back” Steinbeck is referring to the fact that someone or something is always progressing although they might fail. For example, in the US there is many issues surrounding race. Many people today think that the US is moving backwards because of the racism that seems so apparent, however, people are now addressing these issues and are acting. Years ago, people knew there was no equality but did nothing. Although there is still racism, there are others who stand up for equality. This piece would change if directed to a different audience by introducing different problems or situations that are different to the United States.

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When Steinbeck talks about how "society never takes a full step back", he is talking about how society is never fully or under developed. It changes every single year with new technology and new senses of culture. In the early years of The United States, slavery was a topic that was huge. African Americans were not seen as people for years because society refused to change their perspective. Present time United States everyone is treaty "equally" or more equal Than they were back then. Society took one big step forward and if they were to take that step back it would be terrible. We make new discoveries every day so why would we go from having email to sending messages from carrier pigeons? If Steinbeck where to be talking about society in a poor African country, this would not be true because they pretty much stay the same. They do not have the advanced technology that we do. If their society stays the same then there would be no going forward or going back.

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Students will participate in an online discussion.  Students must compose a quality initial post and respond to two classmates post.  Discuss the following elements in your initial post:  Steinbeck mentions that society “never (takes) a full step back.” What is he talking about? Is this only relatable to the United States? How would this piece change if the audience changed? How would the piece change if it was written in a different place and or time? Total points possible = 10 (7 points for a quality initial post; 1.5 points for a quality post to classmate #1; 1.5 points for a quality post for classmate #2)