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The Grapes of Wrath is taken place in the Dust Bowl Era which is during the 1930s. This is also during the Great Depression which caused riot across America. The drought is what cause the Dust Bowl. There was no crops or food because of the lack of water and the environment seemed hostile to the farmers. Livestock died for lack of food and water so people became ill and had an insufficient amount of food. The economy was at an all time low. This story accurately represents the hardships family had to go through during this time period.

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The idea of what is mean to be an American is also connected to the metaphor and symbolism. It projects the idea of consumerism and how greed has taken over our country. America has been known for gluttony and being covetous and we can see that in The Grapes of Wrath. Like I was explaining before, the fruit in the story represent mens product and the complaining that the fruit is not good enough to sell is the greed. Especially during this time in the book, there is a huge gap between the rich and the poor. The rich, being the men with the crops, selfishly throw away the perfectly fine fruit while "a million people are hungry". The rich are ignorant of the people in need.

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The cycle of human nature

How the cycle of discrimination is continued not by the temporary weather, but by the destructive nature of human beings and our tendency to form factions when placed under distress

"In the souls of the people, the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage.” - regarding the growing divide between the poor and the rich

Enduring Morality

all things considered, the Joads maintain a consistent moral compass throughout their hardships, and this shows an unlikely connection between dignity and struggle.

We can look at the theme through the class lens for this book.

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Edgar Allen Poe frequently uses repetition and symbolism in his stories. For example, he talks about his craziness and his mental state at the beginning of The Tell Tale Heart and The Black Cat. He dives into themes such as madness and insanity in many of his stories to further explain himself. He uses his writing to vent about his experiences and spread awareness of what he is feeling. In the Black Cat, Edgar Allen Poe explains how the main character is consumed by guilt and madness after killing both his own cat and wife. Throughout the story, the narrator becomes addicted to alcohol and the author explains the burden it has on him when he says "I knew myself no longer. My original soul seemed, at once, to take its flight from my body; and a more than fiendish malevolence, gin-nurtured, thrilled every fibre of my frame." He talks about these topics to help the audience further understand how mental illness has an impact on peoples actions and effect relationships. We clearly see this when the narrator kills his cat and his wife.

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The theme in the black cat by EAP

we see common themes of humanity and love, as well as that of anger and resentment. poe shows through this story the depravity associated with the prioritization of another life form above humans. this is indicated by the narrator's lack of emotion regarding the murder of his wife, and through the extreme emotion he feels regarding his cats and other animals. Throughout this story, the narrator seems to care more about animals than humans, and this is shown through his behavior before and directly after the murder of his wife whom he used to love. furthermore, he shows extreme versions of resentment and guilt after the murder of his first cat, and these emotions lead to his eventual spiral into insanity. these themes of the arranged nature of one who prioritizes other life above humanities are found in the grapes of wrath, where the townspeople become wrathful and resentful towards the rich, who prioritize money over them. this separation of humans by inhuman means is the constant theme and motif of these story.

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Metaphor and Symbolization:

In chapter twenty four of grapes of wrath, Steilneck describes the spring months in California and the men who tend to the tedious crops. The men are so passionate about their crops and they “endlessly develop the techniques for greater crops of plants… These men work carefully endlessly to perfect the seed.” These men in the story symbolize how society expects perfection and people strive to be perfectionists in America. They will put all of their effort and time into these crops to make it the best it can be. When the time comes to sell their fruits and crops, the men complain that their fruit is not good enough saying, “Hell, we can't pick ‘em for that… We can't pay wages, no matter what wages… we can't make good wine with those grapes… we can't do it,” and the men leave their crops to fall to the ground for the pests to eat away. This portrays the greed and gluttony of America and how nothing is good enough for society. It shows how people are so conscious of their product because society leaves no room for mistakes. Near the end of the chapter, the author says “and the smell of rot fills the country.” This does not refer to the smell of the rotting fruit that fell from the trees, but the fowl attitude that is our country. The greed and avarice that never stops is what pollutes the air, not the smell of the rotting fruit.

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In Fire and Ice by Robert Frost, he uses many literary devices in the poem. Frost in Fire and Ice compares fire to the greed of many humans and compares ice to hatred. Another literary device that is used is rhyming he rhymes the words Fire, Ice, and desire.

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"Mending Wall" by Robert Frost is about a man and his neighbor that meet annually to repair a stone wall that divides their properties. The speaker questions the necessity of the wall suggesting that nature itself dislikes boundaries, as it continuously causes the wall to crumble. Despite this, the neighbor insists on maintaining the wall as he says, "Good fences make good neighbors." The poem overall is about the difficulty of relationships at times. Relationships need separation but also need care and they always need to be worked on.

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In the poem the "Fire and Ice" by Robert Frost, Frost in this poem is attempting to reflect the issues with society. Frost tells us that these issues will lead to the overall destruction of our society. Frost writes "Some say the world will end in fire, some say in Ice" Frost uses fire and ice as metaphors. Ice is a metaphor for hatred and fire is a metaphor for greed. The overall point of this poem is to warn of how the existing problems in America can destroy the world. An example of hatred right now in our society is racism. Racism causes social division and creates an "us versus them" mentality that destroys unity. An example of greed in our society at the moment is the small concentration of wealth. Only a small fraction holds the majority of the wealth, this also leads to division and lack of necessary resources for the people who do not have the money. Frost is connecting his poem to the many problems that our country and world face.

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"The Black Cat" by Edgar Allan Poe tells the story of a man driven to madness by his own guilt and alcoholism. Initially loving towards his pets, he becomes increasingly violent, culminating in the brutal killing of his beloved black cat, Pluto. Haunted by his actions, he adopts a new cat, which he eventually attempts to kill as well, accidentally murdering his wife in the process. His guilt and paranoia lead to his downfall, as the police discover his wife's body due to the cries of the surviving cat, resulting in his arrest. When looking through the black cat through the gender lens you are able to see the inequality between men and women. In the short story he contains much more agency than his wife. He controls the household and is extremely violent and toxic. When describing his own feelings about his wife he says, "I grew, day by day, more moody, more irritable, more regardless of the feelings of others." Because of the imbalance in power, he is able to hurt his wife and pet without consequences. An example of his extreme violence toward his wife is Goaded, by the interference, into a rage more than demoniacal, I withdrew my arm from her grasp and buried the axe in her brain. She fell dead upon the spot, without a groan." His horrific abuse is an example of domestic abuse and an extreme example of men having more power in a relationship.

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economic:

during the industrial revolution

a massive shift from agrarian economies to industrial economies

technology advances

particularly in transportation and communication

invention of the telegraph revolutionized long-distance communication, while steam-powered locomotives and ships facilitated faster and more efficient transportation of goods and people.

massive trade and globalization

European powers increased

Social:

distinct social classes

At the top were the aristocracy and wealthy industrialists, followed by the middle class, which included professionals, merchants, and successful entrepreneurs

At the bottom were the working class, which comprised laborers, factory workers, and agricultural workers

gender roles very popular

traditional male works and women cook and provide food for family

time of leisurement and entertainment

religion and morality

Christianity had a strong influence on society

Political:

Westward expansion

manifest destiny (the belief that it was America's destiny to expand its territory from coast to coast)

This period witnessed the annexation of Texas in 1845 and the subsequent Mexican-American War (1846-1848), which resulted in the acquisition of vast territories in the Southwest, including California, Arizona, New Mexico, and parts of Colorado, Nevada, and Utah.

Slavery and Antislavery movement

demands for equality and justice

rise in political parties