If you do not go after what you want, then you will never get it. Perseverance is all about overcoming challenges, and never giving up on dreams, despite the hardships. The authors; Doug Farrar, " Shaquem Griffin, one handed LB, overcomes it all", Jon Bon Jovi, " Livin on a Prayer", and John Steinbeck, Grapes of Wrath all utilize the lives of people to tell the tales of perseverance. Farrar writes about the life of a non- fictional character, where as both, Bon Jovi, and Farrar tell the tales of a fictional characters life. All three authors claim that hope gives people the strength to perseverance, regardless of the challenges thrown their way. Doug Farrar uses the story of Shaquem Griffin; a non- fictional character, in order to express …show more content…
the amount of strength it takes to persevere. Farrar includes Griffin`s thoughts on people`s comments regarding his capabilities, as well as a spectator`s positive reaction to Griffin`s performance at the combine. Griffin was born with an Amniotic Band Syndrome, which resulted in an under developed left hand. The condition caused Griffin lots of pain, and lead to the amputation of his left hand at age four. Regardless of the challenge, Griffin maintained a football career, till he made it to the NFL Combine, his big shot at a pro football career. Farrar quotes Griffin when he says " Some people think I could do three, some people thought I could do five, some people didn`t even think I could do the bench press, but I did, and I did 20, I did well and proved myself at the combine" ( Farrar 4). By repeating the word "did" three times, the reader can assume that the physical and mental strength Griffin exerts creates success that comes from persevering. Most people had their doubts about a one-handed football player, but Griffin rose to the challenge and faced the adversity head on. He ran a 4.38 second 40 yard dash, the same score as his twin, Shaquille (an NFL player), and did 20 reps of 225 lbs on the bench press. Rich Eisen, a journalist for popular sports shows such as NFL Network, CBS Sports and NBC Sports was extremely impressed by Griffin's performance. Farrar includes Eisens' reactions to the combine in the article; "What a moment in our Combine Coverage today - Shaquem Griffin putting up 20 reps at 225 with a prosthetic left hand. Inspiring, emotional, wonderful." (Farrar 4). The diction used suggest how Griffin's perseverance has inspired others. The words like "prosthetic" "inspiring" and "wonderful" allow the reader to see that despite his disability, Griffin pushes limits and inspires other along the way. Bon Jovi sings about a fictional couple who have to fight to survive during hard times.
Bon Jovi elaborates on perseverance using Tommy and Gina's faith in prayer, and through Tommy's shift in thoughts. During the time the song was written, the economy was unstable, Tommy and Gina represent the job- struggles people faced. The only hope for Tommy/Gina is to fight and have faith in their survival. In "Livin on a Prayer", Bon Jovi …show more content…
sings: "whoa, we're half way there whoa, livin' on a prayer take my hand, we'll make it I swear whoa livin` on a prayer" (Bon Jovi 3) This stanza is repeated five times throughout the song, which emphasizes that they will "make it" if they keep fighting and continue to remain hopeful. Tommy and Gina have to remain strong because things were horrible in the world. Tommy knew this firsthand, his union was on strike, and he had to sell sentimental items, such as his guitar, so they would be able to survive. Later in the song he realizes Gina needs him to be strong, and persistent. The tone shifts when they sing: "Gina dreams of running away When she cries in the night, Tommy whispers Baby, it's okay, someday We've got to hold on to what we've got It doesn't make a difference if we make it or not We've got each other and that's a lot for love" (Bon Jovi 4-5). The tone of the song shifts from frightened, and unknowing to confident, and hopeful. the song reaches a vulnerable point when Gina is crying, and worrying for their future. Not only does the beat of the song pick up, but Tommy responds to this by saying nothing matters as long as their together. That portion of the song allows the reader to see how they remain strong and persistent in the face of a challenge. Steinbeck portrays the importance of hope and perseverance through the fictional story of The Joad family.
Steinbeck demonstrates strength and perseverance through the characters Ma, the leader of The Joad family, and Jim Casey, a man just looking for redemption. Ma`s only goal is to keep her family together regardless of whatever needs to be done. "We`re Joad`s . We don`t look up to nobody… We was farm people till the debt. And then- them people. They done somp`in to us. Every time they come seemed like they was whippin me, all of us . Made me feel ashamed , an now I ain`t ashamed. These are our folks. ( Steinbeck chapter 22, pg 293). The repetition of the words "we", and "us" show the united front of the Joad family. Perseverance can be noted through the Joad family history. After all the challenges they have faced, they still kept working together, as a family, to find a better life. Similar to Ma, Casey will do anything to reach redemption. Casey had gotten in trouble with some girls, back in his days of preaching, and would do anything to make peace with his past. He got the chance to redeem himself after the fight with the cops. "Casey grinned at him. 'Somebody got to take the blame. I got no kids. They`ll jus put me in jail, an I ain`t doin nothin but set aroun doin nothing all day" (Steinbeck chapter 20, pg 266). Situational irony is used when Casey says "nothin but sittin aroun doin nothin all day" The readers know that when Casey goes to jail he is never just
sitting around doing nothing. He is always listening to people`s stories of injustice, which ultimately lead to him doing everything in his power to expose the truth to the oppressed. In the face of a challenge all three authors agree that hopeful people are the persistent ones that succeed, no matter what obstacle is thrown their way. The Non- fiction, and fiction stories all tell tales of people doing everything in their power to get a better life. Perseverance is seen in lives of people of all ages. Whether it is a family doing everything to stay together, or a boy just trying to follow his dreams, perseverance is a timeless element.
In the novel, The Grapes of Wrath, John Steinbeck brings to the reader a variety of diverse and greatly significant characters. However, the majority of each characters' individuality happens to lie within what they symbolize in the microcosm of the Joad family and their acquaintances, which itself stands for the entire migrant population of the Great Depression era. One such character is that of Jim Casey, a former preacher and long-time friend of the Joads. In this story, Casey represents a latter-day Christ figure who longs to bring religious stability to the burgeon of migrant families facing West.
Throughout the novel, The Grapes of Wrath there are intercalary chapters. The purpose of these chapters are to give the readers insight and background on the setting, time, place and even history of the novel. They help blend the themes, symbols, motifs of the novel, such as the saving power of family and fellowship, man’s inhumanity to man, and even the multiplying effects of selfishness. These chapters show the social and economic crisis flooding the nation at the time, and the plight of the American farmer becoming difficult. The contrast between these chapters helps readers look at not just the storyline of the Joad family, but farmers during the time and also the condition of America during the Dust Bowl. Steinbeck uses these chapters to show that the story is not only limited to the Joad family,
In fact, one principal character who was involved in a difficult situation was Ma Joad. She was a wife and mother whose only occupation in life was a housewife. She lived in an unfair time period; women were forced to do almost everything that the man commanded. However, Ma Joad was different. Ever since the family traveled to California, she slowly began to take charge. This was first seen when Tom, Ma’s son, suggested that the family continue driving while he and Casy, the preacher, stayed behind to fix the Wilson’s (a family the Joads met on their way to California) automobile. Ma Joad was furious with this idea. She brought out a jack handle and said, “ ‘You done this ‘thout thinkin’ much. What we got lef ‘in the world’? Nothin’ but us. Nothin’ but the folks…An’ now, right off, you wanna bust up the folks’ “ (Steinbeck 218). Ma J...
The opening scene’s setting gives a premise to the overall gloomy and dusty lifestyles of the Okies. The whole time period is already gloomy from the Great Depression and Dust Bowl, but the description of the bland Oklahoma landscape is sad. Steinbeck even wrote about dust like it was an ominous homewrecker. Dust and the wind and the elements in general are given all of the power in this chapter and in future chapters. Such dominant influence of nature suggests the family structure of the Joads and other Okies to be unstable. The environment governs the family, making them move, causing them to seek jobs due to poor land and subsequent lack of work.
During the early 1920s to late 1940s, people in the whole world suffered from the two darkest periods in the humankind history. One period was, from 1929 to 1932, the longest and deepest economical depression, the Great Depression. The other, right after that, was the most widespread and deadliest total war, the Second World War. In those periods, people were devastated; millions of millions people died, some died from hunger, others died in the war. Some survived, but they surrendered; lived like a walking dead. The physical harm was not deadly enough for people, but the mental harm was. Those people who did not have a strong sense of love, moral, or spiritual belief died mentally. They were, weak-minded and shiftless, the ‘sheep’. In contrast, there were the real ‘goats’; they were enduring and constructive. They fought against the evil and followed their beliefs tight to avoid being lost in the dark. These people knew how precious love, moral, or belief could be in the adversity and, thus, made an utmost effort to uphold these senses. Whether one can hold one’s own in adversity depends on how strong one’s love, moral, or belief are.
New beginnings and new land, while made out to seem as beacons of hope and chances for prosperity, are complete opposites; new beginnings offer neither success nor happiness, but rather more failures and recurring sorrows. John Steinbeck and Jack Hodgins introduce the idea of new beginnings and settlements just as they emphasize the importance of togetherness as a community and a family in The Grapes of Wrath and Broken Ground. However, it is important to consider that these new beginnings were involuntary and rather forced due to situational circumstances. These circumstances caused drastic changes in the lives of the characters, changes that ultimately led them towards a downward spiral. In both novels, change in location helped advertise new beginnings as a chance for a new, improved lifestyle, which turned out to be a mere lie. The “promised land” was simply a hoax, which they would later realize, as it left them with nothing more than the broken pieces of their woven dreams.
Having watched the movie "Grapes of Wrath", I have been given the opportunity to see the troubles that would have befell migrant workers during the Great Depression. Though the Joads were a fictitious family, I was able to identify with many signs of hope that they could hold onto. Some of these families who made the journey in real life carried on when all they had was hope. The three major signs of hope which I discovered were, overcoming adversity, finding jobs, and completing the journey.
Steinbeck created many characters for the Joads to come in contact with for different reasons. These three characters mentioned above were created to contrast the Joads and to recognize the weaker individuals in a society. By giving up, or refusing to try, these characters display a fear of new challenges and a resistance to change.
drop their life and move to a different state. When they arrived in California they were not
Tom Joad is an ex-convict that was only into his own self-interest and lived by a mantra of live your life day by day and not concerned with the future, to becoming a man who thinks about the future and someone with morals and an obligation to help others. Ma Joad is a typical woman of the early 1900’s whose main role was a mother only with a role of caring and nurturing. Later in the novel, she becomes an important figure for the family and is responsible for making decisions in keeping the family together and emphasizes the importance of unity. Another important transition in the book is the family starting off as a single close knit unit to depending on other families to survive. This common interest and struggle bonded the community of individual families to a single one. Steinbeck wrote this novel very well, by having great character dynamics and development that displays the characters strengths and also their
John Steinbeck published The Grapes of Wrath in response to the Great Depression. Steinbeck's intentions were to publicize the movements of a fictional family affected by the Dust Bowl that was forced to move from their homestead. Also a purpose of Steinbeck's was to criticize the hard realities of a dichotomized American society.
From a more romantic perspective one might be inclined to say the main theme behind this story is choices made by man as a unit when obstacles and circumstances arise, perhaps perseverance through hardship. But this book rarely displays romantic or idealistic interactions among the characters or moments in the plot. Although there is one example of slight romantisicm at end, the book for the most part is an excellent illustration of naturalism in a piece of literature. To shine this main theme under a naturalistic light, the reader must be allowed to examine the deep psychological, emotional and physical connection between man and his land so often demonstrated and greatly emphaisized throughout the book. The cliffsnotes state that this connection is a basic fundament to the Jeffersonian agrarian theory. A great example of when Steinbeck incorporates this philosophy is when the representatives of the bank are telling the tenant farmers that they need to get off the land. They feel that since they lived and died on the land, it is rightfully theirs. "Funny thing how it is. If a man owns a little property, that property is in him, it's part of him, and it's like him (37)." Since the bond between the farmer and his property is so strong, once it is broken the people loose their self-respect, dignity, and meaning. Steinbeck uses this idea to foreshadow and help explain the events of Grandpa's death and to further drive the ideas Casy preaches. Casy suggests at the funeral that Granpa died the moment he was torn from his land. He also speculates that only if the band together and make sacrifices for the unit, the Joads and the Wilsons can they survive. "We on'y got a hundred an' fifty dollars. They take forty to bury Grampa an' we won't get to California (140)." They decide that for the family the best thing to do is to bury him on the road.
“Everybody wants a little piece of lan'. I read plenty of books out here. Nobody never gets to heaven, and nobody gets no land. It's just in their head. They're all the time talkin' about it, but its jus' in their head.” (Steinbeck) The Grapes of Wrath is most often categorized as an American Realist novel. It was written by John Steinbeck and published in 1939. As a result of this novel, Steinbeck won the Pulitzer Prize, the National Book Award, and prominently cited the novel when he won the Nobel Prize a little over twenty years after the text’s publication. This text follows the Joad family through the Great Depression. It begins in Oklahoma, watching as the family is driven from their home by drought and economic changes. Within the introduction of the novel the living conditions is described, “Every moving thing lifted the dust into the air: The walking man lifted a thin layer as high as his waist, and a wagon lifted the dust as high as the fence tops and an automobile boiled a cloud behind it.” (Grapes, 1) This novel is and will remain one of the most significant novels of the Great Depression. Despite its controversial nature it is timeless. In fact, the ending of this text is one of the most controversial pieces of literature written during the time period, and has never accurately made its way into film. The ending to John Steinbeck’s novel The Grapes of Wrath is the most significant portion of the novel due to its historical accuracy as well as its message about the American spirit.
The Grapes of Wrath is a novel by John Steinbeck that exposes the desperate conditions under which the migratory farm families of America during the 1930's live under. The novel tells of one families migration west to California through the great economic depression of the 1930's. The Joad family had to abandon their home and their livelihoods. They had to uproot and set adrift because tractors were rapidly industrializing their farms. The bank took possession of their land because the owners could not pay off their loan. The novel shows how the Joad family deals with moving to California. How they survive the cruelty of the land owners that take advantage of them, their poverty and willingness to work.
In the book, A Long Walk To Water by Linda Sue Park, Salva shows perseverance is key when facing life’s challenges.