Dust Bowl Migration

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Through the perspective of Dust Bowl migrants, Steinbeck’s Grapes of Wrath details a family’s tumultuous migration from Oklahoma to California. Through plot development, Steinbeck criticizes the socio-economic dynamic of the American Dream. Despite his progressive social commentary, Steinbeck leaves out African-Americans, despite the role they played along Route 66. In his critique on Grapes of Wrath, Grant Matthew Jenkins concludes that Steinbeck must have felt overwhelmed by the role of Black Americans and decided to refrain from including them in his narrative. Steinbeck also chooses to ignore Native American history in Oklahoma, signifying his purposeful exclusion of minority races in his predominantly white book. While Grapes of Wrath …show more content…
Considering that all of the factors are the same, why are minorities continuously ignored throughout the novel? Jenkins believes that “Steinbeck may have felt inadequate to speak about the experiences of Black Americans” (187). The absence of African Americans and the erasure of Native American history in John Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath underscore a larger pattern of marginalized voices in narratives of the Dust Bowl migration. Addressing these omissions is essential for a more comprehensive understanding of the era's complexities and its impact on all segments of society. Similar to the erasure of Black towns in Oklahoma, Native American history in Oklahoma was unmentioned throughout the book. The Trail of Tears forced many American Indians to move to Oklahoma, displacing them from Michigan, Louisiana, and Florida. However, during westward expansion, the government removed them from their land in Oklahoma. The history of Native Americans in the book is not discussed by John Steinbeck. Instead, Grandpa’s refusal to abandon his homeland reflects a deep sense of attachment and belonging, despite the hardships of the Dust

Dust Bowl Migration

Dust Bowl Migration Wayne Findley HIS/145 August 13, 2013 Allan Fifield Dust Bowl Migration Even though farmers need to keep up their production with the population, farmers need to take measures to protect farm soil. If the farm soil is not protected humanity will have another dust bowl. For farmers to make more profit back in the 1920s, the use of mechanical devices, such as plows and other farming equipment…

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Dust Bowl Migration In John Steinbeck's The Grapes Of Wrath

In the classical book The Grapes of Wrath, by John Steinbeck, the author created a story that revolves around the U.S. Dust Bowl migration during the Great Depression in which very many poor families drove to California from several miles away, looking for work. This particular story follows a fictional family being forced to move to California from Oklahoma by car due to their only home being smashed into by a tractor; however, with their really old truck, which is weighed down with the family’s…

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Dust Bowl Odyssey Analysis

The chapter on the Dust Bowl Odyssey we hear and view concerns of the times. One of them is the Migrant Mother #6 photograph. This represents a concerned mother reflecting on what to do. The lines on her face show the struggles she has endured. She is staring out to the future and with concern for her children. The Dust Bowl Farm photograph shows a single home and barn contained in a barren dessert. Additional photos present us with hard life. The farmers and migrants endurance and struggle…

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How The Dust Bowl Reflected In The Grapes Of Wrath

During the notorious and catastrophic Dust Bowl that had hit the Great Plains during the 1930’s many people decided to evacuate or seek a different solitude. The Dust Bowl left thousands of houses torn away, agriculture in a severe epidemic, and left people without a place to stay, which made them leave Westward. The film, “The Grapes of Wrath” attempts to relate the event of the Dust Bowl to the actual film, but the historical background of the Dust Bowl when compared to the film makes the historical…

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The Dust Bowl In John Steinbeck's The Grapes Of Wrath

The Dust Bowl began in the 1930’s. It started with a drought that lasted eight years (“Drought Basics”). The drought caused the soil to erode which made farming very difficult. Primarily, the western southern states were more effected by this dry season. The remaining crops died from loss of water, strong winds, and high temperatures (“Drought Basics”). The lack of produce in the agricultural field caused many farmers out of work. Eventually, poverty fell upon many of the people living in the…

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Okie Essay

Okie Essay As the Interview “The 1930s Migration to Southern San Joaquin Valley” with Earl Butler shows, living in the Southwest of America in the 20th century wasn’t always easy for many people. Especially for people from states like Oklahoma, Texas, Arkansas and Missouri. These people had their difficulties dealing with the Great Depression and ecological disasters. Therefore, many of them tried to search for a better life in different states, especially in the west. Southwesterners had been…

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Economic 1931 to Present Essay

to the present. There was the dust bowl, Great Depression and the stalk market crash in 2007. These are a few of the many ecanomic things America faced. The Great Depression was a decade of relentless struggle. Many people lost their jobs slowing down the economy and raising the unemployment rate higher and higher. The Great Depression brought more struggles than just the unemployment or people not buying and spending money. It brought the dust bowl. The dust bowl was mostly in the southern plains…

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Argumentative Essay On The Dust Bowl

Everyone knows or has heard about the Dust Bowl, but does anyone really know the true causes? The Dust Bowl is such a argumentative topic. Many historians or individuals question this hard time in our history that appeared in the 1903’s. The Dust Bowl was a time of despair because of the damaged crops and soil. It made living a tremendous struggle. How were people supposed to make a living anymore? Prior to the Dust Bowl the Great Plains region was known for its rich fertile soil which made for magnificent…

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Dust Bowl Thesis

Dismay struck the farmers of South Central United States as the Dust Bowl and Great Depression fell upon them, forcing the farmers off of their land, and eventually west to the “promised land”, California. Coming from a life of their own farm, they were hesitant and anxious to move to an unknown life out west. The Great Depression was a cataclysm for the United States economy. It began in 1929 and economy didn’t revive until 1939. Several factors such as the stock market collapsing and the lack…

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Ap Human Geography Research Paper

remain the same. Hence, it is necessary to understand how geography impacts the economic development of a country. What factors complemented with geography help with the economic development of nations? In this paper, I will use access to markets and migration of people as factors to understand how these impact economic growth and development. A famous argument around geography in economics is that the geographical position of a country has a notable impact on the country’s long-term economic prosperity…

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