Grapes of Wrath: pgs. 220-280

These chapters show a lot of the prejudices that start for stupid reasons. The guy at the service station said that "Okies" were no better than gorillas. Even the word "Okie" is degrating. As one man explained in the story, "Well, Okie use' ta mean you was from Oklahoma. Now it means you're a dirty son-of-a-b****...it's just the way they say it." (It never really matters what you say, but how you say it.)
I found it weird that Noah just left. I suppose he really wasn't talked about much in the story, and wasn't a major character. Maybe his purpose was to show how we can hurt people when we ignore them. I kind of found it interesting when he said, "Like to jus' stay here. Like to lay here forever. Never get hungry an' never get sad." The poor man was probably depressed and neglected all of the time.
I still think that Tom is my favorite character. I like how he got between the confrontation that was about to start between the "mayor" and Pa. I just find his attitude amusing and I like him. I personally think that the "mayor" is psycho. Half of the things that come out of his mouth don't make sense.
The part with the Jehovites was kind of...interesting too. I guess if their chanting and howling calmed Granma, then it was good. I figured Granma wouldn't last too much longer in the story without Granpa.
I also found it interesting when Casy said, "I ain't a preacher...my prayers ain't no good." Since when do you have to be a preacher to pray? I did like his point, though, when he said, "A preacher ain't nothin' but a man." It's too bad not many other folks would listen to him. Just because a man is a preacher doesn't make him perfect.

Teacher Essay

Professor Adam?
Heather
September 19, 2007

“Now sit down and be quiet please, class is about to begin,” is about the last statement that’ll probably come out of my teacher’s mouth. Try, “What’s up St. Paul, Minnesota?! How ya doin?! Make some f***in’ noise!!!!! I wanna hear everybody…in the back!!……I wanna see this whole f***in floor jumping up and down when we start, alright? And if you’re sitting in your seat, I want you to get the f*** up!!!”

My teacher: a tall man, a little pale in complexion, with long messy black hair, usually all black clothes, and tattoos streaming down each arm. Thick brows hide beneath the rim of his favorite fedora hat and intense eyes stare through narrow lids. He swears a little. He smokes a little more. He’s a Canadian rock star. His name? Adam Gontier, frontman for none other than Three Days Grace.

Although he would look out of place standing before a class giving a history lesson, he seemed to have no problem talking to young people struggling with addiction problems during his band’s “Three Days of Change” tour, where they played small acoustic shows at select rehabilitation, treatment, and youth centers in the United States and Canada. A song would be played, and then Adam would have a question and answer session with the people in the crowd, no limit on the subject (or “no holds barred,” as he puts it).

“It was just something that I thought I’d like to do, so I set it up. The biggest thing about it is I want to let kids know and people know that they can talk about it [their problems].” This lesson, talking about the problems in one’s life, is somewhat difficult to ace in society today, but Adam has been a sort of “inspiration” for me. Almost two and a half years ago, he checked himself into Toronto’s CAMH (Center for Addiction and Mental Health) for his addiction to Oxycontin, a potent pain-killing drug used for cancer patients. “…at the end of it I was taking ten to twenty…eighty mg Oxycontins a day. And just eating them, like crushing them, chewing them in half…yeah; it was a mess, man.”

Adam set aside a month to himself after his time in rehab, to stay at home with his wife and try to begin a new, healthier lifestyle. And he’s stayed clean ever since. These free, intimate concerts in “Three Days of Change” have been put on because they’re a way to give back to the community that literally saved Adam’s life and a way to let people know “that turning your life around is possible and having success at what you want is also possible.” Giving back isn’t so hard when given a second chance at life.

Humans, the selfish species that they are, often take their lives for granted. Adam reminded me of this one day when he wrote a “public service announcement” to the people of the worldwide web through his blog. In a somber tone, he talked about how—although he’s very lucky to be doing what he does for a living—he wanted more. He wanted to change some of the ways of this world—how there are so many that are unfortunate and so many who believe that they’re worthless and don’t belong. He reminded me to “think about everything you have, and consider giving some of it away.” Be pictured in somebody else’s shoes for a day.

I admired how he simply wrote what he was feeling and got it off of his chest, even if it was in front of the public eye, and how he didn’t seem to care too much about what others thought of him for it. This leads me to his next “teaching”. On the band’s website, Adam used to post “Tour Diaries,” talking about their antics on the road and other random tidbits of information he felt like rambling about, ranging from the pain of his new tattoo to what ticks him off to an actual “history lesson” once about the faces on Mt. Rushmore.

In Tour Diary #4, Adam talked a little about guilty pleasures, “Whether it’s constantly eating junk food, or listening to Justin Timberlake while you’re in the shower, or maybe it’s ordering that useless s*** that you can only get from ordering off the T.V. at 3:30 in the morning. This year, my guilty pleasure was watching American Idol.”

Knowing how people would react to this, he stated in a somewhat sarcastic tone, “So what? I’m not supposed to [watch it] because it’s not cool? Because I’m the singer in a heavy rock band, that should only listen to Tool and Slipknot? Sorry.”

Adam has definitely rubbed off on me. Now every time I question doing something just because of how others might judge, I just think “American Idol” and decide, “Oh yeah, why should I care?” He’s sort of helped me to develop more of my attitude towards certain issues…and maybe added just a little more sarcasm along the way, never failing to make me use my brain. But isn’t that what a good teacher is supposed to do? Make us think? Adam seems to enjoy getting the old gears in people’s brains turning.

In his blog, he’ll post surveys. Some are just good-hearted fun; others can get people riled up. In one reply, apparently somebody became angry with him for posting a certain survey—even though it was only to get people’s opinions. Instead of replying with more anger, he said, “Thanks to the dude who said that we should all F*& off for judging a situation we don’t know. I was hoping some of you would pipe up about that...”

In another instance Adam began his blog with, “This time people, I’m gettin’ political on you’re a**es!” Holding a survey for Americans, as a curious Canadian, he was wondering how the U.S. felt about the “heightened security” measures after they headed into Iraq. In the blog after that, he revealed the results to the survey and then stated, “It was pretty interesting to read some of your comments. Some of you got really fired up about the whole thing, which is why I do these things. To make you think, and to get you to say what’s on your mind.

Way to go.
cheers,
Adam.”

In both the lyrics to Three Days Grace songs and in what they speak, Adam and the rest of the band make it pretty clear that everyone needs to be individual, and not always go along with what others think or do.

We can find lessons in all places. We learn from the bad, we learn from the good. As I was writing this, the thought came across my mind of what others may think of my teacher being the lead singer of my favorite band. But aren’t rock stars just people too? Remember: “American Idol.” Though he’s definitely not perfect, Adam is my teacher and there is much more that he’s taught me. Sometimes he’s there for life’s hard lessons, sometimes he’s just good for a laugh, but he’s a constant reminder that we are not alone in the ways we feel and “if you keep your face to the sun, you won’t see the shadows.”

“We are the ones,
We get knocked down,
We get back up,
and stand above the crowd,
We are one.”

“One-X”
-Three Days Grace

Grapes of Wrath: pgs. 178-220

I enjoyed Ma's revolt. She was like the big woman who's proud to be big and knows how to throw her weight around. (kind of like an "mmm-hmmmm" attitude) I also enjoyed Tom's joke about having him and Pa attack her from different sides and have the rest of the family pile on top and maybe only 2 or 3 of them will die. It kind of gives the woman more power and is almost showing how the times are changing. I thought it was amusing to picture that big woman with a jack in her fists, ready to take down anyone in her way.

I also found some sayings sort of amusing in this reading.
Pa: "Nex' thing they'll sell ya a little tank a air." This was somewhat ironic because nowadays we actually do sell tanks of air.

Tom: "Pa'd crap a litter of lizzards..." I just thought this phrase was funny, along with Tom's other saying: "Ya stickin' it out like a cow's a**."

I'm beginning to like Tom more, even though he can sometimes be a jerk. I like how he just says what's on his mind, even if it isn't polite. I enjoyed his little "talking to" he had to the guy with the missing eye and how he told the guy that he's just pitying himself, and if he'd stop and do something about his life, he could get a girl and a better job. I also enjoyed his smart-alek attitude to the guy at the camp-ground. Pa seemed to be sounding pretty dumb to the other men (one was laughing at him) so Tom cut in and bit the other guys' heads of (not litterally of course). I just like how he says what he thinks, even if it's going to hurt somebody's feelings or anger them.

The Grapes of Wrath: pgs 125-178

Is it just me, or did about everybody die in these chapters? The poor dog got ran over, grandpa had a stroke, some guy got in a car accident and kiled himself and a little kid...whos next? Ma? Sairy? Who knows...
Anywho, I found the diner scene in Chapter 15 to be somewhat interesting. I liked how the two truckers gave Mae half a dollar each instead of 25 cents each (which, nowadays doesn't seem like very much, but back then $180 was enough to maybe get you to California). I did find it sweet that she gave the boys the candy for about 9 cents less than they were priced, but I kind of found it weird that Bill told her to "Go to hell" when he left...I think there's something there, but I'm not sure. And Al only seemed to talk after they got onto the subject of car accidents and people moving West.
It was kind of sad that Grampa and the dog died. I'm still not sure about Casy and what he's doing in his life. I guess I just don't really understand why they think they need a preacher to pray for them. Why don't they just pray for themselves?
I'm also kind of wondering what's next for Ma and Sairy. Sairy is already somewhat sick and Ma seems to be coming down with something. What would the family do without Ma?

The Grapes of Wrath: pgs 65-125

From reading these pages in the book, you can definitely tell that the author is a man, just by the way he described certain things, you wouldn't have to even look to tell that he was a man. But just to give him some credit, he did show the importance of women in the roles of the family, along with other features.
I found it kind of different how they each had a certain place in the family, even when riding in the truck. Even though Rose of Sharon was pregnant and Uncle John didn't want her to, she had to ride on back just because of the honor or whatever of the family. I guess that just shows you how times have changed. Steinbeck keeps describing the family with words like mean, malice, and brooding, usually words to describe people as villians nowadays, but back then I guess it was normal???
Anywho...I'm curious about what's going to happen next to this family. Tom is purposely violating his parole and not telling anyone about it, the preacher keeps going off on strange tangents, and they just drugged "Grampa" to get him to come along to California with them. I'm thinking that hell is going to break loose as soon as Grampa wakes up. That should be interesting. But will Tom get caught? What'll they do if he does?