Literary devices in grapes of wrath. The Grapes of Wrath: Literary Devices Flashcards 2022-10-18

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The Grapes of Wrath, written by John Steinbeck and published in 1939, is a Pulitzer Prize-winning novel that tells the story of the Joad family, who are forced to leave their home in Oklahoma and travel to California during the Great Depression in search of work and a better life. Along the way, they encounter numerous challenges and setbacks, including poverty, hunger, and discrimination.

Throughout the novel, Steinbeck employs a number of literary devices to convey the themes and emotions of the story, as well as to enhance the overall impact of the work. Here are some examples of literary devices used in The Grapes of Wrath:

  1. Symbolism: Steinbeck uses various symbols throughout the novel to represent different ideas or themes. For example, the grapes in the title symbolize the hope and promise of a better life, as well as the struggles and hardships that the Joad family must endure to reach it. The "grapes of wrath" also symbolize the anger and frustration felt by the characters, particularly those who are struggling to survive in the face of adversity.

  2. Foreshadowing: Steinbeck uses foreshadowing to hint at events or developments that will occur later in the story. For example, when the Joad family first leaves Oklahoma, they encounter a group of men who are also traveling to California in search of work. These men are described as being "beaten down" and "broken," which foreshadows the difficulties and challenges that the Joad family will encounter on their journey.

  3. Irony: Steinbeck uses irony to contrast the expectations of the characters with the reality of their circumstances. For example, when the Joad family arrives in California, they are promised "good times" and "plenty of work," but they are instead met with widespread unemployment, low wages, and harsh working conditions.

  4. Imagery: Steinbeck uses vivid imagery to create a sense of place and to help the reader visualize the scenes and characters in the novel. For example, he describes the Oklahoma landscape as being "flat and gray" and "dead," which serves to highlight the contrast between the barren and lifeless land that the Joad family is leaving behind and the promise of abundance and prosperity in California.

  5. Personification: Steinbeck personifies the land and the natural world to create a sense of unity and connection between the characters and their surroundings. For example, he describes the land as having a "voice" that speaks to the Joad family and provides them with comfort and guidance.

Overall, Steinbeck's use of literary devices in The Grapes of Wrath serves to enhance the emotional depth and impact of the story, as well as to convey the themes and messages of the work. Through his use of symbolism, foreshadowing, irony, imagery, and personification, Steinbeck creates a powerful and evocative portrait of the struggles and triumphs of the Joad family, and the enduring human spirit that drives them forward.

The Grapes of Wrath: Literary Devices Flashcards

literary devices in grapes of wrath

Improvised Leadership Structures When the novel begins, the Joad family relies on a traditional family structure in which the men make the decisions and the women obediently do as they are told. . His use of descriptive words paints a picture in the reader's mind. This proprietor wants to charge Tom to pull in. Start 'em at two hundred and work down. Motif can be characterized as the reminder of the plot and main idea of a novel.

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Quotes in The Grapes of Wrath with Analysis

literary devices in grapes of wrath

After finding what appears to be steady work in some cotton fields, a fierce rainstorm floods both the fields in which they work and the boxcar in which they live. The first time Winfield and Ruthie use a flushing toilet, they think they have broken it. The Grapes of Wrath began in Oklahoma, starring the Joad family who were attempting to get to California where they had hope to begin their new life after leaving Teamwork In John Steinbeck's The Grapes Of Wrath 1217 Words 5 Pages Through this, the characters eventually seek help and companionship from family and friends. That is, car lot owners took advantage of tenant farmers in dire need of vehicles to get them to California. The persons who stay hopeful even in desperation keep their heads high like Tom. In this he chooses to give it the attributes of a "monster".

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Point of View in The Grapes of Wrath

literary devices in grapes of wrath

Griffin and William A. Again, capricious nature and monstrous economics has deprived them of choices and dictated their actions. It is because of the difficulties and hardships that they face during the journey. Steinbeck description the turtle and the landscape through which it struggles can be related to Joads and their struggles on their journey. She does anything to keep the family together.

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Literary Naturalism in The Grapes of Wrath: Examples & Quotes

literary devices in grapes of wrath

The newsreel style of a contemporary of Steinbeck's, author John Dos Passos, is seen in the used car salesman chapter, while the depiction of the boy and his Cherokee girl dancing in Chapter 23 is almost cinematic. This is an example of a person who did not make the switch from "I" to "We". The addition or application of one thing to another thing. Chapter 5 is the former and Steinbeck does an excellent job of omniscient third person point of view to describe the situation. He says that for his three dollars, his whole family will have to starve. This revolution parallels a similar upheaval in the larger economic hierarchies in the outside world.

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What literary devices are used in Chapter 16 of The Grapes of Wrath?

literary devices in grapes of wrath

Similarly, Chapter 29, which describes the relentless rains that flood the California valley, is framed by the first drops of rain falling at the end of Chapter 28 and the floods that threaten the Joads' boxcar in Chapter 30. Just think of Chapter 26 when Tom leaves the Hooper ranch boundaries to find out what's going on with all the people camped outside of the property. The journey of Tom from a selfish young man to a person with the desire to help his community is a journey from selfishness to altruism. For example instead of: "It began raining". Given the poor treatment the Joads have suffered in only a day at Hooper ranch, we share Tom's unsettled feeling about the place.

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The Grapes of Wrath: Motifs

literary devices in grapes of wrath

What is the turtle by John Steinbeck about? He is who we primarily focus on. Both sentences say the same thing, but the second is much more dramatic, establishing a more interesting picture in the audiences' mind. There are very few hyperbolas in this chapter, but I tried my best to find some. This shows the time before the farmers realized that they must work together, in the philosophy of "I to We". Here, wrath has been projected as a positive trait. The whole United States ain't that big. The great owners ignored the three cries of history.

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The literary techniques in The Grapes of Wrath Essay, The Grapes of Wrath

literary devices in grapes of wrath

It has a very controversial ending, that Steinbeck thought would name the last nail into the coffin, so to speak, on how bad the dust bowl and moving west really was. Rhetorical Appeals: Pathos, Logos, and Ethos Pathos: Steinbeck continuously explains the hardships that the turtle faces which is emotional to the reader. The turtle is thrown across the highway and lands on its back. One technique used to unify the separate parts of the novel is juxtaposition. She tells Ruthie that the people used to put the family as their priority in the past. This conversation is significant as it shows that individuals need help to form a healthy community. Steinbeck displays the discrimination between the migrant people and landowners.

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Literary Analysis Of The Grapes Of Wrath

literary devices in grapes of wrath

In fact, the grapes of wrath have a relation to the lyrics to The Battle Hymn of the Republic, written by Julia Ward in 1908 after touring Union army camps near Washington D. The earthy, folk language employed by the Joads, Wainwrights, Wilsons, and other characters in the primary narrative is echoed in the comments of the generalized characters in the intercalary chapters. He is stuck in the "I", and he will perish because of it. It does not matter that they have been devoid of everything, but it matters that they are everywhere. However, his uncle reminds him that many people are going around with such ideas. Most often an intercalary chapter will present a generalized situation that will either become more fully realized or brought to a conclusion by the events in the succeeding narrative chapter. The Grapes of Wrath: A Literary Analysis Some of the best and most efficient methods communicating issues pertaining to society are through literature that achieves empathy.

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Themes in The Grapes of Wrath with Analysis

literary devices in grapes of wrath

One chapter focuses on the tenants as a whole, while the other chapter focuses specifically of a family of tenants, the Joads, and their journey to California. They have suffered losses after losses, which include deaths of family members as well as finances. From the time it was published all the way up until present times, some people have found much at fault in this realist book, while other people recognize that their are many true parts of Steinbeck's book. In The Grapes of Wrath migrants are forced out of their homes and move West in hopes of attaining a better life. He means that the driver is saving his family from starvation but allowing others to suffer for doing that work for just three dollars. A statement or proposition that, despite sound or apparently sound reasoning from acceptable premises, leads to a conclusion that seems senseless, logically unacceptable, or self-contradictory. The struggle prevalent across the working class created a culture and community that was reliant on this compassion for each other.

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Grapes of Wrath Literary Devices Flashcards

literary devices in grapes of wrath

The most striking and pervasive style used in these intercalary chapters is language and rhythms reminiscent of the syntactical structures of the King James Bible. Tom could hear the whisper of water against the grasses in the irrigation ditch. That is why Tom rises against it, facing the cop when the moment comes. They're here to help! Which is an example of onomatopoeia in the grapes of Wrath? When the driver walks out to his truck, Tom asks for a ride. Instead of reading a description of the land and the suffering of those who depend upon it, we are greeted with the jarring voice of a used car lot owner. This led to a change in their ways of living and forced them to move to California.

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