Theme Of A Thousand Acres By Jane Smiley

To Ginny, “everything changed” and “it was obvious in retrospect” that she ought “to change it”—replace the bad memories of her father with better memories (Smiley 172). Memories of being raped by her father are enough for her to hate everything in relation to the land, but she kept those memories a secret from everyone else in the community since she was convinced that “other people don’t want to hear the truth” (Smiley 258). What lies beneath the field of gold are haunting memories which eventually lead to the ugliness growing on the farm, metaphorically and

The book i read was Of Mice And Men by John Steinbeck. The two protagonist were George and Lennie. George was a small man, poor,a rancher, who was very compassionate to his friend Lennie. Lennie was a huge man,strong,with a child mind, who liked soft things. Lennie’s aunt died and George decided her he would be his caretaker. They both had the same American dream to own their own farm and to “live off the fat of the land”. George made a choice to take care of Lennie and had to live with a consequences.

The novel Out of My Mind, is written in the prospective of an 11-year-old girl named Melody Brooks. Ever since Melody was born, Cerebral Palsy has affected her life by leaving her unable to walk, talk, use the bathroom, or even feed herself. Although totally nonverbal, this eleven-year-old happens to be immensely intelligent and has a photographic memory. Throughout Melody’s life, people have quickly written her off as “profoundly retarded”, stupid, and brain-damaged, but from beginning to end Melody has shown her ability to overcome her struggles and prove everyone wrong. (Draper 22). In the novel Out of My Mind by Sharon M Draper, Melody Brooks teaches the reader to always have hope and determination, that physical disabilities do not mean

Man's relationship to the land undergoes a transformation throughout John Steinbeck's Grapes of Wrath. Initially, back in Oklahoma, each family feels a strong attachment to the land because the ancestors of these farmers fought and cleared the Indians out of the land, made it suitable for farming, and worked year after year in the fields so that each generation would be provided for. Passing down the land to successive generations, the farmers come to realize that the land is all that they own. It is their family's source of sustenance. However, the strong bond between man and the land is broken when the bank comes to vacate the tenants during hard times.

In Steinbeck's novel, The Grapes of Wrath, he describes the struggle of the small farmer and farmworker. The principal characters define quiet dignity and courage in their struggle to survive and in the caring for their loved ones. Through this novel, Steinbeck displays his respect for all the poor and oppressed of our world.

The book “Hillbilly Elegy”, written by J.D. Vance displays the theme of persistence, resilience, and grit. Vance writes this book from a first-person viewpoint, describing his life growing up in a low-class family. The title comes from Vance’s family growing up in a “hillbilly” lifestyle. The story starts with J.D. growing up in the Appalachian Valley, beginning his life in Jackson, Kentucky. Jackson, Kentucky is a very rural area where the culture of family’s focus is on loyalty, love for the country, and self-pride. We later learn that Vance moves in with his grandparents for a sense of stability and security.

Guilt is like a sickness. If you don’t get medicine, no matter how much you wait it out, the sickness is staying with you. No matter how much time passes, if you don’t deal with your guilt, it will stick with you and never go away. The main character in Marigolds by Eugenia Collier ruins an elderly woman's beautiful marigolds because of her own issues. The main character in The Scarlet Ibis by James Hurst leaves his handicapped brother alone in the woods and comes back to find that he’s dead. Lastly, the main character in The Cat’s In The Cradle never takes part in his son’s childhood and comes to realize his boy is just like him when he gets older. These three pieces all show a coexisting theme of how guilt sticks around forever if you don’t deal with it.

In a society of people all in the same situations how can someone feel so alone. When lives fall apart and people have nothing to hold on to people need each other most, yet are pushed so far from others. The novel Of Mice and Men written by John Steinbeck, follows the storyline of two men who are displaced farm workers during the Great Depression; they travel around and stick by each other’s sides no matter the circumstance. After many jobs they end up on a farm,the farm they hope will be their last stop. The time spent on the farm is filled with blooming friendships and careless quarrels, yet with an abundance of characters and entertainment- many people on the farm feel alone and out of place. Characters such as Crooks and Curley’s wife often come to mind when the subject of loneliness is brought up. Throughout the book using characters such as Crooks and Curley's wife, John Steinbeck demonstrates that humans are immensely impacted by separation from society and it will change the way that people will act and show themselves to others.

| The atmosphere created makes it difficult for the readers not to feel sympathy for Ginny as she discovers parts of herself she had never taken notice of before. From fear of her father’s oppression, she has suppressed

The story is about a farm owner, Mrs. Hopewell, her only daughter Joy/Hulga, and a

One would say that on a literal level The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck is about the Joad family's journey to California during The Dust Bowl. However, it is also about the unity of a family and the concept of birth and death, both literal and abstract. Along with this, the idea of a family unit is explored through these births and deaths.

They suffer the anguish of losing their farms and their homes, of being forced to move endlessly and painfully in search of work on someone else's land. The anguish caused by sudden change in land ownership is a major aspect of the novel.

The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck reveals the hardships that sharecroppers face as technology develops through describing the Joad family's trip to California. Due to an unfavorable weather and the addition of tractors, the Joads are forced off of their farm because "[t]he tenant system won't work anymore. One man on a tractor can take the place of twelve or fourteen families" (44). The bank values a greater profit, therefore, replaces sharecroppers with tractors. As a result, the Joads begin their journey to California, searching for jobs in order to survive. As they prepare for the trip, Grampa, however, refuses to leave: "This here's my country. I b'long here [...] This country ain't no good, but it's my country" (152). Grampa wants

The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck reveals the hardships that sharecroppers face as technology develops through describing the Joad family's trip to California. Due to an unfavorable weather and the addition of tractors, the Joads are forced off of their farm because "[t]he tenant system won't work anymore. One man on a tractor can take the place of twelve or fourteen families" (). The bank values a greater profit, therefore, replaces sharecroppers with tractors. As a result, the Joads begin their journey to California, seeking jobs in order to survive. As they prepare for the trip, Grampa, however, refuses to leave: "This here's my country. I b'long here [...] This country ain't no good, but it's my country" (). Grampa wants to stay even

Ever since the beginning of time, fear has been haunting the lives of human beings. The passage “Once upon a time”, by Nadine Gordimer, the characters within this text shows how fear is seen and what actions are done to stop “threats”. In this text, there was a family in a quartered area , mom, dad, and a little boy. only trusted maids and etc. were allowed into the area. In front of the family house is a warning sign that says one could be an invader even though the homeowners are covered by security systems. Towards the end of the passage the homeowners house was broken into. In “once upon a time” Gordimer uses imagery and symbolism to justify that apartheid was a fearful time to live in.