Constructivist and Liberalist Argument on State Shared Value

Constructivist and Liberalist Argument on State Shared Value According to realism, relations between states in the anarchical world is doomed to the state of constant conflict in which states can only count on themselves. Whatever cooperation exists in the world they prescribe it to the hegemonic order. This means that hegemon, creates institutions which facilitate cooperation but that these institutions are carriers of hegemonic interests and their existence is related to the existence of a hegemon. Representatives of liberal school deny the abovementioned argument and point at contemporary networks of cooperation in many fields which they see as a positive current in the world politic. Realists and liberals agree that the status of international system is anarchy and sovereign states make up the international order. As Alexander Wendt stated in 1992 in his article[1]: neorealists and neoliberals share generally similar assumptions about agents: states are the dominant actors in the system and they define security in self-interested terms[2]. As for the Liberals, they underline the importance of international institutions and cooperation between states thus placing a principle of the shared values in the center of state-behavior. Constructivist Argument According to Alexander Wendt, concept of power politics is socially constructed: If self-help is not a constitutive feature of anarchy, it must emerge casually from processes in which anarchy plays only a permissive role. This reflects a second principle of constructivism: that the meanings in terms of which action is organized arise out of interaction[3] Wendt views self-help as something not given by nature but instead, socially constructed. Having in mind the fact that power politics is socially constructed means that it can be transformed by human practice. Furthermore, constructivists look at international arena as a constructed structure which is built by socio-cultural practices, ideas, domestic and international interactions. According to Wendt, the basic tenets of constructivism are the structures of human association that are determined primarily by shared ideas rather than material forces, and that the identities and interests of purposive actors are constructed by these s hared ideas rather than given by nature[4]. According to the theory of constructivism the effect of anarchy on the state is proportionate to the states perception of anarchy, identity and interest. If in the state of Anarchy state A perceives the rise of power of state B as threat to its security, then a security dilemma is created and states apply to the self-help principle. But, if state A and state B view their security in the form of cooperation and collaboration, then a security dilemma is not formed, thus not establishing logical grounds for self-help principle to develop. Alexander Wendt in his article anarchy is what state make of it: The social construction of power politics states that: the nature of international anarchy appears to be conflictual if states show a conflictual behaviour towards each other, and cooperative if they behave cooperatively towards one another. Therefore, it is states themselves that determine anarchys nature.[5] Liberal argument Representatives of liberal theory agree with realists on a notion that international system is anarchical. But unlike realist, liberalism mitigates the risks coming from the nature of anarchy with cooperation and collaboration between states.[6]. While liberalism agrees on an anarchical condition of international politics, it provides three main mechanisms that can explain a state behavior in order to avoid the risks coming from the anarchy: consolidation of democracy, economic interdependence, and transtational institutions.[7] In order to mitigate the threats and risks coming from the anarchy representatives of the liberal theory believe that states should become more interdependent with each other. Shared democratic values and economical interdependence significantly reduces the risk of military confrontation between states. Free trade relations between states, which result in a close economic ties between its citizens, excludes the chance of military confrontation with each other. According to Michael W. Doyle: Wars occur outside the liberal zone because conflicts of interest are deeper there.[8] Liberalism also allows a probability of the world peace despite the anarchical feature of international politics. If the state behavior is prone to establishment of international organizations and institutions then this behavior may lead to the long term cooperation between the member nations which share the same values. According to the liberalism military conflicts are not inevitable but can be prevented through collaboration. The development of an international organization such as United of Nation, NATO and European Union are the examples of cooperation between states that could promote stability. A central claim of this theory is that once created, institutions tend to persist, because it is cheaper to maintain institutions than to create new ones. Therefore, when confronted with new sets of problems, states seek to modify an already existing institution to meet new challenges. Thus, institutional liberal theories have easier time explaining why NATO persisted after the end of the Cold War even when the enemy that it was supposed to counter disappeared. Liberalism underlines the significace of the shared values between states. The principle of shared values can explain state behavior as they create alliances and develop joint capabilities, rather than focusing only on the development of their own.

The Trolley Dodgers

In 1890, the Brooklyn Trolley Dodgers professionals’ baseball team joined the National League. Over the following years, the Dodgers would have considerable difficulty competing with the other baseball themes in the New York City area. Those teams, principal among them the New York Yankees, were much better financed and generally stocked with players of higher caliber. In 1958, after nearly seven decades of mostly frustration on and off the baseball field, the Dodgers shocked the sports world by moving to Los Angeles. Walter O’Malley, the flamboyant owner of the Dodgers, saw an opportunity to introduce professional baseball to the rapidly growing population of the West Coast. More important, O’Malley saw an opportunity to make his team more profitable. As an in document to the Dodgers, Los Angeles Country purchased a goat farm located in Chavez Ravine, an area two miles northwest of downtown Los Angeles, and gave the property to O’Malley for the site of his new baseball stadium. Since moving to Los Angeles, the Dodgers have been the envy of the baseball world: â€Å"In everything from profit to stadium maintenance†¦the Dodgers are the prototype of how a franchise should be run. †? During the 1980s and 1990s, the Dodgers reigned as the most profitable franchise in baseball with a pretax profit margin approaching 25 percent in many years. In late 1997, Peter O’Malley, Walter O’Malley’s son and the Dodgers principal owner, sold the franchise for $350 million to media mogul Rupert Murdoch. A spokesman for Murdoch complimented the O’Malley family for the longstanding success of the Dodgers organization. â€Å"The O’Malley’s have set a gold standard for franchise ownership†. ? During an interview before he sold the Dodgers, was seemingly a perfect example of one of those experts he had retained in all functional areas: â€Å"I don’t have to be an expert on taxes, split-fingered fastballs, or labor relations with our ushers. That talent is available. †? Edward Campos, a longtime accountant for the Dodgers, was seemingly a perfect example of one of those experts in the organization. Campos accepted an entry-level position with the Dodgers as a young man. By 1986, after almost two decades with the club, he had worked his way up the employment hierarchy to become the operations payroll chief. After taking charge of the Dodgers’ payroll department, Campos designed and implemented a new payroll system, a system that reportedly only he fully understood. In fact, Campos controlled the system so completely that he personally filled out the weekly payroll cards for each of the four hundred employees of the Dodgers. Campos was known not only for his work ethic but also for his loyalty to the club and its owners: â€Å"The Dodgers trusted him, and when he was on vacation, he even came back and did the payroll. †? Unfortunately, the Dodgers’ trust in Campos was misplaced. Over a period of several years, Campos embezzled several hundred thousand dollars from his employer. According to court records, Campos padded the Dodgers’ payroll by adding fictitious employees to various departments in the organizations. In addition, Campos routinely inflated the number of hours worked by several employees and then split the resulting overpayments fifty-fifty with those individuals. The fraudulent scheme came unraveled when appendicitis struck down Campos, forcing the Dodgers’ controller to temporarily assume his responsibilities. While completing the payroll one week, the controller noticed that several employees, including ushers, security guards, and ticket salespeople, were being paid unusually large amounts. In some cases, employees earning $7 an hour received weekly paychecks approaching $2,000. Following a criminal investigation and the filing of charges against Campos and his cohorts, all the individuals involved in the payroll fraud confessed. A stale court sentenced Campos to eight years in prison and required him to make restitution of approximately $132,000 to the Dodgers. Another of the conspirators also received a prison sentence. The remaining individuals involved in the payroll scheme made restitution and were placed on probation. QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS 1. Identify the key audit objectives for a client’s payroll function. Comment on both objectives related to tests of controls and those related to substantive audit procedures. Ans: The key audit objectives for a client’s payroll function are occurrence, completeness, accuracy, pasting and summarization, classification and timing. On the occurrence objective the related test of control could be examining the time cards, personnel files, reviewing organization chart to see if the payroll payments are for exiting work and for existing employee and the substantive test for the occurrence objective is to see if the right amount of payroll is paid to the right employee and were recorded properly. On the completeness objective the test of control could be to see if the existing payroll were recorded and the substantive test is to compare the book and the payroll bank statement and look for the unmatched amount. For the accuracy objective, the test of control is to examine if the right hours and rate are recorded, tax withholding is correct while the substantive test is to test for exact amount by recalculating gross pay and net pay, comparing pay rate with the industry also. For posting and summarization objective, the test of control could be comparing the master files total with general ledgers total and while the substantive test is by footing the payroll journal and tracing postings to the journal ledger and the payroll master file. The test of control for the classification objective is to review charts of accounts while the substantive test is to review the time cards and job ticket. Lastly, for the timing objective, the test of control is to examine procedures and observe if recording is taking place while the substantive test is to compare date on checks. . What internal control weaknesses were evident in the Dodgers’ payroll system? Ans: The internal control weaknesses in the Dodger’s payroll system is that Campos, who is happen to be the operations payroll chief, is the one who designed and also implemented a new payroll system that only him that could fully understand. Also other weaknesses is that there is no independent check a nd performance, there is also no separation of duties, and Dodgers work environment would be a weakness because Campos and others have low work ethic. 3. Identify audit procedures that might have led to the discovery of the fraudulent scheme masterminded by Campos. Ans: Audit procedures that might discover the fraud is by understanding Dodger’s payroll chart because auditors would see if there are no independent check and performance and no separation of duties. Another thing is that to interview employees in the payroll department. Test for nonexistent employee, reconciling the total hours paid in payroll records with that in an independent record of the hours worked and observing employee time in.

Jenny: A Character Analysis Essay

INTRODUCTION This paper is a two-part personality analysis of Jenny’s character in the movie Forrest Gump. Jenny is the lead character’s childhood friend who, as a child, is sexually and physically abused by her own father and, as a young adult, gets into drug addiction and attempts suicide, and eventually succumbs to an early death, leaving behind Forrest and their only son. Section I looks at Jenny from the points of view of Social Cognitive and Psychodynamic theories. Section II is an in-depth analysis of Jenny’s personality using Social Cognitive Theory.    Section I:  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Character Personality Matrix Theory Major Components Structure Process Growth and Development Psychopathology Change    Social Cognitive Theory    Jenny has a talent in singing but has poor self-perception, low self-efficacy and does not have goals.    Jenny lacks self-regulation.       Jenny has a mal-adaptive personality which is a result of her low self-efficacy. She could have learned her anti-social or maladaptive behavior (drug use, being associated with anti-social peers, and suicidal tendencies, among others) through observation from models as well as through direct experience. She was brought up by an abusive father, she has witnessed aggression (she was present when Forrest was bullied by the kids at school) and, as a grown-up, been a direct recipient of an aggressive behavior (she was hit in the face by her boyfriend in the Blank Panther party).       Jenny’s maladaptive behavior is a result of dysfunctional learning — she has observed and directly experienced inadequate or sick models (his father and his peers) — and maintained this kind of learning through reinforcement. She seems to have a phobia in relationship, that’s why she keeps running from Forrest who loves her and whom she professes to love.    Jenny shows a remarkably altered behavior toward the end of the movie — the result of her acquiring new thought patterns and behavior, and improved self-efficacy. Psychodynamic Theory Jenny has a weakened ego caused by an internal conflict. Jenny is suffering from anxiety caused by earlier trauma (her traumatic experience with her father, and even her experience of witnessing traumatic events happen to Forrest). Jenny is living in a distorted reality. She has learned to repress her emotions. She may also be living in denial of her traumatic past. Jenny’s maladaptive behavior from young adulthood and into adulthood are mainly caused by her traumatic experiences when she was a young girl (that is, the physical and sexual abuse she received from her father). Jenny exhibits a conflict of wishes and fears. She has carried over into adulthood her childhood wishes and dreams. Jenny’s altered behavior toward the end of the movie may be the result of undergoing cathartic hypnosis or free-association method.    Section II:  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Application of Personality Theory    Theory Description and Rationale Social cognitive theory is a personality theory proposed by Albert Bandura and Richard Walters in 1963. Taking its roots from the social learning theory proposed by Neal Miller and John Dollard in 1941, it views people as â€Å"neither driven by inner forces nor automatically shaped and controlled by external stimuli†¦ [but are] active agents who exercise some influence over their own motivation and actions,† (Bandura, 1986, p. 18, 225). It views people as â€Å"self-organizing, proactive, self-reflecting and self-regulating rather than as reactive organisms shaped and shepherded by environmental forces or driven by concealed inner impulses,† and human processes as â€Å"the product of a dynamic interplay of personal, behavioral, and environmental influences,† (Fajares, 2002). What’s good about the theory is that it takes into account the individual’s beliefs and expectations. It emphasizes that although reinforcement and punishment affect motivation, they do not directly cause behavior. According to the theory, the beliefs that people have about themselves are critical in their response to situations. People are both products and producers of their own environments and of their social systems, and, though they are influenced by their environment, their interpretations of their situations greatly shape their behavior. Humans, in the view of the theory, posses intricate capabilities that define what it is to be human. They can symbolize and deduct meanings from symbols, learn, self-regulate, and self-reflect, among other things, and these capabilities help them define their own personality (Fajares, 2002). According to the theory, modeling, which can be direct (from live models), symbolic (from books, movies, and television), or synthesized (combining the acts of different models), lies at the core of social cognitive theory. Modeling can cause new behaviors, facilitate existing behaviors, change inhibitions, and arouse emotions (Pervin, 1989). The choice of the social cognitive theory to analyze the character of Jenny in the movie, Forrest Gump is mainly due to the author’s perception of the theory as the most comprehensive of all the personality theories, and hence, the most fitting to analyze the character in question. The theory takes into consideration factors that behavioral and cognitive theories dismiss. It can also clearly explain things that the other theories cannot explain, as it does not have as many limitations as the other personality theories. Character Description From the view of the social cognitive theory, Jenny is a talented woman, but has poor self-perception and low self-efficacy. This means that she most likely thinks of herself as incapable of coping with situations. Likewise, Jenny has poor self-regulation and is without goals. This means that she does not have a guide that will help her to establish her priorities, and is more likely incapable of regulating her own behavior. Having directly experienced physical and sexual abuse from her father as a child, and having lived in an environment that tolerates maladaptive behavior as a young adult, Jenny eventually exhibited maladaptive behavior herself as a result of the interplay of her environment and her poor self-perception, self-efficacy and self-regulation. It is also a result of her dysfunctional self-conception and expectations. Towards the end of the movie, we see an altered Jenny. She is more mature in appearance and in the way she carries herself. She is shown performing a normal job (a waitress) and finds it easier to talk to Forrest about why she keeps running away from him. From the point of view of the social cognitive theory, this improvement in her behavior is a result of an improved self-efficacy and the acquisition of new thought pattern and behavior. From the point of view of the psychodynamic theory, Jenny may be described as one who has a weakened ego due to her internal conflicts, which is brought about by her traumatic experiences in the hands of her father when she was a child. She has carried into adulthood the memories of the traumatic experiences of her childhood, albeit in a repressed manner. She may not be conscious of the underlying problems in her personality, but it is shown in the way she keeps running away from Forrest whom she says she loves, and as manifested by her involvements with drugs and her having suicidal tendencies, among others. The altered Jenny that we see in the movie may have been the result of undergoing cathartic hypnosis or free-association method. She could have finally discovered and resolved her inner conflicts and set free her repressed memories. Character analysis Structure    The character of Jenny in the movie has a talent in singing. In fact, her dream is to become a professional singer. As a young kid, Jenny showed ability to relate with another person on a personal level; she and Forrest taught each other some tricks. She also showed the ability to encourage others to overcome their fears; she urged Forrest to climb tree, shouting, â€Å"Come on Forrest, you can do it!† from the tree top. However, even as a kid, she already seemed to have escapist tendencies: she is seen running away from her father, and praying to God: â€Å"Dear God, make me a bird, so I can run far, far away from here† (Tishe, Finerman, & Zemeckis, 1994). She also urges Forrest to run away and to run fast whenever she sees her friend being bullied. She shouts: â€Å"Run Forrest, run!† Many years later, when Forrest was assigned to Vietnam, she would advise him not to try to be brave but to run away from trouble, fast. But while her friend’s Forrest’s runs are in the literal sense, Jenny’s is both in the literal and in the figurative senses. She did a lot of running, but not away from trouble, but towards it, and away from the person she loves — Forrest. Viewed from the structure of her personality through the lens of social cognitive theory, Jenny appears to have poor self-perception, as manifested when, as an answer to Forrest’s question as to why she wouldn’tt marry him, she says it is Forrest who would not want to marry her (implying that Forrest deserves someone better than her) and, again, when she gives Forrest her being screwed up as the reason for her running away from him. She tells him when she explained for the first time why she kept going out of his sight: â€Å"I was just messed up† (Tishe, Finerman, & Zemeckis, 1994). Jenny likewise has a poor self-efficacy. According to Bandura (1986) in Pajares (2002), self efficacy is the perceived ability to cope with specific situations. It is the people’s â€Å"judgments of their capabilities to organize and execute courses of action required to attain designated types of performances.† Having a poor self-efficacy hindered Jenny from achieving her dream of becoming a famous singer because self-efficacy is the very basis of motivation. People with poor efficacy tend to avoid activities that they perceive to be beyond their capabilities, may not put much effort to achieve their dreams, may not persist when there are obstacles, may have negative thought patterns while performing the tasks needed to be done to achieve their dreams and may have negative emotional reactions while anticipating an event, or in the middle performing a task. Hence, she always finds herself wanting to fly but couldn’t. Finally, though Jenny had dreams of a good future, she did not have goals. According to the social cognitive theory, goals are those that â€Å"guide us in establishing priorities among rewards and in selecting among situations that enable us to go beyond momentary influences and to organize our behavior over extended period of time,† (Pervin, 1989, p.338). Jenny failed to establish her priorities and overcome the bad influences in her life and to have an organized behavior over a period of time. Hence, since attending an all-girl school, she has been involved in maladaptive behavior, such as getting into drugs, being with bad crowds, having suicidal tendencies, as well as having relationship phobia, among others. Process As a young kid, Jenny had been exposed to and directly experienced aggressive behavior from his father, and from the bullies who mistreated Forrest in her presence. And while attending an all-girl school, she might have had negative influences from peers, and these negative influences may have been accepted in her new environment. Having been introduced to an environment that gave positive rewards to bad behavior by means of acceptance, Jenny eventually turned out doing the modeled behavior. But more than just having been thrown in an environment that accepts negative behavior, the more important thing that could have contributed to Jenny’s maladaptive behavior is her lack of the ability to self-regulate. Self-regulation involves an individual’s ability to control their behavior rather than mechanically reacting to external influences (Pervin, 1989). If Jenny was able to self-regulate, meaning, she was able to process the influences modeled to her such that she was able to assign which behavior was socially acceptable, and which behavior was not, she could have prevented herself from succumbing to the negative influences modeled to her. According to the social cognitive theory, behavior is maintained by expectancies or anticipated consequences. Individuals learn to set appropriate goals for themselves, and reward themselves with self-praise, when they are able to model the behavior and with guilt when they fail to. Moreover, behavior is not exclusively regulated by external forces; there is a process of self-reinforcement through which individuals reward themselves for attaining the standards they set for themselves (Pervin, 1989). Jenny, who does not have goals in the first place, as mentioned in the structure section of this paper, also does not seem capable of self-regulating. Growth and Development As a result of her low self-efficacy, Jenny has developed a maladaptive personality which she learned through observation from models as well as through direct experience, having been brought up by a physically and sexually abusive father, and having witnessed and directly experienced aggression outside of the home; she was present when Forrest was bullied by the kids at school and, as a grown-up, been hit in the face by her boyfriend during an argument in a Blank Panther party. Jenny seems not to have become an aggressive person, but she developed maladaptive behavior. Her aversive experiences drove her to use drugs, develop phobia of relationship, and to attempt or contemplate suicide. Psychopathology Jenny’s maladaptive behavior is a result of dysfunctional learning —she has observed and directly experienced inadequate or sick models (his father and his peers) and maintained this kind of learning through reinforcement. Her exposure to and direct experience of inadequate models may have resulted in dysfunctional expectancies and self-perceptions. Her running away from Forrest who loves her and whom she professes to love may be indicative of a relationship phobia. It may be possible that she is reminded of her painful past which she might be trying to run away from whenever she is with Forrest. Or maybe she has developed fear of pain — fear of being ridiculed when with Forrest perhaps, or fear of the ghost of her painful past. According to the social cognitive theory, dysfunctional expectations and self conceptions have a great role in the learning of overt behavior, such that people learn, erroneously, to expect painful things to follow some events or to associate pain with an event (Pervin, 1986). In Jenny’s case, her developing a relationship phobia (with Forrest) may be caused by associating pain with being with Forrest, or expecting pain to happen by being with Forrest for a long period of time. Her incessant impulse to stay away from Forrest after brief encounters with him may be a defensive behavior to escape the pain she expects to experience or painful events she expects to happen when she is with Forrest. Change Toward the end of the movie, we see a new Jenny. She no longer exhibits maladaptive behavior, no longer runs away from Forrest, and is now able to confess her feelings. In the view of social cognitive theory, change in behavior happens when there is alteration in the level of and strength in self-efficacy. As the level of self-efficacy increases, a person’s behavior tends to change toward positive behavior (Pervin, 1989). At some point in her life (while Forrest was running across America), Jenny must have had acquired new thought patterns and behavior, and improved self-efficacy. This change in Jenny might have been brought about in part by maturation and her becoming a mother, but mostly by having new influences to model from. During that time in her life when change started to develop, she could have met new friends who modeled to her good behavior, in an environment that accepts that kind of behavior. She might have had systematic desensitization of her phobia; thus, in the end she is not only able to go back to the man she loves and with whom she has a child, but also ask him to marry her. Internal and External Factors Jenny’s personality is both a product of internal and external factors. Among the external factors that greatly influenced her personality include her father and the abuses he inflicted upon her; her aunt who took care of her when she was taken from her father; her peers in school and the people she came in contact with throughout her life; Forrest himself and the friendship they shared together since they were young children; and the events in the society they were born into. Compared with Forrest, Jenny is more involved with the events that shaped their country. The internal factors, on the other hand, include her thoughts about, feelings toward and perceptions of the people that she came in contact with and of the events that took place around her. Together, the external and internal factors have defined the person that is Jenny. Conclusion   Ã‚   Overall, when seen from the perspective of the social learning theory, Jenny comes out as a person who was not only screwed up by the environment but also by her inability to process her circumstances in a manner that could have enabled her to prevail over the sad events in her life.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Jenny’s greatest achievement is that she eventually prevailed over her maladaptive behavior toward the end of the movie. This change, from the point of view of social cognitive theory, is not impossible. All she needed is someone to model from — someone who has had similar circumstances like hers, but is behaving differently. She must have had at least one such model.    References Albert Bandura biographical sketch. (n.d.) Retrieved January 26, 2008 from Emory University, Division of Educational Studies Website: http://www.des.emory.edu/mfp/bandurabio.html Bandura, Albert. (1986). Social foundations of thought and action: A social cognitive theory. Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: New Prentice Hall. Boeree, George C. (2006). Albert Bandura. Retrieved January 28, 2008 from http://webspace.ship.edu/cgboer/bandura.html    Pajares, Frank. (2002). Overview of social cognitive theory and of self-efficacy. Retrieved January 25, 2008 from http://www.emory.edu/EDUCATION/mfp/eff.html Pervin, Lawrence A. (1989). Personality theory and research. US: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Social cognitive approach to personality: Albert Bandura. (2001, February 26). Retrieved, January 26, 2008 from http://condor.admin.ccny.cuny.edu/~hhartman/SOCIAL%20COGNITIVE%20APPROACH%20TO%20PERSONALITY%20ALBERT%20BANDURA%20 (1925).htm Social cognitive theory. (n.d.) Retrieved January 26, 2008 from http://www.infosihat.gov.my/Artikel%20HP/Social%20Cognitive%20Theory.doc Social cognitive theory. (2004). Retrieved January 26, 2008 from the University of Twente Website: http://www.tcw.utwente.nl/theorieenoverzicht/Theory%20clusters/Health%20Communication/Social_cognitive_theory.doc/ Social Cognitive Theory. (n.d.) Retrieved January 26, 2008 from University of Wisconsin-Milwauke Website: http://www.uwm.edu/~vince/psy407/wwwcourse.407.lec20.soccog.handout.htm    The psychodynamic theory. (n.d.) Retried January 26, 2008 from Ryerson University Website: http://www.ryerson.ca/~glassman/psychdyn.html Tishe, S. & Finerman W. (Producer) & Zemeckis, R. (Director). (1994). Forrest Gump [Motion picture]. United States: Paramount Pictures.   

Essay about Grapes Of Wrath - 1712 Words

John Steinbeck uses symbolism to enrich his writing. Several of these symbols can be found in his book, The Grapes of Wrath. The Joad’s, a family from Oklahoma, are in search of a better life. They leave their home in journey to California because of the dust bowl. The symbols in the book are the dust, the turtle, names of people, and the grapes. These symbols give the reader an additional perspective of the book. Dust represents life and death. Dust makes a mess of things and leaves possessions under a mucky film. The farming in Oklahoma becomes difficult because the heavy winds uplift the soil and carry it great distances. Then the farmers are left with no soil to grow their crops. The Joad’s livelihood depends on the soil. If the†¦show more content†¦An’ they ain’t done it, neither† (p.62). Muley’s last name symbolizes death. The fact that he is to die on his land. Everyone is tractored off the land, but him. As the Joad’s a re forced to move off their land, they decide to move west, to California. After traveling all night they finally reach the mountains on the other side of the desert. Everyone gets out of the truck to gawk at the beautiful fields. But not everyone sees the same thing. Tom claims that Ruthie and Winfield, his younger siblings, are the ones that see the true beauty. â€Å"Who’s really seein’ it is Ruthie an’ Winfiel’† (p.313). Winfield is young and his name hints to the reader that he might â€Å"win the fields† from the rich farmers down the line. He is capable of working the land and may be the first farmer of the Joad family. While Ruthie, she is ruthless. She is very cruel and finds it hard to share. She was nibbling on some cracker jacks and some kids came and asked for some crackers, but Ruthie, she wouldn’t share. â€Å"So Ruthie got mad an’ chased ‘em, an’ she fit one, an’ then she fit another, anâ₠¬â„¢ then one big girl got up an’ licked her† (p.563). Although she appears to be strong in reality she is weak . Grapes are the fruit of the vine; something sweet. But in actuality for the Joad’s they are a disappointment. The Joad’s talk about them as being this wonderful fruit that will bring them a better life. They will pick the grapes and earnShow MoreRelatedThe Grapes of Wrath541 Words   |  2 PagesThe Grapes of Wrath ends in a rather idiosyncratic way. Steinbeck provides an anticlimax ending that is open to interpretation. The last scene occurs after the Joad family has to move from their boxcar due to the flood that has been ongoing for six days. At this point the family has encountered a series of problems that seem to be never ending. Every time there is a glimpse of hope, something comes and tears everything down. In California for example, finding a job was difficult for the family. OnRead MoreGrapes of Wrath5357 Words   |  22 PagesKrys tal Giffen The Grapes of Wrath Part 1: Literary Analysis 1. A. â€Å"†¦Ã¢â‚¬ËœWhat’s this call, this sperit?’ An’ I says, ‘It’s love†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (page 23, Chapter 4). This quote is an example of an metaphor. The use of this metaphor was to show the reader why the preacher doesn’t preach anymore. The effect the metaphor had on the reader was, for them to see how the preacher really viewed ‘the sperit’. B. â€Å"One cat’ takes and shoves ten families out. Cat’s all over hell now†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (pg. 8, Chapter 2). This quote isRead MoreGrapes of Wrath Essay1158 Words   |  5 PagesThe Grapes of Wrath, many concepts appear that were noted in How to Read Literature Like a Professor by Thomas C. Foster. However, the three chapters of Foster’s how-to guide that most apply to Steinbeck’s novel were â€Å"It’s All About Sex†¦,† â€Å"Every Trip is a Quest (Except When It’s Not),† and â€Å"It’s More Than Just Rain or Snow.† On more than one occasion these concepts are hidden within the book, and two of them actually seem somewhat linked together. After reading between the lines, The Grapes of WrathRead MoreEssay on Grapes of Wrath554 Words   |  3 Pages or in history books. We have seen the pain and struggle that these people must go through in order to survive. This novel, The Grapes of Wrath, relates to som e of the many times of violence and cruelty that this America has seen. During the Dust Bowl, hundreds of thousands of southerners faced many hardships, which is the basis of the novel called The Grapes of Wrath. It was written to portray the harsh conditions during the Dust Bowl. When one considers the merit of this novel, one thinks, howRead MoreThemes in the Grapes of Wrath2270 Words   |  10 PagesThemes in The Grapes of Wrath The Joads are on their way to California. The land which seems to be a heaven with great work, little white houses, and many acres of land. But the Joads soon find out that California may not be the paradise they dreamed of. Their journey to California will be full of hope and despair along with keeping their dignity in the midst of all the wrath. One of the biggest problems they will face is how poorly they will be treated. The one thing that made the Joads successfulRead MoreEssay On The Grapes Of Wrath1080 Words   |  5 PagesFrom I to We The Great Depression was a time in history when almost everyone suffered. The novel The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck depicts a family, the Joads, moving to California because the bank had taken their home and land. Many families were moving away to try to find work so that they could provide for their children. Families that were once one, later became two. The Joad family wanted to stick together because they thought that was all they could do to get through this unpleasant situationRead MoreGrapes of Wrath Essay4878 Words   |  20 PagesBriseida Miranda Period 3 2/25/13 The Grapes of Wrath Study Questions 1. The importance of the land to the people a) Why are the Joads and thousands like them thrown off the land? Due to increased demands during the time, the Joads and thousands like them had spent a great sum of money purchasing farming equipment. However as these demands decreased, farmers were left in major debt. Since the farmers were not able to pay off the debt, they were â€Å"thrown off† their landRead MoreGrapes of Wrath Essay633 Words   |  3 PagesGrapes of Wrath 1. The protagonist of this story is Tom Joad. Tom must overcome several conflicts when he is paroled from jail and let out into an economically depressed country. Toms physical conflict throughout the novel is the task of surviving the horrible starving conditions of Americas Great Depression. He also has physical conflicts with people who only wish to destroy the hopes of migrant workers such as the police and strikebreakers. Toms emotional conflict deals with his inabilityRead More The Grapes of Wrath Essays621 Words   |  3 PagesThe Grapes of Wrath The Grapes of Wrath is set in the horrible stage of our American history, the Depression. Economic, social, and historical surroundings separate the common man of America into basically the rich and poor. A basic theme is that man turns against one another in a selfish pride to only protect themselves. For example, the landowners create a system in which migrants are treated like animals and pushed along from one roadside camp to the next. They are denied decent wages and forcedRead More Grapes Of Wrath Essay2416 Words   |  10 Pages John Steinbeck’s novel, The Grapes of Wrath is one of the most influential books in American History, and is considered to be his best work by many. It tells the story of one family’s hardship during the Depression and the Dust Bowl of the 1930’s. The Joads were a hard-working family with a strong sense of togetherness and morals; they farmed their land and went about their business without bothering anyone. When the big drought came it forced them to sell the land they had lived on since before